The Evergreen Cooperative Opens Largest Greenhouse in Urban Core Area in U.S.

It's been too long since I posted in this blog.  I've been busy teaching, grant writing, and working on my Foodshed to Watershed Environmental Education Curriculum, as part of my Together Green Fellowship through National Audubon Society.

As part of this fellowship, I've been monitoring and researching the development of urban agriculture.  The Evergreen Cooperative is actually an organization that I discovered last year through the New Economics Institute Conference I attended at Bard College in New York's Hudson River Valley.

The Evergreen Cooperative was formed to help create viable, environmentally sustainable member-owned businesses in Cleveland's urban core area - where unemployment in this mostly low-income minority community has been extremely high for years.  Like many urban cities in the Northeast and the Midwest 'Rust Belt', these low-income neighborhoods surround Cleveland's downtown urban center which is home to numerous institutions including an art museum, hospital and several universities.

In an effort to address the growing income disparity between the wealth of these institutions and the surrounding neighborhoods, a group of local nonprofits, businesses and local government leaders came together to find a way for these 'anchor institutions' to work together with the community to remedy the lack of jobs and income in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding these very wealthy institutions.

The group focused on identifying the key services these institutions utilized, such as laundry services, printing, and food - and then through creative investment - funded the startup of member-owned businesses that will provide these services.  Many of these institutions were utilizing 'local' businesses, but still, many of these businesses were located 30-40 miles away.  The group argued that a more truly environmentally sustainable business model would be to create member-owned businesses right there in the surrounding neighborhoods where you had a ready and willing workforce in need of jobs.  After a lot of trial and error, the Evergreen Cooperative has been a big success.

To date the Evergreen Cooperative has started a number of major businesses including Evergreen Laundry Services, Evergreen Energy Soluations, a solar PV panel design and installation company, and most recently, Green City Growers, the largest urban greenhouse in an urban core area.

Here is a video of some of the employees talking about the urban greenhouse.  I just love this concept of developing 'sustainable' businesses which meet our communities' basic needs.  I'm looking forward to visiting Cleveland later this year, and will report back after.  Until then - enjoy!

And here's a news clip about the opening of Green City Growers in Cleveland.

Still time to vote..Vote Smart

There's still a little time to vote, and I hope any readers here in the U.S. exercised your right - which for many of us, we wouldn't have the right if it weren't for the efforts of many many people who came before us, advocating for that right.

So, this blog is mostly off the topic of green, and, represents solely the opinions of this writer and not of any other affiliated organization.

In addition to exercising your right to vote, I also encourage you to consider a few things, which have mostly influenced me in my decision on which circle to fill in this morning on my ballot.

1) Need for a new Green Economy: Governor Romney, in his debate with President Obama accused the President of giving his business friends billions of dollars in 'Green Pork' - meaning, solar panel manufacturing firms, and other green energy firms.  In my opinion - I would much rather have the President give money to go toward creating a more environmentally sustainable and resilient economy and infrastructure than continuing to give millions in tax benefits to big oil companies or offshore manufacturing. 

Still, it's really time we embraced shifting to a new 'green' economy.  The Governor's statement shows no indication he supports such a move.

2)  Lets Not Turn Back the Clock on Women's Rights: Lots of people have shown that Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan has voted repeatedly to weaken a women's right to choose. Here's my feeling on it -- as a Woman, I want to be the one to choose what I do with my body. I'm okay with some limitations for health reasons.  Still, whether it's a sin is between me and my God, not for a man to decide (and lets all agree, a majority of our Congressional representatives are still men). 

It's time women like me, and others, who have benefitted so much from the efforts of so many women and men before me, spoke up, and said We Won't Turn Back the Clock on a Women's Right To Choose.  To me, today's vote was that simple.

3) Who Represents the Majority: In my opinion, a look at the difference in the crowds at the Republican National Convention (mostly all white, with a small mix of black and hispanic), and the Democratic National Convention (a beautiful sea of diversity), show clearly who these parties represent.  I want a leader who represents the diversity of this country, and from a party that truly represents the diversity of people in this country.

I don't usually take such a strong stand, but as we head to polls closing and lots of reporting, I hope you, the reader, took the time to vote, and considered some of these elements when you voted.

To a peaceful, happy, healthy, country and election results!
Amy

TogetherGreen Fellowship

As a writer, I am much more accustomed to writing about and seeing in print articles about other people and things.  Thus, I'm not much of a self-promoter.  Still, since the press release went out and the Saratogian and a few other media outlets picked up the story, I do have to share about my recent TogetherGreen Fellowship award from National Audubon Society's TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, funded through a grant from Toyota.

The TogetherGreen award is a competitive fellowship program for Conservation Leaders, to cultivate further leadership through community-based conservation action project.  In May, I was notified that I had been selected for the $10,000 fellowship to develop a 'Foodshed to Watershed' Environmental Education Program for urban youth working on an existing urban farm in downtown Troy. 

The farm is part of a jobs training program called The Produce Project, for urban youth from Troy High School.  The idea of the Produce Project, is to use urban agriculture to provide essential job and life skills to the youth.  The students participate in all aspects of the farm, from planting to harvesting, to selling at the Delmar Farmer's Market and several other area chefs and restaurants.

The goal of the Produce Project was also to provide hands on math and science skills building.  That's where my project comes in.  I'm planning to develop a year-long curriculum which connects the students to what they are doing on the farm, to the larger urban landscape and Hudson River Watershed, of which Troy is very much a part of.

The project will culimate in a stream cleanup along one of the creeks which runs through Troy.  The Poestenkill and Wyantskill Creeks both run through Troy, and both have active fisheries.  The curriculum I develop will involve some hands-on Citizen Science Projects such as amphibian monitoring at the farm, backyard bird count, and preliminary monitoring for the American Eel, part of the NYS DEC's Hudson River Estuary American Eel Monitoring Program.

The project is a really wonderful opportunity for the students working on the farm to connect to the local natural places right in their own backyard, and through various exercises, explore their own cultural and historical connections to place.

Above is a photo of all of the 2012 Awardees, at a 5-day conference and training we attended at Aullwood Nature Center in Dayton, OH in late May. 

A big Thanks to National Audubon Society and Toyota for their support, and to Capital District Community Gardens, where I also work part-time as a grant writer.  CDCG is one of the oldest community garden organizations in the country, and actively works to nourish healthy communities by increasing access to fresh food through community gardening, the Produce Project, Veggie Mobile and Healthy Convenience Store Initiative.  For more info go to their webiste at www.cdcg.org.

Thanks to the Saratogian for their coverage of the project, and all their past coverage of Sustainable Saratoga and the many other great things happening in the Saratoga Community.  It's a great local media resource. 
For more info on TogetherGreen - here's the link to my project: http://www.togethergreen.org/fellows/fellow/amy-stock

On Food Systems: FAO calls for less dependence on fossil fuels and more...

As many of you know, I'm a strong advocate for strengthening our local and regional food systems.  Having a diversified food production system is, in my opinion, essential for local and regional food security.


Below are three articles I am passing along.
1) The first, about the rise in food prices, should be sort of obvious for anyone responsible for grocery shopping.  If you haven't noticed an increase in food prices or other items over the past few months, you are fortunate.  Global food prices on the rise again, says World Bank


2) This second article, discusses a report just released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), calling for less dependence on fossil fuels to increase food production.  This report and article is heartening, as anyone who has taught anything about sustainable agriculture knows we DO have the technology and methods to grow food more sustainably and using less fossil fuel.


FAO calls for less dependence on fossil fuels to increase food production


The report suggests using such techniques as improving water use so as to ensure less water is wasted (like watering at night or during the cooler parts of the day), as well as reducing, recycling and streamlining waste.  I would also suggest we consider the current 'scale' of agriculture, and think more in terms of integrating agriculture into our urban and suburban environments (at least here in the U.S.)


3) The third article discusses a report from global scientists with policy recommendations for global food security in the foreseeable future.
Global scientists serve up food security policy recommendations


One of their recommendations which stands out for me is to 'significantly raise the level of global investment in sustainable agriculture and food systems.'  Again, for me, this goes back to my own thoughts that every region in this country has the opportunity to improve and enhance their regional food systems, and that these can be viable business and market opportunities.


In New York State, Governor Cuomo last year called for the development of new regional economic development plans.  I am glad to see in the Capital Region's Regional Economic Development Strategic Plan an emphasis on building regional agriculture and valuing "local" food.  I personally would like to see more of this happening, again, not just in the rural areas but also urban and surburban.  Whether its smaller scale farms or small-scale food production/processing businesses - opportunities abound!


Photos by Amy L. Stock (top: Homegrown produce; bottom: Maine farm field in winter)

NYC Rooftop Greenhouse

Life seems to be packed with work and projects these next few weeks. So, I'm going to keep posting by re-posting information I find.

This one follows my theme of 'Can NYC truly be environmentally sustainable?' Below is a link to a story that covers plans for a major rooftop greenhouse on the roof of an old Navy Warehouse in Sunset Park in Brooklyn. Plans are to produce a million pounds of produce per year using hydroponics (water).

If the average American consumes somewhere between 350-791 lbs of fruits and vegetables per year, this greenhouse could provide fresh produce for anywhere between 2,857 and 1,264 individuals. (Note: trying to find good #'s on average fruit and vegetable consumption proved time intensive, but these are numbers I found on the low and high end)

Here's a link to the full article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/nyregion/rooftop-greenhouse-will-boost-city-farming.html?_r=1

Enjoy!

(image from online article, Eric Michael Johnson for the NY Times)

Climate Change Awareness: Join Earth Hour 2012 - Sat March 31, 8:30pm

Launched in 2007 in Australia, Earth Hour was a public response to highlight the need to take action on countering climate change by reducing energy useage and energy emissions. Now an international 'day of action', you too can sign up to turnoff your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 31st from 8:30-9:30pm.

Go to the Earth Hour website to sign up.

More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.

Though I personally believe we each need to take personal responsibility for our impact on this earth, and reduce our energy useage daily. I do believe these kind of actions really help highlight the importance of long term change.

Enjoy the lights out!

Can NYC truly be self-sustaining?

Can New York City, a city of 8 million people, Be Environmentally Self-Sustaining?

This is a question I've been thinking and pondering for a while, especially since last summer when I was researching some census data for a grant and was reminded again just how large of a population resides in this city - 8 million (this includes the boroughs.) Then, in the fall of 2011 I made several trips down to NYC, and each time, as I rode the train down and back up, I found myself pondering 'what would it look like for this city to be truly sustainable?'

Earlier this year I spent some time in the NYC watershed in the Catskills, and got an even greater sense of the vast resources dedicated just to provide this city of 8 million people with clean water. In essence, the NYC watershed begins up in the Schoharie Valley, at the Gilboa Dam, and then it's all down hill from there. More on this in another post. But lets just say, I never before quite understood how many acres of public land were off-limits to human activity just to help keep the water clean. It's fascinating. So, I've been wanting to write a series of blogs on what it would really look like and take for this city to be self-sustaining.

Then today I came across this article: Building the Self-Sufficient City: NYC Covered in Green, posted by SustainableBusiness.com News
An architect has been working for years on a design to 'green' NYC. It's truly in part the vision I had in mind. People growing food on patios and vacant lots; more bicycle paths, individual solar panels and water retention systems on roofs. I think for a city the size of NYC to become more truly self-sustaining, it will require this kind of relocalized effort.

I have attended several sustainable agriculture related conferences the past year, and always find it interesting when researchers studying the 'food shed' needed to feed NYC includes much of upstate NY, NJ, PA. Here's an architect designing a much more self-reliant city of 8 million. Check out the article here and Enjoy......

Building the Self-Sufficient City: NYC Covered in Green, re-posted from SustainableBusiness.com News

Birds on the Move...Winter Raptor Fest 2012

Spring approaches, and with that, many species are on the move, including raptors and other birds. The other day I saw my first Red-winged Blackbird of the season at Spa State Park. On Sunday, I saw a hawk, I believe was a Red-tailed Hawk, hovering around one of the highway overpasses between Albany and Troy. The hawk was clearly after the pigeons roosting in the overpass eaves, as evident by the pigeons that were encircling the hawk.

And, last week looking out my office window at the Community Gardens office in South Troy, which is situated in a commercial-district right along the Hudson River, I saw another Red-tailed Hawk circling the nearby building - it too looking for pigeons.

I love to see these natural "wild" species in such deep urban settings. A colleague and I were just talking about the contrast these kinds of experiences or natural settings in urban areas present. Somehow, this gives me hope that if a Red-tailed Hawk can adapt to changes in 'habitat', so may we humans.

This weekend however, is the opportunity to see some hawks and other raptors in their natural environment. March 10 & 11th is the WINTER RAPTOR FEST in Ft Edward, NY. This always looks like an interesting, family-friendly event. The grasslands around Ft Edward in Washington County are designated by National Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

According to the Friends of the IBA website, "The Washington County Grasslands IBA is one of the few remaining large continuous grasslands in Eastern NY. It provides critical habitat for state endangered Short-eared Owls and “exceptional” grassland breeding and wintering habitat for many other grassland birds, including almost a dozen other threatened, at-risk and rapidly declining grassland bird species."

Protecting our open spaces helps maintain critical habitat for birds and other wildlife and plants, and is essential if we are to maintain regional biodiversity.

I hope some of you will get out and enjoy this event, and, let me know how it is.

The benefits of heating with wood

Not everyone can enjoy the benefits of a wood stove in their home. For example, most apartment dwellers don't have the option. However, for me, when I was buying my house, one of the key buying points for me was that my house have a wood stove, which together with a pellet stove and some electric baseboard as backup, heats my home quite well.


Heating with wood is a lot of work - don't let anyone say otherwise. Most people I know who heat with wood spend a lot of time splitting and/or stacking it. However, once you're in a house for a while you get a system down as to when you buy your wood, from whom, and how. Most people start in the spring by buying and/or splitting then stacking green wood in the spring to dry for winter. Others seek out their deliveries of 1, 2 or 5 cords of dry wood in the fall.

Either way, it's work. Still, there is something very satisfying about the work you put in to heat your house, and then the final outcome - which is a warm toasty fire. When I get my woodstove going, it can heat my entire house w/o needing any other source. This year I had the fortune of having 3 trees taken down in my front yard - oak and cherry - both great hardwoods for using in a wood stove.

I asked the city workers, who took down the trees, to leave much of the wood. After several weeks of searching for the right person with the right sized chain saw, the big logs were cut up into smaller rounds. In early fall I rented a splitter and several friends and neighbors spent a Saturday helping me split the wood. If you've never operated a hydraulic log splitter - well, it's quite fun! And, I was set for the winter with wood.

Fortunately we've had a relatively mild winter, so not nearly the kind of snowy cold nights as last winter walking out to the wood pile in the dark. Still, the warm heat of wood makes it all worthwhile. There are other benefits too. Below I've copied an excerpt on the benefits of heating with wood from HubPages. The article provides a decent explanation of the multiple benefits of heating wood - so enjoy, and next time you're considering a change in your home heating system - consider a wood stove or masonry fireplace (even more efficient).


The Top 5 Benefits To Installing a Woodburning Stove

Ask most anyone what they think about woodburning stoves and the first words out of their mouth are likely to include something about looking and feeling good. We're drawn by some basic instinct to the warmth and comfort of a real fire, and if it's a fireplace set behind safe glass doors that keep out the smoke and mean an end to cleaning out the grate, so much the better.

In fact, it's not unusual to find people installing a wood burning stove that they don't actually need as such (for heating), but that they want as a centrepiece in their lounge or kitchen. How many times have you seen an Aga decoratively dissipating heat right next to a regular oven and hob? People naturally gather round woodburning stoves and kitchen range cookers - the same cannot be said for gas boilers and electric cookers.

Not Just A Pretty Face.
So, we like our homes to feel warm and inviting, and woodburning stoves tick the box. But woodburner offer more than eye-candy and feel-good factor. Modern wood burning stoves are able to accommodate a boiler, provide full cooking capabilities and be fully automated.

Many woodburning stoves can be fitted with a back boiler supplying hot water to radiators and the main hot water cylinder. Some, such as the Rayburn, are designed as a kitchen range with a full sized oven and double hob plus an integral boiler where a second oven would normally go. Systems intended primarily as woodburning boilers typically incorporate an automatic wood pellet fuel hopper and comprehensive timing controls, requiring virtually no intervention. Highly versatile? Tick.

It's The Utility Bill, Stupid.
In recent years, as gas and electricity prices have relentlessly soared, word has gotten out that those strange woodburning stove things are not only capable of providing a complete hot water and domestic heating system, but they're a heck of a lot cheaper to run than conventional heating systems. Modern woodburners are highly efficient thanks to improvements in manufacturing processes, quality materials and better understanding of airflow and combustion. Also, wood logs and manufactured wood pellets are essentially waste material, and therefore plentiful and cheap. That'll be a tick for economy then.

Follow The Carbon Footprints.
Everyone is now aware that fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are a one way street where Carbon Dioxide is concerned. Fill your car with petrol and go for a spin - after a while the petrol will be gone and there will be more CO2 heading for the ionosphere. Do this enough and eventually there won't be any petrocarbons left to turn into petrol; meanwhile the atmosphere will be saturated with CO2 from all that was burned before.

Compare this with burning wood. Yep, it too releases CO2, but unlike oil we can grow more wood by simply planting new trees. The beauty of this is that each new tree we plant will re-absorb exactly as much CO2 as is released by burning the wood from a dead tree. In fact, a dead tree will give its CO2 back to the air whether it's burned or left to rot, so using it as biofuel is no more harmful than doing nothing at all.

But it gets better still. Trees take a long time to grow, so you can't cut down one this year and expect its replacement to be ready next year. The timescale is more like a decade or more, which means you need to have a whole lot more trees constantly maturing and absorbing CO2 than are ever being burned.

Also, commercially manufactured wood pellets and wood chips are made from recycled waste. Wood pellets are in fact compressed waste sawdust. So, we can tick renewable and recyclable - it's getting hard to see what's not to like where contemporry wood burning technology is concerned.

Future Proof
We already know that oil depletion is a fact, and that the world supply of fossil fuels is dwindling, which can only increase the price long term unless we move to other forms of energy. The regulations regarding CO2 output for new buildings have also become noticeably tougher in recent times, with "zero-carbon" dwellings being a serious target over the next few years.

In response to this tightening regulatory environment, many builders and architects now recommend installing wood burning stoves almost by default in order to make it considerably easier to comply with new building regulations on carbon footprints. Coupled with the fact that combining solar thermal heating with a woodburning boiler by way of an accumulator tank makes for a natural fit, it's interesting to see this technology that is in many respects little changed from its invention some 250 years ago, quietly establishing its place in our future. Tick.

source: http://kulekat.hubpages.com/hub/Top-5-Benefits-Installing-a-Woodburning-Stove

Is it really February...Nature mirrors the love within us

Happy Valentine's to one and all! This 'holiday' I am always reminded of the abundant unconditional love that just is, within each of us and in nature.

I am also reminded of my own 'love' I feel for this earth, for this very beautiful magnanimous place we humans occupy and share with all other beings. It reminds me of the words of one of my students in my fall Biology of Ecosystems course, who wrote in response to why she is taking this class, 'because I just love this earth so much!'. Her words have really stayed with me.

I was so moved that a student would acknowledge this love she feels for the earth. It also reminded me how many of us look to nature for healing, peace, and really - love. Somehow, nature embodies a sense of awe, wonder, love and beauty - and mirrors this within ourselves.

Earlier this winter, I was up in one of the most beautiful places I know in upstate New York, in the Catskills...and walking on what was perhaps one of the most amazing days of the year, a fabulous sunny, warm day, surrounded by mountains and water, when a woman walking by me said, "What a beautiful day! How could anyone not believe there is a God on a day like this!" I smiled and nodded - acknowledging what I know she was feeling was this deep residing beauty and love that just is nature.

Even writing it makes me smile - that day, the people walking, the sun, water, mountains, all resonated a deep abiding love which is both nature and our own human nature- in my opinion, what some call God, others call Gaia, regardless of what we call it, that day - nature, mother earth, God - was definitely speaking to her and all the rest of us...

So, as we celebrate this day whose focus is love - may we be reminded of the many ways and kinds of love that exist in this world, and of the greater love which nature embodies and provides...

And, not to forget our dualistic human nature, and the need for humor at our own human foibles, I must share another photo, which perhaps represents more than I even really know but I also just find hilarious - I call it 'Cupid Derailed.' Sometimes, this happens to even the best of us. Thank goodness for facebook friends who shared these photos... Have a great valentines day- BE LOVE! (despite what walls we may encounter...:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sustainable Saratoga Regift-athon: Tues Jan 24th

Passing along a notice of Sustainable Saratoga's monthly meeting, to be held tomorrow, Tuesday, January 24 from 6:30-8:30, at the Saratoga Springs City Hall, 3rd floor Music Hall,
featuring a Regift-athon Swap Meet, fashioned after the ideas of 'freecycle', a way to recycle and reuse clothing or household items which have outgrown their use for you, 'One man's garbage is another man's treasure.'

PRESENTED BY:
Sustainable Saratoga's Local Economy Committee

WHAT: Community exchange of items
WHEN: January 24th 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Community Meeting starts at 7:15 p.m.
WHERE: Saratoga Springs Music Hall (3rd Floor City Hall) 474 Broadway
DETAILS: If you receive a gift this holiday season that you think someone else might enjoy more, bring it to the regift-athon! A regift-athon is a swap of items between community members without an exchange of money.
Read Alex's blog post on Life Beyond Stuff.CONTACT:alexchaucer@gmail.com for more details.

The Regift-athon Swap Meet is an event where participants can bring new and gently used items which will be swapped for other new or gently used items.

The Regitft-athon is being held in conjunction with the Monthly Community Meeting that will start at 7:15. Non-swappers are welcome to come, observe and participate in the valuable conversation.

We will hear from two experienced local swappers: Christina Davis of the "From Scratch Club" and Sharon Oliver from Freecycle.org.

Schedule:
6:30 p.m. Swappers arrive set-up your items on tables
6:30-7:15 p.m. Networking and swap item review
7:15 Christina from the "From Scratch Club" will help facilitate the swapping and will share with us "How swapping works!" Sharon will share about Freecycle.org
7:30-8:30 p.m. Open swapping
8:30 p.m. Clean up

Guidelines:
1. All participants determine the value of their own items and what they are willing to exchange their things for.
2. Carry in - Carry out: Take home any unswapped items you have brought and items you have earned through swapping.
3. All exchanges are final.
4. You are responsible for any tax implications from your exchanges.

Swapable items: Any physical item except food
What to do now?
1. Mention you are attending by clicking attending on this Facebook event.
2. Post pictures or comments about items you are bringing here on the event page on Facebook.
3. If you don't use Facebook, please contact Alex Chaucer by email to tell him your name and what you plan to bring. Thank you.

Volunteers Needed:6:30-7:00 Registration & Set-up, 8:30 Clean-up

Thank you for your considerate participation.
The Sustainable Saratoga Communications Team

NOFA-NY Annual Conference This Weekend in Saratoga

This weekend marks the 30th Annual NOFA-NY Conference (Northeast Organic Farmers Association of New York). If you haven't ever had the opportunity to attend and have the time - this is one of those conference you should.

You can learn everything from the basics of Beekeeeping 101 to discussions on Organic Food Policy at the state and federal level. This conference is really fun and interesting, and for those of you local Saratogians - it's right in our downtown, at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

For more information and a schedule go to http://www.nofany.org/events/2012-winter-conference (they are only taking walk-in registrations at this time, according to their website)

NYSERDA Storm Relief Funds for homeowners & farming equipment

While searching for some other grant funding I came across these two very relevant and timely rebate and grant programs through NYSERDA for residents and businesses impacted by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

The first is the New York State Appliance Rebate Program to provide rebate assistance to residents who lost appliances or equipment as a result of Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee, to replace lost equipment with EnergyStar appliances. Applicants cannot be receiving FEMA compensation.

Applications for Storm Relief rebates are being accepted. Rebates will be accepted on a first come, first served basis until program funding has been exhausted or January 31, 2012 whichever comes first. Funds are limited. Note: All Storm Relief Rebate Applications must be postmarked by January 31, 2012.

To qualify: Residents affected by Hurricane Irene: approved appliances and equipment must be purchased on or after August 29, 2011. Residents affected by Tropical Storm Lee: approved appliances and equipment must be purchased on or after September 9, 2011. For additional information go to http://www.nysappliancerebates.com/.

The second is The Agriculture Disaster Energy Efficiency Program, available to assist farms and on-farm producers in New York State damaged by Hurricane Irene and/or Tropical Storm Lee. Many New York State farms sustained significant damage by the recent storms and existing aid is primarily focused on crops and soil conservation. Under this program, $4,175,000 is available to provide financial assistance toward projects replacing and installing a farm’s electric and natural gas distribution and use equipment and systems damaged during the storms in non-residential facilities. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through 5:00 PM Eastern Time April 30, 2012 or until funds are exhausted. For more information go to http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Funding-Opportunities/Current-Funding-Opportunities/PON-2422-Agriculture-Disaster-Energy-Efficiency-Program.aspx

Happy New Year & Still Time to Make a Donation to Your Favorite Enviro Group

(Paddling Blue Mountain Lake, NY, photo A. Stock)


I’ve been receiving a number of emails from some of my favorite environmental groups reminding me there is still time to make a donation and receive the tax benefit. So, I thought I would pass along links to some of the groups whose work I follow, support, appreciate (or admittedly, employ me :)

Though economic times are tough, now more than ever, every dollar counts for non-profits.

One of my favorite groups which reaches far back to my childhood is the Fresh Air Fund, www.freshairfund.org. I have fond memories of ‘fresh air fund’ kids coming to Gloversville, where I grew up in upstate NY, staying with various friend’s families. As someone who was raised in a predominantly white, middle-class (at the time) community, these kids from the city raised my curiosity.

I remember asking my mother once if we could have a ‘fresh air kid’ sometime. She balked. She had seven of her own kids to feed and take care of each summer, plus a husband and father-in-law, all on one income. Still, we all agreed it was a worthwhile idea, this group which brought city kids up to the country.

I still recall talking with one of the kids about his experience in Gloversville and him saying he’d never been out of the city. Most of the kids were of similar upbringing - had never spent any time out of the city, so a day in the country and swimming at a lake was truly a first-time experience for them.

Somewhere in me, I knew I felt grateful for having grown up with the natural world as my playground. To this day, as a teacher of environmental studies, I find learning about the environment and creating an ethic of appreciation for it, is best done through direct experience with nature.

I’ve since had adult students who also grew up in the city. Most have some love for nature and animals, but also, most of what they know is through TV. When teaching at Bryant and Stratton College, I always made a point to take my students on a field trip to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. One woman, six-months pregnant and who remained mostly silent the entire field trip, told me after, ‘Ms Stock, this was the best experience I’ve ever had.’

That’s why this year, I’m supporting the Fresh Air Fund.

I hope you too will make a donation to your favorite charity, whether environmental or other.

Have a safe and happy New Year!
Amy

Below is a list of some of the nonprofits who are doing important work in the Saratoga-Capital Region, Hudson Valley, and beyond. Most have links to donate online. So, take a moment and consider donating today.
















(Students from Troy High School sell produce they've grown as part of Capital District Community Gardens Produce Project, an urban-farm based entrepreneurial job training program for at-risk youth in Troy, photo courtesy CDCG)

Capital District Community Gardens, www.cdcg.org
Saratoga P.L.A.N., http://www.saratogaplan.org/
Agricultural Stewardship Association, http://www.asa.org/
American Farmland Trust, http://www.aft.org/
Northeast Land Trust Alliance, http://www.northeastlta.org/
Regional Farm and Food Project, http://http//www.facebook.com/pages/Regional-Farm-and-Food-Project/124251794716Sustainable Saratoga, http://www.sustainablesaratoga.com/
The WILD Center, http://www.wildcenter.org/
Ashokan Nature Center, http://www.ashokancenter.org/
Kingston Land Trust, http://www.kingstonlandtrust.org/
Woodstock Land Conservancy, http://www.woodstocklandconservancy.org/
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, http://www.clearwater.org/
Scenic Hudson, http://www.scenichudson.org/
National Audubon Society, http://www.audubon.org/
Conservation International, http://www.conservation.org/
Northeast Permaculture Institute, http://www.thepine.org/
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, http://www.ecostudies.org/
Sustainable Hudson Valley, sustainhv.org
Lake George Land Conservancy, http://www.lglc.org/
Children & Nature Network, http://www.childrenandnature.org/
Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, http://www.wiltonpreserve.org/
Parks & Trail NY, http://www.ptny.org/
Sustainable South Sound, http://www.sustainablesouthsound.org/
The Resiience Hub, http://www.theresiliencehub.org/
Fresh Air Fund, http://www.freshairfund.org/


(North end of Lake George, NY, photo, A. Stock)

Happy Holidays - Winter Solstice, Hannukah, Christmas

It is no wonder to me why so many holidays occur around this same time of year, the winter solstice - the darkest day of the year.
At winter solstice, we enter into the stillness of winter, of the cold, allowing whatever must be let go, let go. At the same time, we celebrate the return of the light, as the earth makes it transit, yet again, around the sun. Solstice gives us a time to gestate new ideas, new thoughts, and new ways of being we want for our lives.

I personally enjoy the winter solstice as it marks for me the ending of one year, and beginning of another. It provides a moment to look at all I have learned, how my life has been going, what I've accomplished, or not, and how I want it to go for the coming year.

I have this quote on a little inspirational card someone gave to me years ago,

The quote says,

"The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning." by Ivy Baker Priest

I love this quote. It reminds me at this time of year, that the end of one year also ushers in the beginning of another. So as we hustle and bustle about our lives for the holidays, celebrating in whatever way we may - I wish you all the peace and joy of the returning light. May you celebrate ALL the lessons and joy of the past year, and welcome in even more joy for the coming year.

And remember, at least as I try to, it is often the simple things in life which can bring us the most joy - a smile from a friend, the funny words of a three year old, or the laughter of the clerk behind the counter when you share a joke. Sometimes the small things have the greatest impact.

And, don't forget to shop local - in my opinion, one of the most 'green' things you can do :)

Thank you to all who have read and enjoyed my blog. I look forward to writing more in the coming year, examining sustainability in a deeper way, and on a larger scale.

I want to end sharing a really great video to watch - a wonderful gift and reminder of the small wonders of everyday life. A look at Life In A Day of people around the globe - how they live their lives, their values, friends, challenges and joys. A study of similarities, contrasts, contradictions and interconnectedness of all our lives, complex and yet entirely simple. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/user/lifeinaday?feature=watch

Living with the change of seasons

I have a friend who a few years back wrote to me in an email, 'we're all doing good here. Our life seems to have its own seasons now.'

I woke this morning remembering how much I try sometimes to resist change, and particularly, the change of seasons. I was reminded this morning, as I rose at 6:30, just a bit before the sunrise, that though we are only in early December we are actually in the darkest time of the year.

December 21st, just a few weeks away, marks the Winter Solstice - the darkest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - when the earth is furthest from the sun. As I deal with my busy schedule - end of semester grading, preparing for a family xmas, and other life and work responsibilities, I paused this morning to remember and reflect on how disconnected I can get sometimes from the rhthyms of nature, and yet, how much my body and soul are influenced and directed by those rhthyms.

My body wants to huddle in bed, read a book, sit and meditate, whereas, my spirit is driven to get to work, attend that conference, go out and run. I sleep more in the winter, and that old winter weight is desperately trying to gain itself on.

Now that I own a house and I heat my house, in part, with a woodstove - I have come to be more and more mindful of the impending winter. Fall also means the time for stacking wood, preparing kindling, mulching garden beds, and generally ensuring I've finished my raking (not quite) and put away other outside items.

Still, this doesn't always mean I like the cold, but each year, I force my body and brain to embrace it.

It is however, hard for me to remember, or rather accept, the change of seasons. Perhaps because I love the fall, and, I had a particularly inspiring fall season, November seemed to trick me in wanting to believe winter won't come. Again, my body told me it was time to slow down. This year, just at the change of seasons and change of clocks, I got a major cold. I was sick for weeks, which is actually quite unusual for me. I know it was in part because the change of seasons was telling me: slow down, take your time, and prepare.

That is perhaps the message for me, of winter. And what, I believe, my friend Lisa referred to in her email to me. Just as spring is planting time of new seeds and ideas, summer the time of joy of new growth, and fall the time of abundance and harvest - winter is the time to rest, reflect, take stock, and prepare for the coming year.

As the daylight retreats and the cold approaches, I hope you'll each take the time to reflect on the changes of seasons in your own life, and remember in gratitude just how much we are reliant upon this earth, and one another, for our sustenance.

I want to close with a quote from a section of Aldo Leopold's 'A Sand County Almanac', which I'm reading for one of my classes:

February - Good Oak

There are two spiritual dangers in now owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnance.

To avoid the first danger, one should plant a garden, preferably where there is no grocer to confuse the issue.

To avoid the second, he should lay a split of good oak on the andirons, preferably where there is no furnace, and let it warm his shins while a February blizzard tosses the trees outside. If one has cut, split, hauled, and piled his own good oak, and let his mind work the while, he will remember much about where the heat comes from, and with a wealth of detail denied to those who spend the weekend in town astride a radiator.

Film and Food Festival - Saratoga Nov 17-20

Don't miss this great lineup of films this week at Saratoga Film Forum, focused on some of the most critical and contemporary issues facing food and farming in our country.

Thursday
Vanishing of the Bees
Thurs., Nov. 17th, 7:30 p.m. Directed by George Langworthy and Maryam HeneinUSA2009
2009's Vanishing of the Bees is stinging documentary that investigates the economic, political, and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee due to the tragic phenomenon known as "Colony Collapse Disorder."

Our screening of Vanishing of the Bees will be followed by a panel discussion.
Speakers include: Nate Darrow, Saratoga Apple--From a long line of Vermont applekeepers, Nate Darrow and his wife Christine Gaud took over the third-generation commercial apple orchard and farm stand, Saratoga Apple, in 1994. They also cultivate raspberries, cherries asparagus, plums, and other bee-dependent fruits. Darrow uses both wild bees and European honeybees he rents from beekeepers to pollinate his fruit.

Anne Frey, EAS Master Beekeeper--Anne Frey has kept bees since 1989, but has only considered herself a beekeeper since 1994. She worked for a commercial beekeeper from 2000 to 2003, became an Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS) Master Beekeeper in 2002, and from 2003 to 2007 was president of Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (SABA). She currently raises hardy northern queens and runs 20 hives in New York State.

Justin Stevens, Betterbee, Inc.--Second-generation beekeeper Justin Stevens is the manager of the Greenwich-based family business, Betterbee Inc, which not only sells honey but has developed more than 30 products for the beekeeping community, and routinely offers workshops in hive management and mite control. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, Stevens worked with indigenous beekeepers and their Africanized honeybees. He has been keeping bees all his life.

Prior to the screening we will feature a special performance by Jonathan Greene of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Flight of the Bumblebee."
Official Web site for Vanishing of the Bees
Vanishing of the Bees at the Internet Movie Database


Friday
Urban Roots
Fri., Nov. 18th, 7:30 p.m.Directed by Mark MacInnisUSA2011
Documentary about the spontaneous emergence of urban farming in the city of Detroit. In a city with the most vacant lots in the country, a small group of dedicated citizens has started an urban environmental movement with the potential to transform not just a decaying city, but perhaps a country after the end of its industrial age.

Our screening of Urban Roots will be followed by a panel discussion. Speakers
include: Abby Lublin, Collard City Growers
Patricia Salkin, Assoc. Dean and Director, Government Law Center of Albany Law School--Patricia E. Salkin is the Raymond & Ella Smith Distinguished Professor of Law at Albany Law School where she is also Associate Dean and Director of the Government Law Center. She is the author of the 5-volume American Law of Zoning and the 4-volume New York Zoning Law & Practice. She is a member of the the US EPA's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and she has recently written a number of articles related to legal issues with urban agriculture including articles on regional foodsheds, backyard chickens and neighborhood beekeeping.

Official Web site for Urban RootsUrban Roots at the Internet Movie Database


Saturday
Spring Street Classic Film Series
The Grapes of Wrath
Sat., Nov. 19th, 7 p.m.Directed by John Ford Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, based on the novel by John Steinbeck USA129 min.1940Not Rated

This month's Spring Street Classic Film fits in nicely with our Farm and Food Film Festival. John Ford's classic film, based on John Steinbeck's novel, follows the Joads on their arduous trek from Dustbowl-era Oklahoma to the "promised land" of California, and they seek work and opportunity in the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Low & Lonesome, featuring Phil Drum & Rob Adkins will play Depression-era songs before our screening of The Grapes of Wrath.

The Grapes of Wrath will be screened at the Spring Street Gallery, 110 Spring Street.Admission is free. The Grapes of Wrath at the Internet Movie Database


Sunday
The Greenhorns
Sun., Nov. 20th, 3 p.m.Directed by Severine von Tscharner FlemingUSA2010

Armed with a camcorder, farmer/filmmaker/activist Severine von Tscharner Fleming spent two years crisscrossing America, meeting and mobilizing a network of revolutionary young farmers. The Greenhorns is an ode to their grit and entrepreneurial spirit, an exploration of sustainable agriculture, and an enticement to reclaim our national soil.

Our screening of The Greenhorns will include a panel discussion featuring:
Cara Fraver and Luke Deikis, Quincy Farm--After three years working for other farmers in the Hudson Valley, they started off on their own this spring, founding Quincy Farm in Easton, and cultivating just under three acres for the Glens Falls, Schenectady, and Ballston Spa farmers' markets. Despite a challenging first season, they look forward to expanding production for 2012, as well as adding a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to their market outlets.

Michael Kilpatrick, Kilpatrick Family Farm--Michael Kilpatrick is a young, first-generation farmer who is the owner and leader of Kilpatrick Family Farm. The farm, a mixed vegetable and animal operation, specializes in providing vegetables, meat, and eggs through their year round CSA and farmer's markets. Michael and his crew farm 12-15 acres of vegetables, 100 acres of hay/pasture and 1/3 of an acre of covered production in and around Granville, NY on mostly rented land.

Teri Ptacek, Executive Director, Agricultural Stewardship Association--Teri Ptacek has been the executive director of the Agricultural Stewardship Association (ASA) in Greenwich for over eight years. A land trust that protects farmland in Washington and Rensselaer Counties, the breadbasket of the Capital District, ASA stewards over 12,000 acres, 83 properties, with 19 more farms in the works. Before heading up ASA, Teri was the director of the American Farmland Trust, in Saratoga Springs.

Sunday's screening will also include a special food event. Local chefs will provide appetizers made with local ingredients, as well as homemade desserts.
Participating restaurants include:
Official Web site for The GreenhornsThe Greenhorns at the Internet Movie Database

Doing what you love is sustainable

So many of us are so busy with all our various obligations: work, family, kids, houses, mates, that we forget sometimes to make time to do the things we really love.

I was reminded this weekend of one of the things I used to love - birdwatching, which, I haven't really actively done in a long time. I'm actually okay with this, as I've come to discover other activities I enjoy, or should I say, just happen to be priorities at this time in my life.

One - is running, and the second - is writing. I've actually run on and off for exercise since I was in high school. Only in the past year, and perhaps even the past four to five months, have I discovered the joy I can get out of pushing my body to go farther or faster than I thought I could. Of course, running also triggers lots of feel-good endorphins, as does most exercise, so that's an added bonus. There is however, something fabulous about pushing your limits.

The mornings when I run and write are the days which just flow, and are the most even and balanced. The two activities seem to balance me in just the right way. I think because they are two activities I absolutely must do - my body, my soul, call it what you will, but it's like my entire being is boosted when I do these two things.

There is something really magical about the power of training. Just as when I run more and longer, I train my body to handle longer distances, the same is true of writing. The more I write, and the more time I spend crafting my words carefully, the stronger a writer I become. Both of course, like life in general, are works in progress.

Though I could be using my running time to do other things, for me, this is sacred time I need to remain healthy and balanced. And, when we are healthy and balanced is when we bring our best selves to whatever work or task is in front of us, or contribution which is calling us.

I've also discovered a wonderful community of runners. Ironically, many of my friends have been running for years - good friends from high school, past jobs, etc - all run. I knew they were runners, but I never really understood it as something they'd committed to.

Finally, I've discovered the many benefits. Perhaps it's our tribal nature, but there is also some uncanny bond or connection when you talk with someone who runs, participate in or watch a race. You want each person to succeed, and you want to motivate one another. This is also one of the great benefits of running, from my dental hygienist who encouraged me to run my first 5K, to my friend out west who's been training for marathons for over five years, sometimes by our own committment and action, we encourage each other to become our best.

Cultivating discipline, endurance, committment and steadfastness in any activity, whether running, writing, or gardening, especially one we love, can only lead to greater opening and joy. How can this be anything other than essential to sustainable living!

Figs, Fig Wasps, and Pollinators in Decline Symposium

Below is an interesting link/information I received earlier today about an upcoming symposium on the decline of pollinators. This particularly caught my attention since I'm teaching a course on Biology of Ecosystems, and was just reading in one of the texts, Noah's Garden, how fig plants are reliant upon the fig wasp for pollination, and how one gardener's figs didn't fruit because there were no fig wasps to pollinate.

Sounds crazy - I know. Here's a link to some fig 'fanatics', that is, biologists who study figs and fig wasps. And, if you're not believing me, here's a link to an image that describes the process. In scientific terms, this relationship between the fig plant and the fig wasp is called mutualism.

(Double-click the image to read it. Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/bps/media-view/19378/0/0/0)

So, here's a concept, we wouldn't have much of our food resources without our pollinators, so pollinators = sustainability.


Onto the Symposium Announcement:

International Symposium Addresses the Pollinator Declines

WASHINGTON, D.C., OCTOBER19, 2011, --/WORLD-WIRE/-- One out of everythird bite of food we consume comes from plants that depend on beesand other pollinating animals for reproduction, yet Colony CollapseDisorder continues to plague honey bees, stump researchers, and alarmthe agricultural community. While many people are aware of pollinatordeclines, very few know how they can help. Now is the chance!

A week of brainstorming and technology transfer between NorthAmerica’s leading pollinator scientists and stakeholders at the 11thAnnual North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC)International Conference will begin with a film screening for thepublic and press of “The Strange Disappearance of the Bees” at theSmithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Baird Auditorium onTuesday October 25th at 3:30 PM. Attendees will have a chance toparticipate in a question and answer session with the leadingpollinator authorities following the film screening.

Additionally, the public is invited to join the NAPPC morningsymposium, “Our Future Flies on the Wings of Pollinators” onWednesday, October 26, 2011 from 9-11 AM featuring keynote addressesby; Bryan Arroyo, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Ed Flanagan, JasperWyman & Son, Rev. Richard Cizik, The New Evangelical Partnership forthe Common Good, and more. During this public session, the Bee SmartTMMobile Planting App and the Bee SmartTM School Garden Kit willofficially be released. The Bee SmartTM School Garden Kit is gearedfor 3-6 grade classrooms interested in learning about the connectionbetween pollinators, food, and people. The Bee SmartTM Mobile PlantingApp is the only pollinator planting app available for smartphones, andprovides nearly 1,000 different planting suggestions based on the typeof pollinator habitat gardeners want to create. “These new toolsgive hands-on support to make a real difference for bees and allpollinators,” said Laurie Davies Adams, ED of the PollinatorPartnership (P2), the 501(c)3 that oversees NAPPC.

The public will also witness the signing of a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) between P2 and the National Park Service. With thesigning of the new MOU, the total acreage influenced by P2 to promotepollinators will be tipped close to 2 billion acres.

Recipients of the Pollinator Advocate Award will be honored for thework they done for pollinators in local gardens (Dr. Clement Kent –Canada), along utility rights-of-way (Jimmy Brown – USA), acrossagricultural landscapes (Peter and Laura Berthelsen – USA), and atmigration overwintering sites (Dr. Isabel Ramirez – Mexico) at theTuesday VIP evening reception. P2 supporter Spring44 will be at thisevent sweetening the reception with specially crafted cocktails madefrom their signature Honey Vodka; this sustainable spirit is availablenationally and each purchase supports P2’s pollinator conservation.

The NAPPC Symposium is a unique opportunity to get the latest insightson why pollinators matter, what you can do to help pollinators, andwhat are the benefits, challenges, and outcomes anticipated across thecontinent in the next decade. Please join NAPPC and explore theinteraction between humans, plants and pollinators, broadening ourunderstanding of the role pollinators play in major issues facingNorth America. Visit http://www.nappc.org/ to RSVP and learn more about theseevents.

Managed by the non-profit Pollinator Partnership, NAPPC is acollaborative effort of over 130 organizations in the U.S., Canada,and Mexico whose common goal is to promote awareness of the essentialrole that pollinators play in food systems and ecosystems, and toprovide the public with simple, effective ways to engage inenvironmental stewardship.

To learn more about the North AmericanPollinator Protection Campaign visit http://www.nappc.org/ or the PollinatorPartnership visithttp://www.pollinator.org.

CONTACT:
Tom Van Arsdall
tva@pollinator.org <mailto:tva@pollinator.org>
t: 703 509 4746

Olivia Jacobsen
oj@pollinator.org <mailto:oj@pollinator.org>
t: 415.362.1137

10 life lessons learned

It's been quite a while since I posted here. Sometimes life just gets busy...work, more work, house, exercise, meditate, garden, play...it all takes time.

However, in my commitment to follow through on those things I say I will do, below is my top 10 list of 'insights' I came away with on my trip this summer out to the Pacific Northwest to visit friends.

Most are inspired by the stories and experiences shared with people I have known a long time, some almost twenty years. Most were friends who were at one time a daily part of my life, but now mostly we exchange occasional 'hello' and 'how are you' messages via Facebook.

I spent a lot of time one on one, catching up on the intricacies of life, the loves come and gone, the kids that have grown up and graduated, new jobs, illness, weddings. Life moves forward, and yet, I find with people whom I've known so intimately, we easily fall back into a familiar rhythm.

I know this post seems a bit off topic from 'sustainability', but living sustainably, in my opinion, means cultivating deep community. My community expands far beyond the borders of Saratoga, where I live. I still rely upon these friends, near and far, to help nurture and support my creativity and sense of purpose, as I hope I do for them. Of course, cultivating community locally is really essential for what I call deep sustainability. Still, these connections we have with people who live afar are equally important, though perhaps less frequent. Some simply feed some aspect of our soul, and keeping those connections is essential.

So, here's my list of the top 10 great insights/reminders I came away with - inspired by my Oly friends!

1) Good friends who care deeply about you will always be your friends regardless of where you are located - learn to carry them in your heart and you can call upon them at any time.
2) Love takes time - the kind that's really lasting anyways. And sometimes, 'being in love just isn't enough', as one friend said to me of her brief but passionate long-distance romance
3) There is always someone whose life experience has been more difficult than your own - learn from those people's challenges and strengths
4) Change happens - to us all
5) Keep in touch with the people you care about-sometimes they need you more than you might expect
6) Love deeply and care about what you do
7) Laugh a lot!
8) Sometimes it's not so essential to take everything so seriously
9) Enjoy what you have while you have it
10) Be thankful !

It may all seem so simple, but sometimes we need simple reminders to be thankful. Life can change instantly, as I learned of one friend who had a serious illness come upon fast.

And, as people come and go in our lives, there will always be those constancies. They can help you get through the tough times. In the meantime, reaching out to people near you - like my neighbors with whom I share a kindred feeling of 'neighborliness'. We even gardened together this summer. Sharing resources, ideas, information, creativity - that's an essential part of a thriving life, and, in my opinion, for building deep community and sustainability...

So, connect with an old friend, and have a cup of coffee with your neighbor - both may surprise and delight you.