Quick update post

Just a stream of thoughts today I'm afraid. I've been so busy lately and when you are working as basically your own boss, sorta, the time really does start to become the most valuable commodity you have. It reminds me of why my work with the Flow Campaign is so important. I have really taken the lessons I've been learning from this work to heart. Time is the premium.

Yesterday I did some initial shooting of a site visit for the Sustainable Rain project for Sustainable Seattle. The location was on the corner of MLK and Union in a formerly vacant lot that was overrun by blackberries, brambles and broken furniture. Across the street is a Grocery Outlet, a cafe espresso stand, and a series of houses with no fences, dogs and comic book readers who flip through superhero hijinks while taking drags off of early morning cigarettes.

The neighbors are all behind the new project that is being lead by a fiscal sponsoree of Sustainable Seattle, Green Plate Special. The project is all about teaching youth about healthy eating, cooking and urban agriculture. It takes youth who have not had the training and examples of a well rounded diet or even the baseline knowledge of where food comes from or what it takes to bring that food from farm to table.

Seattle Tilth has an opening for Farm Coordinator

Farm Coordinator – Seattle Youth Garden Works

Job Summary

Seattle Youth Garden Works, a program of Seattle Tilth, is a market farm-based youth employment program that empowers, employs and educates homeless and underserved youth. The farm coordinator is responsible for developing and coordinating all aspects of the operation of a 1-acre organic market farm, including planning, growing, and selling produce, engaging youth in greenhouse and farm work, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, and developing and teaching farm and employment-related lessons to youth.

The Farm Coordinator is responsible for sustainable organic farm management, environmental education, and the supervision of youth garden crew members, staff and volunteers. S/he develops plans for maintaining farm and greenhouse in optimal production, producing for farmers market and other markets; ensures a successful implementation of farm related business including sales, marketing, product planning and development; implements youth business training; and collaborates with community partners. The Farm Coordinator keeps detailed and accurate logs of farm activities, works closely with youth to ensure that youth crews understand farm cycles and perform needed work in the garden, secures markets for farm produce, and coordinates all farm logistics.

Qualifications

1. Education

§ Required AA degree in a related field

§ Desired Bachelors or Masters degree in a related field

2. Experience

§ Two years experience managing a market farm for optimal production, including greenhouse and farm planning, maintenance, and marketing

§ Experience working with youth from diverse backgrounds, ages 16-21, facing an array of challenges that include poverty, racism, homelessness, academic challenges, and involvement with the juvenile justice system.

3. Other required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and on a team
• Knowledge of and commitment to organic and sustainable agricultural practices
• Demonstrated ability and success working with people from a variety of racial, cultural and economic backgrounds, with various lifestyles and sexual orientations
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Must be able to operate small farm equipment including a rotary tiller, gas powered lawn mower, and weed whacker
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds
• Must be able to crouch, lean, and kneel for extended periods of time
• Proficient in Microsoft applications
• Ability and willingness to work evenings and weekends for farmers markets and other program events.
• This position requires working extended amounts of time within office, farm, greenhouse, and farmers’ market environments.

Location

The farm is located in Seattle’s University District. Time will be split between the farm and Seattle Tilth’s office in Wallingford.

Compensation

Low to mid $30K plus benefits.

To apply:

Please submit a resume and letter of interest outlining 1) your experience managing an organic market farm and greenhouse 2) your experience working with homeless or at-risk youth and 3) why you are interested in this position.

Send all materials to carrievogelzang@seattletilth.org or mail to:

4649 Sunnyside Ave N, suite 100

Seattle, WA 98103

Attn: SYGW Search Committee

Applications will be reviewed as received. Position is open until filled.

Seattle Tilth is an equal opportunity employer. People of color encouraged to apply.

(Sustainable Seattle offers up this space for non profits or social entrepreneurs who have missions aligned with our own to advertise, inform and educate. For more information please contact info(at)sustainableseattle.org or nathan(at)sustainableseattle.org.)

Urban Agriculture, lessons and hard work

On Saturday March 20th I showed up with a friend in tow to the Yeslar Terrace community center to help out with the p-patch restoration and expansion project. The day was shining, the neighborhood was still sleeping and the bus got us there right on time.

I saw a few colleagues of mine already there, Owen our videographer, and Corey the Community Development Co Lead. I greeted them and then ducked out of the way of the camera trying to hide my face and likeness. I don't want another screen cap of my grill being the face of our next video like the staff video up on our website...scary.

There were about thirty people in attendance with most of them youth from various community groups like Ground Up Yeslar, Seattle Tilth, a few local High Schools like Franklin and of course the agriculture professionals, one of them a fifteen year veteran at this particular growing site.

The students were dressed sensibly and were excited about the prospect with roughly half of them female and the other half...male. I spoke with Karen from Ground Up as we had previously met at the Journalism that Matters conference and it was great catching up. She then convened the volunteers and we had a brief, but effective safety meeting.

The students were fired up and the atmosphere was friendly, dedicated, with banter that was surprisingly appropriate. I'm always surprised how much people expect teens to be rude, obnoxious, cursing troublemakers, when the majority of them that I've interacted with over my many years has been exactly the opposite.

I decided to go do some composting and after an hour of wheel barrow shifting, shoveling, sorting, digging and listening to an adult give the teens a true history of African American heritage, I was tired and feeling great.

The p-patch itself is very large and spread out amongst the apartments in Yeslar Terrace. The patches are mostly overrun with native plant weed, but they are fertile and with the right stewardship would be a reliable source of food for the community.

Corey was chosen to be a lead in one of the projects and he cheerfully responded. He is doing so much work in this community and his heart is definitely feeling the unique, diverse vibe that Yeslar Terrace exudes. I look forward to coming back and seeing where this partnership leads.

Did I fail to mention the home cooked lunch provided to us after we were done? It was an exploration of East African cuisine provided by neighbors and participants. I loved the greens and actually ate more than my fair share. I kept sneaking more fork fulls onto my plate after distracting other hungry volunteers with questions and conversation. Best lesson learned is to always give participants a way to participate. The neighbors who cooked the food did what they do best and everyone benefited.

Local Food and Urban Agriculture: An introduction

Alleycat Acres is a sustainable Urban Farming Collective and has been blazing a new trail into affordable, urban food growing. The organization is leading a trend to grow food in smaller areas, areas normally reduced to parking lots or vacant weeds and rubble.

The entire concept of urban agriculture is a relatively new idea that focuses on making affordable fresh fruits and vegetables in areas where many people would not reasonably be able to expect produce. Many areas in dense urban cities do not have a market or grocery store that has fresh fruits and vegetables. Many are stores that buy the lowest bid plants that are on the verge of spoiling or rot in order to save money. Some stores replace fresh fruits with sugary drinks and canned veggies that lose all their nutrients the minute one opens the can.

With urban agriculture plots of land or even smaller pieces such as flower beds or sides of drainage areas are converted into growing centers. Often times the food that is grown goes to local food banks, charities or the growers themselves in an effort to minimize transportation and maximize the payout of the project.

There are numerous groups who are recognizing the positive lessons taught by working the land and many of them are focused on urban youth. One such organization is Seattle Youth Garden Works which unfortunately has been running into financial difficulty due to the recession. They are still in existence, but need assistance.

Food that is locally grown not only is fresher, but it also accomplishes supporting the local economy, your friends and neighbors, and it is also environmentally better than shipping or flying food from the average 1500 mile distance.

For more ideas on how you can get involved visit:
Alleycat Acres

Everett teen redesigns the water bottle

Everett, WA high school senior Jordan Steeves has reimagined the ubiquitous water bottle to help market a paper water carton, Cykle. Cykle uses renewable resources, reduces waste, and biodegrades much sooner than conventional water bottles. Along the way, Steeves has inspired many students and scholars and was winner of the Washington State University's annual high school energy competition, Imagine Tomorrow. Steeves is now off to Western Washington University to major in environmental sciences...with young minds like Steeves' at work, we're in for a bright green future for sure. Congrats Jordan!

Find an article and video on Steeves' project on King5.com.

Learn about other paper carton solutions like h20 and Tetra Pak.