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<DIV>For anyone who plans to contact your representatives or spread the word to support the work that April and Earth Elements are doing in local food / sustainability / local economic resilience, the following statistics and information may be useful:</DIV>
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<DIV><STRONG>How would our community be affected?</STRONG></DIV>
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<LI>Earth Elements has 8 - 14 employees depending on the season</LI>
<LI>They buy betwen 5,000 - 6,000 pounds of produce yearly from local farmers</LI>
<LI>They use 44% local food in their line of 300+ products</LI>
<LI>A yearly average of 7 local food entrepreneurs depend on her certified kitchen to process their products for higher resale value</LI></UL>
<DIV><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,0)"><STRONG>April is asking for:</STRONG></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,0)">"Fair compensation for the building and the work having to be done for ODOT to settle this matter, also fair time allowance to rebuild or at least compensation for the time we are shut down."</SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV>FYI - April is this year's winner of an Oklahoma Sustainability Network (OSN) award for her work to grow and support the local food movement! </DIV>
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<DIV>Here is a way to find your State Senator and Rep: <A href="http://www.capitolconnect.com/demoassoc1/legislatorsearch.aspx">http://www.capitolconnect.com/demoassoc1/legislatorsearch.aspx</A>. <BR> </DIV>
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<DIV>Christine Patton</DIV>
<DIV>Co-Chair, Transition OKC</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.goinglocalokc.org/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>www.goinglocalokc.org</A> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Grace Klinger <monkeyfritzsis@yahoo.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Sustainability Issues in Oklahoma <ok-sus@lists.oksustainability.org><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Tue, July 13, 2010 8:25:48 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: [ok-sus] We need to rally to defend April Harrington<BR></FONT><BR>
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<DIV>Can anyone get the media out on this? That would be the best way to</DIV>
<DIV>expose the situation. </DIV>
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<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Christine Patton <tryishmael@yahoo.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Sustainability Issues in Oklahoma <ok-sus@lists.oksustainability.org>; Sustainble OKC <okc@sustainableokc.org><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Tue, July 13, 2010 10:14:32 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: [ok-sus] We need to rally to defend April Harrington<BR></FONT><BR>
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<DIV>Here is a way to find your State Senator and Rep: http://www.capitolconnect.com/demoassoc1/legislatorsearch.aspx.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Christine Patton</DIV>
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<DIV>Co-Chair, Transition OKC</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.goinglocalokc.org/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>www.goinglocalokc.org</A> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Robert Waldrop <bwaldrop@cox.net><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Sustainability Issues in Oklahoma <ok-sus@lists.oksustainability.org><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Mon, July 12, 2010 2:13:59 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [ok-sus] We need to rally to defend April Harrington<BR></FONT><BR><FONT face=Arial>April Harrington is one of the most innovative local food entrepreneurs in the nation.<BR><BR>She buys excess produce from farmers and turns it into delicious food products which she sells to customers. Other local food entrepreneurs rent her facility to make their products. She has employees.<BR><BR>She is also being threatened with the loss of her business.<BR><BR>ODOT wants to widen highway 77 and take her property for that project. They are talking low-ball offers and want her out of there by
January 1 or sooner. They are not offering business relocation assistance nor compensation for the time she would be out of business. And of course, there's nothing on ODOT's table for her employees, for the entrepreneurs who use her facilities, or for the farmers whose produce she buys.<BR><BR>This is a terrible crime of social and economic injustice.<BR><BR>It's time to swarm the barricades in her defense. I encourage everyone to call, email, or write their state rep and senator, and the governor's office, and rally to the defense of April Harrington. She has worked hard and smart, and does not deserve what ODOT is doing to her.<BR><BR>Bob Waldrop<BR>http://bobaganda.blogspot.com <BR><BR></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></div><br>
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