Sunday, April 5, 2009
Yummy Compost!
courtesy of Eco Village IthacaYess!! Every member composts! ...It's not as gross as it looks I promise! Check out the EPA's composting website for more details on what and what not to compost, environmental benefits, and ways to start your own compost too!
West Haven Farm, Ithaca, NY
West Haven Farm is a large part of Ecovillage at Ithaca (EVI). The farm is certified organic by the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA). It's 10 acres feeds about 1,000 people a week! Jen and John Bokaer-Smith, Ecovillage members, established the farm in 1992. Today the farm's acerage is divided accordingly: 8 1/2 acres of vegetables and 1 1/2 acres of fruit. In a nearby town they also have an apple orchard, which they share with another farmer. West Haven Farm grows just about every vegetable that can be grown in the Northeast.
The West Haven Farm is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. 60% of the crops go to CSA members. CSA is a great way for small scale farms to flourish. They way it works is that CSA members pay for some of the farm's expenses and in return receive a weekly bounty of fresh produce. CSA shares range depending on the farm, but a single share for the season at West Haven Farm is around $475, although there is a sliding scale of $374-$575 depending on one's income. A single share generally feeds 1-3 people. Many farms, like Greensgrow Farm in Philly, also allow people to do half shares, where the member receives produce on a biweekly schedule. This reduces the cost but also reduces that amount of produce the member receives. Some farms, like West Haven Farm, also allow members to work on the farm to reduce the cost of their share. This makes it more affordable for lower income households to receive healthy, fresh, and local produce.
The other 40% of the crops are sold at a local Farmer's Market and sold wholesale at EVI.
Farming sure is tough work, and Jen and John have felt the burden. In the book Ecovillage at Ithaca: Pioneering a Sustainable Culture, author Liz Walker, long-time resident of EVI, interviewed the couple about the financial hardships associated with being farmers. In the beginning both Jen and John farmed together and enjoyed it very much, but it did not prove to give them the financial support they needed to pay off their college loans and their mortgage. Jen is now a teacher during the year, while John is the full time farmer. He now has other employees and the CSA has brought them great success.
While EVI receives most of its produce from the West Haven Farm, they also have a community garden, and small home gardens as well. What EVI does not produce, they buy from a regional organic food distributor, United Natural Foods. EVI is dedicated to supporting organic farming methods because it enriches the soil, rather than depleting it. Liz Walker explains, "our commitment to growing and buying mostly organic is a fundamental aspect of our larger commitment to becoming more sustainable here at EVI" (131).
The West Haven Farm is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. 60% of the crops go to CSA members. CSA is a great way for small scale farms to flourish. They way it works is that CSA members pay for some of the farm's expenses and in return receive a weekly bounty of fresh produce. CSA shares range depending on the farm, but a single share for the season at West Haven Farm is around $475, although there is a sliding scale of $374-$575 depending on one's income. A single share generally feeds 1-3 people. Many farms, like Greensgrow Farm in Philly, also allow people to do half shares, where the member receives produce on a biweekly schedule. This reduces the cost but also reduces that amount of produce the member receives. Some farms, like West Haven Farm, also allow members to work on the farm to reduce the cost of their share. This makes it more affordable for lower income households to receive healthy, fresh, and local produce.
The other 40% of the crops are sold at a local Farmer's Market and sold wholesale at EVI.
Farming sure is tough work, and Jen and John have felt the burden. In the book Ecovillage at Ithaca: Pioneering a Sustainable Culture, author Liz Walker, long-time resident of EVI, interviewed the couple about the financial hardships associated with being farmers. In the beginning both Jen and John farmed together and enjoyed it very much, but it did not prove to give them the financial support they needed to pay off their college loans and their mortgage. Jen is now a teacher during the year, while John is the full time farmer. He now has other employees and the CSA has brought them great success.
While EVI receives most of its produce from the West Haven Farm, they also have a community garden, and small home gardens as well. What EVI does not produce, they buy from a regional organic food distributor, United Natural Foods. EVI is dedicated to supporting organic farming methods because it enriches the soil, rather than depleting it. Liz Walker explains, "our commitment to growing and buying mostly organic is a fundamental aspect of our larger commitment to becoming more sustainable here at EVI" (131).
Ecovillage at Ithaca
Check out the Eco Village Evolution Main Page (link on the sidebar) to read up on a brief history on Ecovillage at Ithaca.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
A Discussion of Food at The Farm, Tennessee
The Farm in Summertown Tennessee, founded in 1971, is located on 1750 acres. It began as an intentional community that grew into an ecovillage over the years. They now have an Ecovillage Training Center located on site as well. In an article, Is The Farm an Ecovillage?, written by a member Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina, it's status as an "ecovillage" is debated over. There is definitely controversy over whether The Farm is acting as an ecovillage by not growing food on their abundant fields that used to be cultivated in the 1970's. But The Farm has reasonable justifications for neglecting 50-60 acres of land, which have already been cleared.
Back in the early days, The Farm boasted around 1400 residents, now there are only around 175 residents. This is one of the biggest reasons for the change in food production over the last 38 years. Because of the large population in the 70's, there was greater man power to work the fields. In recent years, many community meetings have been held so that residents can discuss the subject of growing food at The Farm again. Some residents have suggested getting tractors, which would enable them to cultivate the land with a minimal amount of labor. But that wouldn't be very environmentally friendly now would it. Residents of The Farm have realized that fossil fuel based farming techniques is not the route they want to go.
Other residents advocate for home gardens. Many households already have home gardens that produce much or their fruit and vegetable needs. This could be a possible solution to growing more food on site, but to me this seems like a diversion away from community.
The article mentions one of the best ideas that residents have come up with, which is to create a "regional food-growing network" to foster "local food interdependence". Instead of growing everything on site, The Farm could team up with near by Amish and Mennonite farmers that are already growing food in abundance. The Farm could grow vegetables and other specialty products that would allow them to trade those products for food that their neighbors have grown. They could also get products that are grown in other areas through a "regional food-buying co-op". This seems to make the most sense for The Farm. This also is something that could be utilized in all regions around the world. When farmers team up with one another they can create massive networks of farmers, communities, and households that are dedicated to supporting and securing local food initiatives in order to promote ecologically sound ways of living. In the case of The Farm, this would enable them to cultivate some of their acres of cleared land. It would reduce the stress of feeling like they needed to utilize every acre, and would probably make them feel like they were a part of the local food movement.
Back in the early days, The Farm boasted around 1400 residents, now there are only around 175 residents. This is one of the biggest reasons for the change in food production over the last 38 years. Because of the large population in the 70's, there was greater man power to work the fields. In recent years, many community meetings have been held so that residents can discuss the subject of growing food at The Farm again. Some residents have suggested getting tractors, which would enable them to cultivate the land with a minimal amount of labor. But that wouldn't be very environmentally friendly now would it. Residents of The Farm have realized that fossil fuel based farming techniques is not the route they want to go.
Other residents advocate for home gardens. Many households already have home gardens that produce much or their fruit and vegetable needs. This could be a possible solution to growing more food on site, but to me this seems like a diversion away from community.
The article mentions one of the best ideas that residents have come up with, which is to create a "regional food-growing network" to foster "local food interdependence". Instead of growing everything on site, The Farm could team up with near by Amish and Mennonite farmers that are already growing food in abundance. The Farm could grow vegetables and other specialty products that would allow them to trade those products for food that their neighbors have grown. They could also get products that are grown in other areas through a "regional food-buying co-op". This seems to make the most sense for The Farm. This also is something that could be utilized in all regions around the world. When farmers team up with one another they can create massive networks of farmers, communities, and households that are dedicated to supporting and securing local food initiatives in order to promote ecologically sound ways of living. In the case of The Farm, this would enable them to cultivate some of their acres of cleared land. It would reduce the stress of feeling like they needed to utilize every acre, and would probably make them feel like they were a part of the local food movement.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Ecovillages in the News
As I was researching for this week's ecovillage, I came across an article on Forbes.com that highlights "Eight Modern Utopias" in pictures with a little bio of each. Click here to check out the article and the ecovillages they showcase. Findhorn is mentioned, as well as this week's ecovillages: The Farm in Tennessee, and Ecovillage at Ithaca.
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