Feed the People by Feeding the Soil

Last eve's Hazelwood Initiative Planning Committee meeting went swimmingly. We have hazelnuts at the Hazelwood Food Forest. Lisa Kunst Vavro talked with Steve Novotny and others about the Kaboom playground hopefully late spring next year. Jim Richter and Kyle Pattison talked about crowd-sourcing to start Hazelwood Farms. Seth Nyer presented about the food forest, including a long-term hope of building a greenhouse there (though the site has spatial limitations) and Pittsburgh Permaculture using the food forest as a template for replication in other parts of the city. Grow Pittsburgh is providing funding for signage at the food forest. Kris DePietro suggested a mural on an adjacent building. Seth spoke about the permanent agriculture model as a way to rehabilitate abandoned/damaged areas. We talked about aesthetic presentation and using green to attract to the business district. The Hazelwood Food Forest has a facebook page. Dave Brewton referred to Elaine Price's Floriated Interpretations working with the food forest. Hanna Mosca talked about the YMCA-Hazelwood Garden as a resource for the whole community. I mentioned that Alex Bodnar, Matt Peters, Daniel Wade, myself, and a couple of others one year a coupla years ago did make a first attempt at coordinating late winter production of thousands of plant starts in the YMCA greenhouse for distribution in the community. Shelly Danko Day talked about the more than one acre former Blair St. Ballfield (the old "Grove") being available for a community garden. Matt Peters talked about forests, and other community urban farm models that could include chickens, bees, larger-scale composting, vermi-composting, biochar,... The community apiary in Homewood was mentioned. Dianne Shenk referenced permaculture services, training and site installation as a valuable enterprise. Rayden Sorock spoke to Grow Pittsburgh's involvement. Reverend Tim Smith talked about the need for education, and we all talked about permanency/resiliency in view of the differing ownership situations of the various sites. Leasing, sale of land was discussed. Scenarios in which people can securely (without vandalism) work individually and/or in groups to grow with or without sales of plants or produce in mind. Shelly, Tammy Carlini and others discussed dealing with contamination past and continuing from adjacent industrial activity. I brought up vital ecosystem services such as pollinators given the earthwide decline in insect populations.
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From Pastor Tim Smith:
You are cordially invited to the premiere screening of the film
NOT FINISHED YET: Hazelwood's Perseverance in the face of food scarcity
a film by
Center of Life
presented by Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center
Join us on October 29, 2014 from 4 to 6 at the Kresge Theatre, College of Fine Arts Building CMU 5000 Forbes Ave. After the film there will be a panel discussion moderated by Just Harvest's Ken Regal, followed by a reception with light refreshments. Seating is limited, please rsvp by 10/22/14 to mworbs@andrew.cmu.edu or call 412-268-2012.
Produced through funding from the Heinz Endowments.
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Pittsburgh's Urban Forest One of the Largest in the Country
http://wesa.fm/post/pittsburghs-urban-forest-one-largest-country
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Living with Disaster: Stories from Northeastern Japan
Thursday, October 23, 4 – 6 p.m. University of Pittsburgh,
Room 3431 Posvar Hall, 230 S. Bouquet St.
http://rememberinghiroshima.org/2014/10/04/living-with-disaster-stories-from-northeastern-japan/
"... earthquake and tsunami destroyed communities along 650 km of coastline... in northeastern Japan...Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant meltdowns spread radiation over a wide area, and thousands of people were forced to leave their homes. Three years later, many are still unable to return....stories from the disaster area,...overview of the damage and present situation,...current concerns..."
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https://www.facebook.com/HazelwoodFoodForest
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Documentary
Saint Misbehavin'
is available from the Carnegie Library system.
The song "Basic Human Needs" by Wavy Gravy
"Wouldn't it be neat if people that you meet
had shoes upon their feet and something to eat?
And wouldn't it be fine if all humankind had shelter?...deep down in the garden, in the garden of your heart...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU5u71DrFG0
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=20491
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Jim McCue (St. Jim the Composter)

composter and biotech researcher
412-421-6496
http://facebook.com/alllifelover
http://hazelwoodhomepage.org
2/5/2009
http://bioeverything.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-greening-of-hazelwood.html
http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/power-plants/Content?oid=1341462
http://hazelwoodharvestinc.blogspot.com
http://hazelwoodurbangardens.blogspot.com

Pittsburgh's Urban Forest One of the Largest in the Country
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