Community Garden Scholar

Antioch has published this great write-up about the recent "On the Farm" event. It was an honor to be part of this gathering and to facilitate the Equity & Sustainable Communities conversation. The article does a great job of summarizing both our community strengths and key barriers, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing the themes that emerged from these conversations develop into action in our region.

NIFTI/CFP Leadership Development Webinar Wednesday, April 6 at 1 pm EST Register here  - If it asks for a meeting number, enter  737 302 927 Join us for a webinar on leadership development focused on incubator farms and community food projects. Our presenters will talk about the theoretical underpinnings of developing strong leaders within your organization and community, as well as share an example of a successful program. Presenters Robbie Hertneky, PhD Chair and Associate Professor,  Antioch University New England .  Robbie brings her interests in mindfulness, leadership development, and personal and professional leadership identity to her role as Chair of the Department of Management and Associate Professor in the MBA in Sustainability Program. Her doctoral studies, teaching, and scholarship are in the field of leadership and change; in her teaching she focuses on the application of theory to practice. Kelly Owensby, Director,  Transplanting Traditions Co...

Interesting! From the Radical Mycology website: On April 14 and 28, join mycophiles around the world for a unique series of free webinars with  Peter McCoy , author of  Radical Mycology , one of the most comprehensive books on fungi ever written. Covering a wide range of information on the ecology, cultural importance, and appropriate applications of cultivating mushrooms and other fungi, these talks will be live streamed with the ability for audience members to chat with Peter and even win free book copies! For more details, including info on how to register, visit  http://bit.ly/radmycowebinars .

Local Food,  Healthy Communities The Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition invites you to our Spring forum:   " Improving Local Food  Access to Low Income Populations"    Tuesday, April 26, 2016 9:30am - 11:30am Heberton Hall (next to Keene Public Library) CHILDCARE PROVIDED LUNCH SERVED   At our Spring Forum, we will deepen the dialogue and working relationships between the social services sector and the local food movement, identify barriers to healthy local food, and highlight work that is already increasing the availability of locally grown food for individuals and institutions. We will begin our conversation with an overview of what we know: health and local food are connected; access, affordability and equity in our local food system impact health outcomes for all of us, especially our poor communities.   Organized by the MFCC Education Working Group (EWG). EWG member organizations: The Community Kitchen...

Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition's early SPRING forum: MONADNOCK FARMER WORKSHOPS & POTLUCK DINNER Tuesday, March 8th, 2016 4:30pm - 7pm Alyson's Orchard Walpole, NH Learn a little and have a GREAT NIGHT OUT before the ground thaws! AGENDA: 4:30pm Workshops Marketing Your Farm Business Chris & Caitlin Caserta, Walpole Valley Farm; Beth Hodge, Echo Farm Puddings Estate Planning: Caring for the Future of Your Farm Elizabeth Bayne, Yankee Farm Credit Infrastructure Needs Planning for our Region Denise Meadows and Julie Davenson, MFCC board members 5:20pm Reception Featuring Mooselick Beers and Walpole Mtn. View Wines Cash Bar 6pm Farmer Appreciation Night dinner - potluck Children welcome! Please bring a dish to share! Connect with friends! PLEASE REGISTER! NIFTI/CFP Leadership Development Webinar Wednesday, April 6 at 1 pm EST Register here Join us for a webinar on leadership development focused on incubator farms and commun...

Sharing this exciting event at Stonewall Farm...   On the Farm: Let's Discuss Local Food Security, Regional Wellness, and Earth Stewardship Date:                  Thursday, February 18, 2016 Time:                  5 - 7:30 pm Place:                Stonewall Farm, 242 Chesterfield Rd., Keene, NH RSVP by 2/15:    Kate Hickey  or  (603) 283-2436 Please join us for an evening inspired by the book  On the Farm: The Uncertain Future of an American Legacy  with text by Ronald Dodson and paintings by  Adriano Manocchia.  Adriano's paintings will be on display and available for purchase.     We'll relish local foods, enjoy exquisite art, and engage in a facilitated discussion about the...

I was honored to be one of twelve Graduate Scholars selected to present and serve at the  12th International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability , hosted at Portland State University (Portland, OR) this weekend. Here are a few photo highlights: Faculty participating in my workshop, "A Scholar's Garden: Inquiry into the Landscape of Food Justice Scholarship and Implications for Sustainability Education." Two main questions we explored, through a collective concept mapping activity, were: How do scholarly disciplines and cultures approach food justice, and what does this mean for sustainability praxis? What could a sustainability pedagogy that embraces food justice look like? It was a pleasure to get to know and support other Graduate Scholars. Nazan Madak (of Anadolu University in Turkey) and I had a chance to watch the PSU Farmers' Market being set up from the Smith Memorial Student Union on Saturday morning. My favo...

I'm excited to be presenting at the On Sustainability Knowledge Network's 12th International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability , this January at Portland State University.  The theme is "Urban Sustainability: Inspiration and Solution," and my presentation is titled "A Scholar’s Garden: Inquiry into the Landscape of Food Justice Scholarship and Implications for Sustainability Education." This will be my second time presenting to an international audience following the IAU International Conference in Iquitos, Peru in 2014 . I am thrilled to be visiting Portland again, and the Graduate Scholar Award supporting my attendance is an honor. Now, to figure out how to take all those food carts home! 

Re-posting this news from Antioch University New England : Several Antioch University New England students, alumni, and faculty attended the New England Environmental Education Alliance conference held November 8-10 in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Many of the AUNE attendees also led workshops. The New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA) has a 46-year history of leading, convening, and advancing environmental education in New England. This year’s conference was titled, “Climate of Change.” AUNE is represented at NEEEA Conference by: Andrew Graham, Cynthia Espinosa Merrero, Dr. Jean Kayira, Jen Trapani (in front), Dave Chase, MEd (in back), Jess Gerrior, Dr. Libby McCann Dr. Libby McCann and Dr. Jean Kayira, both core faculty in the AUNE Department of Environmental Studies, teamed with students Andrew Graham, Jess Gerrior, and Cynthia Espinosa Merrero for two sessions. “Everyone Eats: Community Gardening as a Practice of Civic Ecology & Resilience,” offered...

I had the wonderful privilege of co-presenting two workshops at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability (AASHE) Conference on " Transforming Sustainability Education " in Minneapolis this past week, and am so pleased to report that not only were both sessions really well attended, our participants were deeply engaged and passionate about both topics: "Re-thinking Options for Curriculum and Faculty Development: How will we take it to the next level?" and "Sustainability Officers: The Dream, the Sometimes Harsh Reality, the Reasons You Want Us on Your Leadership Team" (a video shoot). Many thanks to my colleagues for a great collaborative experience! It's rejuvenating to be in the company of such thoughtful and skilled sustainability educators, and I keep finding new facets of meaning in "sustainability" (even if the term sometimes falls short as a tool to convey an idea). There was a strong voice for change in both workshops - ...