Media Coverage of Long Beach Organic,

[Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

hi everyone
        Just finished the email monthly newsletter for March but thought it
was
so important to list this page from Long Beach Organics to inspire from their
efforts . thank you
ps just listed their webpage in the March email News and took a look at it 
                                        Wes

http://longbeachorganic.org/articles.htm
Articles and Media Coverage of Long Beach Organic 

 

Project GROW Takes Root

     Long Beach Organic is proud to announce the start of Project GROW, a 21
month, $18,000 pilot project in partnership with Interval House, a local
battered womens’ shelter program. Funded by the California Department of
Health
Services, Project GROW aims to establish a model program for statewide women’s
shelters that will provide healthy food, horticultural therapy, gardening
skills, nutrition education and job skills. Ten proposals from throughout the
state were accepted by the DHS for funding.

     LBO’s Executive Director Paul Racko was responsible for redesigning the
front yard of Interval House’s shelter into a lush, green food forest which
includes nine different types of citrus, several species of temperate and
subtropical fruit trees & vines, an herb spiral, a large flower bed, and 336
square-feet of vegetable garden beds that altogether, will provide over 50
varieties of edible fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

     The aim of the design was to make maximum use of the unused areas of the
facility. The large, grassy front lawn was rarely used by the shelter’s
residents and required lots of water and energy to maintain, so raised beds
were installed to provide an area for vegetables. Special containers called
Earth Boxes were placed along the concrete area at the side of the house to
provide additional food growing space. Since security for the shelter’s
residents is an important issue, a variety of fruiting trees and shrubs were
planted along the outside perimeter of the yard that will be espaliered into a
single hedge that will provide fruit year ‘round. Trellissed Kiwi and Passion
Fruit vines will occupy vertical space and shade the house from the heat of
the
afternoon sun. All the garden installation work was done by master landscaper
Masa Kawamura and his talented crew, along with volunteers, staff, and
residents of Interval House.

     In addition to the garden, LBO will be providing over thirty gardening
workshops along with volunteers from the U.C. Cooperative Extension’s Master
Gardener Program. Workshops in composting, organic pest management, plant
propagation, garden ecology, fertilization, pruning, crop rotation, flower
gardening, herb growing, companion planting, harvesting, and trellising will
give shelter residents the information they need to start successful garden
projects of their own after they leave the program. Food that is not grown on
site will be augmented by shopping trips to local Farmer’s Markets and
gleaning
events at Masa Kawamura’s ranch in Escondido.

     LBO board member Paul Levitt will host twelve cooking workshops that will
turn the produce gathered and grown on-site into healthy, delicious meals. And
Helen Wong, a local nutritionist, will work with Paul in creating an
ethnically
diverse, seasonal menu that will ultimately result in a cookbook that Interval
House can proudly call its own.

     Interval House’s Executive Director Carol Williams has even enlisted the
help of several friends who are world-renowned chefs. Michel Stroot, executive
chef at the world-famous Golden Door health spa in San Diego County, and
Christian Rassinoux, executive chef for the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel,
will
add their experience and special touch to the recipes that are created.

     For many years now, Long Beach Organic has advocated the myriad benefits
that are associated with gardening and urban greening projects. We are
grateful
that the State of California, and the Department of Health Services in
particular, are recognizing this by providing funding for such efforts.

June, 1999

 
GANG MEMBERS DIG NEW LIFESTYLE
by Nancy Hsu, staff writer Press Telegram

LONG BEACH-George Amador has turned over a new leaf-literally. Amador, 17,
is a
member of a San Pedro gang. When he was younger, he robbed people at gun
point.
Today he volunteers eight hours a week to cultivate an organic garden in
downtown.

"Volunteering has really changed my attitude toward the community," said
Amador, leaning against a parked car at First Street and Elm Avenue while
watching employees of The Body Shop work on the garden there. "I guess I've
just grown up. Instead of destroying it, I make it pretty. It keeps me out of
trouble."

Keeping young people out of trouble while instilling them with a sense of
community is just what Anita Roddick aims to do. The owner of The Body Shop, a
chain of more than 1,200 skin and hair care product stores worldwide, made her
statement Monday during a media event at the garden. While the chain's
employees trim trees, lay mulch and fix teetering fences, they interact with
the community. The young adults work, talk, counsel, and make friends with
gang
members, such as Amador, who have taken steps to improve their lives by doing
something positive.

  
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
Press Telegram/ Louis Monteagudo (staff writer)

The family involvement is a big necessity to Long Beach Organic. The families
involved in the Southeast Asian Health Project is the main family oriented
contributor to the organization. The families pay a fee of five dollars to
"rent" a particular plot of land, and from there they are required to maintain
and organize the small plots of land. Long Beach Organic would like other
families to get involved in starting and maintain gardens in their own
communities. Children from the Mentoring, Education, Gardening, and Athletics
(MEGA) also have a chance to contribute to their neighborhoods and families by
helping to maintain the gardens. The garden provides a haven for families to
put aside differences and focus on the goal of the beautification of their
community.

  
GROWING AS A COMMUNITY
Press Telegram/Hillary Sloss

A community garden of 35 plots for 35 families in Signal Hill at Patterson and
Olive Avenue were in construction on November of 1996*. An acre of land was
donated to the Southeast Asian Health Project by Long Beach Organic. At right,
Charles Moore of LBO moves dirt that has been treated with more than 100 tons
of tree clippings and leaves that have composted for a year. The project was
designated to get Southeast Asian families out of their apartments and to
interact as a community and plant vegetables.

*As of November 1997, the number of families has increased to over 50.

  

LONG BEACH ORGANIC GOES TO THE TOP AT CITY HALL 
LBO Newsletter

The 14th floor of City Hall was the scene of a meeting, on April 1995, with
Vice-Mayor Drummond, who initiated and included Teacher and LBO Member Yolanda
Weiss, Long Beach Director, Glenn Goddard and Arturo Reilly, Civilian
Conservation Corps of Long Beach Project Cleanup Crew. The subject of the
meeting was the vacant property located east of Bellflower between Loynes and
Colorado. The meeting yielded positive results and plans are being made to
start with a City owned strip along Bellflower at the eastern edge of the
property. City claimed water is nearby and should not be a problem. Vice Mayor
Drummond, also suggested that we look into a cooperative effort with the other
groups present to reinforce and landscape the bluffs along Ocean Avenue, a
large endeavor with plenty of work to go around. Funding sources for this
project were tentatively identified. We look forward to continue cooperation
with all those who participated in the hour long meeting. 

Long Beach Organic is a non-profit organization that relies on funds raised by
membership dues, foundation grants, special projects and other funding
sources.
The organization hosts small community parties to help raise money, in
addition
to movie nights and special presentations given by speakers from various parts
of the country. October 18, 1998's second annual Coast & Ocean Connection
Celebration was the biggest fund-raising event that Long Beach Organic has
held
in its history. This event was co-sponsored with the Algalita Marine Research
Foundation, and was held at Long Beach's new Aquarium of the Pacific. Although
not all fund-raising efforts are on this grand scale, they all have the same
purpose of reaching the community and maintaining the financial stability of
Long Beach Organic. Long Beach Organic is always in need of donations, if you
are interested please call (562)438-9000 for more information. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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