In the community garden: Summer Program at The Bedford Audubon

7.05.2010

Summer Program at The Bedford Audubon

Tomorrow starts our second season of summer programming in the beautiful gardens at the ByLane Farm Bedford Audubon in Katonah. We are still accepting both children and adults into the program which runs from 9-12 on Tuesdays in July. It is a great opportunity to grow vegetables and new friendships in the garden. For more information and registration forms please visit www.intergenerateny.org (click on the summer programs tab) or email me at beckysimkhai@aol.com

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Our Mission In The Garden

Community Gardening is as old as human civilization and the idea is easy. People get together on common land to grow their own food. Working side by side, every gardener learns from his or her neighbor, becoming more skilled, growing vegetables and fruit to feed their families and building community along the way.

The InterGenerate Community Garden is designed to:
¨ Generate Food Security
¨ Promote Local Resourcing
¨ Encourage Community Building.

To that end, this garden is priced on a sliding scale to make it accessible to everyone. In addition, there is one plot dedicated exclusively to sourcing the Mt. Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry and every member is expected not only to maintain their own plot, but to serve the common good by volunteering some time in the communal garden.

Seed Money

InterGenerate is supported by the generosity of folks who want to see this work done.

None of our staff are paid, and we work diligently to get our needs covered by donation,
but there are some things for which we need money.

Our major expense is the upcoming renovation of the buildings at Marsh Sanctuary where we will locate our own community garden and our center which will hold a very large demonstration kitchen and a sustainability library.

You can help by...

...Becoming a Member!

...Offering a Harvest Dinner in your home on our behalf (we'll even help with the cooking!)

...Writing a check made out to Marsh Sanctuary, care of InterGenerate.

Our fundraising goal is...

Two Million Dollars!

Help us help make Westchester County a healthy, integrated and sustainable home for everyone!

InterGenerate is Very Grateful to:

The Rusticus Garden Club for their $20,000 to start our Community Garden in Mt. Kisco
Teich Garden Systems for their donation of garden tools for our students at our Teaching Garden.
Hilltop Hanover for their help teaching our community gardeners about planting and growing vegetables.

Perennial Gardens, Michael's, Saw Mill River Nursery, Mill River Supply & Stone Barns for their generous donation of plants and gardening materials for out communal plot which provides food for the InterFaith Food Pantry.

Food Justice

The topic of Food Justice has four distinct parts.

1. Access to Fresh (ie, unprocessed) Food.
2. Labor Rights for Farm Workers (all those who work in the food industry).
3. Local Resourcing to Reduce Stress on the Earth.
4. Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Each of these issues is complex, so we've created this brief statement to make it simple.

Many urban neighborhoods have limited - if any - access to fresh food. Large supermarkets don't open in economically depressed areas, reducing the options to small bodegas and liquor stores from which mothers must create healthy meals for their children. As a result, residents of these communities are at significantly higher risk for diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and heart disease.

In the United States, labor is a protected right. Long ago unions fought and won a five day/40 hour work week, minimum wage, lunch breaks, and sanitary working conditions. But, these rights are not extended to farm workers. In the state of New York, 14 hour work days, 7 day work weeks and filthy work sites are common place because corporate farms were able to declare an exemption from state labor laws. There is currently a law before the NY Senate to bring just wages to our farm workers, but even if it passes, migrant workers remain vulnerable to unjust practices.

Transporting our food from Canada, South America, Africa and Asia is taxing our planet beyond the sustainable limit. Our current carbon levels are at 382 parts per million. For most of Earth’s history, carbon levels were around 280. Scientists have determined that if we can maintain 350 parts per million, we are safe and at 450 parts per million we will begin to suffocate. One critical way we can reduce our carbon footprint is to limit the unnecessary travel of food around the planet. In addition, organic or natural growing processes promote healthier soil and produce.

While we do not advocate a diet that doesn’t include animals, InterGenerate is aware that the mass production of meat has created a system of animal cruelty that is entirely unnecessary. Our current system includes cows too sick to walk are dragged across concrete floors to their deaths and chickens packed in so tightly they don’t move or see daylight their entire lives.

Supporting local farms and farmers addresses is the first step to creating an ethical food system. By knowing your local farmers, you can hold each other accountable to the humane treatment of animals, the elimination of long distance travel and saturation of the land in chemicals and just labor practices. The creation and support of community gardens also encourages plant based diets and provides access to fresh, chemical free produce for all residents.

In the community garden

7.05.2010

Summer Program at The Bedford Audubon

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About InterGenerate

InterGenerate

Our Mission In The Garden

Traveling?...Need help with your plot?

InterGenerate @ The Bedford Audubon in the news!

Some reasons we love gardening!

Community Gardens In Westchester

Seed Money

InterGenerate is Very Grateful to:

Food Justice

The Marsh Sanctuary

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