TO:
Western Mass Friends of Sustainability
FROM: John Gerber, UMass Professor of Plant Sciences & Sustainability
Studies
SUBJECT: What's Happening?
Upcoming Events and Classes as of July 17, 2008And some interesting links….
For Students registering for Fall 2008 Semester….
…there is a list of Sustainability related courses here:http://people.umass.edu/jgerber/BDIC/bdic300.htm
Also, here are a few I’m recommending:PLSOILIN 265 – Sustainable Agriculture (majors only)PLSOILIN 391A Sustainability Dialogue (formerly Dialogue on Ag Issues)PLSOILIN 397C – Community Food SystemsBMATWT 191A: The Built Environment PHYSICS 190E: Energy and Society And here is another terrific course next Fall on Food and Hunger:
Engaging with the Community:
An Introduction to Community Service Learning
Focus: Hunger & Community Food Security
Are you interested in
• Developing skills for experiential, self-directed learning
beyond the classroom?
• Learning about food security issues and solutions in
western Massachusetts - from hunger relief to nutrition
education to farming to community development - including
historical and global connections?
• Getting off campus and getting to know diverse people and
communities?
• Considering such questions as: Can we contribute to
the community while we get an education? What can
we do that will make a difference?
• Challenging yourself?
If your answer is YES, take
a look at H292S section 1
• 4 credits, meets most Tuesdays 1:00-3:45 & every
Thursday 1:00-2:15
• Plus volunteer service time in the community outside of
class time
• Satisfies Gen.Ed. requirements I and U
For more information and to
register, contact
Will Snyder, UMass Extension
545-3876
wsnyder@umext.umass.edu
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Picnic Feast in the
Fields
Saturday, July 19
Join Red
Fire Farm in Granby, Mass for a delicious picnic on the secluded Little
Hill Field. Enjoy a wagon ride out to the field at 5:00pm and enjoy a seasonal
picnic made of produce straight from the farm. Tickets are limited, so call
(413) 467-SOIL to make your reservation.
Canning Clinic
Saturday, July 19
The Hardwick Farmers Exchange is hosting a free canning clinic on Saturday,
July 19, from 9:00am- 12:00pm. The clinic will cover the basic principles of
canning and the water bath method. Anyone who attends will receive $5 off a $30
purchase of canning supplies. For more information, click here.
Collie Herding at Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
Saturday, July 19
Join Local Hero farmers Kristen Whittle (Little
Brook Farm) and Denise Leonard (Tanstaafl
Farm) for a collie herding demonstration at the Glasgow Lands Scottish
Festival. The demonstrations will take place at 10:00am & 1:30pm at Look
Park in Northampton, Mass. For more information, visit the event's website.
Big Y Native Farmstands
Saturdays & Sundays in July & August
Drop by your neighborhood Big Y to meet one of the many local farmers supplying
Big Y with local produce. Big Y will feature one farm and farmer every weekend
until Labor Day at weekend-long farmstands. The first week, beginning July 19th
& 20th, will highlight Doug Coldwell from Happy Valley Coop in East
Whately, Mass. Contact your neighborhood Big
Y to find out which weekend they will be highlighting local farmers.
7th Annual Wild Blueberry Jubilee
Saturday, August 2
Celebrate the Blueberry harvest at The Benson Place in Heath, Mass. Great food,
live music, art activities, farm learning, and lovely views. For more
information visit the farm's website
or call (413) 337-5340. The event will run from 2:00-8:00pm.
Blueberry Festival
and Tasting
Sunday, August 3
Join West Granville Blueberries for blueberry food tasting and recipes,
children's activities and blueberry picking at the farm in Granville, Mass. The
festival will take place from 10:00am- 4:00pm. Call the Blueberry Phone for
daily picking information at (413) 357-6697.
Blueberry Days of Summer
Sunday, August 3
Enjoy an afternoon of blueberry picking, pie contests and Chester Hill Winery
wine tastings at the Kelso Homestead in Chester, Mass. The celebration will
also include a tractor tour of the blueberry fields, fiber spinning
demonstrations, and doggie duck herding. The festival will run from 10:00am-
4:00pm. For more information, visit their website.
Northeast Organic
Farming Association's 34th Annual Summer Conference
Friday-Sunday, August 8-10
This year's NOFA Summer Conference will feature keynote speakers Mark McAfee
and Arden Andersen as well as over 150 workshops on a wide range of topics. The
weekend will also include a family contra dance, zydeco drumming, an Old-
fashioned Country fair, live music, a farmers' market, games and fun! For more
information, visit NOFA Massachusetts' website
or contact Julie Rawson at (978)
355-2853.
Unlock the Mysteries of Canning
Saturday, August 9th
Cathy Halberg has canned and frozen an incredible variety of things and will
bring examples of her craft and share tips and tricks from her years of home
canning experience. Participants will learn basic canning techniques by donning
a head-net and preparing a soft fruit preserve and pickled cucumbers at the
FCCDC's Food Processing Center in Greenfield, Mass. Participants will leave
with samples of both products and the confidence to go forth and plan canning
parties in their own home kitchens. The workshop will run from 10:00am- 2:00pm.
Pre-register by calling (800) 859-2960.
2008 Grazing
Workshop Series
May-September
NOFA Mass, USDA NRCS, and UMass Extension have organized
seven Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts
farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management,
organic transition and heard health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing
and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. For more information about
each of these sessions, please visit this website
or contact Winton Pitcoff at (413)
634-5728, UMass Extension at
(413) 545-2250, or Tom Akin at
(413) 253-4365.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------4TH ANNUAL NOFA ORGANIC LAWN AND TURF COURSETUESDAY, AUGUST 19TH, 2008
8:00am-5:00pm
UMass Dartmouth, Dartmouth ,
Mass
This one-day, intensive course will provide state-of-the-art information for managing lawns and turf organically and is geared toward land care professionals, groundskeepers and municipalities who are responsible for the establishment and care of grass, as well as anyone interested in learning organic methods. Course Fee $150 for first person from firm or town and $125 for each additional person. Includes coffee/tea, lunch and the NOFA Organic Lawn and Turf Handbook. For more information or to register, visit www.organiclandcare.net. Or, contact NOFA/Mass OLC Program Coordinator Kathy Litchfield at (413) 773-3830 or kathylitch29@yahoo.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALENDAR LISTING FOR NOFA/MASS PRACTICAL SKILLS WORKSHOPSAUGUST-OCTOBER 2008
Here are the remaining 2008 practical skill
workshops offered by the Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts
Chapter (NOFA/Mass).Sign up early as many workshops do fill up to
capacity. When you have registered you
will receive directions and other relevant information closer to the date. To
register visit www.nofamass.org or
contact Practical Skills Coordinator Tom Szekely at 781-894-4358 or seedpotato@yahoo.com. Donations are
always welcome as they help fund scholarships for folks who might otherwise be
left out. That said: scholarships are available!
They make great gifts! Ask about gift
certificates made by a local artist!
Hot Water with the Sun at the 21st Century Foods with Rudy
Canale
Jamaica Plain, Mass 10AM-12:30PM , Saturday, August 23 New
Date
Learn how to pre-heat your hot water using copper or plastic solar heaters.
Save money, save polar bears, save the planet!
NOFA Members: $27 Non-members: $32
Yoga for Farmers and Gardeners with Marie Marchand at Green
River Yoga,
Greenfield, Mass 3PM-5PM, Sunday, August 24
Learn how to move so farming and gardening doesn't hurt so much. Practice
breathing, and relaxing stretches that can make your active life less painful
and more complete. Make friends with your body! Apprentices encouraged to
attend-scholarships!
NOFA Members: $14 Non-members: $18
Putting Food By with Many Hands Organic Farm’s Jack Kittredge
and Julie Rawson
Barre, Mass 9AM-4PM Saturday, September 27
See their root cellar and learn to can, freeze, ferment, dry and lacto-ferment,
jam, and wine various fruits and vegetables. They will also discuss pork and
chicken products and share their experience with season extension with hoop
houses.
NOFA Members: $50 Non-members: $56
Creating School Gardens and Composting Systems with Karen
DiFranza
Hubbardston, Mass 10AM-2 PM, Sunday, September 28
The Hubbardston Center School's garden program was developed using grant money,
and is student- maintained. Learn how a student-powered composting program that
recycles cafeteria leftovers and schoolyard organic materials works. Learn how
to start, run, fund and also curriculum lessons that use both the garden and
the school composting system.
NOFA Members: $46 Non-members: $51
Living in the Balance at Seeds of Solidarity with Ricky Baruc
and Deb Habib
Orange, Mass 9AM-3 PM, Saturday, October 25
How do we farm, raise families, engage in our communities and "stay present"
when society says stay busy? The day will include a discussion of community
building and dialogue among workshop participants will focus on creating
balance, community and contentment within full lives and good work. Some
techniques for finding balance, including yoga, and walking and sitting
meditation will be incorporated.
NOFA Members: $44 Non-members: $50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Northeast Organic Farming Association’s 34th Annual Summer Conference
August 8-10, 2008
Keynote Speakers Mark McAfee and Arden Andersen
Educational:
Over 150 workshops on organic farming, gardening and land care, homesteading,
sustainability, nutrition, spirituality, food politics, activism, and more.
Special workshops specifically for children and teens. Enlightening keynote
speeches on raw milk and sustainable agriculture.
Entertaining: Family
contra-dance, zydeco, drumming, Old-fashioned Country Fair, live music,
farmer’s market, games and fun.
Economical:
Modest registration, inexpensive dorm rooms, and camping and wholesome organic
meals.
For more information, visit www.nofamass.org or call Julie Rawson at
(978) 355-2853 or e-mail julie@nofamass.org.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2008 Grazing Workshop Series
NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) and the
More details about each of these sessions, including
directions to the farms, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php
or www.massg
Raising and Marketing G
Thursday, July 24,
Wheel-View Farm,
Small Scale Dairies and
August 18,
Bostrom Farm,
Inf
Tuesday, September 9,
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Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst
Please visit www.hitchcockcenter.org for a full listing of
programs.
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CISA Events: for CISA events this month, go to.. http://www.buylocalfood.com/events.htmlFor more on CISA or to receive the monthly newletter, check this link: http://www.buylocalfood.com/Newsletterarchive.htm
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Seeds of Solidarity Events
Check out this listings. http://www.seedsofsolidarity.org/calendar.html
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Permaculture
Design - 9-day Certificate
Course; at Int'l Hostel on Martha's Vineyard, MA, Sept. 10-18, 2008 - rural,
small farm, suburban flavor - info at www.permie.us.
Dick Pierce and local farmers/speakers. Class, room, meals at the Hostel, plus
field trips.
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Local Radio Opportunity
Do you care about the local farming community? Do you enjoy sharing informationwith others? Have you ever dreamt of "being on the radio?"Check out this link: http://www.nofamass.org/news/article.php?issue=14&article=163And consider joining us as a co-host on our radio show: "Farm to Fork:The Pioneer Valley's Local Food and Agriculture Show." We air every otherTuesday from 6-7pm at Valley Free Radio (103.3fm, WXOJ-LP) in Florence. This isnot a big time committment and it's fun! For more information, contactMadeleine Charney: greenzinnia@hotmail.com
See the sequel to End of Suburbia
See http://www.escapefromsuburbia.com/
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2y9BbNjLAY
for the trailer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on Permaculture and related activities in the region, seehttp://northeasternpermaculture.wikispaces.com/Mass+Calendar
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Know your food:
Thanks to new technology from Harvestmark, you can
track the origins of your food on the web. Using a 24-digit number on
the container, consumers of the companys fresh fruits and vegetables
can quickly learn not only where the food was grown, but when it was
grown and which crew picked and packaged it.
YottaMark introduces HarvestMark, unit-level tracing
for the fresh produce industry. Technology gives consumers precise data
about their produce. HarvestMark enables field-packed produce to be
instantly traced from the unit of sale back to the point of harvest."
http://www.harvestmark.com/-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more local “food” events, see; http://www.nefood.org/events
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Events at Sirius
Community in Shutesbury (see
http://www.siriuscommunity.org/ )
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Check out this video about global warming and UMass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktNtZPr3tZg
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To prepare for life after oil, see.. http://www.trackerschool.com/
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Check out the 7th Generation Newsletter by clicking here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For information on Sustainability Jobs see http://people.umass.edu/jgerber/sustjobs.htm
And Sustainability Internships see. http://people.umass.edu/jgerber/sustintern.htm
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And finally
To receive email reminders about whenever this posting
changes or to be removed from the listserve, go to
http://lists.topica.com/lists/sustliving
For more information on sustainability, see my web page athttp://people.umass.edu/jgerber/ Namaste