(And a couple notes about community gardens and the food movement)Perhaps you've been wanting to catch me in action or have been looking for an opportunity to get some get-going gardening tips/ideas/instruction. Volia!
I'll be leading a Gardening 101 workshop at the Leon County Sustainable Communities Summit May 6th and 7th. Take a look at the website. Should be fun-- planting a raised bed garden inside a conference center. Heck yeah. Plus, there's going to be a community garden forum.
The entire Summit is focused on local, sustainable food systems and local economies. Brilliant. This is the kind of work that needs to be done. Read up on the Summit, register, see you there.
It's not everyday that you're included on a list of speakers with internationally renown authors like Bill McKibben and John Robbins as well as with a local super-star like Maggie Theriot, Coordinator of the Leon County Sustainability program. That is to say, I'm honored to be included in such a fantastic event.
If you already know about it and are ready to register, click here.
PS- Did you know that last night the Leon County Commission appropriated $20,000 for community gardens? Maggie Theriot and Zack Galloway did the bulk of the legwork on this. Kudos. A couple of the commissioners approved of the idea which enabled Maggie and Zack to focus work-time on reviewing the county's landholdings, to communicate with communities, develop a proposal, etc. The funds are focused on supporting a new Nims Middle School "math and Science classroom" Mini-Farm in their backfield, a Fort Braden Community Garden, a Miccosukee Community Garden, and one other site that I've temporarily forgotten.To read more about the Nim's garden, check out the story by WCTV.
PPS- FYI: This past Saturday, 38 community, school, and church gardeners joined at the FAMU Orange Ave Community Garden from across the Big Bend to share stories and food, learn from one another, to talk successes and challenges, and to strategize to further the food movement. There were folks from FAMU, FSU, Damayan, Wakulla Springs Baptist Church, St Stephen Lutheran, Magnolia School, Nims Middle School, Grassroots School, FAMU High, Cornerstone School, Grady County, Midtown, Indianhead, Lotts Community Gardens; There were city and county government employees, teachers, and students amongst others. It was a fantastic gathering: lots of shared questions and several group-created solutions.
The Food Movement is astir.