[Communications] Meet the Presenters! • Register Now for the CCGA 8th Annual Conference • Bring One, Get One: A Garden Goods Swap

Wed Mar 4 11:56:50 CST 2020

Ha, yes!
I also fixed the link to the Harvest Study post on the CCGA website.

> On Mar 4, 2020, at 11:54 AM, Hermitage Street Community garden <hermitagestreetcommunitygarden at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Amy
> One suggestion- can we list the conference date, time, location in the text somewhere at this page?
> 
> On Wed, Mar 4, 2020, 11:45 AM Amy Olson <akeo at me.com <mailto:akeo at me.com>> wrote:
> Hi everyone - Below is a final draft of the ‘meet the presenters’ conference email. Please let me know if you have any feedback as soon as possible today. If you’re looking at this on your phone, the presenter photos vary a bit in size. 
> 
> We plan to send another email next week with the other 6 workshops and keynote speaker.
> 
> Thanks - Amy
> 
>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>> View this email in your browser <https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?e=&u=7f2904daf2a26a891c68f8bb0&id=d330d018c2>
>> 
>> News for Community Gardeners
>> 
>> "A garden is a richly woven place of culture, contemplation,
>> connection and learning."
>>   - Georgina Reid, author, "The Planthunter: Truth, Beauty, Chaos, and Plants" 
>> 
>> This year’s theme, “Connections through Gardening: Plants, People and the Environment,” is found everywhere we look and everywhere we turn. It's as simple as sticking your hands in the soil, feeling the warm earth, and smelling the mineral and organic matter. It's a bit early to find those tangible outdoor connections, but still, we're inspired to take a closer look at the twelve presentations that bring very real connections to our conference and to you. We hope you will find them as interesting as we do.
>> 
>> Below are six of the workshops, and we'll send another email next week with the other six, so stay tuned. Or, if you can't wait, you can visit the conference website via the link below (and register)!
>>  
>> Register for the conference
>>  <http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/conference/>
>> Bring One, Get One: CCGA Steps into the 'Sharing Economy' with a Garden Swap Table
>> 
>> We all want to live more economically, more purposefully, and consumption trends are changing to reflect our needs – sharing items – bartering is more popular, reusing is more common. Community gardeners are experts at thrift exchange rather than trashing what they may no longer use. We know that in nature there is no concept of waste, simply something in the wrong place. It’s apparent in our connection to nature as we garden. 
>>  
>> So, please bring ONE gently used, clean, garden-related item to swap at our conference. A pair of gloves, a hand tool, a rake or shovel, gardening book or unused journal, a small plaque – bring one, get one. We’ll have a special table set up for this garden goods swap. Anyone who brings something can get something in exchange! 
>> WORKSHOP:
>> A new approach to building community resilience: The Offers & Needs Market
>> 
>> Mike Strode is the Founder and Exchange Coordinator of the Kola Nut Collaborative, a time-based skills and service trading platform which seeks to advance conversation on time banking, community currency design, and social economy in Chicago. Mike's presentation, The Offers & Needs Market, is about building a sense of community and moving away from faceless exchanges. We are happy to have a person of such empathy as Mike presenting at our conference. He is a writer, IT consultant, and collaborative social economist residing in southeast Chicago.  
>>  
>> The Offers & Needs Market is rapid-fire skill and need matching workshop introducing a new way to approach neighborhood assets - through “time banking.” This time banking concept enables communities to map the human assets which exist in their neighborhood to increase the resilience and agility of those communities.
>> WORKSHOP:
>> Explore how the natural and built environment can impact human health
>> 
>> Caitlin Donato is a Program Coordinator for the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. She currently works in the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. In this role, she manages a training grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and works with graduate students, faculty and staff to improve, promote and maintain the health of workers and communities.
>> 
>> In her presentation, What Does the Environment Have to do With My Health? she explores how the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil that grows our food affect our health. Attendees will participate in an activity that will allow them to dig a little deeper into these topics and will walk away with tips and tools they can use to advocate for their individual and community health. The overall goal of this workshop is for attendees to share the knowledge gained with their fellow gardeners and evaluate environmental health in their communities.  
>> WORKSHOP:
>> Learn about how Chicago's community gardens are having a positive impact on community health 
>> Two recent reports produced from surveys of Chicago community gardens focused on gardens as assets of Chicago neighborhoods by measuring produce yields across Chicago and gathering data on where food goes and how it impacts communities. The findings of the Harvest Study are remarkable: 517,157 pounds, or 259 tons, were harvested for a total value of $1,665,698.00.* Food is the foundation of health, so it stands that growing vegetables and fruits, especially organically, in our community gardens should be accessible to all.
>> 
>> We're excited to host a panel discussion, Health and Wellbeing in our Community Gardens and Beyond: Insights from Surveys and Practice, that brings together a group of individuals who are passionate about the connection between food and health and how gardens support the wellbeing of people, plants, and the environment.
>> 
>> Pictured clockwise from top left: Dr. Julie Rowin, Dr. Doriane Miller, Molly Doane, and Vincent Gomez.
>> Dr. Julie Rowin, Dr. Doriane Miller, researcher Molly Doane, and horticultural therapist Vincent Gomez are all part of this panel because they see the interconnectedness of health, food, and the environment in their work. Dr Julie Rowin, a neurologist, emphatically states that "food changes our body chemistry at the cellular level.” Dr. Doriane Miller has worked with underserved populations for over 20 years. Under her leadership, physicians, educators, and community members work to improve population health outcomes for residents on the South Side of Chicago. Molly Doane is researching how community gardens contribute to urban biodiversity and global wellness. This project is a collaboration between cultural, health, and biological scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Field Museum. Vincent Gomez is responsible for the planning, promotion, and delivery of evidence-based programs that form the basis of horticultural therapy, barrier-free gardening, and people-plant wellness concepts. He is an advocate for the health benefits of therapeutic horticulture and will share ways we can promote health through gardening. 
>> 
>> The panel will be moderated by Dr. Howard Rosing, the Executive Director of the Steans Center at DePaul University and a faculty member with the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. We welcome this warm and gregarious researcher and cultural anthropologist. His research on community and urban food systems has led to many publications including the co-authored book Chicago: A Food Biography. 
>> 
>> Read more about the Harvest Study on our website <http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/2020/03/03/learn-about-how-chicago's-community-gardens-are-having-a-positive-impact-on-community-health>.
>> 
>> * “Community Gardens Count: Measuring Chicago’s Harvest” (The Harvest Study) completed by NeighborSpace and DePaul University in 2015 (Rosing, Helphand, and DeLorenzo 2019)
>> WORKSHOP:
>> Yard Sharing; Reimagining Community Gardening, Private Space, and Cultivating Deeper Roots for Climate-Resilient Communities
>> 
>> Not everyone has access to a community garden, a place to grow herbs or plant seeds for pollinators. Some communities are without the means to appropriate land. Rethinking urban land use is critical for food sovereignty and Molly Costello offers a solution in yard sharing. Yard Sharing is the practice of sharing private yard space for the purpose of collaborative food growing and relationship building. With this presentation, Molly shares the model that was practiced and documented in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Folks will get to hear the story of the Rogers Park Yard Sharing Network, how it was built, what they learned in the process, talk through different implementation models and will gain access to their Yard Sharing Tool Kit as well as their Land Use Agreement. This is all about sustainable landscaping and native habitat restoration within an interconnected network.
>> WORKSHOP:
>> Sharing Notes: Four Experienced Community Gardeners Talk About Creating and Perpetuating a Community Garden 
>> 
>> Kasey Eaves (left) and Cordia Pugh in their gardens, where else!
>> Join a dynamic panel of gardeners familiar with every aspect of building robust, organic community gardens from the first shovel full of dirt to engaging neighbors. Panelists May Toy, Kasey Eaves, and Cordia Pugh with moderator, Ellen Newcomer each have a lot to offer and a combined wealth of wisdom to handle anything you throw at them during the sharing and discussions.
>> 
>> May's love of gardening started as a toddler, learning from her mother who's a natural gardener. She has been a community gardener for over 25 years. As president of the Skinner Park Advisory Council, she led efforts to help build and restore three community gardens: two in Skinner Park and another on a closed section of Loomis Street. Kasey too started growing edibles and her treasured sunflowers at age two on family farm property in Southern Illinois. Now as Garden Leader at the Montrose Metra Community Garden, she leads large volunteer days, oversees plot assignments, food pantry harvests, and more. Kasey loves finding creative and easily maintained growing solutions for city dwellers. Cordia is a longtime Englewood resident and gardener, who grew up gardening with her grandfather. In 2011, when the first shovels hit the dirt, Cordia became founding director of the Hermitage Community Garden, which covers three lots. She is still the coordinator of this community-managed garden of raised beds, a gazebo, and a tree-shaded gathering area which has many programs for students including the Global Design Team of Englewood's Lindblom High School. The power of connection in these three gardeners’ lives is remarkable. The panel moderator, Ellen, is an experienced gardener, former Openlands board member, and former chair of its community garden committee. She is also a Master Gardener and an integral member of the CCGA Resources Committee. 
>> WORKSHOP:
>> Get the lead out! Learn about vegetable uptake and strategies for mitigation
>> 
>> Meet lead avengers Dr. Andrew Margenot (left) and George Watson.
>> One of the biggest (and possibly costliest) challenges for community gardeners is access to healthy soil, that very soil where health begins. As we collect seeds and enjoy the process of deciding what to grow in our gardens, we are also faced with confronting a hidden danger that may lurk in our soil—lead.
>> 
>> Dr. Andrew Margenot and George Watson will demystify the problem of lead in their workshop Mapping Soil Lead in Chicago and Understanding it’s Potential Uptake by Vegetables. As an Assistant Professor of Soil Science with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Crop Sciences Department, Dr. Andrew Margenot is advancing how we monitor and manage soils as natural capital. George Watson is a graduate student at the University of Illinois studying heavy metal contamination in Chicago soil systems. Their presentation will delve into their research based on two years of collecting thousands of soil samples from Chicago backyards, community gardens, and city parkways resulting in an extensive mapping project. Gardeners will learn mitigation strategies for safe growing and soil health.
>> 
>> This team is once again offering free soil testing! This is an opportunity to participate in their project and also learn about your lead levels. Remember to collect your sample soon so that it has time to dry completely. The team may not be able to test results at the conference, but they promise all results will be mailed back to gardeners.
>> 
>> 
>> Register for the conference
>>  <http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/conference/>
>> Community Garden Slide Show!
>> Show off your garden! Each year we present a slideshow of Chicago's community gardens during lunch. Please send photos via email to photos at chicagocommunitygardens.org <mailto:photos at chicagocommunitygardens.org>.
>> 
>> Volunteer at the Conference
>> We are looking for people to help out at the conference! Support Team members (volunteers) receive a $5.00 discount from general registration which includes workshops, breakfast, and lunch. Support Team members who don't attend workshops pay $15 for lunch only. To sign up, select the Support Team option on the main conference registration page. 
>> 
>> Exhibit at the Conference
>> You're invited to share your valuable knowledge, resources and skills with Chicago’s community gardeners at our annual conference where over 200 community gardeners attend to network, attend workshops, and actively visit the tables of our exhibitors. There are still a limited number of exhibitor tables available! For an application, please contact communications@ chicagocommunitygardens.org <http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/>.
>>  <https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoCommunityGardenersAssociation/>
>>  <https://chicagocommunitygardens.org/>
>>  <mailto:info at chicagocommunitygardens.org>
>> 
>> Have ideas, suggestions or news you would like to share with fellow community gardeners in the next CCGA email? Please send those items to communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org. <mailto:communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org>
>> 
>> For questions about CCGA and how to get involved, email membership at chicagocommunitygardens.org <mailto:membership at chicagocommunitygardens.org>or visit chicagocommunitygardens.org/ccga-organization <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00179W6ckE8nHc3_ea7VKAt_U7Qet-JCzLSSeOPh9N6gLUWNELIG_623Uq6CaEg83lQ1WW0jnA6WuALEV1KYm5MScGNmqRYtYgAgBDTodIy-SyCKM58AQz6GunGMbJ4-ek7UqfS8SQG6_xSbq9jDG3ygw1D1zHRazackxCKDCvakZu8s8cYVx8sGl2f1mgl-HYIDcDzXQnxkrapObZi2PTbGA==&c=Q_d2K6wsNreybPhq6TiCSg0zyf5NMPf7aMT2L5QmEGvWL4M9ouukwQ==&ch=86ZxnO5wcbz_NBbECE7jjonhPQ3EptToF6SB0B4xUiWBxWw2KdMzXQ==>
>> 
>>  Need resources for your community garden? Have resources to offer? Email resources at chicagocommunitygardens.org <mailto:resources at chicagocommunitygardens.org>.
>> Copyright © 2017 Chicago Community Gardeners Association, All rights reserved.
>> 
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>> 445 N. Sacramento Blvd, Suite 204, Chicago, IL 60612
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