To gauge the economic potential of locally grown food, the Food Bank of North Alabama commissioned the North Alabama Local Farm and Food Economy study from a national expert Ken Meter of Crossroads Resource Center. 

Meter will present the results of this study at a public presentation.

Local Foods: Potential to Build Wealth & Health in Alabama

Presentation by Ken Meter

6:00 PM

Thursday, February 16^th, 2012

Huntsville City Council Chambers

308 Fountain Circle, Huntsville, AL 35801

For questions, call             256-655-8585       or email kstrickland@fbofna.org

Meter has performed studies of local food economies in 78 regions across 30 states.  He is considered one of the foremost food system analysts in the U.S.

Highlights of the North Alabama Local Farm and Food Economy illustrate the potential to turn outflows of wealth from our economy into significant gains.

• North Alabama consumers spend $2.4 billion buying food each year – of which approximately $2.2 billion is sourced outside the region. 
• Medical costs for treating diet-related diseases like diabetes and related conditions in North Alabama are estimated at $594 million per year.

This represents a significant turnaround opportunity to improve health outcomes and retain wealth in our region through local foods.

This free presentation is a community-wide opportunity to explore local foods as a catalyst for health and wealth creation in north Alabama.

The event is hosted by the Food Bank of North Alabama, Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries, Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments & theNorth Alabama Food Policy Council Steering Committee.

3,000 miles. 60 days of juice. Countless lives changed.

FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD (featured on E! News, The Doctors, Vogue, Newsweek, Huffington Post, etc.) has inspired individuals and communities across the country to take control of their health.  JOIN the growing community of people making the choice to eat more fruits and vegetables, and MOTIVATE the people around you.

ABOUT THE FILM

Overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross was at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. With doctors and conventional medicine unable to help, Joe traded in junk food and hit the road with a juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe had one goal in mind: to get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle. What emerges is nothing short of amazing—an inspiring tale of healing and human connection.

ABOUT THE MOVEMENT

Reboot Your Life was launched in response to the message of the film; its mission is to help people change their eating habits by simply adding more fruits and vegetables into their diets. The Reboot provides people with the community and the customizable nutrition programs necessary to follow Joe’s example and to affect change in THEIR OWN lives. These are realistic plans that take into account that we are all human, we all have busy lives and stresses, and we are all just going to do the best we can. Everyone has the ability to make a change. You can Reboot Your Life in the name of health and vitality. We can help you get there!

This program is good for both weight loss and your autoimmune system! Juicing demonstration to follow the 97 minute screening with all produce donated by Earth Fare!  To save your spot register below. For more information, contact nhogan@hsvbg.org.

A Citizen’s Guide to The Farm Bill 

6:15 PM on November 15th, 2011

320 Fountain Circle

City of Huntsville Engineering Building

After our talk at 5 PM entitled, “Water: Alabama’s Competitive Edge for Food and Farmers?” we are hosting a special session on how we can stand up for family farmers and healthier food choices for all.

The Farm Bill is only passed every 5 to 7 years. This single piece of legislation greatly affects what we and our children eat! 

Grab the shopping cart before it is too late! This quick video shows what we mean ~ http://www.parentearth.com/take-action/parents-stand-up-for-healthy-food-psa/

5:00 PM ~ Water: Alabama’s Competitive Edge for Food & Farming? 

6:00 PM ~ Refreshments by Chef Will

6:15 PM ~ A Citizen’s Guide to The Farm Bill

 November 15th, 2011
320 Fountain Circle
City of Huntsville Engineering Building
--------------------------------------------- 
Water: Alabama’s Competitive
Edge for Food & Farming?
 

As western aquifers diminish, our water resources may give Alabama farmers a competitive edge.  The North Alabama Food Policy Council Steering Committee invites you to hear the latest research on sustainable irrigation techniques.   Cameron Handyside of UAH’s Earth System Science Center will give this free talk on November 15^th, 2011 at 5 pm at the City of Huntsville Engineering Building, 320 Fountain Circle. A brief meeting will follow the discussion. All are welcome.

Irrigation farming has been used for centuries to overcome dry climates and increase food production – particularly in the American west. In Colorado, California and other western locales, we built dams, dug reservoirs and constructed canal systems to channel water to farms from far away rivers. Dependable, adequate irrigation water allowed western farmers to produce crops consistently year after year.  As a result of this success, farm production shifted from eastern, rain-fed farms to western, irrigated deserts. 

This type of irrigation, however, comes with costs.  Large scale agriculture coupled with rapidly expanding urban areas like Los Angeles strain the water supply to critical points.  At our current pace, the Ogallala, a key western aquifer, will be depleted in 15 to 50 years. This type of irrigation also leaches salt and other contaminants into the ground, reducing crop production and slowly poisoning the soil.  In California, for example, growers have foregone over 100,000 acres of prime farmland due to salinization. All of this is occurring while the southeast loses its farming base. 

Unable to compete with the low prices western farmers charge for row crops; many eastern farmers have converted land to pasture, timber or sold out completely.  In Alabama, small-scale, sustainable irrigation techniques may preserve key riparian habitat and make Alabama farmers more competitive – particularly during drought conditions.

For more information about this workshop or about future installments in the series, please call 256.655.8585 or emailnafoodpol@gmail.com.

The North Alabama Food Policy Council Steering Committee is a coalition of citizens dedicated to the development of a chartered Food Policy Council in North Alabama to support a more locally-based, sustainable and self-reliant food system accessible to all. www.nafoodpolicycouncil.org.

Resilience, Local Solutions, Sustainability, Healthy Food, Community Building, Strengthening Neighborhood Relationships, Sharing Wisdom, Scalability, Preparedness, Skills Sharing, Connectedness, Regeneration/Regenerative

    Lots of great ideas and thoughtful discussion on what this all means in the 'culture' of Huntsville.  We have so many great engineers and artists and writers, from all continents and viewpoints, so many established and brand new subdivisions and neighborhoods, I look forward to seeing how Huntsville 'transitions' into the future!

By Shannon McBride

About Green Drinks

Huntsville Green Drinks is an organization for those interested in sustainable living. They meet monthly to share their interest and expertise with like-minded individuals, and help to build a community movement where ideas and knowledge can be freely grown and shared.

Their stated purpose is to provide a venue and opportunity for individuals to informally network and learn about the many green happenings in the Madison County community.  Individuals should feel free to drop by as their schedule permits and stay for as long as they desire.  Meetings are often but not always at local restaurants. Eating and drinking are optional.  Come learn about various topics such as green building, eating locally, environmental education efforts in local schools, local green businesses, etc.

Learn more about the local node or Green Drinks around the world at these sites:

http://www.greendrinks.org/AL/Huntsville

http://www.greendrinks.org/

Panel Discussion
August 27th, 2011
Noon – 1 PM, Murray Hall
as part of Green U at the Botanical Gardens

“Fall Foodscaping”

“Clean Green Eating: Healthy Choices”

 The North Alabama Food Policy Council Steering Committee is a coalition of citizens dedicated to the development of a chartered Food Policy Council to aid and advocate for a locally based, self-reliant & sustainable food economy accessible to all. www.nafoodpolicycouncil.org.

Panel Discussion

Here’s a chance to know your farmer, know your food! The North Alabama Food Policy Council steering committee is hosting a panel of local farmers and ranchers to give a portrait of opportunities and challenges facing Alabama farmers. Panelists include:

Ed Rains, whose family farmed in Jackson County starting in the 1900’s until national agricultural policies and the S&L banking crisis impacted his family farm in the 1980’s.   

Joey Dye, whose family farms 25 acres in Madison County of vegetables ranging from purple hull crowder peas to patty pan squash. They sell directly to consumers at the Madison County Farmers Market and family-run farm stands.

Henry Fudge of Fudge Family Farms raises heritage Duroc hogs – perhaps the only ones of their type still in existence today. Fudge raises his livestock outside in open pasture and sells to esteemed Alabama chefs including Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar & Grill and James Lewis of Bettolla. He also sells to local restaurants including The Ledges and Pauli’s Bar & Grill.  

Don Spencer, is transitioning some of his land holdings – 75 acres out of commodity (corn and soy) production to local foods.  His innovative plans include operating a regional food hub, an education initiative and on-farm restaurant.  

Dairus Jacobs, whose family has been farming for over 100 years despite multiple moves due to eminent domain. The family operates a diversified farm raising grass fed Black Angus while experimenting with Indian vegetable staples and aquaculture.

A brief North Alabama Food Policy Council Steering Committee meeting will follow the panel discussion.  All are welcome.

***

The North Alabama Food Policy Council Steering Committee is a grassroots coalition of citizens dedicated to the development of a chartered Food Policy Council in North Alabama to aid and advocate for a locally-based, self-reliant & sustainable food system accessible to all. 

Help improve our local food system by joining these grassroots efforts!www.nafoodpolicycouncil.org.

According to KT Patrick Bothwell’s recent article on community gardening in Huntsville, “If there is access to water, plenty of sun and a willing landowner, any space can feasibly be turned into a community garden.” Many community gardens “use a space that would otherwise be vacant to produce something bountiful instead, often food!” (Find Bothwell’s article at http://www.hsvgreenlink.com/blogs/2011/2/24/the-green-mirage-on-winters-desert-community-gardening-in-hu.html ).

The WE Community Gardens in the West End neighborhood of Birmingham is a shining example of neighborhood reclamation and revitalization. In addition to raised beds leased to community members on an ability to pay basis, the garden hosts cooking classes, cook-offs and other fun, food celebrations. Their future plans include a Curbside Market and community cannery. To see a slideshow of the WE garden, go tohttp://www.vimeo.com/22002602. The initiative began when the Community Church Without Walls in partnership with Urban Ministries not only made a vacant lot available but also created two garden staff positions. 

Community gardens that survive over the years tend to have either paid staff or highly motivated, dedicated volunteers. Everyone wants to garden in the spring, but when the heat of summer sets in and the physical labor becomes demanding, many stay home. There is constant pressure from weeds and insects. People leave for vacation, and other worthy programs compete for volunteer time.

Volunteering at a local community garden like the CASA Garden is an excellent first step before committing to developing a community garden. Each Saturday morning CASA offers learning and volunteer opportunities in the garden located on Bob Wallace Avenue next to the Botanical Gardens. To contact CASA of Madison County, call (256) 533-7775 or email info@casamadisoncty.org. .

For a list of community gardens in Huntsville, visit http://www.hsvgreenlink.com/storage/Community%20Garden%20Resource%20List.pdf  and for more information about community gardens visit: http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/

Community Gardens Toolbox & Resources

• Community Garden Start-Up Resources:  http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/resources/resourcelinks.php
• Community Garden Start-Up Guide, MN. Includes sample flyer, garden site evaluation checklist, sample lease (for MN),etc. http://www.regionfive.org/general_information/services/documents/TwinCitiesstartupguide.pdf
• Community Garden Tool Kit, MO:  http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=MP906
• Article outlining what community gardens can do for you. It offers the results of a survey of 1600 community gardeners:http://www.aces.edu/urban/metronews/vol3no1/gardening.html

Asphalt is by-product of the refining process of turning crude oil into the products we use in our cars every day. Asphalt is what is left in the bottom of the refining tower when the process is finished. The escalating cost of oil has raised the cost of asphalt and the cost of surfacing a road. 

Whitaker Contracting accepts shingles at their plants in Douglass, Summit and Guntersville.  They do ask for and only accept clean loads of shingles at their plants. Mixed loads mean separation of the materials will be required and of course that takes time and money. Contractors are usually happy to bring a pre-separated load to avoid paying the tipping fee that would have been charged by the landfill. The roofing contractor saves $25 - $60 per ton, the landfill has a little less refuse at the end of the day and the resulting product is no longer wasted but reused in a constructive application.    

In April, the Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) and Whitaker Construction began a cooperative arrangement to recycle asphalt shingles at the Huntsville Landfill.  Shingles delivered to SWDA’s landfill are set aside in a designated area within the construction & demolition disposal cell. When sufficient quantities of shingles are collected, Whitaker Construction brings equipment in and grinds the shingles into a granular product which is then used by Whitaker in paving North Alabama roads.   

Approximately 660 tons of old shingles have been saved from landfill disposal within the past two months.   Whitaker is currently taking the extra time to separate debris from the shingles at the Huntsville Madison County SWDA site for the contractors who are loading storm damage debris.         

Homeowners should make sure their roofing contractor is aware of the effort and ask them to take a clean load of shingles to the Whitaker sites or the Huntsville/Madison County Landfill. Hats off to Whitaker Construction and the SWDA for stepping up and leading a recycling effort in a meaningful way!

For information, call the Solid Waste Disposal Authority, 256-880-6054.

Lee McBride – Landscape Management Consultants/Foodscapes