Healthy Bodies and Spirits Celebrate the Good Earth May 2, 2012 by admin
by Basha Cohen
NORTH DENVER – North Denver’s fitness fanatics and healthy heads celebrated the good earth, with a community outpouring of events surrounding Earth Day.
Edison kicked it off with their annual Earth Day parade, replete with exotic hats honoring Mother Nature. The Edison Green Team comprised of 35 students, staff and parents focus on environmental topics, from solar energy to vermiculture, yoga and organic produce.
Columbian Elementary, too, is in full swing planting their new garden. An extraordinary combination of a living classroom on the playground teaches children about eating healthy and caring for our planet in a day-to-day way. Candice Orlando, founder of UrbiCulture Community Farming Group, has worked in concert with the Kitchen Community, to ensure the donation of fanciful beds. This garden will offer summer classes run by 3rd grade teacher, Brenna Brooks-Larson, “to educate children about fresh food from seed to plate.” An onsite farm stand will be hosted weekly for the community to partake in fresh grown produce. Making it a total community effort, North High students and their “Garden of Youth” program that assists disabled kids, will help tend the beds ensuring healthy, happy gardens are maintained throughout the summer.
Sloan’s Lake offered the backdrop for the 2nd annual Mile High 5 Run. Three schools, Brown International Academy, Edison Elementary and Valdez, along with many runners from Sandoval, joined together for three competitions, a Fun Run 5000 ft for the tiny, a 5K race and a 5 Mile run. De Bonnell and Ben White, fearless leaders noted with characteristic enthusiasm, “There were 423 participants, a 50% increase over last year. We owe the community and sponsors a ‘Big ‘ole thank you!’” All three schools will benefit from the proceeds toward their Wellness programs. The runners ranged from babes in running carriages to Over-Sixties who were every bit as heart smart and fit as the nimble nine year olds. Sweat met with smiles as the backdrop of our glorious Rocky Mountains remind us that this truly is the Good Earth.
Waste Farmers grows and builds the most amazing soil! We used them for our starts last year and will continue to use it for our starts this year and it will be used in our raised beds at Columbian. Their soil is alive and you will not need to add anything else to it. Plants just take off and love the goodness that has been created by the soil biologist John Paul, the founder of Waste Farmers. UrbiCulture was asked to talk to 7 news about his soil. Here is the story and we hope you support this amazing business and use their soil this spring and summer! http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30499110/detail.html
http://www.wastefarmers.com/
_This article was written for the North Denver Tribune
by Basha Cohen | NORTH DENVER – The trend toward going green has long left fad status and is creating an indelible footprint into the psyche of our planet. One of the tenets of this movement is the need for creating a more hyper-local business model. Instead of shipping produce 1,500 miles from ground to shelf, consumers and business leaders are bringing it closer to home. Local sources of food supply, and farm-to-table dining, be it at home or in restaurants, have swept the nation. Neighborhood Supported Agriculture (NSA) is sprouting up in urban farms around the city. Within our neighborhood quadrant, UrbiCulture Community Farms and Heirloom Gardens are based in NW Denver; City Mouse Garden is in Wheat Ridge and Star Acre Farms in Arvada. Dana Miller is growing food in city parks around Denver working with the park system to move beyond flowerbeds. This enables productivity of public land to donate food to shelters.
It is safe to say that the urban farmer is no longer a myth, but a reality that is taking root in our own backyard. Local visionaries like Justin Cucci have brought their own unique farm fresh dining to Root Down. Frank Bonanno of Lou’s makes 12-20 varieties of cheeses every week with locally produced milk. Neighborhoods like Sunnyside have created their own urban farms out of the yards of local residents. Candice and John Orlando, founders of UrbiCulture Community Farms have eight plots in the Sunnyside neighborhood and bring life to the concept. As executive director, Candice Orlando’s mission is to provide affordable, locally grown produce to Denver’s low-income families, women’s shelters and public schools. Families join the UrbiCulture Community Farm and receive fresh vegetables and fruit for twenty weeks, all farmed locally. Prices range from $250-$500 for half or full shares. Low-income shares are available for $25-50 in exchange for volunteering. “If you do the math at a grocery store, buying two tomatoes, two summer squash, peppers, carrots and eggplant, the prices are equivalent or less. It’s cheaper and we pick that morning and you get it that afternoon…and it’s grown in your neighborhood with a lot of love.”
One of the key components of a greener society is the notion of connecting kids to real food. The Kitchen Community, founded in 2011 in Boulder has embarked on that mission. They have created the concept of “Learning Gardens,” believing that creating outdoor classrooms will be a positive long-term investment for schools everywhere. Co-founder Kimbal Musk introduced the concept at Schmitt Elementary, the first DPS school installation last fall. “We have tried to do everything different from traditional gardens behind chain link fences. We put the garden next to the playground so that kids can play in it, explore and become involved. We encourage teachers to create an outdoor classroom and teach in the garden.” These learning gardens are bringing communities together to build and maintain them. They are reversing the trends in childhood obesity and improving test scores. Governor John Hickenlooper, inspired by the installation said, “We need to get kids healthy now to avoid diabetes later on. Studies prove over and over again that if kids eat better they learn better. When kids are exercising in the garden, and see where food comes from, what’s not to like?”
One of the cornerstones of these gardens are the curvy, modular garden beds made of recycled materials that can be designed in many different configurations. They are raised above ground level and have irrigation systems built into them. The artist and designer, Jen Lewin, puts an emphasis on “Fun, playful and interactive design.” By bringing the garden up closer to the kids level, it is easier for them to actually work in and become one with the land.
Tom Boasberg agrees with this whole earth approach. “DPS has been working hard to put a stronger emphasis on healthy foods over the last few years. These gardens help make that happen.” Neighborhood schools like Brown International Academy, Edison and Ana Marie Sandoval are pioneers that reflect Boasberg’s sentiments. Brown introduced “The Lettuce Lounge” in the lunchroom and full-fledged recycling programs. Ana Marie Sandoval has taken it a step further with composting programs to engage students and their commitment to the good earth.
UrbiCulture is taking a cue from this groundbreaking trend, and is working with Columbian Elementary School to install a Rain Garden this spring. Orlando notes, “This learning landscape will be a collaboration of many organizations to help fund it. The Kitchen Community will be donating 94% of the beds to us. The soil for the garden will be filled by ‘Waste Farmers’, local suppliers of soil and compost, as well as irrigation specialists.” One of the unique aspects of this garden is UrbiCultures’ community commitment. Part of the cost of this project includes hiring North High School and Columbian Elementary students to manage the garden in the summer. “This will be an opportunity to teach them about working, and ensure that this multi-generational garden becomes a living, breathing, and well-tended landscape.” Because it is so costly to install a garden of this magnitude, anywhere from $25,000-35,000, the team is counting on fundraising and grants to make this dream a reality for one of our lowest income Northwest schools. The Wolcott Family Foundation has generously donated $4500 already.
UrbiCulture is hosting the “1st Annual Farmraiser, a Carnivale of Local Food & Art.” Orlando says, “This is going to be a night about showcasing how amazing our community is.” Variety reigns from Nadiaunique, an R&B soul-singer, Hawaiian Hula Dancer Yvonne Pana Puanani Siu-Runyan, Karina Constantino performing with live music by Lexi Honi to Micki McNie’s soulful folk singing. DJ, Dalton Kieta, will be spinning the tunes and a full set from our neighborhood’s own, Hayward Strangers’ gritty Americana will round out the mix.
No fundraiser is complete without a silent auction. Items from Fire on the Mountain (the soon-to-be hottest wing joint in Denver at the corner of 32nd and Newton, and proud sponsors of space for the event), Vital Yoga, Root Down, Clementine’s Salon, and Sal Constantino paintings to name a few.
“It is going to be a party you won’t want to miss, made even better by the fact that it is for a good cause,” says Sunnyside resident Irene Glazer, an UrbiCulture farmer.
Urbiculture Farmraiser
UrbiCulture’s 1st Annual Farmraiser
February 9th
6:30-10:00 p.m.
3801 W. 32nd Ave
$25 in advance; $30 at the door
For more information and to get your tickets log on to www.ucfarms.org
_From all of us at UrbiCulture Community Farms we would like to say goodbye to 2011 and welcome with joy, 2012!! Here is just a glance of our amazing year that we had and are so grateful to the Denver Community and Beyond for the incredible support we have received!!!
We formed a board of 9 amazing community members that created UrbiCulture Community Farms, a nonprofit multi-plot farm who is committed to providing food to people of all income levels by sustainably growing affordable, local food in the Denver metro area. We engage our community by educating our youth and neighbors on growing food and promoting healthy, active lifestyles, beautifying our neighborhoods with edible landscapes, and lessening the distance from farm to plate.
We received a grant from New Belgium Brewery for our Healing Foods Program. We began an amazing partnership with both the Denver Safehouse and The Family Tree, both emergency shelters for women and children in crisis. This program allows us to donate fresh vegetables to these shelters weekly throughout the growing period.
Four houses host beehives. They helped pollinate much of the food in the yards. We also did one demonstration on how to install bees into a beehive.
We went from having 8 plots to having 11 plots in Denver which was roughly 16,000 sqft that we grew enough food for 35 CSA members (30% of them low income), 8 working share members (Kendall, Kassia, Sarah, Mario, Jenn, Heather, Hollie and Christina), 11 yard angels and weekly donations to the Safehouse and the Family Tree.
Tour de Harvest sells out and we had a blast even through the rain. The sponsors for the event were incredible and the support was tremendous. This will definitely become an annual event!
Harvest Festival features the Otone Brass Bands and Sunnyside gets down to amazing music!! This festival was made possible by a grant we received through The Denver Foundation. It was free and it was fun!!!
Sunnyside Music Festival picks UrbiCulture as one of their charities in which we received 10% of the proceeds from the festival.
We harvest two plum trees, two apple trees and grapes through our No Fruit Left Behind program in which we gave out to members as well as made apple sauce, apple butter and jams to sell for donation only.
UrbiCulture Community Farms works with Columbian Elementary School to begin the discussion of having a a school garden. Together they decide to transform 6500 sqft into a food wonderland that will be taken care of by high school students at North and the students at Columbian. The Garden is set to be ready May 2012 and so far have received a grant from the Wolcott Family Foundation and The Kitchen Community will be donating the raised beds for the garden.
UrbiCulture hosts two Bold Food Fellows. One from Kenya and one from Uganda. Anthony from Uganda builds us a hoop house that still has spinach and peas growing like crazy!! We also had an amazing intern, Ann Breed and two wwoofer's who volunteered with us- Li Wen Hu and Elijah Pendergraft- who worked hard to grow a lot of food!
The CSA runs for 22 weeks!! What an amazing season full of lessons, new found friendships and connections and most importantly recreating and building community around food.
Candice Orlando, UrbiCulture's co-founder was selected to be a gardener with the Beanstalk Foundation!!! This foundation is amazing and you should check it out at www.friendsofbeanstalk.org.
We would like to give out a big thank you to our sponsors we had over the year!!
Live Urban Real Estate, Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, New Belgium Brewery, Bonacquisti Wine Company, Alternative Wellness Center, Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, Novo Coffee, The Denver Foundation, Rudi's Bread Company, Boulder Sausage, Izze and Salvagetti.
If you would like to know more about us please visit our website at www.ucfarms.org where you can donate, learn more about our programs and find out ways to get involved!!!
And don't forget about our Farmraiser: A Carinvale of Local Food and Art happening on February 9th at Future Home of Fire on the Mountain 3801 W. 32nd, Denver, CO.
UrbiCulture's Farmraiser will be pure entertainment all evening long. Performances include Hawaiian and Modern Dance, Live Folk and Bluegrass Music, Poetry and Spoken Word, Theater, a live painting, art and more! There will be a silent auction with amazing local items. Tickets include Hors d'oeuvres, one free drink with a suggested donation of drinks after that, performances and silent auction. Come and learn more about UrbiCulture's up coming projects for 2012 including their Columbian School Garden Project in which this farmraiser will benefit. Space is limited so get your tickets now. $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
In Gratitude,
Candice Orlando
Jonathan Vanderweit with the Beanstalk Foundation made a wonderful video about UrbiCulture and wrote this wonder blog about us. Enjoy!Let’s face it. That lawn we’ve been dumping water on for the last fifty years hasn’t exactly been pulling its weight. Sure it’s great for comparing with the neighbors and provides a soft landing place for kids in motion, but when it comes down to it there’s not much to show for a swath of Kentucky blue grass some thousand miles from Kentucky other than the occasional allergy attack and green-stained shoes when it comes to mowing day. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a better use of all those perfectly good front and back yards?
Candice Kearns Orlando sure thinks there is. Since 2009, she’s been installing and maintaining gardens in front and back yards all over Denver under the moniker of UrbiCulture Community Farms. Homeowners, tired of mowing or ready to be done with weeds offer up their land in exchange for a share in the CSA (never heard of a CSA? Learn about them here). Anyone else can purchase a share for the growing season, and because the land is donated, Candice and her team are able to offer low-cost shares for those who can prove need, and they donate fresh, seasonal produce to the Family Tree and SafeHouse Denver, two shelters serving displaced women and children in the Denver area.
As if that weren’t enough, Candice and her husband Jon are also hard at work on an aquaponics facility that currently grows basil and tilapia in a sustainable and mutually-beneficial way (check out their system here). It’s in alignment with their goal to feed people healthfully and locally, and will provide a means to continue to produce local food through the winter. The plan is to offer a lettuce mix, tomatoes, and even strawberries within the next year.
Ambitious and wide-reaching, UrbiCulture’s plan for local food targets key pressure points, but does so in a way that is engaging, fun, and of course tasty. If you ask me, that patch of Kentucky blue should be quaking in its boots, the new yard has arrived.Find out more about the Beastalk Foundation at http://www.friendsofbeanstalk.org/_
New Belgium rocks!
Urbiculture is the proud recipient of our first grant from New Belgium Brewing.
Their generous contribution will be much appreciated as we continue to grow food sustainably and feed those who are less fortunate.
For those that don't know, New Belgium has proven time and again that they are one of the most socially responsible companies out there. Their core belief of environmental stewardship by minimizing resource consumption, maximizing energy efficiency, recycling, has now expanded with this support of urban farming.
A sincere thank you to New Belgium Brewing for supporting us. We will be sure to return the favor. Mothership Wit is my new favorite brew!
--Irene Glazer, Board Member and
Front Yard Farm
(farmers, gardeners, volunteers, low-income)
Who says a garden has to go in the backyard? Or that a farm’s acreage has to be all in one place? Not Candice and Jon Orlando, co-founders of UrbiCulture Community Farms in Denver.
Their four-year-old farming non-profit provides fresh local food to people of all income levels through an ingenious “multi-plot” system.
First, community members volunteer their front or back yards to be turned into gardens.
Second, UrbiCulture and its volunteers set up and maintain a growing space.
Third, they harvest and distribute the produce through a sliding-scale CSA.
Donate your yard or volunteer to tend one and food is free. Otherwise, you pay what you can afford.
“A regular share feeds four or more people for 20 weeks and costs $450,” Candice told me on a sunny mid-spring day together in the Mile High City. “But we have a single mom with three kids paying $25—not a week, for the season.”
Other big recipients are Denver-area shelters for displaced women and children. For every $1,000 in contributions UrbiCulture receives, they’re able to supply 100 women and children with fresh produce for 6 months.
That’s an amazing 18 cents per person per day for local organic food.
As I strolled with the Orlandos and their dog from house to house, plot to plot, in one residential city neighborhood, UrbiCulture sites were always easy to identify.
Instead of the typical lawn or gravel, they offered bright salad greens and the first hints of strawberries, carrots, cucumbers, and onions to come.
To work well, yards have to be 1,000 square feet or more and sunny. During the off-season, UrbiCulture keeps things tidy by planting a winter cover crop or laying down mulch.
“If your watering bills goes up, we pay the difference,” Candice said.
Sign me up.Dig inJeremy N. Smith, a writer and freelance journalist based in Missoula, Montana. His work has appeared in Gourmet and Saveur, the Christian Science Monitor and the Chicago Tribune, Research View and World Trade, High Country News and Montana Magazine, and elsewhere. His book Growing a Garden City combines color photographs, personal narratives, and how-to sections to tell surprising, inspiring true stories of personal and civic transformation through local food, farms, and gardens.
I don't send stuff around very often but wanted to share with you my overwhelming joy this morning. Last night I sat through a 4 hour city council meeting and could not believe that their were 53 people who had lined up to talk about allowing Denver residents to have up to 8 chickens/ ducks and two dwarf goats in their backyards. From two very young children that explained how they love their chickens and fresh eggs, to people wanting to feed their children fresh food not brought in from 1500 miles away, to people who have neighbors that have chickens and it has brought the community together and people who love having chickens for more reasons than eggs- pure enjoyment. It was so inspiring! Change is happening and I am excited to be apart of it. Thanks to Sundari for being the backbone to this ordinance! It has not passed but I am sure next Monday the vote will be for the Chickens, Ducks and Goats!
Also, my morning cry was the preview for the film Queen of the Sun. I watched it twice just because of how inspiring it is to see people loving their bees!! Just watch it for yourself and see what you think. http://www.queenofthesun.com/
I hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of spring and gearing up for a wonderful summer.
 This is from one of our faithful Yard Angel and Board Member who we love!
I heart Urbiculture Community Farms!
By Irene Glazer
These beautiful people have been cultivating my front yard and distributing the food grown there to community members, for going on 3 years now. Not only do I get gorgeous
produce for the entire season, but my children and I get to witness the miracle that is our natural world, to see exactly where our food comes from. It has been the most amazing experience, difficult to put into words.
I’m very excited about going non-profit this year and raising the vibration level of our community by supporting 2 local women’s shelters.
I love this movement!
"In the 2 days I spent with Urbiculture Farms, I realized that farming is hard, unforgiving, emotional work. Love for the earth is unconditional for these caretakers, and I felt it rub off on me. I know there’s more work to do, there always is for a farmer, but the earth is better off in their hands. Sustainable influence, earth friendly, environmentally conscious farming inhabiting our urban yards; this is a culture we can be proud of, Urbiculture Farms!" Jacqui Carter
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