[OKC] Vote online to help one of OKC's poorest areas start a food forest

[Shauna Struby]

Hey all - 

 

Please help! We need your vote to help one of OKC's poorest areas! Vote
online here <http://northamericanfund.350.org/projects/Mustardseed>  - you
can use your Google, Yahoo, AOL, Facebook, Twitter, account info to vote.
The more votes, the more chance we have of getting the grant and helping
others out!

 

DETAILS

Transition OKC is in the running for a $1,000 mini-grant to start a food
forest at Mustard Seed Development Corporation
<http://www.mustardseedokc.org/index.html> , corner of Britton & Shartel, in
the old Britton area, one the poorest sections of OKC. 

 

We're scheduled to plant the beginnings of the forest at a 350.org
<http://www.350.org/>  Work Party (on 10/9/10 or 10/10/10) hosted by
Transition OKC, Mustard Seed Development Corporation, the Office of
Sustainability of the City of OKC <http://www.okc.gov/sustain/index.html> ,
and the Hope Crossing Sustainable Sites Project
<http://www.cohfh.org/index.php/projects/project/161/> . Mustard Seed is a
nonprofit working to build community and develop leadership in the 73114 zip
code area, which has these characteristics: very high unemployment, low home
ownership, high crime and gang activity, high father absence, one in six
children raised by grandparents, two thirds of children are poor, 50 percent
high school drop-out rate, high adult reading deficits, all of which combine
to make life a challenge for residents.

 

The 350.org Work Party is free and open to volunteers -- register by
emailing and letting us know you'll be attending at tokcworkparty at gmail.com.
Thanks! After we do the planting anyone who wants is welcome to bring a
brown bag lunch and we'll eat together, chat, and bask in the glow of the
fun work we've just done. 

 

What is a food forest and what does "planting a food forest" entail?

A food forest is a complete, productive, abundant, organic ecosystem of
food-bearing trees and plants which requires very little maintenance. It
attracts pollinators and decomposers, enriches soil, and uses water
efficiently. We will be using the principles of Permaculture design to plant
fruit and nut-bearing trees and shrubs so the forest will mimic nature and
be as self-sufficient as possible. 

 

This food forest will be a model that can be copied by many community
members in their own yards and gardens. The maturing forest will help
enhance food security and community resiliency and sustainability for all
area residents by providing annual crops of fruits and nuts. The trees will
pull carbon dioxide out of the air and sequester it for decades or longer.
Increased tree cover will combat the heat-island effect of the urban
environment. Deep-rooted plants will help water infiltrate more deeply, thus
recharging the aquifer. This event is actually the first step in a
multi-phased Permaculture project to serve as a model and inspiration for
surrounding neighborhoods 

 

We'd like to spread the word outside the sustainability community as well,
so please feel free to forward this email. 

 

Thanking you in advance for considering this request and helping!

 

Cheers!

 

Shauna

 

Transition OKC is a catalyst for a transition to thriving localized
communities meeting their needs in a resilient, healthy and sustainable way.
To this end we focus on grassroots community engagement for the purpose of
helping people prepare for the changes associated with volatile energy
supplies and prices, economic uncertainty, and climate change. While
educating about the need for transitioning away from fossil-fuel dependency,
we also use the Transition model of engagement, working directly with the
public to raise awareness about these intertwining issues, and empowering
groups, neighborhoods, businesses, schools, churches and individuals to
create their own vision of the future and Transition plan by harnessing the
creativity within their own community. We are a program of Sustainable OKC,
a 501(c)3 nonprofit. To find out more visit www.goinglocalokc.com.

 

Shauna Lawyer Struby

imagine, innovate, collaborate, transition

Co-chair, Transition OKC

Past-president, Sustainable OKC

 <http://www.goinglocalokc.org/> www.goinglocalokc.org

 <http://www.sustainableokc.org/> www.sustainableokc.org 

 <http://freshgreens.typepad.com/> Fresh Greens blog

 

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 7546 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.sustainableokc.org/pipermail/okc-sustainableokc.org/attachments/20100917/83f22c53/attachment.bin>