SL Blog 4/29

Based on what I have learned this semester the advice I would give the Noyo Food Forest in regard to being more effective in their ultimate goals is to just keep up the strategies they are using now. The Noyo Food Forest is very effective in reaching out and getting support for the community. They are growing at a very fast rate and have already started another community garden at Thanksgiving Coffee Company. The Organizers of this non-profit organization work very hard to make the gardens work and are good at promoting the gardens activities in the community with local meeting, events, and T.V commercials and are getting more wide spread community acknowledgements everyday. I think the one thing that would benefit the Noyo Food Forest the most is more community support and volunteer work. They also promote me and other people to start are own gardens and allow people to come and make starts in the green house, which the people can than bring back home and plant in their own gardens. This is a great initiative to local sustainability and they should defiantly keep it up.

SL 4/22

Earth Day went very well for the Noyo Food Forest more 750
people came to the gathering, there was live music, composting, coffee, and
smoothies. All these activities were dedicated to the idea of making a smaller footprint on the planet. Thanks Giving co-owner was there Paul Katzeff.
This company is among the first to explore organic, fair trade, and going
green on the Mendocino Coast. The Noyo Food Forest also put on a plant sale
of vegetables and flowers, which went very well and made about fifteen hundred dollars for the organization. Members of the Mendocino County Coalition for Reusable Bags sewed pieces of fabric into bags to be given away for free at Corners of the Mouth in Mendocino and other locations to help humans lower their carbon footprint. The Pacific Gas and Electric Company offered solar seminars and free lower energy light bulbs to anyone that would use
them. Many business and organizations were there to show support
for the Noyo Food Forest. Some of these businesses were Dirt Cheap Landscaping, Garden Supply, and Harvest Market. The efforts of the community altogether raised 3,500 dollars for the Noyo Food Forest to help them keep operating.

Crystal Brodeur 4/15

The majority of non-governmental organization do not advocate for social and environmental justice they are often privet business looking out for there own finical interests, who often times ignores such ethical issues. But, there are also non- profit organizations that’s main purposes are to advocate for social and environmental justice in different areas of the social spectrum. For example, non-profit organizations usually are always fighting for some form of justice that the government just cannot supply financially or with the law. Some of the areas of where non-profits fight for justice are
Agriculture, Air Quality, Climate Change, Ecosystems, Energy, Environmental Disasters , Forests, Ground Pollution, Habitat Conservation, Human Health, Natural History, Oceans, Sciences, Sustainable Business, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Living, Urban Issues, Water Quality, and Wildlife.

SL journal Post 4/1

The Noyo Food Forest does have a history of activities before now. “The Noyo Food Forest is a community endeavor that has blossomed from a group of 5 local motivated women to more than 50 volunteers. We have three working committees: The Noyo Food Forest Learning Garden at the High School committee, the Outreach and Fundraising Committee, and the Non-Profit Organization committee.”

The Noyo Food Forest has been very effective in creating change especially to the Fort Bragg High School Students who now get to eat organic produce and also, the community member who get to take organic produce home after they volunteer. The Noyo Food Forest has also created change by showing the community that a local sustainable community garden is possible.

I can continue to advocate for change after this course ends by volunteering at the Noyo Food Forest even after the class is over and helping the organization expand with their new plans of another community garden on Thanks Giving Coffee Company property. I can advocate change by buying local organic food and voicing my opinion on sustainability. I feel I will truly advocate for change after this course only because I cannot stand to live in a world that just does not care for any other living life forms than themselves.

SL entery 3/25 Crystal Brodeur

Yes, the Noyo Food Forest advocates for policy change and other actions from the power structure and they do it on a grass roots level with an attempt to change local policy such as community sustainability and organic food for all. They also bring people together to create a community or place where people can count on each other, which is something we need to work on in the world( being a world community).For example, part of their mission statement says ,

"We will create opportunities for education by working in collaboration with local farmers, schools, and organizations that support this endeavor and through providing free or low-cost workshops to the public. We will partner with existing community organizations to ensure broad and diverse participation. The Community Garden will be governed by an open democratic steering committee made of interested local people. Volunteers at the garden will receive fresh, healthy produce in appreciation of their effort. Fresh produce and vegetable starts from our greenhouse will be readily accessible to the general public through a produce stand at the site of the garden as well as at the Farmers’ Market. Some beds will be made available to families or individuals for rent at a reasonable cost. The revenue from these efforts will support the garden financially."

"The many positive benefits of community gardening are well known and documented. A community garden in Fort Bragg will enhance quality of life for all residents, including the plants and animals that live here with us. A well-tended garden is a spectacular sight and it will revitalize and beautify our town. Increased interaction among people of various ages and backgrounds will create a more cohesive community where all people are valued. Gardeners will get to know their neighbors, make new friends, and develop a sense of belonging. Community gardens can break down the barriers of isolation and create a sense of neighborhood pride and responsibility among residents. Participation will build critical skills and will empower people to get more involved in the community."

"The garden will be a positive and inviting space for community interaction and involvement for all people in our town, especially those who feel isolated and on the “margins” of our community, including the youth, elderly, alter-able, and the homeless. It is often said that the teenagers in Fort Bragg have nothing to do after school and that this is a main reason for an increase in drug use and gang violence. We hope to provide an alternative to this situation by creating a cool place for teens to get involved in the community where their voices are heard and their ideas count. The elder population in Fort Bragg is growing and presently there is little interaction among the generations. We hope to create a space for dialogue and experience sharing for people of all ages by working in collaboration with respected groups such as the Senior Center , Sherwood Oaks Health Center and other local groups and organizations. "

"The Noyo Food Forest will spur positive community development that will be widely accessible to a diverse range of people. We will work together to make healthy food accessible to all, including low-income people who otherwise would have a hard time buying “organic”. Education projects and community gatherings will foster good nutrition and health and showcase the dignity and joy of growing, preparing, and eating fresh local produce. More local food production means better community food security, which is crucial to the well being of our town, especially in the event of an emergency. We have seen what happened after Hurricane Katrina and we want to be better prepared for a disaster here."

"A community garden in Fort Bragg will benefit many people. According to the City of Fort Bragg, there are 8,000 people living within the city limits, with an additional 6500 people living in the immediate vicinity (95437 zip code). Over 25,000 people utilize Fort Bragg for essential services such as grocery shopping, banking, and bill-paying. All will benefit from the garden by having an opportunity to participate in workshops, garden workdays, and community gatherings and by purchasing affordable organic produce from the fruit stand and at the Farmers’ Market. An additional 3 million people pass through the Mendocino Coast each year. Visitors will greatly appreciate the beauty of the garden and will be welcome to enjoy the garden along with local residents."

"We are convinced that a successful community garden will include alter-able community members. Already there are two such citizens on our steering committee and their input has been incredible. Parents and Friends Inc. and the Mendocino County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will link their clients with the garden. The homeless will also be encouraged to participate and we intend to work with the Food Bank and other social service programs to help people access the garden to increase their self-reliance and dignity.
Outreach is a major focus of our efforts. We will (and already do) translate all garden information into Spanish, which about 30 percent of our community speaks as a first language. This number is growing and we intend to reach out to the Latino population to encourage cultural understanding and awareness in our community. "

I feel all the statements mentioned help indirectly change local policy, which eventually changes governmental policy.

SL Entery 3/18

The Noyo Food Forest addresses economic issues by being a small but significant organization that helps take away profit from big agriculture business such Sunkist and Dole that dominate in fruit production of the economy. They also help slow down the high pace economy by not participating in the purchases of large farm machinery, pesticides, cheep labor, crop insurance, and the need for irrigation and fuel purchases. Some people may find this a good thing and other people may find it bad.

The Noyo Food Forest defiantly addresses political issues for instance global warming, world globalization, and cultural sustainability. The Noyo Food Forest prevents global warming because it use of fossil fuels to transport vegetables and fruits is nearly nothing. It is a completely organic farm that means it does not participate in petrol chemical business, which is derived from fossil fuels. The Noyo Food Forest helps prevent globalization buy not supporting the biggest agriculture businesses that dominate the world and also helping discourage locals from buying through big business by giving the Fort Bragg School System other agriculture purchasing choices. Another political issue is the sustainability of human society on the planet as a whole the Noyo Forest address this by being a leading grassroots organization that is successfully working towards local sustainability which benefits are future sustainability in the planet as a species.

3/11 SL Entery Exercises with Doug

The exercise with Doug gives me insight to thing I can put to practice with the Noyo Food Forest.
For Example, just staying with the Noyo Food Forest even after the semester ends and putting volunteer time in on Fridays and when I have possible. Notifying others of the Noyo Food Forest is also very important because it can get more people to help volunteer. The more people willing to help the better the program can sustain itself.
Doug has also brought to my awareness the idea of what I’m going to do personally to try to help stop the implementation of global warming. I think for a start I will try to get as many people as possible to what a Inconvenient truth by Al Gore.