Share and Voice: Urban Farming Website

Since we watched the documentary "Fresh", I have really gotten in to learning more about our current approach to agriculture (or should we call it agribusiness?). While there are obviously arguments against changing the current agricultural system, I have taken a stance supporting the rebirth of family farms and institution of Urban Agriculture.

Urban Agriculture is exactly what the title suggests: Farming in Urban/City areas. Perhaps you recall the organization Growing Power from "Fresh", a working community food system right in the middle of the city. Not only is the organization providing food for people in the city, it is promoting diversity and community involvement. This is one example of how sustainable and realistic urban agriculture can be.

In my quest to find similar organizations and resources, I discovered the following website:

http://www.urbanfarming.org/welcome.html

The organization affiliated with this website is called Urban Farming (how straight forward!). It kicked off in 2005, in Detroit, and now has over 43,000 locations. I was pleased to see there are several in the Twin Cities area.

Urban Farming's mission is:

"to create an abundance of food for people in need by planting, supporting and encouraging the establishment of gardens on unused land and space while increasing diversity, raising awareness for health and wellness, inspiring and educating youth, adults and seniors to create an economically sustainable system to uplift communities around the globe."


The whole Urban Agriculture movement is very inspiring to me. It is most definitely still in the early stages of progress, but if we keep spreading the word we are doing nothing but supporting healthy, close-knit communities and sustainable food systems. If you're really feeling the tug of our current agricultural system and want to learn even more about different farming approaches, check this site out:


http://www.beginningfarmers.org/


It is a great place to start learning. The website provides basic synopses of different dimensions of farming and provides links for further research and learning. I hope you find these sites as interesting and helpful as I do! Enjoy!

Share & Voice 3: Glacier National Park Photos

Two years ago, my old boyfriend and I took a road trip to Glacier National Park in Montana to go backpacking. I would say I am a pretty "outdoorsy" person and have always appreciated nature. However, it was on this trip that I feel I truly became aware of how powerful and mysterious our earth really is. 

I approached this backpacking trip with over-confidence. Evan, my boyfriend, warned me that backpacking through mountains is no cake walk, but I more or less scoffed at the idea that I was not physically able to take on the hike. I considered myself a "seasoned" camper/hiker and was insistent that I need not train or buy hiking boots. I was "physically fit" and had a snazzy pair of New Balance running shoes with great arch support. Ha! I thought I would own those mountains, and helped Evan plan a really intense six day hike. 

The day we drove in to Glacier it was raining, and local radio stations reported precipitation in the forecast all week. Evan suggested we skip the hike through the back country and simply camp near town. He said the trails would be muddy, I did not have the right shoes, and we would be cold and wet the whole time. I told him my shoes were fine, mud didn't scare me, and I could handle the cold. 

The first day of our hike we planned to trek 12 miles: six miles up a mountain, and six miles down the other side. By mile four, I was exhausted. My legs ached, I could barely breathe because of the altitude, I was freezing, and I was wet. I didn't take many pictures because my fingers were numb and it was very dark, but I did capture a couple of moments. Below are the pictures I took at mile six when we made it to the top of the mountain. 

The views were unbelievable. We were literally above the clouds! The thick fog covers the scenery, but below the mist there is a beautiful lake full of water that is so clear and blue... there are not words to describe it. Everything in Glacier is so untouched by technology and society. It was mind blowing how pure everything was.

A photo can not do these scenes justice. There was something so majestic and powerful about the fog rolling up the side of this mountain. It was like an avalanche in reverse, going up the mountain instead of down. In a place so disconnected from "civilization" and so far from the hustle and bustle we are so used to, I have never experienced more movement or life.

There I am. Don't let the smile fool you. At this point in the hike we are just about at the top and I am under the impression hiking down a mountain will be much easier than hiking up one. I could not have been more wrong. 

When we finally made it to our camp site, I was so cold and tired I could barely move. If Evan had not been there I literally would have been helpless. I would not have been able to start a fire or make food for myself. I would not have been able to pitch a tent. I would not have been able to string our food up in a tree to keep the bears from getting it. I really think I would have just collapsed and slept with my pack strapped to my back. I have never felt so physically exhausted or weak in my entire life. 

There I am in my sleeping bag. I crawled in there at around 5 PM... and there I stayed until the sun came up the next morning. That look in my eyes is me un-verbally telling Evan "Okay. You were right". I was not pleased. I knew I would be a little sore, but I was actually in pain.  I finally admitted I was not up for a six day hike in the rain and we decided to spend the night and head back to town the following day. I thought I could never feel worse pain. 

...

Until I woke up the next morning and had to hike the same 12 miles back. My muscles ached. I felt like I had just climbed a mountain in a pair of crappy running shoes.. oh, wait. 

With every step I took I felt shooting pains travel up through my feet and in to my legs. I limped for 12 miles, making sure to stay at least 50 feet behind Evan so I could whimper and cry to myself without him hearing. I don't mean to sound pathetic, but it really hurt that much. I will never forget taking those last few steps out of the woods, seeing my car across the parking lot, and nearly breaking down. I was SO happy to see a set of wheels that could carry me someplace warm.

While my experience in Glacier was far from what I imagined, and arguably one of the most physically demanding things I have ever done... I have never felt closer to or more intrigued by the earth. Nature is an intense force and we often assume we have power over it. Since that summer I have wanted nothing more than to go back to Glacier and face that mountain again, with a new pair of eyes (and a new pair of hiking boots). I think one of the best ways to come to appreciate nature and all its magic is to be a part of it. 

Share and Voice: The Eagle Feather

We are all connected. My definition of "we" is not limited to the human race but to every animal, rock, tree, and body of water. We are one entity. I believe that our lives as humans "begin" and "end" with the earth, and even when a person physically dies their spirit or soul lives on. Perhaps it is just a notion I have concocted to comfort myself in the face of death or loss... I don't have sound evidence to back my belief up. But I truly feel our physical bodies were created by the earth, just as is a tree or a flower. Our souls infest a body until the body no longer functions, then the body returns to the earth and the soul moves on.

When I was about three years old, a new family moved in three houses down from my own. Cindy and Mike, their two daughters Brittany and Brianne, and eventually a third child named Michael. Their family, with two little girls close to my age, and my own family became fast friends. They didn't live close by for long, but the friendships and bonds we created still exist and will last forever.

While I have many wonderful stories about Brittany and Brianne, this story is more about their mother. Cindy was quite possibly the most beautiful person I have ever met, inside and out. In 2004, barely beyond the age of 40 and after a long and intense fight against cancer, she passed away. I can still remember her voice; She was one of those people you just never ever forget.

One of Cindy's favorite places was Lake Ada. Every year, our families and a whole slough of other close relatives/friends would gather at Ada for summer vacations and autumn getaways. Eventually, Cindy and Mike bought a cabin on the lake. Lake Ada was Cindy's sanctuary, as it was for all of us. We all share an intense love for this place; for every tree and trail, for the lake (I swear its water is healing!), for all the memories, and for all the time we have spent there together. Lake Ada stirred up a passionate love for nature and the outdoors in all of us.

Lake Ada

The summer after Cindy died, I spent a weekend at "the cabin". One morning, Brittany and I were laying at the end of the dock, just watching the clouds and talking, when an eagle began circling above us. We both fell silent and watched. It soared back and forth... around in circles.. and stayed for countless minutes before flying away. I remember suddenly just  feeling a sense of security or "peace", if you will. I will never ever forget the moment when Brittany quietly breathed,

"Thats her. Thats my mom. Hi mom."

And I believed it. Without a second thought or even a fleeting moment of doubt I believed with all my heart that Cindy was right there floating above us saying "Hey girls. I'm right here".

When the bird flew away, Brittany and I rose from the dock and began walking toward the cabin in silence.  I watched her come to a halt, bend down and pick something up from the grass in front of her. She turned around and, without a word, held it up for me to see. It was a freshly dropped eagle feather. We exchanged smiles and didn't talk about the experience for the rest of the weekend. There was really just no need for words.

This is Cindy :)

"The soul is not born; it does not die; it was not produced from anyone... Unborn, eternal, it is not slain, though the body is slain."
   - Katha Upanisad (as quoted by Emerson)

While our physical bodies die, the rest of us remains. Treat our lovely mother earth with respect because our relationship with her is eternal.