Windsor’s (Sub)Urban Farmer
Check out this video from Windsor’s Steve Green
You’ll be hearing more from Steve very shortly here at Scaledown. Steve is walking the talk and taking control of his families food security issues into his own hand. Steve formed Windsor’s CSA (community supported agriculture) after discovering the joys of actually turning his suburban front yard into a farm field (which we all know will be pretty much the only use of these gi-normous yards in the days following peak oil)
I am beginning to think that with all the new locavores and their food blogs (Food Revolution, WindsorEats, My Local Food, On Food, Drink and Meat, FedUp!, the list goes on) that this is beginning to truly turn into a food revolution here in Essex County.
Do you think we’re finally re-embracing our agricultural roots and wisening up to the fact that we must get back to the land and relearn all that we refused to learn from our ancestors??
Tags: community building, community garden, Food, relocalization, urban agriculture, Video
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Absolutely Chris. I am getting hold of land owners in my area who have a few vacant lots hoping they will allow me and a few others to grow vegetables on the lot until they develop it at a later date. Why not turn a weed infested lot into a vegetable garden for all to enjoy? Not only does it save them from having to pay someone to cut it but we all get healthy vegetables and save money too!
WOOOOOOOOO - HOOOOOOOOOOO! Long before the internet and blogging, I have looked at all the unused land in our front yards of cities and saw the wasted potential for growing food and “food security,” although an idea that has come, was the thought that I couldn’t quite put into words of why I thought the front yards as they were, were a waste of good land at that time.
This is a fantastic first step and I think this is what Mark Bradley was getting at in his blog here, Does the Land and River sustain us, it is good that Steve Green thought it out and just went ahead and did it! Living in a condo, I’m jealous but reassured that there are thinking people out there in this city.
Looking forward to hearing Steve Green on Scaledown radio!
I’m in on it………….
Drat! After reading the conditions on becoming a CSA member, I don’t own a car nor a bicycle, money and hard work is not a problem. I will have to find a vacant lot in the core……I know! ….. Its about an acre at the corner of Elliott and Ouellette!!!?!
I think it is a great idea to turn vacant lots into urban farms. In downtown Toronto we live near a park that has a sectioned off piece of land that has about 25 plots in it where people grow vegetables. Part of the land is used for growing vegetables for a shelter down the street, which helps keep food healthy and grocery bills down.
We also received seeds (can’t remember what kind) in the mail from Hellman’s last year for this exact purpose. I believe that they sponsor programs like this. I bet they would be happy to sponsor such a program in Windsor if someone approached them.
http://www.hellmanns.ca/main.php?lang=EN
http://www.evergreen.ca/en/about/media-press61.html
Why don’t you help us out Urbanrat? You are not that far away, only a few blocks.
Hi Everyone! This is steve. I want to let everyone know that I feel really supported by all of you. Thank you for either confirming my nutty-ness or letting me know that I am not nuts. Either will do. I initially was if-y about being out in the country, don’t drive, and wondered how this was gonna work out. But upgraded my bike and I’m back in business! LUCKY
Hi Everyone: This is steve. Thank you for all your support. I too don’t drive. But lucky for me I’m right near the trail! I hope to see any and all of you! Talk to you soon on the radio.
steve
The comments in the Windsor Star article to Locavare are very interesting and show a real split between the old status lawn proud old guard and the almost heroic daring nature of front lawn gardening types in this city.
Planetizen has it’s take on it and link at the bottom to a New York Times article titled Turf Wars that is worth reading;
The American Lawn, and its Opponents
United States Landscape Architecture Lawns Urban Landscape
Posted by: Tim Halbur
15 July 2008 - 8:00am
The New Yorker traces the history of the American lawn from 1841, commenting on their unnatural origins, and finally analyzing the alternatives suggested by anti-lawn movements.
If one accepts the idea that lawns are, in a deep sense, unethical, how does one fill the front yard?
http://www.planetizen.com/node/33998
A Community built around food,, again from Planetizen
Vancouver’s South East False Creek community is making the production of food one of the major aspects of its preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Its emphasis on local food production is a model other cities may look to follow.
“This is architecture - and entire urban landscapes - designed to fulfil our ever-growing need for food.”
“Could we make our cities more sustainable - even self-sufficient - if the need to grow food locally was designed into every stage of building, from drawing board to decor?”
“South East False Creek in Vancouver could be one of the world’s first purpose-built sustainable communities, with growing food at the top of the list of priorities.”
“Eighty acres of former industrial land south of the city centre is being developed as part of the plans for Vancouver’s Winter Olympics in 2010.”
“The city has pledged to create 2,010 new growing spaces to provide food for the Games - something that could be copied in London.”
http://www.planetizen.com/node/33928
A meg site of information on urban farming from Vancouver! With tonnes of Youtube videos.
http://www.cityfarmer.org/