Broccoli and carrots and tomatoes, oh my!: The Youth Grow Summit

by Emily Belle, Selene Chew and Amanda Wagner

Farming is cool
We learned that in school!

Tons of youth love it
So we’re having a summit!

We demand local
We will be vocal!

We don’t mind getting dirty
We’re all under thirty!

Don’t panic
It’s organic!

Community,
Unity!

Economically just
It’s a must!

Food for all
All for food!

Broccoli and carrots and tomatoes, oh my!
The Youth Grow Summit

This summer, high school students from across New York State will come together in our quest for food justice and environmental stability. The Youth Grow Summit, a new initiative sponsored by the Cornell Garden-Based Learning Program, will be held from June 28-30, and will provide a forum for youth to discuss issues related to agricultural and food systems. Workshops will cover a breadth of topics, from leadership training and community organizing to the fundamentals of sustainable agriculture. Summit participants will have the opportunity to get into the fields in various farms and gardens around Ithaca, where they can experience the reality of local, community-oriented food systems and learn some new hands-on farming techniques.

As students at the Lehman Alternative Community School, we have had the chance to integrate the ideas of the local food movement into our lives, both inside and outside of the classroom. This spring, a group from our Ecology class joined a regional delegation and thousands of other youth at the Power Shift conference in Washington, DC. There, we took to the streets and lobbied our representatives on Capitol Hill, demonstrating our commitment to providing a sustainable future for people of all backgrounds and experiences. Now, we are excited to apply the energy and inspiration that came out of Power Shift to one of the most important factors in our vision for a better, healthier world: reshaping the food systems that support us and represent our most basic interaction with the earth. Over the last year, we have been able to work within our school and in collaboration with initiatives around Ithaca that share our goals. We look forward to expanding our network and learning from other knowledgeable, dedicated individuals at the Youth Grow Summit.

Come join us! Learn more and register to participate at http://blogs.cornell.edu/youthgrow/about/

Peace out, be happy, eat kale

~Emily, Selene, and Amanda

Panel Discussions from Mann Library Local Food & Fiber Fair

Cornell's NWAEG (New World Agriculture and Ecology Group) has uploaded videos of the great panel discussion that followed the "A Farm for the Future" screening at the Mann Library Local Food & Fiber Fair last week! Groundswell is mentioned in the discussion by two of our partner farmers, Donn Hewes and Maryrose Livingston of Northland Sheep Dairy- thanks! Videos after the jump:

Request for Proposals: Cornell's TSF Organic Agriculture Research, Teaching & Outreach

If you're a Cornell Student, Cooperative Extension educator, or organic farmer, you may be interested in this grant opportunity. The TSF (Toward Sustainability Foundation) has pledged a gift to Cornell to support organic agriculture programs, and they're putting out a request for proposals now. The deadline for submitting grants is December 15th, 2010. This is a chance to get your idea funded!

From the website:

The Department of Horticulture at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) requests proposals for innovative research, teaching and outreach projects in organic farming and food system sustainability.  A gift from the Toward Sustainability Foundation (TSF) will provide support for successful proposals during calendar year 2011.  Short proposals are requested (10-page maximum, single spaced, including an itemized budget) from Cornell staff and students, Cooperative Extension educators, and New York organic farmers.  All funded proposals must include someone on the CALS faculty as a principal investigator or co-PI, in order for us to allocate these funds.  Projects will be funded up to a maximum $10,000 for a one-year period (2011).

Nov 5th - Food access and justice: Rebuilding a healthy local food system for all

From Cornell's New World Agriculture and Ecology Group (NWAEG):

This Friday...

11/5 - Food access and justice: Rebuilding a healthy local food system for all @ Cornell's Emerson Hall, Room 135, Fri. 12:15-1PM
Elizabeth Karabinakis, Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extension

Liz has been involved with the Healthy Food For All campaign:

http://ccetompkins.org/nutrition/healthy-food-all-csa

Take the Local Foods Survey!

Nicole Novak, a Cornell student, is conducting a survey on the nutritional quality of the locavore diet. Here are the details:

Interested in locally grown foods?

I'm conducting research with Cornell's Sustainability of Food Systems Group, http://www.aem.cornell.edu/special_programs/hortmgt/sustainability/index.html
to learn more about your opinions on local food products, what foods you purchase locally, and how you use them! The goal of my project is to assess the nutritional quality of a "locavore" diet. Please consider helping us out by taking a brief, anonymous, online survey:

Go here! --> https://cornell.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9GYY5w2S0IYhRdi

Thank you!!!
Questions or concerns? Please contact Nicole Novak at nln22@cornell.edu

https://cornell.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cZwqueNJ7Zhh1LS

10/8/10: Growing the Local Food System

Coming up this Friday afternoon! Groundswell's director, Joanna Green, will speak on the topic of "Growing the Local Food System" for Cornell's Sustainable Food Systems Seminar Series. She'll be talking about Groundswell's vision and what we've been doing during out first season of classes. This lecture is open to the public.

Sustainable Food Systems Seminar Series
October 8, 2010 - 12:15PM to 1:00PM

SNES 2000: The Environmental Sciences Colloquium is open to the entire Cornell community and the public. Credit option: S/U, 1 credit

Contemporary environmental issues pose complex challenges to societies that require multidisciplinary views and interdisciplinary approaches to their solution. SNES 2000 is a series of lectures on an annually changing theme central to the Environmental Sciences, which poses biophysical, economical and political challenges to modern society. Participants will become familiar with contemporary issues of environmental degradation and opportunities for their mitigation. The colloquium will provide a platform for discussion about current issues in the environmental sciences and introduce students to the complexity of information, views, and approaches. As part of the Sustainable Food Systems Seminar Series, Joanna Green from the Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming will talk about what Groundswell has been up to during their first season of classes.

LOCATION: Emerson, 135
SPEAKER: Joanna Green, Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming
TOPIC: Growing the local food system
WEBSITE: http://snes.eas.cornell.edu/
ADMISSION: Open to Public, Alumni, Students, Faculty, and Staff.
CONTACT: Suzanne, 255-1269, sw38@cornell.edu

The interactive Cornell Campus Map can be found here: http://www.cornell.edu/maps/interactive.cfm