<![CDATA[Greenfield Community College Posts]]> Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:25:30 +0000 http://web.gcc.mass.edu/?v=3.3.2 en Farm & Food Systems program coordinator Abrah Dresdale speaks at "Green Night" Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:25:30 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2013/01/28/farm-food-systems-program-coordinator-abrah-dresdale-speaks-at-green-night/ Western Mass Green Consortium spotlights local sustainable agriculture on February 13 The popular monthly “Green Night” events that have taken place on 2nd Wednesdays for the past four years at the Northampton Brewery, providing information on environmental sustainability topics, discussion and social networking time, will now re-start on February 13, 2013 at 4:00 pm at the Clarion Hotel in Northampton.  The February Information Spotlight will feature a half-hour presentation by Abrah Dresdale, coordinator of GCC's Farm & Food Systems program.  Her talk will be followed by Q&A, and time for “green drinks” and networking. Ms. Dresdale will share what she has learned from her first year pilot of the new Farm & Food Systems program at GCC, which provides students of many ages with a college-level interdisciplinary understanding of ecological, economic, political, and social systems as they relate to food and farming.  Students also learn hands-on skills through internships and applied courses—which can be non-credit or degree-oriented—such as Mushroom Foraging & Cultivation, Permaculture Design, Beekeeping, Four Season Farming, Organic Gardening, Food Preservation and Introduction to Food Systems. Students can expect to participate in community efforts to support regional food security, local economies, and planning for resiliency. The Clarion Hotel is located at 1 Atwood Drive in Northampton, just off Route 5 south of the Exit 18 ramps to I-91.  Free parking is available at the Hotel.]]> Western Mass Green Consortium spotlights local sustainable agriculture on February 13 The popular monthly “Green Night” events that have taken place on 2nd Wednesdays for the past four years at the Northampton Brewery, providing information on environmental sustainability topics, discussion and social networking time, will now re-start on February 13, 2013 at 4:00 pm at the Clarion Hotel in Northampton.  The February Information Spotlight will feature a half-hour presentation by Abrah Dresdale, coordinator of GCC's Farm & Food Systems program.  Her talk will be followed by Q&A, and time for “green drinks” and networking. Ms. Dresdale will share what she has learned from her first year pilot of the new Farm & Food Systems program at GCC, which provides students of many ages with a college-level interdisciplinary understanding of ecological, economic, political, and social systems as they relate to food and farming.  Students also learn hands-on skills through internships and applied courses—which can be non-credit or degree-oriented—such as Mushroom Foraging & Cultivation, Permaculture Design, Beekeeping, Four Season Farming, Organic Gardening, Food Preservation and Introduction to Food Systems. Students can expect to participate in community efforts to support regional food security, local economies, and planning for resiliency. The Clarion Hotel is located at 1 Atwood Drive in Northampton, just off Route 5 south of the Exit 18 ramps to I-91.  Free parking is available at the Hotel.]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2013/01/28/farm-food-systems-program-coordinator-abrah-dresdale-speaks-at-green-night/feed/ GCC students see green future in Franklin County Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:00:52 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/12/11/gcc-students-see-green-future-in-franklin-county/ http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/12/11/gcc-students-see-green-future-in-franklin-county/feed/ GCC featured as one of 15 colleges fighting world hunger Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:56:07 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/11/28/gccs-lff-program-featured-as-one-of-15-colleges-fighting-world-hunger/ http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/11/28/gccs-lff-program-featured-as-one-of-15-colleges-fighting-world-hunger/feed/ Permaculture effort is exploding in western Massachusetts - and GCC is a part of it! Sat, 17 Nov 2012 14:54:23 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/11/17/permaculture-effort-is-exploding-in-western-massachusetts-and-gcc-is-a-part-of-it/ http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/11/17/permaculture-effort-is-exploding-in-western-massachusetts-and-gcc-is-a-part-of-it/feed/ Guy MacPherson on climate change November 28 at noon Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:29:16 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/greencampus/2012/11/14/guy-macpherson-on-climate-change-november-28-at-noon/ [/caption] Award winning conservation biologist and professor Guy MacPherson visits Greenfield Community College on November 28 from 12-1pm to deliver his presentation "The Twin Sides of the Fossil-Fuel Coin: Developing Durable Living Arrangements in Light of Climate Change and Energy Decline." This event is free and open to the public. After 20 years as an award-winning conservation biologist and professor at the University of Arizona (author of 10 books and over 100 articles), Dr. Guy McPherson made a "decision of conscience" to leave and pursue more direct, efficacious responses to the changes he sees coming in our world, via energy decline and climate change. Guy volunteers his time talking to people wherever they'll have him, about both the disaster-seriousness of our course, a course which has created the ecological and climatological chaos we're experiencing, and ways in which we can and must mitigate that as individuals, communities, and societies.  Guy talks about how individuals can work together to strengthen their own resilience, and prepare for a world of change.  His talks highlight the importance of living sustainably, a necessity driven by the ongoing collapse of the environment and the industrial economy, and by the arriving shortages of cheap oil. Guy McPherson peered over the edge into the peak oil and climate change abyss, and rather than backing away, jumped in. The author of the blog "Nature Bats Last" and most recently Walking Away from Empire, Guy is a conservation biologist who has a keen grasp of the severe ramifications of the climate course we're on.  So he walked away from his high-paying, prestigious, tenured position at a major university and now grows goats, vegetables, and community in the desert outside of Tucson, AZ.  He's smart, he's laugh-out-loud funny, and he's much more humble than he would have you believe.  Guy lays the truth out clearly, in a gentle, humorous, but matter-of-fact and inescapable sort of way. Location: Stinchfield Lecture Hall Questions? Contact Abbie Jenks, jenks@gcc.mass.edu, 413-775-1127 Sponsored by GCC Green Campus Committee]]> [/caption] Award winning conservation biologist and professor Guy MacPherson visits Greenfield Community College on November 28 from 12-1pm to deliver his presentation "The Twin Sides of the Fossil-Fuel Coin: Developing Durable Living Arrangements in Light of Climate Change and Energy Decline." This event is free and open to the public. After 20 years as an award-winning conservation biologist and professor at the University of Arizona (author of 10 books and over 100 articles), Dr. Guy McPherson made a "decision of conscience" to leave and pursue more direct, efficacious responses to the changes he sees coming in our world, via energy decline and climate change. Guy volunteers his time talking to people wherever they'll have him, about both the disaster-seriousness of our course, a course which has created the ecological and climatological chaos we're experiencing, and ways in which we can and must mitigate that as individuals, communities, and societies.  Guy talks about how individuals can work together to strengthen their own resilience, and prepare for a world of change.  His talks highlight the importance of living sustainably, a necessity driven by the ongoing collapse of the environment and the industrial economy, and by the arriving shortages of cheap oil. Guy McPherson peered over the edge into the peak oil and climate change abyss, and rather than backing away, jumped in. The author of the blog "Nature Bats Last" and most recently Walking Away from Empire, Guy is a conservation biologist who has a keen grasp of the severe ramifications of the climate course we're on.  So he walked away from his high-paying, prestigious, tenured position at a major university and now grows goats, vegetables, and community in the desert outside of Tucson, AZ.  He's smart, he's laugh-out-loud funny, and he's much more humble than he would have you believe.  Guy lays the truth out clearly, in a gentle, humorous, but matter-of-fact and inescapable sort of way. Location: Stinchfield Lecture Hall Questions? Contact Abbie Jenks, jenks@gcc.mass.edu, 413-775-1127 Sponsored by GCC Green Campus Committee]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/greencampus/2012/11/14/guy-macpherson-on-climate-change-november-28-at-noon/feed/ Organic CSA shares available at GCC for spring 2012 Wed, 24 Oct 2012 04:00:19 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/sustainability/2012/10/24/organic-csa-shares-available-at-gcc-for-spring-2012/ I hope you are all enjoying yourselves in the midst of another semester.  As many of you have probably noticed we are distributing CSA shares for Enterprise Farm again this semester, and we have a table in the core every Wednesday from 3:00-5:00 p.m. where shareholders can pick up their box of fresh local/regional produce.  Enterprise Farm is an organic farm in Whately that has been growing vegetables since 1983.  They offer a year round CSA sourcing some of their produce from other organic farms up and down the east coast in the winter months when it is too cold to grow food here in Western MA. If you aren’t a customer of a CSA let me tell you why they are so great.  You make one or two lump sum payments, buying a “share” of the farm’s crop, and then you receive a box of produce every week during the season.  With the direct marketing system you are paying the farm directly, cutting out the middle man, benefiting both you and the farmer financially.  The produce is fresh from the farm and the consumer is able to support local and or regional agriculture at a more affordable price and thus is able to put money into the local economy and lower their carbon footprint.  It’s a really great way that environmental awareness and action is made easy for the participants.  I mean really, what’s easier and nicer than picking up a box of fresh fruits and veggies on your way out the door after a long day of school or work? Interested in signing up? Well it’s not too late, we are in our sixth week and there are four weeks left.  A small share is $16.00/wk a medium is $21.00/wk and a large is $29.00/wk.  You can sign up and pay by clicking on the link for signing up and the link for paying for your Western Mass farmshare on the left side of the home page of Enterprise’s website: enterprisefarmcsa.com.  The share through GCC will continue again next semester when GCC reconvenes after the winter break.  If you have any questions you can email me, Ian Walton at waltoni5659@stuemail.gcc.mass.edu or visit me at the table in the core first floor on Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m.  Happy studies! Ian Walton GCC/Enterprise Farm Intern CSA Distribution]]> I hope you are all enjoying yourselves in the midst of another semester.  As many of you have probably noticed we are distributing CSA shares for Enterprise Farm again this semester, and we have a table in the core every Wednesday from 3:00-5:00 p.m. where shareholders can pick up their box of fresh local/regional produce.  Enterprise Farm is an organic farm in Whately that has been growing vegetables since 1983.  They offer a year round CSA sourcing some of their produce from other organic farms up and down the east coast in the winter months when it is too cold to grow food here in Western MA. If you aren’t a customer of a CSA let me tell you why they are so great.  You make one or two lump sum payments, buying a “share” of the farm’s crop, and then you receive a box of produce every week during the season.  With the direct marketing system you are paying the farm directly, cutting out the middle man, benefiting both you and the farmer financially.  The produce is fresh from the farm and the consumer is able to support local and or regional agriculture at a more affordable price and thus is able to put money into the local economy and lower their carbon footprint.  It’s a really great way that environmental awareness and action is made easy for the participants.  I mean really, what’s easier and nicer than picking up a box of fresh fruits and veggies on your way out the door after a long day of school or work? Interested in signing up? Well it’s not too late, we are in our sixth week and there are four weeks left.  A small share is $16.00/wk a medium is $21.00/wk and a large is $29.00/wk.  You can sign up and pay by clicking on the link for signing up and the link for paying for your Western Mass farmshare on the left side of the home page of Enterprise’s website: enterprisefarmcsa.com.  The share through GCC will continue again next semester when GCC reconvenes after the winter break.  If you have any questions you can email me, Ian Walton at waltoni5659@stuemail.gcc.mass.edu or visit me at the table in the core first floor on Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m.  Happy studies! Ian Walton GCC/Enterprise Farm Intern CSA Distribution]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/sustainability/2012/10/24/organic-csa-shares-available-at-gcc-for-spring-2012/feed/ GCC celebrates $100,000 solar grant Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:29:47 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/marketing/2012/10/01/gcc-celebrates-100000-solar-grant/ The Greenfield Recorder - September 25, 2012 - By Chris Shores [caption id="attachment_1169" align="alignright" width="300" caption="GCC President Bob Pura (3rd from right) accepts a $100,000 grant from Paul Curran, Managing Director of SunEdison, to support education and training in the solar energy sector. Federal New Market Tax Credits, allocated by CEI Capital Management, provided financing to construct the 2 MW Solar Energy Facility in Greenfield and this community benefit support of GCC’s renewable energy programs. Pictured left to right: Common Capital CEO Chris Sikes, Greenfield Mayor Bill Martin, State Representative Paul Mark, CEI Capital Management CEO Charles Spies, US Congressmen Jim McGovern and John Olver, Curran, Pura, State Representative Steve Kulik and GCC Dean Peter Rosnick."][/caption] GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College has received a $100,000 grant from private investors to help fund the school’s renewable energy/energy efficiency program. The grant — funded by solar energy company SunEdison as part of the $8 million 2.0-megawatt solar farm project built on the town’s capped landfill — will help pay for solar energy education and training at the college. GCC President Robert Pura said that there is no longer a debate about the need to invest in solar energy and to find ways to make it more affordable for the masses. “The question is not if higher education should build green sustainable energy programs,” he told a group of legislators, educators and investors in front of the college Monday. “It’s to what degree are colleges really committed to the ideas that faculty and students are practicing every day. We want to reduce the gap between what they teach and how we act, this helps us make that commitment.” The renewable energy/energy efficiency program, created three years ago, teaches students about alternative energy sources and connects them with internships in the field. While grant money will be used to help the academic program across the board, school officials said it will specifically focus on creating a solar energy training program that will help graduates gain employment in that field. When SunEdison borrowed money from CEI Capital Management for the town’s solar farm project, the company agreed to give $100,000 of that money to GCC. Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, praised the collaboration between Greenfield, GCC, SunEdison and other private investors. “A project like this at the college says, ‘This kind of investment (in energy-efficiency initiatives) is good,’” said Kulik. “It broadens people’s perspectives and acceptance of sustainable and wise uses of energy. I commend the college for that public example and also for the educational opportunities you’re providing people to get into this field.” And U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, said that education of alternative energy sources is critical to the country’s future. “There are some people who believe we shouldn’t go down this road, that we should stick to the old way. The old way unfortunately has contaminated much of our environment,” said McGovern. “I believe what we’re doing here is leading not only Massachusetts but the rest of the country. This is where we need to go, this is the future.”]]> The Greenfield Recorder - September 25, 2012 - By Chris Shores [caption id="attachment_1169" align="alignright" width="300" caption="GCC President Bob Pura (3rd from right) accepts a $100,000 grant from Paul Curran, Managing Director of SunEdison, to support education and training in the solar energy sector. Federal New Market Tax Credits, allocated by CEI Capital Management, provided financing to construct the 2 MW Solar Energy Facility in Greenfield and this community benefit support of GCC’s renewable energy programs. Pictured left to right: Common Capital CEO Chris Sikes, Greenfield Mayor Bill Martin, State Representative Paul Mark, CEI Capital Management CEO Charles Spies, US Congressmen Jim McGovern and John Olver, Curran, Pura, State Representative Steve Kulik and GCC Dean Peter Rosnick."][/caption] GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College has received a $100,000 grant from private investors to help fund the school’s renewable energy/energy efficiency program. The grant — funded by solar energy company SunEdison as part of the $8 million 2.0-megawatt solar farm project built on the town’s capped landfill — will help pay for solar energy education and training at the college. GCC President Robert Pura said that there is no longer a debate about the need to invest in solar energy and to find ways to make it more affordable for the masses. “The question is not if higher education should build green sustainable energy programs,” he told a group of legislators, educators and investors in front of the college Monday. “It’s to what degree are colleges really committed to the ideas that faculty and students are practicing every day. We want to reduce the gap between what they teach and how we act, this helps us make that commitment.” The renewable energy/energy efficiency program, created three years ago, teaches students about alternative energy sources and connects them with internships in the field. While grant money will be used to help the academic program across the board, school officials said it will specifically focus on creating a solar energy training program that will help graduates gain employment in that field. When SunEdison borrowed money from CEI Capital Management for the town’s solar farm project, the company agreed to give $100,000 of that money to GCC. Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, praised the collaboration between Greenfield, GCC, SunEdison and other private investors. “A project like this at the college says, ‘This kind of investment (in energy-efficiency initiatives) is good,’” said Kulik. “It broadens people’s perspectives and acceptance of sustainable and wise uses of energy. I commend the college for that public example and also for the educational opportunities you’re providing people to get into this field.” And U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, said that education of alternative energy sources is critical to the country’s future. “There are some people who believe we shouldn’t go down this road, that we should stick to the old way. The old way unfortunately has contaminated much of our environment,” said McGovern. “I believe what we’re doing here is leading not only Massachusetts but the rest of the country. This is where we need to go, this is the future.”]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/marketing/2012/10/01/gcc-celebrates-100000-solar-grant/feed/ Permaculture garden taking root at GCC: New club at college germinates seeds for plan Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:14:16 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/10/01/permaculture-garden-taking-root-at-gcc-new-club-at-college-germinates-seeds-for-plan/ The Greenfield Recorder – October 1, 2012 - About Town with Chris Shores [caption id="attachment_351" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Greenfield Community College students Krystal Graybeal, Ian Walton, Karla Muise and Sebastiano Ratti Pistoi use tape measures to lay out gardens and paths for the permaculture gardens they are planting next to the new greenhouse at the south end of the GCC main building. (Recorder/Paul Franz)"]Greenfield Community College students Krystal Graybeal, Ian Walton, Karla Muise and Sebastiano Ratti Pistoi use tape measures to lay out gardens and paths for the permaculture gardens they are planting next to the new greenhouse at the south end of the GCC main building. (Recorder/Paul Franz)[/caption] GREENFIELD — Behind Greenfield Community College’s south wing, adjacent to the new campus greenhouse, rests an inconspicuous small patch of grass. But when members of the newlyformed GCC Permaculture Club walk by this one-eighth of an acre, they can already see the perennial plants and wood chip aisles of a garden that will someday produce food for the campus. A year of in-class brainstorming, site analysis and design planning by students in the college’s farm and food systems degree option converged into a proposal that found its way to President Robert Pura’s desk this summer. And now that the president’s office has signed off on the plan, the physical work of constructing a permaculture garden has begun. The eight-member club meets weekly. During the next month, students will install layers of compost and cardboard — to suppress weeds and grass from growing in the garden space. And the club will add nutrients and additives to the soil so that it will be ready for plant instal­lation in the spring. Most of the compost and products used to build the garden are recycled from campus, said Tony Reiber, the club’s co-adviser and a GCC greenhouse technician and faculty member. Planting will begin after the winter, with the installation of perennial plants such as gooseberries, blueberries, willow and medicinal tea plants. Climbing spinach will grow in the garden, as will mushrooms, and there will be some space for experimentation with annual vegetables, club members said. About $1,000 worth of plants was donated from Northampton farmer Lisa DePiano. The hope among members, and the club’s two faculty advisers, is that by this time next year the garden will produce some food for GCC students. “The plan is to highlight once a week sort of a hyperlocal meal,” said Abrah Dresdale, farm and food services coordinator at GCC and the club’s co-adviser.

A chance to educate

During classes last year, 25-year-old Krystal Graybeal worked with her peers to find the best place to build a permaculture garden. After studying sites all around Greenfield, students found that GCC presented the best home for the project — both because of available land and because of the educational opportunity the site presents. “We realized that the GCC campus was an awesome place to start educating people about local food and how it’s produced,” said Graybeal. “We’re hoping that once fully established, this spawns other schools to do the same.” Jennifer Christian, 25, said that most institutions in the world are actively fighting sustainability. But she believes that building a garden at a college could spark some change. “It’s a good place to start ... a learning atmosphere,” she said. “It’s important for (students) to be engaged in all aspects, not just in the whitewall classrooms but when they’re leaving, when they’re coming, they’ll see (the garden) and they’ll see us changing a landscape.” Student involvement has driven the project from an idea to land about to turn into a garden, said Dresdale and Reiber. “It’s great that this is a student- initiated project,” said Reiber, who highlighted the project’s “learning aspect of students actually conceptualizing this and taking it from the onset to actually implementing it.”

Seeking involvement

There is still a long way to go before the garden becomes a finished reality, and club members always welcome new hands that want to help. Ian Walton, 22, is hoping the club will be able to collaborate with other on-campus groups. But he added that community members are welcome to assist with the fall construction and spring planting tasks. The club meets once a week, on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. at the greenhouse behind the south wing of campus. During the winter, the club will meet in room F311 to organize for the spring. For more information on how to get involved, contact Dresdale at dresdalea@gcc.mass.edu Chris Shores can be reached cshores@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 x264]]> The Greenfield Recorder – October 1, 2012 - About Town with Chris Shores [caption id="attachment_351" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Greenfield Community College students Krystal Graybeal, Ian Walton, Karla Muise and Sebastiano Ratti Pistoi use tape measures to lay out gardens and paths for the permaculture gardens they are planting next to the new greenhouse at the south end of the GCC main building. (Recorder/Paul Franz)"]Greenfield Community College students Krystal Graybeal, Ian Walton, Karla Muise and Sebastiano Ratti Pistoi use tape measures to lay out gardens and paths for the permaculture gardens they are planting next to the new greenhouse at the south end of the GCC main building. (Recorder/Paul Franz)[/caption] GREENFIELD — Behind Greenfield Community College’s south wing, adjacent to the new campus greenhouse, rests an inconspicuous small patch of grass. But when members of the newlyformed GCC Permaculture Club walk by this one-eighth of an acre, they can already see the perennial plants and wood chip aisles of a garden that will someday produce food for the campus. A year of in-class brainstorming, site analysis and design planning by students in the college’s farm and food systems degree option converged into a proposal that found its way to President Robert Pura’s desk this summer. And now that the president’s office has signed off on the plan, the physical work of constructing a permaculture garden has begun. The eight-member club meets weekly. During the next month, students will install layers of compost and cardboard — to suppress weeds and grass from growing in the garden space. And the club will add nutrients and additives to the soil so that it will be ready for plant instal­lation in the spring. Most of the compost and products used to build the garden are recycled from campus, said Tony Reiber, the club’s co-adviser and a GCC greenhouse technician and faculty member. Planting will begin after the winter, with the installation of perennial plants such as gooseberries, blueberries, willow and medicinal tea plants. Climbing spinach will grow in the garden, as will mushrooms, and there will be some space for experimentation with annual vegetables, club members said. About $1,000 worth of plants was donated from Northampton farmer Lisa DePiano. The hope among members, and the club’s two faculty advisers, is that by this time next year the garden will produce some food for GCC students. “The plan is to highlight once a week sort of a hyperlocal meal,” said Abrah Dresdale, farm and food services coordinator at GCC and the club’s co-adviser.

A chance to educate

During classes last year, 25-year-old Krystal Graybeal worked with her peers to find the best place to build a permaculture garden. After studying sites all around Greenfield, students found that GCC presented the best home for the project — both because of available land and because of the educational opportunity the site presents. “We realized that the GCC campus was an awesome place to start educating people about local food and how it’s produced,” said Graybeal. “We’re hoping that once fully established, this spawns other schools to do the same.” Jennifer Christian, 25, said that most institutions in the world are actively fighting sustainability. But she believes that building a garden at a college could spark some change. “It’s a good place to start ... a learning atmosphere,” she said. “It’s important for (students) to be engaged in all aspects, not just in the whitewall classrooms but when they’re leaving, when they’re coming, they’ll see (the garden) and they’ll see us changing a landscape.” Student involvement has driven the project from an idea to land about to turn into a garden, said Dresdale and Reiber. “It’s great that this is a student- initiated project,” said Reiber, who highlighted the project’s “learning aspect of students actually conceptualizing this and taking it from the onset to actually implementing it.”

Seeking involvement

There is still a long way to go before the garden becomes a finished reality, and club members always welcome new hands that want to help. Ian Walton, 22, is hoping the club will be able to collaborate with other on-campus groups. But he added that community members are welcome to assist with the fall construction and spring planting tasks. The club meets once a week, on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. at the greenhouse behind the south wing of campus. During the winter, the club will meet in room F311 to organize for the spring. For more information on how to get involved, contact Dresdale at dresdalea@gcc.mass.edu Chris Shores can be reached cshores@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 x264]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/10/01/permaculture-garden-taking-root-at-gcc-new-club-at-college-germinates-seeds-for-plan/feed/ Farm and Food Systems in the national spotlight: "Agriculture sheds its dated image of career opportunities" Thu, 17 May 2012 15:19:57 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/05/17/farm-and-food-systems-in-the-national-spotlight-agriculture-sheds-its-dated-image-of-career-opportunities/ GCC's new farm and foods program in The Community College Times!]]> GCC's new farm and foods program in The Community College Times!]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/05/17/farm-and-food-systems-in-the-national-spotlight-agriculture-sheds-its-dated-image-of-career-opportunities/feed/ Farm and Food Systems degree option enrolling for fall 2012 Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:41:34 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/04/20/farm-and-food-systems-degree-option-enrolling-for-fall-2012/ http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/04/20/farm-and-food-systems-degree-option-enrolling-for-fall-2012/feed/ Check out our latest Re-Skilling Series! Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:36:04 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/04/18/check-out-our-latest-re-skilling-series/ Food Preservation and Storage, Mushroom Foraging and Cultivation, and Creating a Cooperative Food Economy taught by local experts and can be taken as credit-free workshops through Community Education, or you can earn 1 credit for each. For credit-free classes, see our Community Education online course guide; for credit classes, see our online course schedule, or contact Enrollment Services for more information on how to register. Download a flyer]]> Food Preservation and Storage, Mushroom Foraging and Cultivation, and Creating a Cooperative Food Economy taught by local experts and can be taken as credit-free workshops through Community Education, or you can earn 1 credit for each. For credit-free classes, see our Community Education online course guide; for credit classes, see our online course schedule, or contact Enrollment Services for more information on how to register. Download a flyer]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/04/18/check-out-our-latest-re-skilling-series/feed/ GCC permaculture students in the news! Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:36:40 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/04/09/gcc-permaculture-students-in-the-news/ Daily Gazette - story by Richie Davis - Photo by Paul Franz On the heels of White House recognition for a permaculture garden at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Greenfield Community College students are proposing a similar garden on their campus. [caption id="attachment_290" align="alignright" width="300" caption="GCC greenhouse technician Tony Reiber, student Christopher O’Connell, instructor Abrah Dresdale and students Krystal Graybeal and Ginevra Bucklin-Lane"][/caption] The 8-acre garden envisioned adjacent to GCC's new 1,000-square-foot zero net energy greenhouse is the brainchild of six students who took a permaculture class through the college's Farm and Food Systems program. Permaculture is a sustainable gardening technique that aims to renew rather than degrade the environment. The proposed garden will serve as a demonstration site for GCC students and also a source of food for the college's dining services. "This is going really well," said adjunct faculty member Abrah Dresdale as she looked out on more than 50 people who attended a recent planning session. Dresdale taught the permaculture course with help from proponents of the technique like Jono Neiger of Conway School of Landscape Design and Daniel Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill. At the planning session students brainstormed goals and suggested how they could be incorporated into a garden that - pending final approval from the college and outside funding - could be planted as early as next spring, Dresdale said. They will do a site analysis in coming weeks and then develop a final design and long-term maintenance plan, while awaiting word on a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. Permaculture is based on principles that take advantage of nature's ability to restore its systems, Dresdale said. For example, it conserves water by capturing roof runoff and using swales dug into the land's contour, and builds up soil with a lasagna-like layering of compost, cardboard, straw and other materials. Designs that came out of the GCC planning session incorporated blueberry bushes, dwarf cherry trees and perennial flowers that attract pollinators and beneficial insects. The garden would use ground cover as a "living mulch," and nitrogen-fixing plants including clover and members of the pea family instead of chemical fertilizers. There were also provisions for structures for meditation and play, designed to encourage a range of visitors. The year-old UMass permaculture garden near Franklin Dining Commons grows a wide variety of plants on its quarter-acre plot: medicinal and culinary herbs, Asian pears and peaches, vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, and some "fun, unheard-of plants," said Meg Little, a student member of the UMass permaculture committee. Little said the garden maximizes output in a concentrated space by taking advantage of varying plant heights. The UMass garden is one of the nation's first permaculture gardens on a public university campus to also provide food for dining halls. The UMass Amherst Permaculture Initiative, which established the garden and enlisted more than 1,000 campus volunteers and 300 local youths in producing 1,000-plus pounds of produce for UMass kitchens, was honored by President Barack Obama last month as one of five "Campus Champions of Change." GCC Natural Sciences Dean Peter Rosnick, who supports a permaculture garden on the Greenfield campus, said, "Even if it ends up being just a small plot, I think this is just a fabulous learning experience for these folks, and it makes for a learning experience for the next set of students to come along." "At UMass, they took a field and they transformed it into a permaculture-designed foodscape," said GCC student Christopher O'Connell. "The reason they're getting recognition is they did something amazing for their community. Our hope today is that the goals that you offer, the vision that we're sharing here today becomes the energy and foundation for building something so powerful that people come to this campus # and they take that knowledge home with them."]]> Daily Gazette - story by Richie Davis - Photo by Paul Franz On the heels of White House recognition for a permaculture garden at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Greenfield Community College students are proposing a similar garden on their campus. [caption id="attachment_290" align="alignright" width="300" caption="GCC greenhouse technician Tony Reiber, student Christopher O’Connell, instructor Abrah Dresdale and students Krystal Graybeal and Ginevra Bucklin-Lane"][/caption] The 8-acre garden envisioned adjacent to GCC's new 1,000-square-foot zero net energy greenhouse is the brainchild of six students who took a permaculture class through the college's Farm and Food Systems program. Permaculture is a sustainable gardening technique that aims to renew rather than degrade the environment. The proposed garden will serve as a demonstration site for GCC students and also a source of food for the college's dining services. "This is going really well," said adjunct faculty member Abrah Dresdale as she looked out on more than 50 people who attended a recent planning session. Dresdale taught the permaculture course with help from proponents of the technique like Jono Neiger of Conway School of Landscape Design and Daniel Botkin of Laughing Dog Farm in Gill. At the planning session students brainstormed goals and suggested how they could be incorporated into a garden that - pending final approval from the college and outside funding - could be planted as early as next spring, Dresdale said. They will do a site analysis in coming weeks and then develop a final design and long-term maintenance plan, while awaiting word on a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. Permaculture is based on principles that take advantage of nature's ability to restore its systems, Dresdale said. For example, it conserves water by capturing roof runoff and using swales dug into the land's contour, and builds up soil with a lasagna-like layering of compost, cardboard, straw and other materials. Designs that came out of the GCC planning session incorporated blueberry bushes, dwarf cherry trees and perennial flowers that attract pollinators and beneficial insects. The garden would use ground cover as a "living mulch," and nitrogen-fixing plants including clover and members of the pea family instead of chemical fertilizers. There were also provisions for structures for meditation and play, designed to encourage a range of visitors. The year-old UMass permaculture garden near Franklin Dining Commons grows a wide variety of plants on its quarter-acre plot: medicinal and culinary herbs, Asian pears and peaches, vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, and some "fun, unheard-of plants," said Meg Little, a student member of the UMass permaculture committee. Little said the garden maximizes output in a concentrated space by taking advantage of varying plant heights. The UMass garden is one of the nation's first permaculture gardens on a public university campus to also provide food for dining halls. The UMass Amherst Permaculture Initiative, which established the garden and enlisted more than 1,000 campus volunteers and 300 local youths in producing 1,000-plus pounds of produce for UMass kitchens, was honored by President Barack Obama last month as one of five "Campus Champions of Change." GCC Natural Sciences Dean Peter Rosnick, who supports a permaculture garden on the Greenfield campus, said, "Even if it ends up being just a small plot, I think this is just a fabulous learning experience for these folks, and it makes for a learning experience for the next set of students to come along." "At UMass, they took a field and they transformed it into a permaculture-designed foodscape," said GCC student Christopher O'Connell. "The reason they're getting recognition is they did something amazing for their community. Our hope today is that the goals that you offer, the vision that we're sharing here today becomes the energy and foundation for building something so powerful that people come to this campus # and they take that knowledge home with them."]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/04/09/gcc-permaculture-students-in-the-news/feed/ Roots of Peace speaker: Sajed Kamal on Renewable Revolution, April 20th Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:49:31 +0000 Abbie Jenks http://web.gcc.mass.edu/pje/2012/04/01/roots-of-peace-speaker-sajed-kamal-on-renewable-revolution/ Roots of Peace Speaker Series features Sajed Kamal, author of The Renewable Revolution Sajed Kamal will speak, including a powerpoint presentation, on how we can fight climate change, revitalize the economy, prevent energy wars and transition to a sustainable future. Dr. Kamal has been a lecturer and consultant on renewable energy internationally, setting up solar projects in the United States, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Armenia and El Salvador for more than 30 years. He has authored a dozen books and is also an award-winning poet.  The “Greener Issue” of The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine featured him as one of the “six local heroes whose work is having rippling effects–at home and far away–in making the world a better place.” He teaches “Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development” in the Sustainable International Development program at Brandeis University. When:  April 20, 2012 Noon – 1:30 Where:   Sloan Theater Greenfield Community College Sponsored by: Traprock Peace Education Center at GCCCo-sponsors: Green Campus Committee and Renewable Energy Program, Greenfield Community College  ]]> Roots of Peace Speaker Series features Sajed Kamal, author of The Renewable Revolution Sajed Kamal will speak, including a powerpoint presentation, on how we can fight climate change, revitalize the economy, prevent energy wars and transition to a sustainable future. Dr. Kamal has been a lecturer and consultant on renewable energy internationally, setting up solar projects in the United States, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Armenia and El Salvador for more than 30 years. He has authored a dozen books and is also an award-winning poet.  The “Greener Issue” of The Boston Sunday Globe Magazine featured him as one of the “six local heroes whose work is having rippling effects–at home and far away–in making the world a better place.” He teaches “Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development” in the Sustainable International Development program at Brandeis University. When:  April 20, 2012 Noon – 1:30 Where:   Sloan Theater Greenfield Community College Sponsored by: Traprock Peace Education Center at GCCCo-sponsors: Green Campus Committee and Renewable Energy Program, Greenfield Community College  ]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/pje/2012/04/01/roots-of-peace-speaker-sajed-kamal-on-renewable-revolution/feed/ Permaculture blog Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:34:51 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/03/06/permaculture-blog/ http://web.gcc.mass.edu/permacultureblog]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/permacultureblog]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/farmandfoodsystems/2012/03/06/permaculture-blog/feed/ Organic CSA shares available at GCC for spring 2012 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:10:19 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/sustainability/2012/01/12/organic-csa-shares-available-at-gcc-for-spring-2012/ Enterprise Farm (a certified organic farm since the early 1980s) to give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to receive fresh produce throughout the school year! Enterprise Farm is unique because not only do they provide you with yummy food from their soil but they also collaborate with farms throughout the East Coast including Massachusetts, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Why do they choose to regionally source their food? By doing this they are able to support regional farmers while give their customers the most diverse produce during the winter months when most of us have seen one too many turnips! By signing up to this wonderful opportunity, you have the chance to support these farms and conveniently pick up a small, medium, or large box of delicious food at GCC! Pick up time is every Tuesday from 2-4:30pm. Payments are made in one, two, or three payments and will ensure you receive food every week for the entire semester. This program is called a CSA which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Your boxes of produce are called “shares” because when you purchase your season of vegetables/fruits you are now connected to the farms you buy them from. You are essentially a shareholder to the farms you support; being part of a CSA is a learning experience. This means you will be eating with the seasons of local farms during the Spring, Summer, and most of Fall and eating regionally during the winter months. This means you can learn to preserve some of these foods so you have them later on in the year when they are not in season instead of buying them from  across the country or even globe! I know I have a freezer filled with pureed squash and pumpkins waiting for me when I am craving them this spring and summer!  Also, by being so closely link with farms, you will be able to experience their highs and lows of a growing season. This past years, East Coast farms have been devastated by the amount of rain so some produce like onions suffered. To me, being part of a CSA gives me a chance to personally support specific farmers and know that our partnership helps them buy seeds, fix their machinery when needed, higher more workers if needed, and build a greenhouse in order to extend their growing season! YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO SIGN UP! Spring CSA begins January 31st and we would ideally like people to sign up by January 15th. If you are interested please contact: ]]> Enterprise Farm (a certified organic farm since the early 1980s) to give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to receive fresh produce throughout the school year! Enterprise Farm is unique because not only do they provide you with yummy food from their soil but they also collaborate with farms throughout the East Coast including Massachusetts, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Why do they choose to regionally source their food? By doing this they are able to support regional farmers while give their customers the most diverse produce during the winter months when most of us have seen one too many turnips! By signing up to this wonderful opportunity, you have the chance to support these farms and conveniently pick up a small, medium, or large box of delicious food at GCC! Pick up time is every Tuesday from 2-4:30pm. Payments are made in one, two, or three payments and will ensure you receive food every week for the entire semester. This program is called a CSA which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Your boxes of produce are called “shares” because when you purchase your season of vegetables/fruits you are now connected to the farms you buy them from. You are essentially a shareholder to the farms you support; being part of a CSA is a learning experience. This means you will be eating with the seasons of local farms during the Spring, Summer, and most of Fall and eating regionally during the winter months. This means you can learn to preserve some of these foods so you have them later on in the year when they are not in season instead of buying them from  across the country or even globe! I know I have a freezer filled with pureed squash and pumpkins waiting for me when I am craving them this spring and summer!  Also, by being so closely link with farms, you will be able to experience their highs and lows of a growing season. This past years, East Coast farms have been devastated by the amount of rain so some produce like onions suffered. To me, being part of a CSA gives me a chance to personally support specific farmers and know that our partnership helps them buy seeds, fix their machinery when needed, higher more workers if needed, and build a greenhouse in order to extend their growing season! YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO SIGN UP! Spring CSA begins January 31st and we would ideally like people to sign up by January 15th. If you are interested please contact: ]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/sustainability/2012/01/12/organic-csa-shares-available-at-gcc-for-spring-2012/feed/ Check out our sustainability videos Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:02:48 +0000 admin http://web.gcc.mass.edu/renewable-energy/2011/12/19/check-out-our-sustainability-videos/ visit our YouTube channel. [tubepress mode="playlist" playlistValue="DC802B967659A416" orderBy="published"]]]> visit our YouTube channel. [tubepress mode="playlist" playlistValue="DC802B967659A416" orderBy="published"]]]> http://web.gcc.mass.edu/renewable-energy/2011/12/19/check-out-our-sustainability-videos/feed/