Community Garden Scholar

Re-posting this information on behalf of Marty Castriotta at Village Roots. For more information: www.villageroots.org marty@theorchardschool.or g (603) 477-5533 Course Dates and Times: March 11/12 , April 8/9 , May 20/21, June 10/11, July 8/9 Saturdays 9:00 am to 9:00 pm and Sundays 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. presentations at NH Permaculture Day, August 26 (optional) Supplemental Days: typically 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Students are asked to attend at least one of these hands-on learning days May 1: Timberframing June 3: Building hugelkultur garden beds July 1: Site visit: to be scheduled August chicken harvest: date to be determined Place: The bulk of this course will take place at The Orchard School in East Alstead, NH and on the farm and grounds of Orchard Hill and Village Roots. There will also be field trips to various sites in the region. Course Meals: The course will include four nourishing meals (made with organic and farm fresh ingredients) each weekend and snacks at breaks. ...

Today marks the second and final doctoral weekend of the fall semester. Earlier, my cohort and I exchanged presentations on our essays about the intersections of our professional interests with service learning and community-based scholarship. As a way of sharing with the wider academic/professional community, here are the figures from my presentation, with my working bibliography for the essay.  Figure 1: The intersection of two themes I am working with,  i.e.  the bridging of higher education and food systems and the continuum of praxis (theory and practice, thinking and doing). The figure that follows contains an idea that harnesses these seemingly disparate challenges together and provides a crux for my conceptual framework. Figure 2: Education is cultural work. I like to think about what's possible when the worlds of academia and community food converge around the value and practice of sustainability. This work requires new, more responsive models that trans...

Join me and my colleagues Aaron Witham and Ryan Ihrke today at #AASHE2016 or the premiere of the short film of interviews with sustainability officers in higher education.  Session Title: Sustainability Officers: The Dream, The Sometimes Harsh Reality, The Reasons You Want Us on Your Leadership Team  Tuesday, October 11, 11:30 - Noon Location Room: 308 Trailer:

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...