Our friends at Daily Acts are collaborating with some fantastic organizations to put on this exciting campaign and they want you to get involved. While it is focused on Sonoma County, CA, organizers are hoping it will provide a useful model for other communities interested in building community and strengthening local food security...not to mention getting out in the fresh air and sun!
"On a single weekend, May 15-16, 350 Sonoma County landscapes will be transformed into bountiful gardens, which save water and emissions, grow food and habitat, and promote greywater and low impact development. All while educating and empowering community, and supporting local businesses. This is an opportunity to promote and increase participation in city and county programs for lawn removal, greywater and healthy food while creating innovative demonstration gardens in communities ranging from front yards to apartment patios, city landscapes, schools, churches, organizations and businesses. We chose 350 gardens to participate in the 350.org international campaign dedicated to building a movement uniting the world around solutions to the climate crisis. We use “waterwise” to emphasize the need to conserve water as we increase local food production."
The goals are simple:
There are many ways to get involved from starting a garden to helping get the word out. Learn more about the project at www.igrowsonoma.org. Find all kinds of resources on what kinds of plants to grow and how to grow them here.
Participating groups include our very own Transition Sebastopol and Transition Cotati - connect with them at:
Download the 350 Challenge Overview [PDF].
Photo: Mercedes Bayer, Santa Rosa, orginally posted here.
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350 Garden Challenge - Sebastopol, California
Earth Day was a wonderful day of gardening service in west Sebastopol. With the help of about 15 volunteers, young men and women from the US Coast Guard, the community garden at Burbank Heights senior housing received a great deal of care and attention, rebuilding, weeding, digging and restoring 17 plots of raised beds, cleaning up a raspberry patch, cleaning up a compost bin; generally supplying a very well-received service of garden labor in behalf of the senior residents. The director of Burbank Heights extended a very grateful thank you to all participants.
Trathen Heckman interviewed
A recent article featuring Transition US Board member and founder of Daily Acts, Trathen Heckman:
Mindful choices can make every day Earth Day
By COLLEEN RUSTAD
FOR THE ARGUS-COURIER
Published: Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 12:00 p.m.
Trathen Heckman, the founding director of Daily Acts, has created a lush food forest in the yard surrounding his Petaluma home.
Read article: http://www.petaluma360.com/article/20100422/COMMUNITY/100429824/1374/COMMUNITY0301
Press Release
For Immediate Release: April 15, 2010
Contact: Erin Axelrod, 707.789.9664
THOUSANDS TO PLANT 350 WATERWISE FOOD GARDENS IN SONOMA COUNTY
MAY 15-16, 2010
350 GARDEN CHALLENGE SEEKS TO ADDRESS FOOD SECURITY,
WATER CONSERVATION, AND CLIMATE CHANGE
SONOMA COUNTY, CA—On a single weekend, May 15-16, thousands will come together to transform 350+ Sonoma County landscapes into bountiful gardens which will save water, link local food production and carbon savings, grow food and habitat, promote greywater, and encourage lawn to food transformations. The 350 Garden Challenge is inspired in part by the 350.org international campaign to find and implement solutions to climate change.
The initiative, which also seeks to educate and empower community and support local businesses, is a collaboration of Daily Acts, iGROW Sonoma, GoLocal, and Living Mandala, in conjunction with the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) and dozens of other community groups and companies. The 350 Garden Challenge will strengthen existing projects and encourage new gardeners in efforts to save water, unite neighborhoods, and build a strong movement for local food production. Garden sites and participation is coordinated online and in individual community meetings and events.
“Sonoma County’s 350 Garden Challenge seeks to inspire our citizens to create a healthy, homegrown food supply, save water and cut greenhouse gas emissions,” said Trathen Heckman, Director of Daily Acts, a Petaluma-based nonprofit that provides education about greywater, home food production, and a range of sustainable living skills. ”Together, we will lead the way to a healthier, more self-sufficient community.” Homegrown food reduces carbon emissions from transportation and promotes awareness about where food comes from.
Key projects to be undertaken over the weekend include:
“Now is the time for our community to take action and embrace the concept of growing food locally,” said SCWA Chairwoman Valerie Brown. SCWA Director Shirlee Zane added, “The Water Agency is proud to partner with the 350 Challenge because it aligns with our water conservation efforts and illustrates how water should be used efficiently outdoors.” SCWA has provided a generous $25,000 matching grant for this project.
“In Sonoma County, the more we raise awareness about local, sustainable food, we’re also reinforcing a local identity rich in diverse nurseries, irrigation suppliers, restaurants and food producers. This isn’t just a passing fad, we’re directly strengthening our existing local economy,” said Kelley Rajala, Director of the Sonoma County GoLocal Cooperative, a network of locally owned businesses, non-profit organizations and residents.
Inspired by this initiative, The Victory Garden Foundation in Oakland, CA aims to match Sonoma County’s Challenge and install 350 gardens over the same weekend in May. In Santa Monica, the third annual 100 Garden Challenge pioneered by Gardens of Gratitude will take place April 24th and 25th, 2010.
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Update from Transition Cotati
From Transition Cotati's mid-april update: