hi everyone Just
finished the email monthly newsletter for March but thought it was so
important to list this page from Long Beach Organics to inspire from
their efforts . thank you
ps just listed their webpage in the March email News and took a look at
it Wes
Long Beach Organic is
proud to announce the start of Project GROW, a 21 month, $18,000 pilot
project in partnership with Interval House, a local battered womens’
shelter program. Funded by the California Department of Health Services,
Project GROW aims to establish a model program for statewide women’s
shelters that will provide healthy food, horticultural therapy, gardening
skills, nutrition education and job skills. Ten proposals from throughout
the state were accepted by the DHS for funding.
LBO’s Executive Director Paul Racko was
responsible for redesigning the front yard of Interval House’s shelter
into a lush, green food forest which includes nine different types of
citrus, several species of temperate and subtropical fruit trees &
vines, an herb spiral, a large flower bed, and 336 square-feet of
vegetable garden beds that altogether, will provide over 50 varieties of
edible fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
The aim of the design was to make maximum use of
the unused areas of the facility. The large, grassy front lawn was rarely
used by the shelter’s residents and required lots of water and energy to
maintain, so raised beds were installed to provide an area for
vegetables. Special containers called Earth Boxes were placed along the
concrete area at the side of the house to provide additional food growing
space. Since security for the shelter’s residents is an important issue,
a variety of fruiting trees and shrubs were planted along the outside
perimeter of the yard that will be espaliered into a single hedge that
will provide fruit year ‘round. Trellissed Kiwi and Passion Fruit vines
will occupy vertical space and shade the house from the heat of the
afternoon sun. All the garden installation work was done by master
landscaper Masa Kawamura and his talented crew, along with volunteers,
staff, and residents of Interval House.
In addition to the garden, LBO will be providing
over thirty gardening workshops along with volunteers from the U.C.
Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program. Workshops in composting,
organic pest management, plant propagation, garden ecology,
fertilization, pruning, crop rotation, flower gardening, herb growing,
companion planting, harvesting, and trellising will give shelter
residents the information they need to start successful garden projects
of their own after they leave the program. Food that is not grown on site
will be augmented by shopping trips to local Farmer’s Markets and
gleaning events at Masa Kawamura’s ranch in Escondido.
LBO board member Paul Levitt will host twelve
cooking workshops that will turn the produce gathered and grown on-site
into healthy, delicious meals. And Helen Wong, a local nutritionist, will
work with Paul in creating an ethnically diverse, seasonal menu that will
ultimately result in a cookbook that Interval House can proudly call its
own.
Interval House’s Executive Director Carol
Williams has even enlisted the help of several friends who are
world-renowned chefs. Michel Stroot, executive chef at the world-famous
Golden Door health spa in San Diego County, and Christian Rassinoux,
executive chef for the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, will add their
experience and special touch to the recipes that are created.
For many years now, Long Beach Organic has
advocated the myriad benefits that are associated with gardening and
urban greening projects. We are grateful that the State of California,
and the Department of Health Services in particular, are recognizing this
by providing funding for such efforts.
June, 1999
GANG MEMBERS DIG NEW
LIFESTYLE
by Nancy Hsu, staff writer Press Telegram
LONG BEACH-George Amador has turned over a new
leaf-literally. Amador, 17, is a member of a San Pedro gang. When he was
younger, he robbed people at gun point. Today he volunteers eight hours a
week to cultivate an organic garden in downtown.
"Volunteering has really changed my attitude toward the
community," said Amador, leaning against a parked car at First
Street and Elm Avenue while watching employees of The Body Shop work on
the garden there. "I guess I've just grown up. Instead of destroying
it, I make it pretty. It keeps me out of trouble."
Keeping young people out of trouble while instilling them with a sense of
community is just what Anita Roddick aims to do. The owner of The Body
Shop, a chain of more than 1,200 skin and hair care product stores
worldwide, made her statement Monday during a media event at the garden.
While the chain's employees trim trees, lay mulch and fix teetering
fences, they interact with the community. The young adults work, talk,
counsel, and make friends with gang members, such as Amador, who have
taken steps to improve their lives by doing something positive.
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
Press Telegram/ Louis Monteagudo (staff writer)
The family involvement is a big necessity to Long
Beach Organic. The families involved in the Southeast Asian Health
Project is the main family oriented contributor to the organization. The
families pay a fee of five dollars to "rent" a particular plot
of land, and from there they are required to maintain and organize the
small plots of land. Long Beach Organic would like other families to get
involved in starting and maintain gardens in their own communities.
Children from the Mentoring, Education, Gardening, and Athletics (MEGA)
also have a chance to contribute to their neighborhoods and families by
helping to maintain the gardens. The garden provides a haven for families
to put aside differences and focus on the goal of the beautification of
their community.
GROWING AS A
COMMUNITY
Press Telegram/Hillary Sloss
A community garden of 35 plots for 35 families in
Signal Hill at Patterson and Olive Avenue were in construction on
November of 1996*. An acre of land was donated to the Southeast Asian
Health Project by Long Beach Organic. At right, Charles Moore of LBO
moves dirt that has been treated with more than 100 tons of tree
clippings and leaves that have composted for a year. The project was
designated to get Southeast Asian families out of their apartments and to
interact as a community and plant vegetables.
*As of November 1997, the number of families has increased to over
50.
LONG BEACH ORGANIC GOES TO
THE TOP AT CITY HALL
LBO Newsletter
The 14th floor of City Hall was the scene of a
meeting, on April 1995, with Vice-Mayor Drummond, who initiated and
included Teacher and LBO Member Yolanda Weiss, Long Beach Director, Glenn
Goddard and Arturo Reilly, Civilian Conservation Corps of Long Beach
Project Cleanup Crew. The subject of the meeting was the vacant property
located east of Bellflower between Loynes and Colorado. The meeting
yielded positive results and plans are being made to start with a City
owned strip along Bellflower at the eastern edge of the property. City
claimed water is nearby and should not be a problem. Vice Mayor Drummond,
also suggested that we look into a cooperative effort with the other
groups present to reinforce and landscape the bluffs along Ocean Avenue,
a large endeavor with plenty of work to go around. Funding sources for
this project were tentatively identified. We look forward to continue
cooperation with all those who participated in the hour long
meeting.
Long Beach Organic is a non-profit organization
that relies on funds raised by membership dues, foundation grants,
special projects and other funding sources. The organization hosts small
community parties to help raise money, in addition to movie nights and
special presentations given by speakers from various parts of the
country. October 18, 1998's second annual Coast
& Ocean Connection Celebration was the
biggest fund-raising event that Long Beach Organic has held in its
history. This event was co-sponsored with the Algalita Marine Research
Foundation, and was held at Long Beach's new Aquarium of the Pacific.
Although not all fund-raising efforts are on this grand scale, they all
have the same purpose of reaching the community and maintaining the
financial stability of Long Beach Organic. Long Beach Organic is always
in need of donations, if you are interested please call (562)438-9000 for
more information.