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Happy Holidays from all of us at The Positive Change Project!

We talk a lot about sustainability here at The Positive Change Project. In fact, we’re obsessed with it. From funding our various projects in a sustainable (meaning maintainable) way, to trying to promote sustainable practices in our own lives and communities. That is because we believe, wholeheartedly, that from sustainable practices (from farming to spending money) can come positive change.

Luckily, we aren’t the only ones who believe this. This article talks about the very real ways in which small-scale sustainable farming practices can positively change world hunger. I thought to myself, well yeah, don’t we see that happening in Sada, South Africa? Because of generous donations from people like you, were were able to buy starter crops for the home gardens for the two safety homes. These gardens provide a large bulk of the food that the AIDS orphans eat each day. If that’s not a small-scale farm, I don’t know what is.

To quote the above article, “evidence piled up that small-scale, diverse, sustainable farms (and even home gardens) had the most potential to solve the world’s hunger problems while reversing modern agriculture’s devastation of our ecosystems.” The study was largely ignored by the United States, which is such a shame. So, what can you do? Be informed. Start a home garden of your own. Perhaps most importantly, support your local farmers. Because who knows, some day soon we might all be relying on them the most.

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Urban gardens are changing lives everyday. One such garden, the Ballard P-Patch, in Seattle is a great example. Garden members plant “giving gardens” where one or more rows are planted for the homeless. This results in about 2,000 pounds of fresh produce going to Seattle area food banks. Another group known as Food Forward in Los Angeles gathers volunteers to harvest fruits and nuts from city-owned or privately-owned trees, to save them from rotting and going to waste. The harvested fruits are then donated to charitable organizations that feed the hungry.

These gardens teach sustainable food habits, promote health, inspire and feed hungry people (as well as wildlife), and even benefit our environment and entire ecosystem. It is hard to believe that such gardens are, in fact, under attack by city councils, food activists and even our own neighbors. There have been countless reports of garden owners being cited for “unsightly” yards on their own land. One man in Georgia was fined $5,200 for “growing too many vegetables in his backyard” and another man in Los Angeles had his home garden cited as “parkways cannot be used for agricultural purposes…” according to the city.  Most recently, a local Math teacher in Memphis Tennessee, Adam Guerrero, was found in violation of two city ordinances and had his home garden deemed “a nuisance.” Mr. Guerrero’s garden was a place for students to come and learn, as well as practice gardening. In July, a Michigan woman faced jail time for refusing to destroy her home garden (the charges were later dropped).

Home gardening is being attacked by our cities and even the government, by creating endless zoning laws and restrictions they are making it near to impossible for people to garden on a large scale in their own yard. During such economical struggle, when cities should be promoting such projects instead they are making it harder for residents to embrace sustainability. The majority of city laws today require residents to obtain a permit before they can even start planting gardens on their own land. These permits are exceedingly difficult and time-consuming to attain, not to mention expensive – permits cost upwards of $400 – even with the permit, plants cannot be any higher than 3 feet. Once again, these are required for private, home gardens, which will inevitably make zero profit. Some cities are even planning to increase the cost per plot for community gardens; Los Angeles, in particular, increased their cost per plot in January of this year from $25 to $120. The majority of community gardens are run by nonprofit organizations who use these gardens to simply better the lives of those who are unable to do so for themselves.  Community gardens have a positive economic, social, and educational impact on local neighborhoods, resulting in stronger communities and clearer, greener cities. These practices should be embraced, not shunned.

If you would like to take a stand against these unjust attacks against home and urban gardens, you can do so by signing a petition in your community or write a personal and respectful letter to your local city council supporting home gardening. You can also visit the Change.org website and sign the petition of your choice or you can even start your own petition. Change.org is a free and easy way to start a petition and make your voice heard by government and business leaders.

The Food Program continues to run, thanks to the generous help from a group of wonderful people we have left behind in South Africa; Xolisile, Mr Finn (at our local Spar) and the Vehorns. We continue to receive positive reports from all that the children are happy and healthy and that life continues as normal in Sada.

Our biggest fear for the kids was the adjustment the children would have to go through after we left, as they would be missing out in our routine weekly visit. Those visits remained a huge highlight in our week while we were in Africa; it was something we truly looked forward to. And we often felt the same reaction from the children; it was something for them to look forward to in an otherwise lonely or familiar day – a touch of love or a little ray of happiness. More than once it was expressed from either Vuyiswa or Gertrude that the children longed for those special visits. You can’t quite describe in words the feeling you get when a child, who has no relation to you, gains happiness in such immensity from you. It meant the world to all of us. So, clearly, we had a challenge facing us.

Two weeks ago, Luke and Michelle Vehorn e-mailed us (at random) and shared with us that they wanted to volunteer one day out of their week – to give up their personal time – and share it with the children. It seems miracles really do happen! We are so grateful to the Vehorns for this incredible gesture. We have already received reports that the children have reacted in a very positive way to the Vehorns – in other words… they’re in love with them! They seem to have happily settled into the hearts of Luke and Michelle. I can say with great confidence, it is near to impossible not to fall in love with such beautiful little people.  Luke and Michelle have had a number of visits already, each visit falling on a Wednesday, and the reports from those visits seem to be just as life altering for them as they were for us. Last week the children were treated to soccer balls and marbles (the latest craze amongst the kids in the village) along with a ride in the truck. There was nothing but smiles and laughs.

Once again, we are so grateful to have such special people near to these children who have volunteered to make such a difference in their lives by share their time and affection.

If you would like to get on board and “feel the love”… please click here.

After the social media outcry of the past few weeks, Guerrero’s story has moved toward a happy resolution: He will keep his front yard garden trimmed, install a bubbler and introduce mosquito-eating fish into his backyard pond, reduce the number of on-site worm bins, and install mesh covers on his rain barrels to keep mosquitoes out.

Judge Potter also advocated finding a piece of blighted property for Guerrero to devote to an educational garden. The City of Memphis is currently working to identify vacant land where Guerrero could grow a community garden! So for now, all looks green in the case of Adam Guerrero’s garden.

Thanks so much to all of you who supported this cause. It shows that even a small effort can make a huge positive change!

Adam Guerrero, a math teacher at Raleigh-Egypt High School in Memphis, TN., has a garden that he nourishes and cultivates alongside three of his students. But because the garden isn’t, according to some neighbors, as appealing to the eye as a lawn, he is being ordered to take it out. But what a shame!

In true homesteader fashion, Guerrero is using every inch of his property to produce food. And not only that, he is teaching some kids the value of growing your own food, self-reliance and some great lessons about health. It is truly frustrating to think that something so beneficial and so beautiful can be taken away from this community because it is being deemed an eyesore. So here is what you can do to help!

1. Write to Judge Larry Potter at larry.potter@shelbycountytn.gov in support of Adam Guerrero’s garden. Please be respectful. You are an ambassador for the kitchen garden cause.

2. Join the Facebook page called “Save Adam Guerrero’s Garden,” where you can show your support and receive updates about his case.

3. Sing your outrage from rooftops on Twitter using the #WarOnGardens hashtag.

4. Sign an online petition at change.org in support of the garden, which will be sent to the judge hearing Guerrero’s case.

5. Share and watch this video online.

I thought it would be nice to show some love to some of the non-profits out there that inspire us. This one is an oldie but a goodie and has personally, for me, changed the way I think about food. Slow Food International was founded in 1989 and was undoubtedly the first to make a stand against the fast food nation that the United States was becoming. As a way to fight against this fast food mentality, Slow Food is committed to bringing us back to the source. Where our food comes from and who are food comes from. It is committed to re-establishing the local food traditions that once made this country great. It is about getting us back to the source and being committed to good, quality, sustainable food.

What is also great, is that they are committed to this movement internationally and now have over 2,000 food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality foods, worldwide. So cool! One of the coolest projects that they have going is the A Thousand Gardens in Africa. Slow Food International is committed to planting 1,000 gardens in 25 African countries. They already have 165 African communities involved. And as you know, it is so important for local Africans to take control of where their food comes from, since circumstances can be so inconsistent. That is why we planted two food gardens in Sada Safety Homes.

Food and You

Food itself has a very important role to play in our social lives; it is the center of business meeting, it can be entertainment, or a reason to gather friends and more importantly, a time for family to gather around the dinner table. It truly does bring people together. It can be the reason a conversation is started, or it can be the exact opposite – it can stop us in the middle of a conversation and lull us to speechlessness. Since the beginning of time food has played a crucial role in our social lives. It is no secret that food is so much more than a reason to create a social event. It is a vital part of our physical health and wellbeing – after breathing, eating is what we do most frequently in our lifetime. Without our daily nourishment we become weary and grow weak and soon we lose all ability to function normally. It is easy to say that we cannot survive without food.

What is Food?

Food is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or which plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth. It is anything that, after consumed, serves to nourish, build and repair tissues, and supply energy or regulate the body’s various processes. Apart from its nutritional functions, food is valued by humans for its taste and its ability to satisfy our appetites as well as the variety of meanings it may have attached to it – such as emotional, religious or cultural.

Healthy Foods vs. Unhealthy Foods

Eating healthy, in today’s society, has received a negative reputation and has slowly started to become a chore for people more than a way of life.  Whereas eating unhealthy has become the norm. When we hear the term “health food” we often think organic, which leads to a limited diet that costs a lot of money – this couldn’t be farther from the truth (read these fun facts if you’re finding it hard to believe how affordable “eating healthy” really can be). Health food is what food started out as – natural, full of its original nutrients and lacking in toxins. Unhealthy food, or “junk food”, is the exact opposite – it is processed, lacking in natural nutrients, and full of toxins (from pollution or unhealthy farming practices such as heavy pesticide use, or growth hormones and antibiotics fed to cattle). There is an onslaught of over 4000 artificial additives put in junk foods today, ranging from artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and preservatives, to chemically altered fake fats. It has been proven time and time again that healthy/natural foods are better for us. Our bodies react in a positive way to these foods – we have more energy, stronger bones and muscles, and healthier organs. We are simply healthier, by choosing to eat healthier.

Food and Giving

It is very clear that food makes up a lot of our daily lives. It is no different for those who do not get it on a regular basis – we all need food to survive. In these tough times, we are all trying to figure out the most economical way to “get by”, not to mention, “getting by, healthy”. But with these simple truths of the importance of food, may we strife to remember those who are simply trying to figure out where their next meal is coming from. Food can be more than just a means of personal survival, it can be a gift, or come in the form of a good deed or a simple act of kindness.

Image Source

Food gives life. At the Positive Change Project, we believe that sustainable and consistent access to good nutritious food can and already does change lives. And it turns out that there are already a whole slew of people who are committed to keeping the sustainable food movement going and growing. Here are just a few of the great resources I’ve found:

Food Curated: Some of the most interesting stories of people making and growing real food in and around NYC, all in video. Hey, if a concrete jungle like New York can go sustainable, shouldn’t everywhere be able to?

Local Harvest: Ever wondered how you can get a food box from a local CSA or where the nearest Farmer’s Market is? Well here’s your resource. Some of the most useful information available online!

Sustainable Table: This is the biggie. Sustainable Table promotes the positive shift toward local, small-scale sustainable farming. It has a wealth of information about sustainability, why its important and how to get involved in the movement.

The Sada Project was our first chance to see just how important good food is to those in need. Through your generous support we have been able to plant two gardens that grow seasonal food in a sustainable way for the 12 AIDS orphans in Sada. It has been incredible to see the impact that access to food, something that seems all too easy to get a hold of for most of us has had. It has literally changed the lives of these amazing kids. Now they can go to school with full bellies and not be distracted by wondering where their next meal will come from. Plus, this food is being provided to them through a local village market and their very own gardens that they care for, so the risk of someday not being able to have that food is extremely low. How cool is that?

We are obsessed with sustainability at the Positive Change Project. If you have any other great online resources, let us know!