Wednesday, September 19, 2007

9/25 Assignment

Next topic: 9/25/07 Land Use & Urban Form

A) Readings:
1) Land Use & Urban Form- Green Urbanism - Chapter 2
2) Ecocities- Rebuilding Cities in balance with Nature- Intro & Chapter 1 (pp. 1-23)
3) Ecocities- Same book- Choose & read either one of the foundational chapters 2, 3, 4, or 5 or one of the "Applied" chapters- filled with powerful tools, chapters 7, 8, 10, 12.

Summarize only the key points in the unique chapter you choose. Then reflect on the new readings as we have already been doing, (core issues that the readings clarify, dilemmas and questions they bring up, applicability, links to previous topics, etc.)

B) Behavior Change Experiments:
Review and reflect upon what has happened so far and write a one-page blog entry about where you have come with both the ecological & social behavior change experiments. Suggestions: Refer to “Fostering Sustainable Behavior” resource sheets. Include selections from your Journal.

C) Prepare:
Case Presentations Kendra Chris
Nature in the City Libby Caitlin
Discussion Facilitation Andrew Maya

Links: Photos and Children's Garden

The Link to Our Photobucket Album:
http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd78/teamgarden/

The Link to the Ithaca Children's Garden Page:
http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/tompkins/ithacachildrensgarden/index.html
(They also have a resource page which includes books and other children's gardens' websites)

Ithaca People's Garden Info

for Community Garden Project Team:

Here is more contact info and background on the People's Garden.

Amy Garbincus a.garbincus@verizon.net 277-0172 may be outdated
(see blurb below from an earlier time) early farmer supporter , knows a good piece of the story

Pastor Benson 272-1984 rbenson4@twcny.rr.com friendly, chatty,
enthusiastic pastor of the church

Josh Dolan key supporter, lives in neighborhood, in Ireland this month but
may respond to emails
rainbowwarrior14874@yahoo.com

Jhakeem Haltom 342-5323 -C key player, knows Elan well, and hasn't
responded to request yet, but don't give up


The People's Garden Project (PGP) is a volunteer organization that has established two community gardens in formerly empty lots at food pantry sites in Ithaca. Through these gardens the PGP is fostering community building, promoting urban gardens, increasing local food security, teaching gardening skills, and beautifying our neighborhoods.

The PGP was started in the spring of 2004 by a small group of people concerned about the accessibility of high quality, healthy food to all members of the community. Our mission is to create a local, sustainable, diverse, and accessible food system that biulds community food security. The PGP decreases dependence on government and corporate food sources and promotes community independence.

Through advocacy, gardens, education, and workshops, the PGP will encourage diversity; empower and strengthen community; promote good nutrition and health; and preserve the local environment for future generations.

During our first year the PGP set up a garden site at the Baptized Church of Jesus Christ at 412 First Street in Ithaca's Northside Neighborhood. The PGP has transformed an empty lot into a lush beautiful garden. The garden provides a place for residents of this racially and economically diverse neighborhood to be introduced to gardening and experience truly fresh food. The food grown at this site is distributed through the church's weekly food pantry to those in the community that need it. This site is also open to the community as a meeting space with benches and a birdbath so that people can sit and enjoy the garden's beauty.

The PGP has hosted a series of community events and workshops since its inception. Examples include: Introduction to Gardening, Composting, Nutrition, Container Gardening, and Food Preservation and has hosted community potlucks. The past two years we have held plant giveaways in which we collected vegetable seedling donations from various farms and gave them away to people in the Northside and Southside communities.

This past year we added another garden site which is located at the Red Cross Emergency Shelter located on Court Street.

Food travels on average, about 1,500 miles from farm to fork. This transportation incurs an unaccounted for cost on our food system, which effects the environment and nutritive value of the food we eat.
The fresher the food the more nutrients it possesses. Local production is less vulnerable to problems like fuel shortages, disruption of transportation systems, and natural disasters.
Additionally, increasing local food security helps the local economy and builds community connections.

Reardon powerpoint is posted

click on the Class Resources, Powerpoints link for access.