The center provides children from Chicago’s South Side with a safe and stimulating environment, with programs that promote education, cultural arts, physical fitness, and civic engagement.  An award-winning 8,000 square foot (0.18 acre) rooftop garden on top of the building provides GCYC children with a safe place to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers.  Resident chefs teach the children about cooking and nutrition, using the garden’s bounty.

“If you want to be a scientist, then get up on top of that roof and start studying those plants and working in that garden,” Michelle Obama coaxed GCYC listeners during her address.

What do you think about the First Lady’s interest in nutrition and gardening?

Having struggled in after an argument with the taxi driver (NOT advisable in Rio and really very silly of me) and found a table with my IUCN colleagues and got some free wine and nibbles…I was ready. And It was Fab! Of course it was great to see our own Helen come out to graciously greet us…and hand over to two gorgeous young actors. They did an Oscars type regime calling forth the twenty five prize winners.

These are 25 outstanding local initiatives that had run for at least 3 years, lead by individuals or communities from across the equatorial region. They had to be working to advance sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities.

On the giant screen we saw each global location, then great shots of the activities…water harvesting, medicinal pharmaceuticals from local knowledge, regenerating coral reefs…And insights into resilience in Tajikistan, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Egypt, Madagascar, Kenya, Gambia, China…and many more.

The energy, resourcefulness, skills and professionalism was awesome. If you want to have a look here is the link http://www.equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=684:equator-prize-2012-winners&catid=186:ep2012&Itemid=855 or try the UNDP website.

The music after was fantastic also…got home well after midnight….Viva Rio

Diana Shand

Class will be held at the Cargill Learning Center (do not go to the regular admission gates).  This FREE educational activity for your 3-5 year olds will happen every 4th Tuesday at the Zoo.  Future dates are:  July 24, Aug 28, Sept 25, Oct 23 and Nov 27.  Mark you calendars and join the Zoo-Tastic fun!!!  The class will go rain or shine.

Sand Family with a freshly-picked rooftop cucumber || photo by Lauren Mandel

Sand and his wife decided to renovate their spacious Victorian fixer-upper from bottom to top, with one key addition: a rooftop vegetable garden. “We wanted the fun of the house to extend up to the roof,” explains Sand. Now the whole family can spend time together outside, while working the soil and experiencing the joys of fresh food.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Sand Family Rooftop Garden yesterday, where I saw for myself what joy the space brings to the family. Sand’s three girls (eight, five, and three years old) frolicked around the garden as they described their favorite use for mint and explained the importance of a self-watering planter system.

Molly Sand, 8, harvesting mint ||  photo by Lauren Mandel

Sand had never heard of rooftop vegetable gardening when he first conceived of the project. He bought a book on container gardening, did some online research, and developed a rooftop prototype. The container design utilizes two plastic bins, one nested inside of the other. Overflow holes are drilled into both bins, and a flexible pipe leads from the surface of the soil to the base of the inner bin. The pipe is used to water the bins – at the base of the system. This type of container provides a reservoir for the growing vegetables, and Sand refills each reservoir once per week with a garden hose.

With 12 self-watering bins, Sand and his kids grow enough vegetables to snack on throughout the summer. Tomatoes, cucumbers, Brussel sprouts, and mint currently dominate the garden, and each year the family experiments with new crops.

Adaline Sand, 3, enjoying a freshly picked cucumber || photo by Lauren Mandel

Toward the end of my visit the girls shared a freshly-picked rooftop cucumber. They passed around the snack, each taking a bite, until the veggie was demolished. With the realization that the cucumber was gone, little Adaline, three, burst into tears screaming “Daddy, I want a cucumber!” The tot had developed such a deep connection to fresh vegetables that only the promise of more cucumbers could console her.

With a crop of young vegetable-loving kids, Sand certainly walks the talk of local, organic eating. What foods do your kids crave?

g2g Hike & Play
Tuesday, June 19
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Swanson Park, 1011 N Maize Rd

Join the WATER Center Staff for a free storytime and nature suprise!

The Special Summer Theme is “The Books of Thomas Locker.“  June 12 the book is Water Dance and the activity is “water play outdoors” (weather permitting).  The program is designed for Pre-K aged children, but all are welcome to attend.

The WATER Center is located in Herman Hill Park on the corner of Pawnee and Broadway.  You can park in the lot by the playground or behind the WATER Center building.  The building has fountains out front.  Wander up the path towards the fountains and enter the building for storytime.  After storytime you can play in the museum or hike along the streamside paths towards the Arkansas River.

Check out the amazing  nature programs for kids this summer at the Great Plains Nature Center.  These classes are fun, educational and inexpensive. 

There is something for children ages 4 through 17.  Check these out and join in the fun!

The following events all require a small fee and the completion of the registration form.  Cost per class is $3 for members and $5 for non-members.  PreRegistration required.  Click here for form. 

• Making Sense of Nature -Ages 4-7, Wednesday June 13, 10a-11a.  Repeats July 27 and July 25.  Preschoolers will discover nature using all 5 senses through science, music, art, literature and movement.
• Herp Day – Ages 6-12 (completed K-6th grade).  Wed, June 13, 9a-11a.  Repeats Friday, June 15.  Kids will learn about reptiles, amphibians and how to handle turtles, snakes and lizards!
• Ecology in the Park – Ages 11-14 (completed 5th).  Wed, June 20, 9a-noon.  Repeats Wed, July 18.  Ages 15-17 (completed 8th).  Thurs, June 21, 9a-noon.  Repeats Thurs, July 19.  This program for middle and high schoolers combines field ecology lessons with volunteer service.  Students will learn about plants and animals in the park, and about careers in wildlife and parks. 
• Orienteering – Ages 9+ (completed 3rd).  Wed, June 27, 9-11:30.  Complete a treasure hunt while learning to make and use maps and compasses. 
• Fossils! – Ages 8+ (complete 2nd).  Thurs, June 28, 9:30-11:30.  Discover records of past life in KS.  Make your own fossil replica!
• Naturally Crafty - Ages 6-11 (completed K).  Tues, July 10, 10a-noon.  Repeats Thurs, July 12.  Make art using natural materials.
• Night with Wildlife – Ages 9+ (completed 3rd).  Thurs, July 19, 9:30-midnight.  Explore Chisholm Creek Park after dark.
• River Walk – Ages 9+ (completed 3rd).  Tues, July 24, 8:30-11:30.   Take a nature walk down the middle of the Arkansas River.  Details about where to meet will be given after you register.

June 8, 2012 – 7 pm to 7 am
Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, Haliburton, Ontario

The Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser. It is an opportunity to get together with family and friends and celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost to cancer, and fight back in the hope of finding a cure for this terrible disease.

With lots to see and do this is a great way to spend the evening and support a great cause.  Some of the highlights include but aren’t limited to:

Dinner – M & M Meats & Wintergreen Maple Products BBQ; Spa/Rejuvenation Tent; Canadian cancer Society merchandise; Purchase Luminary’s; Bid on Silent Auction Items; Education Tent with information on colorectal cancer, nutrition, skin cancer screening, exercises to do at home, lots of displays, freebies, hands-on activities; live music and entertainment including; the HHSS Jazz Band, Highland Swing Band, Tai chi, Carl Dixon, Marc Ekins Band, Zumba with Suzanne Haedicke and later with Jenn Hicks, Louis Ferracuti and Band, Haliburton Dance Academy, Julie Barban (Stretching), Sunrise Gospel Singers, Highland Pipers

To date this small community has raised $886,254 since 2007.

Way to go Haliburton County!!

For more information contact the Canadian Cancer Society at 705-742-3823, 1-800-463-0432 or email peterborough@ontario.cancer.ca. Register or volunteer at www.cancer.ca/relay.

]]> http://envnewsbits.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/the-simple-inexpensive-breakthrough-that-is-transforming-american-cities/ Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:13:59 +0000 Laura B. http://envnewsbits.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/the-simple-inexpensive-breakthrough-that-is-transforming-american-cities/ http://g2goutside.org/2012/06/06/kids-its-time-to-walk-with-wildlife/ Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:00:33 +0000 Tonya http://g2goutside.org/2012/06/06/kids-its-time-to-walk-with-wildlife/ How many times have you taken a hike in a wildlife area and not seen any wildlife?  Well, come on out Saturday June 9, 9a-3p to the Great Plains Nature Center and they’ll bring the animals to you! 

Walk a 1 mile handicapped-accessible loop of the Chisholm Creek Park trail and visit stations along the way and see more critters than you can shake a stick at!

What you’ll see at Walk with Wildlife:

• Over 50 different animals
• Trained volunteers to answer your most pressing animal questions
• Kids Fishing Clinic – check the Wichita Eagle for Registration info
• An awesome interactive museum inside the Nature Center

photo by Lauren Mandel

UrbanHarvest was founded recently by University of Washington MBA candidates Chris Sheppard and Chris Bajuk.  The two won first place on Thursday at the University of Washington’s annual business plan competition, where they received $25,000 to propel UrbanHarvest into the next stages of development.  The company’s website does not yet show any built projects, which means that UrbanHarvest could jumpstart business with an extremely high profile project.

Microsoft currently imports produce from California for its cafes and cafeterias.  Growing food within the campus would minimize transportation costs and maximize freshness for cafeteria fruits and vegetables.  UrbanHarvest and Microsoft identified three buildings for evaluation: a parking garage, Building 121, and Building 122.  Bajuk estimates that the Microsoft Farm will cost approximately $1 million to build, and construction could start as early as next year.

Rooftop agriculture could add a flare of freshness to Microsoft and propel the corporation’s sustainability initiatives to new heights.

#1.  OK Kids at the Great Plain Nature Center will be an outdoor adventure for all.  Saturday, May 19, 10a-2p!

Your Adventure at GPNC will include:

• Live animals up close and personal
• Building a fort
• Fishing (sign up the day of event)
• Target shooting
• Building a bird house or bird feeder
• Bird watching (win a pair of binoculars!)
• Orienteering
• Planting a tree (take home and plant)
• Make a recycled toy

#2 OK Kids at the OJ Watson Park,  Saturday, May 19, 9a-noon.

Your Adventure at OJ Watson Park will include:

• Fishing & water safety
• Volleyball
• Moon walk
• Kayaks
• Train rides, pony rides, mini-golf, pedal boats & concessions for a small fee.

is a proud supporter of the following organizations

Greens basking in the sun at Uncommon Ground || photo by Lauren Mandel

The 2,500 square foot rooftop contains an intricate patchwork of raised beds, containers, and gathering space, with a lower roof area reserved for bee keeping.  The farm’s innovative design drips with sophistication, and great care was clearly taken in both layout design and material selection.  One key innovation involves a railing system that integrates raised planters into the perimeter fencing.  Additional design features include a rainwater harvesting system (to capture roof runoff), drip irrigation, and solar thermal panels (to heat  water within the building using sunlight), which provide an extra pinch of “green” to the rooftop farm and the building below.

Earlier this week I visited Uncommon Ground for the first time, and was delighted by the farm’s spring bounty.  Radishes, mustard greens, and lettuces were out in full force, as were blossoming chives and spring peas, climbing toward the sun.  An idyllic setting?  Yes.  An example of how a commercial agricultural facility can build community and empower people?  You betchya.

Radishes ready for the chef || photo by Lauren Mandel

Before diving into a fiddlehead and asparagus salad down below in the restaurant, I had the pleasure of meeting Dave Snyder, Uncommon Ground’s full-time farmer.  Dave’s official title of Rooftop Farm Director is as comprehensive as it sounds.  In addition to crop planning and tending to seedlings, Dave spends almost half of his time tending to people.  Whether it’s leading rooftop farm tours or training interns, coordinating with the chef or meeting with partner organizations – it’s all part of the job.

As Dave and I chatted, he sat on a bar stool beside a pile of papers ballasted with Felco hand shears.  When discussing Uncommon Ground’s decision to go organic, Dave explained that “we use our farm as an education and outreach tool… to get people more aware of the food they’re eating.”  One benefit of the farm’s organic certification is that it opens the door to conversation about organics.  If you can get people talking about organic veggies, they are more likely to try them, love them, and support the cause.

Sign up for a rooftop farm tour at Uncommon Ground’s Edgewater location next time you’re in Chicago, and see what all the fuss is about!

1|  Location location location!  When selecting the building on which you’ll build your rooftop haven, pick a busy neighborhood – the more foot traffic the better.  Some rooftop farms are visible to cyclists and motorists, but when operating a vehicle it’s best to keep one’s eyes on the road, and not in the clouds.  Pedestrians are more likely to look around while they’re in transit, and it’s safe for them to do so.

SHARE Food Program || image by Google Earth, diagram by Lauren Mandel

SHARE Food Program, in North Philadelphia, has plans to turn its warehouse roof into an active farm.  While raising the funds to do so, Bill Shick, the non-profit’s on-site farmer, won a grant to build a handful of rooftop raised beds.  Shick, with the help of the volunteers from the grant’s donor company, framed the beds two weeks ago, on the northwest corner of the 160,000 square foot (3.7 acre) roof.  Their goal?  To make the beds as visible as possible.  They selected a corner of the roof that is virtually eye-level with an adjacent bridge.  Both pedestrians, and in this case cyclists and motorists, can see the pilot project while in transit.

Pilot site next to an adjacent bridge || photo by Lauren Mandel

2| Build up, not out.  Most roofs have a low perimeter wall, known as a parapet.  When rooftop visibility is sought, you may decide to introduce vertical elements into your farm or garden design.  This may involve trellises, bean poles, sunflowers, fruit trees, or any other element that extends above the parapet.  Shick opted for bean poles in his pilot project to ensure that bridge travelers get a glimpse of green.  The poles themselves are simple: 2” x 4” pressure treated wood that extend six feet above the raised bed framing.  Each raised bed is equipped with six bean poles, which leaves plenty of real estate for climbers.

An army of bean poles extends above the parapet || photo by Lauren Mandel

Volunteers secure the 2x4s with screws || photo by Lauren Mandel

3| Advertise.  Even though your rooftop farm will be obvious to some, others will walk right by without noticing.  Get creative with street level advertising!  I recently met the founder of Walk Raleigh, a grassroots initiative focussed on promoting urban walkability through pedestrian-oriented signage.  The movement, which started as a guerrilla sign-hanging graduate thesis project, has gone viral.  With the help of a Kickstarter campaign and attention from the BBC and other media giants, Walk Raleigh has expanded to cities around the country.  Signage encouraging pedestrians to look up at your farm can take advantage of the same principles.  Draw arrows on the sidewalk with chalk; hang signs pointing up to the roof; do whatever it takes to grab people’s attention!  Just remember to keep it legal, and respect your neighbor’s property.  Hey, if you neighbors get hooked, maybe they can plant some signage too.

Street-level advertising would boost the visibility of SHARE’s pilot project (right) || photo by Lauren Mandel