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This is a guest post by Aubree Taylor, EcoDater member and community gardener. Aubree is very passionate about cultivating gardens in our communities and this post is about her project, the 1000 Gardens Project. Click here to view Aubree's EcoDater profile, and click here to visit her project's website.
1000 Gardens Project – Keeping it Local
Buying local and living lightly on our Mother Earth has always been important to me. For a long time I have felt deeply inspired to give back to my community and have been searching for a way to do this. In the Fall of 2008 I co-founded a grassroots movement in the Ozarks. The 1000 Gardens Project was born as a way to educate the community I live in on the need for food security, the relocalization of our economy and the importance of a sustainable lifestyle for future generations. The 1000 Gardens Project is helping to establish school & community gardens and to improve the school lunch program by introducing farm fresh products into cafeterias.
Sustainability is the most pressing issue of our times. Where does a person even begin? The revolution has to begin within. We must make the necessary changes in our lives before we can even begin to engage in making our communities a better place to live. You can start exploring options in your own life immediately by questioning where your food comes from.
Did you know that the average plate of food in the U.S. travels 1,300 miles before it even reaches your plate? Unless you are growing your own food, buying straight from your local farmer or farmers market, where you have direct contact with the grower, you have no way to know how your food has been treated. The fruits and vegetables you buy at the grocery store may be irradiated, full of pesticides and genetically modified. We have become a society of convenience at the expense of our own health. Our communities suffer from the lack of food security, which is the availability of food and access to that source. We can rebuild our economies and communities by supporting our Local food sources.
Here are a few great reasons to keep it Local!
Super Fresh taste: Most farmers’ market produce has been picked less than 24 hours of purchase.
Healthy & Nutritious: When you buy locally and straight from the farmer’s you can inquire as to whether they engage in organic methods of growing or it they use pesticides, hormones or antibiotics.
Variety: Local growers offer a selection of produce that you will not find in grocery stores. Expand your horizons by trying different Heirloom fruits & veggies and learning to shop seasonally.
Environmentally friendly: When you purchase locally it saves an average of 1,300 miles of travel time and petroleum, which in turn cuts back on pollution.
Support Local Family Farms: Help strengthen the local economy by keeping your dollar close to home.
Food Security: By decided to purchase locally you will know where you food is coming from and who grew it. If for any reason our global supply lines are shut down your community will have access to food that is grown locally.
Building Community: Purchasing food locally provides communities with a chance to build stronger relationships.
Get involved in your community by starting your own 1000 Gardens Project. You can call it whatever you want!
Here are a few tips from the Farm to School Program to get you going.
1. Research: Read the publication Going Local to acquaint yourself with model farm to school programs from across the country. As Farm to School programs come in many shapes and sizes, it's important to begin to identify what you want and what would work best in your school. Visit http://www.farmtoschool.org/ to learn if there is a program in your area.
2. Organize: Coordinate a group of cross-sector stakeholders in the community for a meeting to discuss farm to school (food service directors, parents, teachers, farmers, students, school administration, local nonprofits, etc.) Inspire potential supporters with an activity such as a farm tour or a farm-fresh taste test.
3. Assets: Facilitate conversations with various stakeholders to determine the feasibility of the program in your area—discuss where to buy local foods, assets how to serve them at school, identify staff or volunteers to support the program, and determine what the budget for your program can be.
4. Plan: Create a short description of your ideal program and then list specific first steps. Tip: start with easy wins! Try to limit this to five steps to help you organize and communicate your goals to others.
5. Start: Take small steps such as working with one or two whole products that are easy to process and popular among kids. Local apples, oranges, or strawberries are a good choice when they are in season.
What are you waiting for? Plant the seeds of farm to school & start your own 1000 Gardens Project today.
Please visit our new website: http://wellfedneighbor.ning.com
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Posted on
Dec 23 2009
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