tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22115656943437910022024-03-12T22:09:29.279-07:00Official Blog of The Growing ConnectionThe official blog of The Growing Connection connects community members to TGC news, videos and pictures and applauds the efforts of TGC participants who are succeeding at cultivating food, connecting minds and harvesting hope.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-54611895473604820732011-01-26T09:50:00.000-08:002011-01-26T10:04:50.696-08:00President Obama signs the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TUBgqdDyWvI/AAAAAAAABNs/n0KTswPK3hM/s1600/healthy%2Bkids.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TUBgqdDyWvI/AAAAAAAABNs/n0KTswPK3hM/s400/healthy%2Bkids.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566555421901216498" /></a><br />If you remember what grade school was like, I’m sure that you remember your lunch period. While it’s known that some parents pack their child a lunch to bring to school, many often buy their food from the school cafeteria, while others go hungry because their parents might not be able to afford to pay for their meal(s). First of all, no child should ever go hungry, and secondly, all of our children should have access to healthy and nutritious foods at school and out of school. The <em>Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010</em> aims to ensure exactly the latter!<br /><br />If you’re asking why this bill is groundbreaking, just take a look at some of its highlights:<br /><br />• National Nutrition standards for all food sold in schools.<br />• <strong>$40 million</strong> for a <strong>Farm-to-School initiative</strong> to create school gardens and bring locally grown foods into cafeterias.<br />• Thousands of more children automatically eligible for free and reduced price school meals (including Foster children), and huge program expansion of afterschool meals for At-Risk Youth.<br />• <strong>$4.5 billion in New Nutrition Funding for Children</strong> (over 10 years)<br /><br />With childhood hunger on the rise in the United States, this act is an important measure on many parts, as it not only will provide hungry children with food, but education about eating healthy and having those healthy choices available at school. There are also many studies that show a clear link between childhood obesity and the consumption of foods saturated with fat and sugar-sweetened beverages.<br /> <br />If we want our children to stay healthy, to be well fed, and to be able to function in and out of school, it’s clear that the <em>Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010</em> is a much needed step towards achieving this.<br /><br /><a href="http://ag.senate.gov/site/legislation.html">Click here to learn more about the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.</a>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-78340034915126382262010-08-03T08:35:00.001-07:002010-08-03T08:44:17.212-07:00TGC News: FAO’s new School Garden Teaching Toolkit!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TFg41nHyapI/AAAAAAAABNY/lXMr46-zOZg/s1600/kid+with+water.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TFg41nHyapI/AAAAAAAABNY/lXMr46-zOZg/s400/kid+with+water.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501209438518930066" /></a><br />FAO’s new Teaching Toolkit<br /><br />The Food and Agriculture Organization has just released a new companion guide to the “Setting Up and Running a School Garden” manual, which features eight comprehensive, step-by-step lessons for teachers to implement in their class-gardens.<br /><br />The lessons contain information on everything from garden planning and produce marketing to seed sowing and composting. Each lesson is divided into informative sections: teacher’s notes, objectives, technical content, lesson preparation, lesson activities, lesson follow-ups and guides all geared toward a hands-on learning experience.<br /><br />The goal of the lessons is to try and “engage learners actively and encourage them to observe and experiment. The reflective element of experiential learning – monitoring, reporting, recording, reviewing, discussing, and listening to others – is built into the lessons.”<br /><br />Above all, the lessons force students to consider the quality of their own diets, but they also enable the students to make healthy changes to their eating habits. This is a must-read for teachers who have or are considering starting a school garden. It will save hours of logistical planning and provide an excellent jumping-off point for teachers’ own lessons in gardening.<br /><br />Learn more about the guide whose creed is…<br /><br />"Tell me, and I will forget.<br />Show me, and I may remember.<br />Involve me, and I will understand."<br /><br />Attributed to Confucius, 450 B.C.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i1118e/i1118e00.htm">Click here</a> to see an online version of The Teaching Toolkit<br /><br />or<br /><a href="ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/012/i1118e/i1118e.pdf"><br />Click here</a> to download a PDF file of The Teaching ToolkitTGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-60758665479313199452010-07-14T05:47:00.000-07:002010-07-14T06:01:03.047-07:00In the News: Herbicide-Resistant Weeds<span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/how-stuff-works/images/corn.jpg"></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">In early May, we posted a story about herbicide-resistant weeds on the TGC blog. Concern has continued to grow throughout the scientific community, and the Associated Press recently published an article on Roundup-resistant species.</span> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Introduced in the 1970s, Roundup has long been a staple tool of pest management for American farmers. Though Roundup is a chemical herbicide, it was widely considered less toxic than its predecessors. It also allowed farmers to reduce tilling, a significant step toward curbing erosion and fuel consumption. As many as ten plant species have evolved to survive Roundup application, however, and many are concerned that farmers will turn back to less eco-friendly methods of weed management.</span></p> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://thegrowingconnection.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" mce_src="http://thegrowingconnection.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" alt="" class="mceWPmore mceItemNoResize" title="More..." />Monsanto, the agricultural company that developed Roundup, also introduced Roundup-resistant seeds. The seeds allowed farmers to spray without threatening young crops, and they now account for the vast majority of American soybeans, cotton, and corn. Because Monsanto's products were initially so successful, farmers were able to reduce annual herbicide application by 57 million pounds in 11 years.</span></p> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The article also cites David Mortensen, a weed scientist at Penn State University who believes more dangerous pesticides could soon rise to prominence. Dicamba and 2,4-D are likely to fill the void, Mortensen said, and both are known to drift beyond the site of application.</span></p> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bill Freese, a chemist with the Center for Food Safety, is quoted as saying that America faces "a pesticide treadmill." The more farmers rely on a single herbicide formula, the greater the likelihood that weeds will evolve to meet the challenge.</span></p> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2010-06-21-roundup-weeds_N.htm" mce_href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2010-06-21-roundup-weeds_N.htm">Click here</a> to read the full article in USA Today.</span></p> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://thegrowingconnection.blogspot.com/2010/05/growth-of-herbicide-resistant-weeds.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Click here</span></a> to read our original blog post on the topic, dated May 4, 2010</span>.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="font-family: verdana;" src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E2/mccraw/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.png" alt="" /></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link style="font-family: verdana;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E2%5Cmccraw%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link style="font-family: verdana;" rel="Edit-Time-Data" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E2%5Cmccraw%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_editdata.mso"><!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; 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margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 366px;" src="http://www.authentic-mexicanrecipes.com/images/mexican%20salsa%20recipe.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><h3><br /><em><em><em><em></em></em></em></em></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3><br /><em><em><em><em></em></em></em></em></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3><br /></h3><h3 style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><em><em><em></em></em></em></em></span></h3><h3 style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><em><em><em></em></em></em></em></span></h3><h3 style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><em><em><em></em></em></em></em></span></h3><h3 style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><em><em><em>From Colonial Trail Elementary School</em></em></em></em></span></h3> <h3 style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><em><em><em> </em></em></em></em><em><em><em><em>TGC garden site in Glenn Allen, Virginia (USA)</em></em></em></em></span></h3> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Ingredients: </span></strong></span></p> <p style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">2 ½ cups chopped tomatoes<br />½ cup chopped jalapeños (without seeds)<br />½ cup chopped green peppers<br />¼ cup chopped onion (yellow, white or red)<br />½ tsp crushed garlic<br />¼ tsp lemon juice<br />¼ tsp white vinegar<br />Salt & black pepper to taste</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve chilled with tortilla chip</span>s. Enjoy!</span></strong></span></p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-27299705062705836852010-06-29T09:00:00.000-07:002010-07-01T07:25:49.475-07:00Compost in the City<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TCylEZgQB_I/AAAAAAAABNQ/8AoHIQg3vdI/s1600/hands_in_compost1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TCylEZgQB_I/AAAAAAAABNQ/8AoHIQg3vdI/s400/hands_in_compost1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488943540842006514" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Last week, <em>The Washington Post</em> printed a column on the value of compost in urban environments. The following question was sent to Nina Shen Rastogi, an environmental writer based in Brooklyn, New York and columnist for Slate Magazine:</span> <p style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>“I live in an apartment in the city with zero outdoor space, and I don’t have any plants that would benefit from compost. Is there any reason at all, then, why I should be composting my food scraps?”</em></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span id="more-398"></span>Rastogi replied that composting is important for both rural and urban communities, and emphasized that it can easily be accomplished within the confines of an apartment. Electric composters can simplify the task for cautious roommates, and these units generally consume only a minimal amount of energy.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Allowing food to decompose before throwing it away can reduce its landfill volume by 80 percent. Composting is also beneficial from the perspective of climate regulation, as properly composted food scraps produce only water and carbon dioxide as byproducts. When left in oxygen-depleted landfills, food waste often creates methane–a greenhouse gas with over twenty times the heat-trapping potential of CO2.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If you’re interested in composting but unsure of the next steps, Rastogi recommends contacting local schools and community gardens. These organizations may appreciate compost donations, and they can also provide tips and tricks along the way. In New York City, residents are free to place homemade compost around any trees on the street … Check local rules and regulations to make sure you distribute compost properly in your community.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Rastogi also mentions the benefits of vermicomposting. For more information on this technique, check out yesterday’s blog post (6/28).</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062104047.html">Click here</a> to read Rastogi’s column in <em>The Washington Post</em>.</span></p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-6802289424412322552010-06-28T09:00:00.000-07:002010-07-01T07:22:54.923-07:00Vermicomposting<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TCykDVt4g3I/AAAAAAAABNI/pQmNSGB3NbQ/s1600/vermicompost-713257.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 341px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TCykDVt4g3I/AAAAAAAABNI/pQmNSGB3NbQ/s400/vermicompost-713257.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488942423133946738" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Vermi-composting, also known as worm-composting, is the process of using worms to break down waste into soil-enriching compost. The worm castings contain humic acids that enrich soil and act as a natural pesticide. Worm-composting is easier to maintain than your typical outdoor compost bin system (the worms do all the work for you), and it proves environmentally friendly by reducing the waste that would otherwise go to landfills.</span></div> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">To get started, follow these instructions from Nancy Kreith, a master gardener with the University of Illinois Extension, and TGC’s Chicago-area Coordinator …</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span id="more-428"></span><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Step 1: Find a bin</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Start with a 10-gallon (38-liter), dark, covered container. Drill about 50 1/8” holes into the container’s lid. </span></span></span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Step 2: Create the bedding </span></strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Shred newspaper. (Don’t use glossy paper, because the worms won’t be able to digest the wax.) Moisten the shredded paper with water until it feels as wet as a wrung-out spunge. Finally, add one pound of red wrigglers (approximately 1000 worms) and a handful of soil.</span> </span></span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Step 3: Feed the worms</span></strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">Do not feed the worms more than they can consume–1/2 pound to 1 pound of scraps per day. Worms are capable of breaking down the following food scraps: fruit and vegetable peels, crushed egg shells, used coffee filters with grounds, and used tea bags. Avoid any form of animal bones, meat, fish, poultry, mayonnaise, cheese, and butter.</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Step 4: Maintain your compost</span></strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">Add more shredded paper if the bedding becomes too wet, and add water if it becomes too dry. If you notice worms on the walls or lid of the bin, your bedding mixture may be off balance. The key to keeping happy worms is feeding them raw kitchen waste on a regular basis.</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Step 5: Harvest your compost</span></strong></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The food and newspaper should be fully decomposed after about three months. It’s time to separate the worms from the compost when you see only trace amounts of food in your bin. What remains should be a dark, rich, soil-like matter. </span></span></span></p> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><em>For more information on vermicomposting, check out the TGC summer newsletter. Not on our mailing list? Send an email to Amy.McMillen@fao.org with the subject line “Subscribe to Newsletter.”</em></span></span></span>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-49081378928303296742010-06-24T09:00:00.000-07:002010-07-01T07:26:21.585-07:00Eating Local: Find a Farmers Market!<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TCyidf2LmaI/AAAAAAAABNA/MJLDFbwD64E/s1600/Farmers+Market.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 254px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TCyidf2LmaI/AAAAAAAABNA/MJLDFbwD64E/s400/Farmers+Market.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488940673506449826" border="0" /></a></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >You can find names and locations — both of markets and the farms themselves — at www.localharvest.org. Even if you live in an urban area, you might be pleasantly surprised by your local food options. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Different vegetables have different growing seasons … what’s your favorite vegetable of June? </span><br /></span>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-59444297452227242592010-06-24T05:55:00.000-07:002010-06-24T06:01:28.308-07:00Farming Outside the Box: Global Buckets<div><b>What Can You Do with Two Buckets, a Pipe and a Cup?</b></div> <div><b><br /></b></div> <p><a href="http://thegrowingconnection.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/rooftop_buckets_mellons.jpg" mce_href="http://thegrowingconnection.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/rooftop_buckets_mellons.jpg"><img src="http://thegrowingconnection.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/rooftop_buckets_mellons.jpg?w=300" mce_src="http://thegrowingconnection.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/rooftop_buckets_mellons.jpg?w=300" alt="" border="0" height="284" width="432" /></a><br /></p> <p>The Buster brothers of Boulder, Colorado can efficiently grow fruits and vegetables of any kind. The 17 year old Grant Buster and the 15 year old Max Buster decided to try and mimic the EarthBox design with what they call, “locally sourced free or low cost recycled materials.” They have since created Global Buckets, which utilizes not much more than a pair of five-gallon buckets, ten cents worth of PVC pipe and a plastic cup (video after the jump)...</p><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lE8OrdUZQKk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lE8OrdUZQKk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><p>After some holes are drilled in one bucket, the pieces are fitted together, and it is ready for planting. Their ‘sub-irrigation planter’ design allows the potting mix to wick water up from the bottom reservoir into the roots of the plant all while keeping the soil aerated and weed-free. This self-contained system can be put anywhere from a rooftop to an industrial wasteland as long as there is sun. Grant and Max also added an automatic watering system made up of siphoning tubes, which keep all of the water reservoirs at equal levels and uses zero energy.</p> <p>The beauty of the Global Buckets is that they do not need to be shipped across oceans to be implemented. “The resources are everywhere,” says Max, a rising sophomore at Fairview High School. The information is what must be implemented. Grant, who will be a UC Berkeley freshman next fall, said, “In a perfect world, we would travel to developing countries and teach people to build the Global Buckets ourselves, but we both have school and jobs.”</p> <p>For now though, people from around the world visit their website daily for instructional videos about their designs and planting advice. And when a friend of theirs in the Peace Corps told them that many people in developing nations are hesitant to drill holes in their buckets for fear of needing the buckets again, they began developing new systems including the “Clay Pot System” and “Garbage Gardening.” The first system uses terracotta pots for the water reservoir to eliminate the need to drill holes in the bucket, and the second system replaces potting soil with cheap or free materials like newspapers to wick water up to the plants.</p> <p>Possibly the best part of Grant and Max’s Global Buckets program is that they are constantly experimenting with even cheaper and more accessible designs. This allows for a constant improvement in the designs and encourages people from around the world to join in with their experiments. They enjoy the engineering-based problem solving, but the ultimate goal of activism is always in their minds.</p> <p><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBZP64HiiMI/AAAAAAAABLY/AHmbw6skCB4/s320/Buster+Brothers" mce_src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBZP64HiiMI/AAAAAAAABLY/AHmbw6skCB4/s320/Buster+Brothers" alt="" border="0" /><br />Congratulations to the Buster brothers for coming up with new designs for growing food. Have you heard of any other growing innovations that you would like to share with the TGC network? Tell us about it! In the meantime, check out the Buster brother’s website below to learn more about what they’re up to.</p> <a href="http://www.globalbuckets.org/" mce_href="http://www.globalbuckets.org/">http://www.globalbuckets.org/</a>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-43437820525203867322010-06-21T11:18:00.000-07:002010-06-21T11:20:05.325-07:00Nutrition Facts: Sodium<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TB-tQJlDCYI/AAAAAAAABM4/u-eExhCCcyg/s1600/salt1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 255px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TB-tQJlDCYI/AAAAAAAABM4/u-eExhCCcyg/s400/salt1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485293364121373058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Slash your Sodium & Salt Intake</span></strong></span> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >High sodium diets can raise the risk of stroke, hypertension and heart disease. Processed foods are the main culprit behind high-sodium diets so try to eat more fresh produce!</span></div> <div> <div><span style="font-size:85%;">-<a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt/tasting-success-with-cutting-salt/index.html">Click here</a> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >to see an extensive list of tips to slash your sodium intake</span></div> </div> <div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Read in Under 60 Seconds…</span></strong></span></div> <div><span style="font-size:85%;">-<a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt/">Click here</a> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >to learn five tips to slash your sodium intake and see if you are in an at-risk group.</span></div>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-84139880959829837982010-06-21T09:00:00.000-07:002010-07-01T07:15:22.261-07:00What is Fiber?<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thegrowingconnection.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/fiber-picture3.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-313" title="Fiber Picture" src="http://thegrowingconnection.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/fiber-picture3.jpg?w=300&h=223" alt="" width="300" height="223" /></a><br /></p><p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Fiber, found in all fresh vegetables, fruits and grains, is essentially a carbohydrate, except it cannot be broken down into a single sugar molecule in the digestive system. This means that instead of passing into the bloodstream, like regular carbs, fiber is not absorbed but works its way straight down the digestive tract. <a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fiber-full-story/index.html">Click here</a> to learn more.</span></p> <div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Read in Under 60 Seconds…</span></strong></span></div> <div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/recipes/whole-wheat-penne-with-pistachio-pesto-and-cherry-tomatoes/index.html">Click here </a>to see a recipe for a fiber-rich meal.</span></div>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-9863070791512637962010-06-14T11:22:00.000-07:002010-06-15T08:13:03.834-07:00Book Corner<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:11.5pt;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Are you interested in starting your own garden? Do you have students or children who would like to learn more about fruits and vegetables? The Growing Connection invites you to visit our Book Corner, a special section of the blog reserved for reading suggestions. We plan to post titles for all age groups, ranging from picture books to more advanced publications on issues like food security. If you have a favorite book about gardening or agriculture, please let us know!</span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:11.5pt;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">TODAY'S PICK: </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><u>Water, Weed, and Wait</u></span></span></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBZz_IO5GXI/AAAAAAAABMI/dvuDrfE74n4/s1600/Water,+Weed,+Wait.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBZz_IO5GXI/AAAAAAAABMI/dvuDrfE74n4/s320/Water,+Weed,+Wait.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482697124749056370" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.5pt;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This new picture book, written by Edith Hope Fine and Angela Halpin, will be released in August (8/10/2010). It follows the story of Miss Marigold, a teacher at Pepper Lane Elementary who works with her students to create a garden in their schoolyard. With help from the community, students harvest flowers and vegetables.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-62852366084391272562010-06-14T11:05:00.000-07:002010-06-15T08:27:27.811-07:00Farming Outside the Box:<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >"Growing Power" Thrives in Milwaukee</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBebnSkPE4I/AAAAAAAABMY/e2vE85NpzAs/s1600/Will+Allen.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 211px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBebnSkPE4I/AAAAAAAABMY/e2vE85NpzAs/s400/Will+Allen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483022170647892866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style="">In 1993, Will Allen purchased an abandoned nursery on the north side of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Milwaukee</st1:place></st1:city>. Hoping to employ local teenagers and grow fresh food for his community, he transformed two acres into a productive, sustainable farm named Growing Power. Fifteen years later, Allen became the second farmer ever to receive a McArthur Genius Grant, honored for his innovative work in sustainable food systems and agricultural education. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style=""><br /><br />Though additional sites have developed throughout <st1:state st="on">Wisconsin</st1:state> and <st1:city st="on">Chicago</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Milwaukee</st1:place></st1:city> remains the headquarters for Growing Power projects. Allen’s farm currently includes six greenhouses (home to vegetables, herbs, hydroponic fish runs, and vermicompost bins), four hoop houses for vegetables and vermicomposting, three hoop houses for poultry, an apiary with five bee hives, outdoor areas for livestock, and an anaerobic digester to generate energy from farm waste. Individuals and school groups are welcome to tour the farm’s facilities, and Allen also offers volunteer and internship opportunities. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style=""><br /><br /></span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style="">Allen’s vision of a healthier <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Milwaukee</st1:place></st1:city> is embodied in the farm’s motto: “Grow, Bloom, Thrive.” Everything is raised to organic standards, free from synthetic fertilizers and other chemicals. His application of vermiculture, for example, not only ensures that soil is nutrient-rich, but also guarantees that soil has not been exposed to toxins such as lead. (<st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Milwaukee</st1:place></st1:city> has long struggled with high blood-lead levels in children, predominantly from peeling lead-based paint in older homes.) Allen is highly selective about his seed vendors, and plants only organic seeds in each of the farm’s 15,000 pots. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style=""><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBeZpm7D4II/AAAAAAAABMQ/sEgoqoUhLjk/s1600/Aquaponics.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 171px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/TBeZpm7D4II/AAAAAAAABMQ/sEgoqoUhLjk/s320/Aquaponics.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483020011448819842" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style=""><br /><a href="http://growingpower.org/aquaponics.htm">Click here</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">for more information about the aquaponics system in Allen's hoop houses. The decision to raise fish alongside vegetables in just one example of the innovative farming practices at Growing Power. </span><br /><br />While the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Milwaukee</st1:place></st1:city> farm predominantly serves city residents, Allen is also vocal about food justice and sustainable agriculture on a national scale. He speaks about environmental responsibility, the development of local food networks, and the importance of eliminating food deserts. After receiving the MacArthur Genius Grant in 2008, Allen won a Ford Foundation Leadership Grant in 2009 and appeared on TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2010.<span style=""> </span>He continues to speak across the country, and will be speaking at a conference in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Washington</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">DC</st1:state></st1:place> on June 18. <o:p></o:p></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.growingpower.org/index.htm"><b style=""><u><span style="">Click here</span></u></b></a><span style=""> for more information about Will Allen and Growing Power. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.growingpower.org/events.htm"><b style=""><u><span style="">Click here</span></u></b></a><span style=""> for Growing Power’s schedule of upcoming events, and look for a chance to meet Will Allen in your hometown!</span></span></p><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">----------------------<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="">KEYWORDS for this post:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="">Apiary</span></i><span style="">: Sometimes called a “bee yard,” apiaries are areas designated for bee hive management. While beekeepers can harvest honey from the hives, many farmers maintain hives to assist with crop pollination. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="">Food desert</span></i><span style="">: An area isolated from fresh and nutritious food, food deserts are often found in low-income, urban areas. They lack access to even conventional supermarkets, and fast food restaurants or convenience stores may be the only local sources of groceries. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="">Hoop house</span></i><span style="">: A low-cost alternative to traditional greenhouse structures, hoop houses have a plastic roof stretched over flexible piping. The plastic retains heat absorbed from the sun, allowing plants to grow even during cold weather. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><i style=""><span style="">Vermicomposting</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.5pt;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">: A composting process that allows worms to break down organic matter into nutrient-rich fertilizer.</span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-9101172030678633632010-06-14T07:34:00.000-07:002010-06-14T08:26:28.027-07:00Farming Outside the Box:<strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" > A Farm That Doesn't Feed Its Animals</span></strong><br /><br />Veta La Palma is a fish farm, among other things, located on an island ten miles inland of the Atlantic Ocean on the Guadalquivir River. In the 1980's, Argentine farmers failed to build a successful beef-cattle farm on its wetlands. They built a system of canals to drain the wetlands so the cattle could live off of the land, but the expenses were too great and the ecological effects were too devastating to control. Around ninety percent of the birds died and the ecosystem began to collapse.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig53xiB1QS2OEOukz6obf_GaeMETasrmBzL020FKONDGxZWY-CyXp30CNJkRiLZQpPC32o5txBh_cjTp_GcG0w1OO9IM7Z_Dq_SDsVbarHj0qSCrgT44_GSFwx-rNy_gyOo5i7fewndW0/s1600/Veta+La+Palma.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig53xiB1QS2OEOukz6obf_GaeMETasrmBzL020FKONDGxZWY-CyXp30CNJkRiLZQpPC32o5txBh_cjTp_GcG0w1OO9IM7Z_Dq_SDsVbarHj0qSCrgT44_GSFwx-rNy_gyOo5i7fewndW0/s320/Veta+La+Palma.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482650858544606610" border="0" /></a>After the cattle business failed, Veta La Palma opened up the gates to the canals and flooded its 27,000 acre space to become a fish farm. The ecosystem has recovered and is so healthy that the fish, which include sea bass, meagre and sole, eat naturally occurring shrimp and other aquatic invertebrates. This means that the farmers do not have to feed their fish.<br /><br />Healthy fish, however, mean healthy predators. The bird population, mainly flamingos, has regrown and flourished on a diet of shrimp and fish since the wetlands were flooded. In a TIME interview Miguel Medialdea from Veta La Palma said, "They take about 20% of our annual yield, but that just shows the whole system is working." And so the farmers determine the success of their farm by the health of its predatory population, an interesting irony in the world of aquaculture.<br /><br />Another benefit of the farm's ecological health is the micro algae and other plant life in the water, which pulls much of the excess fertilizer runoff out of the waters that flow into the farm from the Guadalquivir. The water that leaves the farm is cleaner than when it entered.<br /><br />And so Veta La Palma is not only an extremely efficient fish farm, harvesting 1,200 tons of fish a year, it has inadvertently become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of migrating aquatic birds and has a positive impact on the surrounding environment.<br /><br />This truly seems like a positive future for aquaculture.TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-79601988873074758152010-05-27T11:04:00.000-07:002010-05-27T17:35:48.391-07:00DC Council Approves the Healthy Schools Act<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">First the bad news...<br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S_7WBoeBgpI/AAAAAAAABGo/55AUhzhq_cw/s1600/Seaton+3+Kids+.jpg"></a><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Nearly half the children in D.C. are overweight or obese.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">In some parts of the District, more than</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><strong><span style="font-weight:normal;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">70%</span></span></span></span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">of residents are overweight or obese.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">DC has the highest rate of adolescent obesity in the United States.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Depressing statistics like these were what motivated </span></span></span><a href="http://www.marycheh.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=84"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">DC Councilmember Mary Cheh</span></span></span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> (Ward 3)</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> to take action by introducing the </span></span></span><a href="http://www.dccouncil.us/images/00001/20100510112429.pdf"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Healthy Schools Act</span></span></span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> The great news is that the DC Council recently </span></span></span><a href="http://www.theslowcook.com/2010/05/26/great-day-healthy-schools-fully-funded/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">passed and funded</span></span></span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> the Act!</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">The Healthy Schools Act aims to improve the nutrition, health and wellness of kids in DC. Key provisions of the legislation include:</span></span></span></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Raising the nutritional standard and quality of school meals by bringing in more local fruits and vegetables to school cafeterias.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Tripling the amount of physical and health education taught in DC schools. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Establish school gardens as integral components of school and public charter schools.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><ul type="disc"></ul></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S_7WBoeBgpI/AAAAAAAABGo/55AUhzhq_cw/s1600/Seaton+3+Kids+.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S_7WBoeBgpI/AAAAAAAABGo/55AUhzhq_cw/s320/Seaton+3+Kids+.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476049520460661394" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">The last provision is key to improving the health and nutritional status of DC school children, because we have consistently seen that kids become more enthusiastic about eating fresh, nutritious food when they are involved in the growing process.</span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S_7WBoeBgpI/AAAAAAAABGo/55AUhzhq_cw/s1600/Seaton+3+Kids+.jpg"></a></span></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">TGC shares the goals of the Healthy Schools Act (especially since we are based in DC), and the DC Council’s decision to pass it is a crucial first step to improving the nutrition, health, and wellness of DC school children.</span></span></span></p></div>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-27317346984714427172010-05-17T07:15:00.000-07:002010-06-06T09:46:14.440-07:00Sign the Petition to End Hunger Now<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">FAO recently launched the 1 Billion Hungry online petition: </span></span></span></span></span><span><a href="http://www.1billionhungry.org/"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">http://www.1billionhungry.org/</span></b></span></span></span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">. The 1 Billion Hungry campaign aims to bring attention to the more than 1 billion people around the world who suffer from chronic hunger. Please join us in getting mad that 1 billion people in the world are hungry and sign the petition.</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><o:p><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Photos from the worldwide campaign are available on the</span></span></span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/1419105@N23/pool/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">1 Billion Hungry Flickr page</span></b></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">.</span></span></span></span></span></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><o:p><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">You can also watch videos on the 1 Billion Hungry YouTube channel through this</span></span></span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/1billionhungry"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">link</span></b></span></span></span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">.</span></span></span></span></span></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Finally, you can read FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf’s Huffington Post blog on the campaign </span></span></span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"></span></span></span></span></span><span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacques-diouf/a-hungry-man-is-an-angry_b_570846.html"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">here</span></b></span></span></span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p></div><object style="background-image:url(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/0l57fmIup9Q/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0l57fmIup9Q&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0l57fmIup9Q&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-59039060100816453402010-05-04T12:40:00.000-07:002010-05-27T11:59:43.306-07:00The Growth of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S-B7ZWQ-d9I/AAAAAAAABGM/ckgTDC2Q68I/s1600/OrganicTomatoField.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 160px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S-B7ZWQ-d9I/AAAAAAAABGM/ckgTDC2Q68I/s320/OrganicTomatoField.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467505623031510994" /></a><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Farmers frequently consider weeds to be the most serious threat to their harvest. </span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Some </span></span><a href="http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/29402/icode/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>experts</b></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> estimate that weeds cause </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">$95 billion a year in lost food production at a global level</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">.</span></span></p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">A recent New York Times </span></span></span><a title="blocked::http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>article</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b> </b> examines the problems caused by the rise of herbicide-resistant weeds. </span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> For years farmers across </span></span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">America</span></span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> used the herbicide glysophate, also popularly known as Roundup, to effectively deal with weeds. However, the excessive use of glysophate has led to the growth of herbicide-resistant weeds. </span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Ten glysophate-resistant weeds have now been detected in at least 22 </span></span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">US</span></span></span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> states, infesting millions of acres. To deal with these persistent weeds, farmers are increasingly using more herbicides that cause even more damage to the environment. </span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">We are glad to say that the TGC vegetable gardens do not suffer from the same problem, and that they do not contribute to excessive use of herbicides. The EarthBox’s mulch cover prevents weeds from taking root, so it eliminates the need to use any herbicides.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-38700147179990869942010-04-29T06:59:00.000-07:002010-05-27T12:01:06.046-07:00Gardening Workshop Opportunity<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><p class="MsoPlainText"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Do you live near Philadelphia and have an interest in improving your gardening skills? Check out this exciting kitchen gardening workshop…</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> This Spring and Fall, a long time friend of The Growing Connection and a world-renowned expert on growing heirloom vegetables, William Woys Weaver, is holding a series of gardening workshops at his Devon, Pennsylvania kitchen plot.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> Dr. Weaver is the Director of the Keystone Center for the Study of Regional Foods and Food Tourism and a Contributing Editor at Mother Earth News. </span></span></span><span class="a4"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">His book Heirloom Vegetable Gardening is considered a classic on this subject. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span><span><span class="a4"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">We thought you might be interested in this unique opportunity. Dr. Weaver nurtures and propagates over 3000 heirloom variety vegetables in his garden every year, and has a wealth of knowledge to impart.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span><span><span class="a4"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">The three part class series (mix and match class dates available May through October) will cover “Everything You Will Need to Know to Launch Your Own Kitchen Garden”. For more information on this opportunity, click </span></span></span><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Grow-It/Learn-How-To-Grow-An-Heirloom-Vegetable-Kitchen-Garden-Workshop.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>here.</b></span></span></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></p></span>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-80706822049027840152010-03-17T12:20:00.000-07:002010-06-06T09:48:34.590-07:00The Obesity-Hunger Paradox in US Cities.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S6kRaIk2duI/AAAAAAAABFs/9HLzkFV2K24/s1600-h/IMG_0178.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S6kRaIk2duI/AAAAAAAABFs/9HLzkFV2K24/s320/IMG_0178.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451907964585015010" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">A recent </span></span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/nyregion/14hunger.html?src=me"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>article</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b> </b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">in the New York Times examines the seemingly contradictory relationship between obesity and hunger in many poor urban neighborhoods in the </span></span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">U.S.</span></span></span></st1:country-region></st1:place></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><st1:country-region st="on"></st1:country-region></span></span></span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">It seems counterintuitive that communities struggling with obesity could also be suffering from hunger, but this is frequently the case in poor urban neighborhoods. A </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">recent Food Research and </span></span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Action</span></span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Center</span></span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/03/14/nyregion/14hungergr.html?ref=nyregion"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>survey</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">found that South Bronx, New York, a county with consistently high obesity rates, also has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Hunger and obesity doesn't only occur in the same neighborhood, but often afflicts the same household, and even the same person.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Increasingly, the hungriest people in </span></span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">America</span></span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> today are not skinny, but overweight.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">This is why hunger and obesity are not parallel issues, but “flipsides of the same malnutrition coin” says Joel Berg of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><span></span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">One of the primary causes of this obesity-hunger paradox in cities is low-income households' limited access to affordable, fresh nutritious food.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Many urban neighborhoods are underserved by supermarkets that stock affordable nutritious food.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">However, there are usually a multitude of food-vendors that sell cheap, high-calorie foods with low nutritional value.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">As a result, this hunger-obesity problem cannot be solved by simply increasing access to food, but by increasing access to the right kinds of food. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">The Growing Connection aims to be a part of this solution by giving urban communities the opportunity to grow and consume fresh nutritious food.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">We work with young people, women’s groups, schools and urban farmers in several large </span></span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">U.S.</span></span></span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> cities to develop highly efficient and innovative urban vegetable gardens.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">TGC can have a particularly positive impact for children in urban neighborhoods.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> W</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">e have consistently seen that k</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">ids become more enthusiastic about eating healthy vegetables when they are involved in the growing process.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-55619868904899152912010-02-18T09:14:00.000-08:002010-05-27T12:03:12.237-07:00Supporting The Growing Connection One Search at a Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S8N1ptE4UOI/AAAAAAAABF8/UrSDWi780aY/s1600/masthead-goodsearch.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 86px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S8N1ptE4UOI/AAAAAAAABF8/UrSDWi780aY/s320/masthead-goodsearch.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459336532638322914" /></a><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Imagine that you could support your favorite cause simply by searching the internet. </span></span></span><a href="http://www.goodsearch.com/default.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>GoodSearch</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b> </b>(powered by Yahoo!) offers one of the easiest ways to support The Growing Connection by letting you do just that.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Every time you use GoodSearch to search the internet, </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">fifty percent of the ad revenue generated by your search results will be donated to the charity, school or nonprofit organization of your choice.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">All you have to do to support TGC’s work is to choose TGC (under the name "United States Committee for FAO") as your favorite cause on the GoodSearch </span></span></span><a href="http://www.goodsearch.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>website</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b> </b>and start searching.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">To make it even easier to support TGC initiatives through your internet searches you can download the GoodSearch toolbar </span></span></span><a href="http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/mode/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>here</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">The GoodSearch toolbar provides easy access to GoodSearch on your web browser.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt"><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">GoodSearch also recently expanded to include </span></span></span><a href="http://www.goodsearch.com/goodshop.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>GoodShop</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">, an online shopping mall of established merchants dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Every time you purchase something through the GoodShop mall, a donation - averaging approximately 3% of the sale, but going up to 20% or even more – will be made to TGC.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><span></span>Easy no? So what are you waiting for? </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Get searching and shopping and feel good doing it!</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-5257678344174824872010-02-15T23:31:00.000-08:002010-05-27T12:01:53.356-07:00Moving towards Healthier School Lunches<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;line-height:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">The Child Nutrition Act (CNA) is due to be reauthorized this year by the United States Congress.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">The CNA includes the National School Lunch Program, which provides school lunches to some 31 million US children.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">Slow Food USA, a non-profit </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">with the goal of creating a world in which everyone can enjoy food that is good, clean and fair,</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> has organized a petition to urge members of Congress to invest more in school lunches and improve the nutritional value of school lunches.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">You can support Slow Food’s petition </span></span></span><a href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5986/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=828"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>here</b></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>.</b></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">First Lady Michelle Obama’s recently unveiled ‘Let’s Move’ initiative to counter childhood obesity in America also supports greater investment in school lunches to improve the health and well-being of school children.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"> You can hear the First Lady talk about the program in the video below. </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;">You can also find out more about the Let’s Move initiative by following this </span><a href="http://letsmove.gov/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>link</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><b>. </b></span></span></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663300;"><br /></span><object width="480" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/player.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="bgcolor" value="282828"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="flashvars" 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flashvars="file=http://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/2010/February/020910_LetsMove.m4v&path_to_plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins&path_to_player=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player&skin=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/skins/EOP_skin.swf&captions_url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/av_closedcaption/02092010_The_FL_Introduces_Lets_Move.srt&image=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/audio-video/video_thumbnail/FLOTUS-IV-b-cam.jpg&controlbar=bottom&frontcolor=AAAAAA&plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/privacy/privacy,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/hat/hat,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/share/share,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/captions/captions&captions.file=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/av_closedcaption/02092010_The_FL_Introduces_Lets_Move.srt&stretching=fill&menu=false"></embed></object>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-2014053401394016892010-01-26T08:13:00.000-08:002010-02-01T08:22:39.981-08:00Recovery Efforts in Haiti<div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Haiti</span></span></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is struggling to recover from the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck near </span></span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Port-Au-Prince</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> on January 13. Recent estimates suggest the earthquake claimed more than 100,000 lives and left nearly a million Haitians homeless. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Since 2008 TGC has worked with Project Medishare, a non-profit organization that provides health care for more than 75,000 Haitians. </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Project Medishare doctors are currently providing vital medical relief on the ground in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Haiti</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. You can follow Project Medishare's work </span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Haiti</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://projectmedishare.wordpress.com/"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here</span></span></span></span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Prior to the earthquake, TGC and Project Medishare worked together to develop EarthBox vegetable gardens in </span></span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Haiti</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">’s central plateau, one of the country’s poorest regions. The TGC-Project Medishare partnership is ideal because sustainable agriculture and access to healthy food are key to improving community health care.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A trial garden using 20 EarthBoxes was initially set up to explore which locally-grown vegetables would flourish in the EarthBox, and to develop local mediums and planting methods. Following the success of these trials, EarthBox vegetable gardens have been set up in five elementary schools in the villages of Thomonde and Marmont and a local clinic in Marmont. A group of poor, at-risk adolescents called IDEJEN (Young Idea) has also been involved in the project, receiving hands-on training in growing produce using the EarthBox. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This work will become vital once immediate relief efforts come to an end and attention shifts to Haiti's long-term reconstruction. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you would like to help us achieve this goal, please visit </span></span><a href="http://www.thegrowingconnection.org/Site/Welcome.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">TheGrowingConnection.org</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> or </span></span><a href="http://projectmedishare.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">ProjectMedishare.org. </span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></p></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-34036315698916479392010-01-12T10:02:00.000-08:002010-03-24T08:46:18.371-07:00The Growing Connection in South Africa<div>In partnership with Operation Lionheart and the Open Society Institute, TGC is currently developing several EarthBox vegetable gardens in South Africa. So far, in addition to a large demonstration and research garden, there are four EarthBox vegetable gardens with over 500 EarthBoxes in the country. Thanks to the ongoing support from Operation Lionheart each site receives horticultural training and they are already starting to make real progress.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426244841529061042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 370px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 251px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/S03k7xOirrI/AAAAAAAABC8/Uc3KzIuW_TE/s320/DSCF0312_2+(2).jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>For example, the Mother of Peace orphanage in Johannesburg (above) has a garden with 1000 EarthBoxes and in only six weeks after planting they have been able to harvest vegetables such as spinach and zucchini twice. The progress these gardens in South Africa have made in a very short amount of time is very exciting and you can continue to follow their progress through this blog! </div>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-36299924613532826712009-11-16T08:01:00.000-08:002009-11-18T07:33:43.477-08:00The World Summit on Food Security<div align="justify"><a href="http://www.fao.org/wsfs/world-summit/en/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405117879254024226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 190px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/SwLWEtoMgCI/AAAAAAAABCc/Kzt71a34Qpw/s320/wsfs-small-en.gif" border="0" /></a></div><div align="justify">The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is hosting the World Summit on Food Security November 16-18 in Rome, Italy.</div><div align="justify"><br />Heads of state and government ministers from around the world have come together to discuss how the scourge of global chronic hunger can be eliminated. Even though we have the capacity and knowledge to produce more than enough food for everyone in the world, roughly one billion people - that’s one of every six people on the planet - suffer from chronic hunger. Amongst those that suffer the most from food insecurity are children. For example, one baby dies every six seconds due to hunger and nearly six million children die every year as a result of hunger.<br /><br />FAO has created a special website for the event which provides background, agendas, reports and live streaming of the event. You can access it <a href="http://www.fao.org/wsfs/world-summit/en/">here</a>.<br /><br />In conjunction with the World Food Summit FAO launched a “1 Billion Hungry” petition. Watch FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf’s call for all to join and sign the petition through this <a href="http://www.1billionhungry.org/">website</a>.<br /><br />This is an ideal time to focus on issues of hunger in your classroom. In addition to the resources coming out of the World Food Summit, FAO has abundant relevant information provided in the FAO <a href="http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/">hunger portal</a>. You’ll find important facts, figures and accessible graphs on the issue of global hunger and malnutrition. A particularly interesting tool is the interactive hunger map that shows the prevalence of hunger in different parts of the world and offers country-specific data on hunger.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">In addition to these resources, FAO recently released the 2009 State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) report. The SOFI report raises awareness about global hunger issues, discusses underlying causes of hunger and malnutrition and monitors progress towards hunger reduction targets established at the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Summit.The 2009 report examines the impact of the economic crisis on world hunger. As a result of the global economic crisis, developing countries are facing declines in remittances, export earnings, foreign direct investment and foreign aid, leading to a loss of employment, income and access to food. In combination with the persistent effects of the global food crisis, the global economic crisis has led to a sharp increase in the number of hungry and malnourished people around the world.<br /><br />You can download a free copy of the SOFI report <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i0876e/i0876e00.htm">here</a>. Please contact <a href="mailto:amy.mcmillen@fao.org">amy.mcmillen@fao.org</a> if you’d like to receive the report in hard copy.<br /><br />We hope that you’ll be able to take advantage of these free resources to help your students and communities understand the complexity of hunger issues, but also to emphasize the importance of their work and participation in the solutions promoted by The Growing Connection.<br /></div><p align="center"><object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7ekvRSGk3Uk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7ekvRSGk3Uk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object></p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-19085674878811496502009-11-09T12:00:00.000-08:002009-11-09T09:01:21.630-08:00Jill Wrigley, The Growing Connection's New Coordinator in Baltimore<div align="justify">We are proud to announce that Jill Wrigley has joined our team as The Growing Connection’s new Coordinator for Baltimore, Maryland. Jill received a scholarship from the Open Society Institute (OSI) to develop a garden project that will benefit communities in Baltimore and we’re delighted that she has chosen to work with TGC to achieve this goal.<br /><br />As TGC coordinator Jill will set up the TGC demonstration garden at Great Kids Farm, Baltimore City Public Schools’ (BCPS) new organic production and teaching farm. Among other things, Jill intends to use the TGC demonstration garden as a teaching platform, as a tool to recruit Baltimore City schools to join TGC and to coordinate the training of teachers and staff of already participating schools. </div><div align="justify"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/StS6mQTYKyI/AAAAAAAABBU/2wkN3YL5zXE/s1600-h/IMG_0636.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392139820243364642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3YPyMnnDUBo/StS6mQTYKyI/AAAAAAAABBU/2wkN3YL5zXE/s320/IMG_0636.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Jill will also be working with the TGC garden at The Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School by teaching a class to engage students in a deeper understanding of where our food comes from, why it is important to our health and how food can connect all people around the world. Jill hopes the school’s TGC program can be used as a model for other Baltimore schools.<br /><br />Jill’s ultimate goal is to help to revitalize the Baltimore City School’s food culture with an emphasis on local foods in school lunches and a return to on-site cooking in school cafeterias. </div>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2211565694343791002.post-45239113598432395442009-10-26T07:29:00.000-07:002009-10-26T08:12:59.400-07:00<p align="center"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VgGL6mz3dBY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VgGL6mz3dBY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p align="left">Check out this great video from The Point, a TGC site in South Bronx, New York!</p>TGC Team Memberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07739201725646851791noreply@blogger.com9