Heifer.Org: No They're Not Calling You Fat

They're not even trying to MAKE you fat.  Nope.  The people at Heifer.org are busy feeding people that really need it.  Many of you Superforesters may already know about organizations like this.  But for those of you who don't, here is the gist of it:

They gather people like you to donate gifts of farm animals.  Thats right.  You can donate not just money, but an animal that can help families become self reliant and sustainable in their own communities.  The catalog of animals, like heifers, water buffalo, goats, geese, honeybees, etc. has a wealth of information regarding what kinds of animals benefit different poverty situations.

This method of teaching struggling families how to grow their own food, cultivate it, sell it, and return the profits to the community by passing on the benefits can help create a more independent community.  A community that works together to make itself stronger and healthier.

The cornerstones of their organization create the acronym: PASSING on the GIFTS

Passing on the gift

Accountability

Sharing and caring

Sustainability and self reliance

Improved animal management

Nutrition and income

Gender and family focus

on the

Genuine need and justice

Improving the environment

Full participation

Training and education

Spirituality

You wanna know what else is cool?  Kids at school can use this program as a fundraiser for their classmates.  What better way to teach the next generation about sustainability and caring for our communities than by encouraging them and teaching them to help their fellow man!?

Please, check it out and see if you can gather your own community to chip in and help a community in need!

Aren't they nice little sheep?

A Big Victory (Garden) for San Francisco!

Hello All!

Jackson here.

Just got back from a very fruitful trip to the West Coast.
SuperForester Andrew and myself got a sneak preview of the incredible Victory Garden that's been planted in front of San Fran's City Hall.

"In collaboration with Victory Gardens 2008+, Slow Food Nation will herald the era of self-sufficiency through the creation of an ornamental edible garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Civic Center. Planted on the same site as the post-World War II gardens 60 years ago, the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden demonstrates the potential of a truly local agriculture practice that unites and promotes Bay Area urban gardening organizations, while producing high quality food for those in need."

Take a look!


Here's a photomontage reverse of the top image, with City Hall behind us.


Here you can see the rice-straw swales the gardeners pegged into place to hold the topsoil and compost that the plants are growing in. Very easy to set up, and extremely low impact as after the swales are done being used, they can be composted along with the plant scraps!


Here's me talking with SuperForester Leslie, a delightful and insightful woman who had been busy all day planting and watering and generally setting up. She gave us a tour of the garden and explained to us how to tell the difference between a cucumber vine and a pumpkin one. (The leaves are different shapes. Thanks Leslie!)


Here are SuperForesters Marcus and Chris Ray, sitting atop the stage they built out of reclaimed lumber. Comfy and sunny, no?


And the reverse, (sans Chris Ray.)


Beautiful people in the garden they helped to create.



The most inspiring sight! A government center and a sustainable agriculture project sharing a view. That's some seriously smart thinking. Good on you, Mayor Newsom.

And here's a fun cartoon about Victory Gardens and the perils of trying to eradicate gophers with hoses:




Garden for health and Country!

A huge special thanks to all who organized and worked on this incredible project. We hope to see more like it all over the U.S.

Love to all,

-Jackson