Channel 2 recently higlighted the DUG community garden at Fairmont Elementary School in the Baker Neighborhood! The Fairmont School Community Garden is home to a Youth Farmers' Market, and is gardened by teachers, students, volunteers, as well as members of the surrouding community.
For more information about Denver Urban Gardens' youth education programs, please click here. For information about our Youth Farmers' Market Program, please click here.
Tickets are officially on sale for GreenShoots2. Get yours before they sell out!
Join us for the second annual GreenShoots, an evening event celebrating urban agriculture, gardening, and community! This year's GreenShoots will feature screenings of our brief documentary, A Garden in Every Neighborhood, which highlights the impact of community gardens on health. We'll be celebrating at Root Down in Denver's Highlands neighborhood. Details:
How much: Your $20 ticket includes both screenings, appetizers, a drink ticket, and a chance to get to know others with a passion for gardening and urban agriculture.
Tickets: Use a credit card here, or bring cash or check to the door.
A recent flurry of Internet articles has brought to light a very interesting case of trademark infringement. The Dervaes Institute, an incorporated church that has operated in California since 1985, has a trademark claim on “urban homesteading” and derivates of the phrase. Just recently, a group of organizations such as “Denver Urban Homesteading” had their Facebook pages shut down. Apparently, blogs that use their trademark phrase have also been shut down. Furthermore, the Westwordis reporting that the Dervaes Institute sent out a cease-and-desist letter to a publishing company that has printed books such as “The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City.” It looks like the phrase might no longer be used to describe the city farming movement any longer.
But what implications does this trademark case have for the urban farming movement? None at all, but it is both entertaining and ironic. As the Dervaes Institute states themselves, an “urban homesteader” is “someone participating in the movement of 21st century eco-pioneers striving to create a better world for themselves and others” and "a person who practices self-sufficiency through home food production and simple living in a city or suburban environment." Who would have thought the self-sufficient “urban homesteader” would be so dependent on their lawyer?
Check out the article from the Westwordfor more details.
Pemaculture is a buzz word these days. But what does it mean exactly? You'll get a different answer depending on whom you ask. Bill Mollison, one of the creators of Permaculture orginially defined it as "permanent agriculture." Today, it means a lot to those who practice it. As Urban Harvest Defines it,by Milkwooders via Flickr
Permaculture is an ecological, holistic and sustainable design system and philosophy for human living spaces. It is a viable method for finding sustainable solutions to modern problems. It has been successfully used around the world to maximize food production, regenerate springs, cool homes without air conditioning, revive deserts, transform lives, reorganize towns and neighborhoods, reduce pollution, and much else.
The possibiltiy of transforming the urban landscape may just become more accessible using Permaculture as a guiding theory. Pemaculture can even be applied to your small backyard plot so that you make the best use of your time and energy. Check out your local library for more information on the subject. If you have a lot of interest you can enroll in a certification course. These courses tend be rather expensive, but they often offer need-based financial assistance or work/study postions. This spring, several courses will be offered in the Front Range Area. Check out one of the organizations listed below for more information on available classes.
DeLaney Community FarmCSA, or community supported agriculture, is a buzzword we're hearing a lot these days. It's frequently offered up as a solution to many of the problems with our nation's food system: produce that travels hundreds or thousands of miles before it reaches the consumer, food that's grown with pesticides, herbicides, or hormones, food that's genetically modified, environmentally destructive growing practices, etc. Community supported agriculture is an agricultural model in which the farmer and consumer share in the risks and bounty of the farm. In practical terms, this means that you pay a set amount up front, and that helps the farmer cover the cost of production. In return, you receive freshly harvested shares of the farm's produce (usually once a week) throughout the growing season. Some CSAs have farm pickups, some deliver directly to your door, and some have in-town pickup points. Most CSAs are smaller farms that cultivate a variety crops, and use organic growing practices.
CSAs are a wonderful way to satisfy your desire for fresh, organic, locally grown produce, and a great way to support your local farmers. It's also a great way to eat seasonally, and try out new foods and recipes. There are some challenges, however, that go along with being a part of a farm community. Weather, pests, and other factors outside the farmer's control can mean lower yields or damaged crops, and that means a lighter share for the consumer. Not being able to predict quantities or varieties means that you might end up with a lot of something that you're not sure how to use, or don't like.
This video, which features Gary Brever of Ploughshare Farm, Kate Stout of North Creek Community Farm, and Margaret Marshall of Featherstone Farm, does a great job of summarizing what you can expect as a member of a CSA:
You can also check out this post, which features an interview with Faatma Mehrmanesh, the Operation Coordinator at DUG's DeLaney Community Farm. DeLaney Community Farm is Denver Urban Gardens' community supported agriculture project in Aurora. DeLaney is different than other CSAs in that its operations are centered around a mission which includes providing healthy, locally produced food for people of all economic levels, including helping challenged populations improve their nutrition and their access to healthy food.
DeLaney's Community Partner Share program provides fresh, organic produce to partner nonprofits like Project Angel Heart and The Gathering Place, and DeLaney's WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program allows WIC clients to work with staff for an hour in exchange for a freshly harvested share of produce. To keep costs low, DeLaney operates with a small staff, and relies on volunteers to assist in the day-to-day operations. To learn more about DeLaney Community Farm, please click here. To make a secure, online donation to the DeLaney Community Farm Partner Share Fund, please click here.
Monday, August 22, 2011 at 12:26PM 
