"EAT MY YARD!"

We learned about permaculture from Farmer Greg while sampling organic fruits, veggies, and herbs from his yard, otherwise known as the Urban Farm. YUM! Greg showed us his new outdoor kitchen and plans for an outdoor shower, both designed to facilitate the flow of gray water into the gardens. Animals are a vital part of growing food at the Urban Farm also. Earthworms create rich compost while reducing the amount of waste that would otherwise go to the landfill. Chickens provide eggs as well as fertilizer for the gardens. Our group ordered three fruit trees to plant in January at Save the Family, Child Crisis Center, and Paz de Cristo.

MESQUITE COOKIES, ANYONE?

Together with the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, the Phoenix Slow Food Group, and the Urban Farm, we hosted a nonprofit educational table at the Ahwatukee Farmers’ Market during the annual mesquite bean milling. People had the opportunity to bring mesquite beans collected during the summer months to be ground into flour by volunteers from the Phoenix Permaculture Guild. Our group baked mesquite cookies in a solar cooker and gave them away while speaking with shoppers about Roots & Shoots and about solar cooking. We gave out the recipes on quarter sized sheets of paper that included the http://www.rootsandshoots.org/ website. A newspaper article the day before this event helped publicize our presence there.

PERMACULTURE DAN'S "GARDEN OF EATIN'"

In response to a publicized controversy about a member of the permaculture community whose neighbors were upset with him for growing vegetables in his front yard, our group organized a tour at Permaculture Dan’s “Garden of Eatin’” and contacted the press for coverage. A couple of our R&S families had visited Dan’s home in the past, and found his approach to gardening to be a valuable means of caring for the environment, animals, and the human community. As the children learned about a permaculture approach to gardening, water conservation, natural fertilizers and pest control, deforestation, and hunger issues, reporters took notes and photos. One story appeared in the Arizona Republic, with many great quotes from one of our young R&S members.