For our service learning project we worked on a farm where Greg works regularly in South Hampton New Hampshire, which is right next to Aemesbury MA. This farm consists of gardens, chickens, and Ginny hens. At the farm we cleaned up the broken chicken coop and saved all reusable wood for the new gardens. We fixed the standing chicken coop by stapling chicken wire to the top and sides in order to keep predators out. We also started another tier of the gardens by pulling up the grass and turning over the soil.
We chose to do this service learning project because it directly relates to our topic of food industrialization. Learning about pesticides and hormones used in the food that I buy at the grocery store is alarming and a health risk. Working on a farm where chickens lay eggs and produce is grown fresh allows people to eat less pesticides and hormones. They know where their food comes from and how their animals are treated. Watching the movie Food Inc. I was disgusted with how animals were treated.
Working on the farm for two hours made me realize how time consuming keeping up the facility is. The hen house needs to be cleaned, damage from weather needs to be fixed, and they are constantly adding more gardens. This was a small size farm and I learned a lot of ways to grow produce that I could easily do at home. For example Greg made a small rectangle size garden of lettuce. He bought a $2 bag of lettuce seeds at the store and sprinkled them over the soil. He watered it occasionally and it grew a lot of lettuce, how easy! I also like how the use of land was utilized. The gardens were set in tiers and the grass that we pulled up was then placed to make the wall. I have seen Ginny hens before and love their color feathers.
I figured they were just pets but apparently they eat ticks. Everything on the farm is there for a purpose; the chickens for eggs, Ginny hens to eat the ticks, and barn cats to keep mice away. They are even thinking about purchasing goats to eat the poison ivy. We not only helped out the family that owns it but they gave me great ideas to share with family and friends. Learning about pesticides and hormones used in foods that I eat was scary but learning about ways to cut down on the amount I eat is the most important aspect of this service learning project.
The following are websites I found about do it yourself gardening:
The following is a website of the 7 foods wont eat:
http://wakeup-world.com/2011/10/06/7-foods-experts-wont-eat/
Greg: For our service learning project we worked on the the Wild Artichoke Farm where I am the farm hand. There have been a lot of storms lately and there has been some damage to some things on the farms. The chicken yard house has been slowly breaking apart. We reused some wood from an old chicken yard we took down to help brace the broken 2" by 4"'s. It was nice that we were able to get that done, since it probably would have fell this winter. After we fixed the chicken yard we continued to work on the terrace gardens I've been building throughout the summer. It is pretty cool there are now five beds built in terraces that overall spans around 50 feet.
It was really amazing to have help on some of these projects. Usually it if just me working on the farm on many projects. So what we got done in just a few hours would have taken me probably around a weekend. It is also is always a big help to John and Lucy who own the property. They used to have 30 sheep and she would shear the sheep to make all her textiles projects. This is a side note but Lucy has made some of the best textiles I have ever seen. She has a unique personal style that combines a lot of elements of textiles from Ghana. They were getting too busy to keep all the sheep and that gave away the final six sheep last year. I began working there to help on the property in exchange for a place to live once I build some sort of temporary house. It has been a healing process for all of us, and I was very grateful for the extra help.
One thing I can say is that gardening is truly life changing for those who have an interest in it. I would work long days just molding and shaping the land and playing with baby chicks. When I would get hungry I would go over to the cherry and the peach trees, the elderberry bushes, and make salads from my garden. There is something magical about eating fresh food right of tree or bush. Its hard to explain, but I know it has changed my life. While working in a garden you notice a lot more around you, and you would be surprised about how much life is always around us that we just do not notice. I never gardened before this summer and there is the taboo that it is a lot of work, but I can say from someone who just started doing it that you really pretty much throw seeds and the ground and water the garden a few times a week. I strongly suggest anyone who has an interest in gardening to just get out and do it. For our presentations we will present some alternatives for people like small shading yards surrounded by houses like my backyard.
I feel that the current system is truly wacky whether it be the agriculture system to the building and clothing industry. As people we often feel weak and powerless against these major companies and organizations. The thing that we all often overlook is that we are the people paying them when we buy things. I do not think that politicians are for the first time in human history going to get hit with the need to be ethical, and change some of these systems. So it is up to us to change the way we live so that the people who want to make money on us will follow. I know a lot of people do not want to pay or cant pay for local organic foods or clothing made from organic materials. I also know that a lot of people do spend money of cigarettes, alcohol, going out to bars, or going out to eat. Those are all expensive habits or activities that could be lessened. Eating good food is much bigger than just becoming healthier. The current system is hurting this world and degrading the land. People often forget that we are privileged guests on this Earth. We only exist because there is a certain combination of trees, plants, and other animals that allowed humans to evolve. If we kill of those plants, trees, and other animals then we will kill ourselves. That is why I find gardening so important not only does it save you money and allow you to have fresh organic food, but you are also giving less money to the people who are not looking out for our best interest. Since they are not going to switch over to organic and more sustainable practices le anytime soon we need to and show them how we can better life for all people.
I would have my students have some form of service learning project. Obviously what I would have them do would change a lot depending on what grade I end up teaching. I feel a lot of people know somethings about what is happening in this world, but we are often disconnected from that issue. Once you begin to learn more about a problem you gain a personal connection to that issue. As teachers when we know what a student is passionate about whether it be an animal or a sport we can explain issues they may be having with new material in relation to their passion. Also the issues we are starting to face around the world are getting much bigger, and the students we teach will be facing those issues as they get older. We as teachers need to learn more about such issues so we can teach them to students in ways they will understand, so they will be able to face these issues in their lifetime with a deeper understanding.
http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/index/
Greg: For our service learning project we worked on the the Wild Artichoke Farm where I am the farm hand. There have been a lot of storms lately and there has been some damage to some things on the farms. The chicken yard house has been slowly breaking apart. We reused some wood from an old chicken yard we took down to help brace the broken 2" by 4"'s. It was nice that we were able to get that done, since it probably would have fell this winter. After we fixed the chicken yard we continued to work on the terrace gardens I've been building throughout the summer. It is pretty cool there are now five beds built in terraces that overall spans around 50 feet.
It was really amazing to have help on some of these projects. Usually it if just me working on the farm on many projects. So what we got done in just a few hours would have taken me probably around a weekend. It is also is always a big help to John and Lucy who own the property. They used to have 30 sheep and she would shear the sheep to make all her textiles projects. This is a side note but Lucy has made some of the best textiles I have ever seen. She has a unique personal style that combines a lot of elements of textiles from Ghana. They were getting too busy to keep all the sheep and that gave away the final six sheep last year. I began working there to help on the property in exchange for a place to live once I build some sort of temporary house. It has been a healing process for all of us, and I was very grateful for the extra help.
One thing I can say is that gardening is truly life changing for those who have an interest in it. I would work long days just molding and shaping the land and playing with baby chicks. When I would get hungry I would go over to the cherry and the peach trees, the elderberry bushes, and make salads from my garden. There is something magical about eating fresh food right of tree or bush. Its hard to explain, but I know it has changed my life. While working in a garden you notice a lot more around you, and you would be surprised about how much life is always around us that we just do not notice. I never gardened before this summer and there is the taboo that it is a lot of work, but I can say from someone who just started doing it that you really pretty much throw seeds and the ground and water the garden a few times a week. I strongly suggest anyone who has an interest in gardening to just get out and do it. For our presentations we will present some alternatives for people like small shading yards surrounded by houses like my backyard.
I feel that the current system is truly wacky whether it be the agriculture system to the building and clothing industry. As people we often feel weak and powerless against these major companies and organizations. The thing that we all often overlook is that we are the people paying them when we buy things. I do not think that politicians are for the first time in human history going to get hit with the need to be ethical, and change some of these systems. So it is up to us to change the way we live so that the people who want to make money on us will follow. I know a lot of people do not want to pay or cant pay for local organic foods or clothing made from organic materials. I also know that a lot of people do spend money of cigarettes, alcohol, going out to bars, or going out to eat. Those are all expensive habits or activities that could be lessened. Eating good food is much bigger than just becoming healthier. The current system is hurting this world and degrading the land. People often forget that we are privileged guests on this Earth. We only exist because there is a certain combination of trees, plants, and other animals that allowed humans to evolve. If we kill of those plants, trees, and other animals then we will kill ourselves. That is why I find gardening so important not only does it save you money and allow you to have fresh organic food, but you are also giving less money to the people who are not looking out for our best interest. Since they are not going to switch over to organic and more sustainable practices le anytime soon we need to and show them how we can better life for all people.
I would have my students have some form of service learning project. Obviously what I would have them do would change a lot depending on what grade I end up teaching. I feel a lot of people know somethings about what is happening in this world, but we are often disconnected from that issue. Once you begin to learn more about a problem you gain a personal connection to that issue. As teachers when we know what a student is passionate about whether it be an animal or a sport we can explain issues they may be having with new material in relation to their passion. Also the issues we are starting to face around the world are getting much bigger, and the students we teach will be facing those issues as they get older. We as teachers need to learn more about such issues so we can teach them to students in ways they will understand, so they will be able to face these issues in their lifetime with a deeper understanding.
http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/index/
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