Community Garden Scholar

Get someone interested in food systems and sustainability through the story of the seed. The Cornucopia Project is a fabulous organization I had the pleasure of working with as an intern in 2011, and they're hosting a showing of this powerful film this weekend. Click the image for details:

In doing some background research for a literature review and photovoice research project I am conducting this fall, I came across the 2015 report, " Improving Access to Food Systems Among Communities of Color: A Food Justice Issue Report to the Oregon Food Bank "  - written by Alma M.O. Trinidad, Helen Camden, and Anne Coleman of Portland State University's Center to Advance Racial Equity Research , in cooperation with the Oregon Food Bank . I am interested in this report for many reasons, and it's an excellent example of the kind of work I want to continue doing in my doctoral program and beyond. A few aspects I'll mention here are the authors' engagement and empowerment of community members in the process of research and advocacy, and the sensitivity with which they considered different cultural compositions of Portland neighborhoods. They did a great job of identifying the aims and methods of their research, and presenting their findings in a way that re...

Today I am reintroducing a story I published on Atavist earlier this year. Food gardening in the workplace benefits employees and workplace culture; addresses community hunger while enhancing local food systems; exemplifies creativity in business-university partnerships; and provides opportunities for research on many fronts - education, ecopsychology, sustainability and social justice, to name a few. Full story: https://jessgerrior.atavist.com/making-it-work  

Sharing from The Community Kitchen : You won't find a more perfect place to spend an August evening... outdoors, with good friends and great food.The absolute best in locally sourced farm-to-table fare will be served. We will begin at 5:30pm with appetizers and move on to the delicious meal with wine and beer pairings. Live music, amazing food and a stunning setting. It doesn't get any better than that! Tickets: $75 per person  OR   $500 per table of 8. Invitation to follow . RSVP early to save a spot as seating is limited!  Call us at 603-352-3200 or email Phoebe at  pbray@thecommunitykitchen.onmicrosoft.com All proceeds benefit The Community Kitchen, the largest food pantry in the Monadnock Region. For more information:  http://thecommunitykitchen.org/HarvestBenefitDinner.htm  

I had the pleasure of working with Michael Nerrie at Distant Hill Gardens last fall, when I taught a course on Environmental Interpretation & Exhibit Design at Antioch University New England. Together with a group of bright, capable, and dedicated Master's students, we explored and then designed a set of interpretive signs for the environmental features along an accessible trail Michael has built. This is an amazing place, and some of the photos from our experience can be found here . August Open Garden Weekend WHERE: Distant Hill Gardens 507 March Hill Road Walpole, NH WHEN: Saturday  and  Sunday August 6 & 7 10am to 4pm Distant Hill Gardens  will host it monthly 'Open Garden Weekend' this coming Saturday  and  Sunday . The public is free to explore the 58-acre property including extensive  ornamental gardens  with dozens of whimsical metal sculptures  hidden throughout, a large  raised-bed vegeta...

The Cornucopia Project  (Hancock, NH) is looking for School Garden Teachers for the fall program. The part-time School Garden Teacher is responsible for teaching Cornucopia’s school-based garden curriculum and hands-on gardening program to first and second graders during seven-week sessions in the spring and fall. The position requires approximately twenty hours a week of planning, travel and teaching time. Each session encompasses seven weeks of teaching plus two weeks for planning and administrative work. This is a salaried position that reports to Cornucopia’s School Garden Coordinator. Details:  School Garden Teacher Fall 2016 Green Mountain Farm to School  (Newport, VT) is looking for an Americorps Farm-to-School Coordinator. The primary responsibilities of the AmeriCorps Farm-to-School Coordinator will be to develop, grow, present, and evaluate GMFTS’ Farm-to-School Programs and provide general operational and administrative support. This is a full-time yea...

Saturday, August 20, 9 am – 4 pm Antioch University New England 40 Avon Street, Keene, NH 03431 Join us for an inspiring day focused on how you can benefit from the emerging field of  nature-based leadership  and put your knowledge to work for others. Leave refreshed and ready to bring the benefits of nature-based experiences to every facet of your life–at home, in relationships, at play and at work in settings as diverse as business, health care and organizational development. And join a growing worldwide community of people committed to reconnecting people with nature for their own health and well-being, and that of Earth itself. Co-Facilitators and Presenters: Cheryl Charles , Ph.D., is an innovator, author, organizational executive, educator and widely-sought public speaker. In the fall of 2015, Cheryl was named Research Scholar and founding Executive Director of the Nature Based Leadership Institute at Antioch University New England.  Beverly Winterschei...

On June 14, I presented at the University of Vermont Food Systems Summit with my colleagues from Antioch University New England's Community Garden Connections. Based on the Summit theme of "What Makes Food Good?" we gave a panel presentation and participatory session, "Tending Gardens, Raising Resilience: A Recipe for Community Served Three Ways." Check out the session description and details at the Food Systems Summit website and see the full event program here . My proposed session, " Framing Food Resilience: Photovoice, Workplace Gardens, and Community-Based Participatory Research ," has been accepted for the 2016 NAAEE Research Symposium  on October 18-19, 2016  in Madison, Wisconsin. I am greatly looking forward to this experience as I explore and highlight the roles of workplace gardeners in local food system efforts while  developing my research skills  and preparing for my qualifying exam for the PhD program this fall.

Later this month, I'll be giving a brief transitional talk about my research on food justice at the Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition's spring summit, “ Improving Local Food Access to Moderate and Low Income Communities ” - hosted by the MFCC's Education Working Group . In June, I'll be co-presenting a concurrent session entitled " Tending Gardens, Raising Resilience: A recipe for community, served three ways " at the UVM Food Systems Summit . Hope to see you at one or both of these events.