Monday Mailing
Year 19 • Issue 24 11 March 2013 1. Major Grocer to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content 2. Claiming Space 3. City of Pendleton Enlists Portland Developer to Help Tackle Apartment Shortage 4. InFARMation (and Beer!) 5. Visualizing a Walkable City 6. Portland Retailers Swoop into Storefronts along Bikeways 7. Eugene Skate Park Construction Ready to Roll this Summer 8. The Four Steps Required to Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Garden 9. The Pollination Project 10. Vandana Shiva on Bowman v. Monsanto: This Case Is About Every Farmer, Person and Seed in the World 11. Funding Opportunities 1. Major Grocer to Label Foods With Gene-Modified Content Whole Foods Market, the grocery chain, on Friday became the first retailer in the United States to require labeling of all genetically modified foods sold in its stores, a move that some experts said could radically alter the food industry. A. C. Gallo, president of Whole Foods, said the new labeling requirement, to be in place within five years, came in response to consumer demand. “We’ve seen how our customers have responded to the products we do have labeled,” Mr. Gallo said. “Some of our manufacturers say they’ve seen a 15 percent increase in sales of products they have labeled.” Quote of the Week: “To do good you actually have to do something.” ~ Unknown Oregon Fast Fact #14: There are nine lighthouses standing along the coastline. Five are still being used; the others are designated historic monuments.
Genetically modified ingredients are deeply embedded in the global food supply, having proliferated since the 1990s. Most of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States, for example, have been genetically modified. The alterations make soybeans resistant to a herbicide used in weed control, and causes the corn to produce its own insecticide. Efforts are under way to produce a genetically altered apple that will spoil less quickly, as well as genetically altered salmon that will grow faster. The announcement ricocheted around the food industry and excited proponents of labeling. “Fantastic,” said Mark Kastel, co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, an organic advocacy group that favors labeling. To access the full story, click here. 2. Claiming Space Philadelphia has more public art than any other American city, so it’s no surprise that art is among the city’s most potent community development tools. Groups across the city are increasingly using art to create and animate neighborhood spaces that reflect shared community values, aspirations, and identity. And, in many cases, art can be a lasting community organizing tool. Philly has a robust public art landscape for variety of reasons. The city is perhaps best known for its venerable Mural Arts Program, which since 1984 has developed thousands of murals in partnership with communities Page 1 of 6
across the city. Philadelphia is also home to the nation’s first private, nonprofit public art association, the Association for Public Art, still active at 140 years old. In 1959 the city also established the first Percent for Art program in the country, requiring that any city-funded construction project allocate at least 1 percent of its total budget to the creation of site-specific artwork. To access the full story, click here. 3. City of Pendleton Enlists Portland Developer to Help Tackle Apartment Shortage Hoping to solve an apartment shortage, the city of Pendleton has given a Portland developer roughly 12 acres of land to build what is expected to become an 80-unit development. The East Oregonian newspaper reports that Walker Ventures LLC plans to build off Highway 37, on the site of a rifle range used by city police. The City Council on Tuesday also agreed to spend $49,000 for engineering and architectural planning. Walker Ventures will repay the money if it follows through on its plan. If it doesn't, the city will use the information to attract another builder. The newspaper reports that the council unanimously approved the deal, but some councilors questioned the developer's plan to build expensive housing. Walker Ventures plans to charge $800-$1,200 a month for the apartments. -- The Associated Press 4. InFARMation (and Beer!) At the Holocene in Portland on March 12th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm Join us as we take a look at the history of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in farm direct marketing with the most recent addition of SNAP CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture). Now farmers can directly capture federal nutrition program dollars but there are some challenges. Come hear how CSA farmers are navigating the process of accepting SNAP dollars so they can help make good food accessible to Oregonians of all incomes. We'll talk specifically about matching funds for SNAP tokens at farmers markets and the trailblazing work Zenger Farm is doing to help CSA farmers accept SNAP dollars. Our panelists for this topic are Suzanne Briggs, Co-founder of the Hollywood Farmers Market and national consultant: who will provide us with an overview of the SNAP program and its evolution, Bryan Allan, Assistant Farm Manager at Zenger Farm; who lead the 2 year SNAP CSA pilot project, and Jennifer Dynes and her Daugther, Annie; will bring the 'eaters' perspective as SNAP CSA members who highly value purchasing directly from their farmers. Bryan will also be hosting a Webinar on March 21st at 11am entitled: CSA Farmer's Guide to Accepting SNAP/EBT Payments. Register here>> Join the conversation; Bring your friends and family! InFARMation is free and all-ages. It happens at
Holocene (1001 SE Morrison Street) in Portland every 2nd Tuesday of the month.
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5. Visualizing a Walkable City The city of Pontevedra in northwest Spain has become a leader in walker-friendly urban policy over the past 15 years. In light of its relative anonymity and population of 83,000, one might find it difficult to imagine the traffic congestion that prompted this transformation. However, as the capital of its province, county and municipality, Pontevedra attracted enough automobile commuters each day to overwhelm its antiquated streets. Instead of razing old buildings and constructing bigger roads, the city council began taking proactive measures to reduce traffic. They widened sidewalks, established a free bike-lending service, installed speed bumps and set a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour throughout the city. They even banned motorized transport in sections of Pontevedra. Walking zones now extend from the historic center to streets and squares in newer neighborhoods. Although the driving ban initially faced resistance, it is now broadly supported and has become an essential part of the city's identity as an attractive place to live. To access the full story, click here. 6. Portland Retailers Swoop into Storefronts along Bikeways Urban commercial real estate has always been a rough-and-tumble scrum, and now Amazon.com has torn up the playbook. Across the country, many brick-and-mortar retailers are in big trouble. But there's an opening in this bad news that you can ride a bike through. Bikes, it turns out, seem to be a perfect way to get people to the few retail categories that are thriving in the age of mail-order everything: bars, restaurants and personal services. And in Portland, where an early investment in basic bikeways has made bikes a popular way to run errands, retailers are responding by snapping up strorefronts with good bike exposure. "All the bike traffic is part of the reason I chose the place, and I am definitely paying a premium for this spot," said Shana Lane-Block, whose 30-seat farm-to-table cafe and bakery Compote opened in 2011 on Portland's Clinton Street bike boulevard. "In the nice weather, it is astonishing to me how many bicycles go by." To access the full story, click here. 7. Eugene Skate Park Construction Ready to Roll this Summer After years of delay, Eugene expects to build its estimated $2 million skate park by late fall. The city will build the skate park under the Washington--Jefferson Bridge during the summer and complete it possibly by late November, said Emily Proudfoot, a city landscape architect. The half-acre venue will be the nation’s largest covered and illuminated skate park, she said. A dream of supporters since 2004, the skate park is envisioned as a world-class site to provide recreation for local residents, as well as to draw skateboarders and inline skaters from around the region and West Coast. Supporters see the park as a way to transform Washington--Jefferson Park — a popular hangout for transients — into a more family friendly area.
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“It’s a beautiful park,” Proudfoot said. “But we have a lot of social issues that are making themselves visible at the park, and they have for a long time. This project has enormous potential for improving the vitality of the area.” The city plans to build the skate park even as it warns of cutting library, recreation and other services if voters in May reject a proposed household and business fee to raise an additional $5.3 million annually for city government operations. The potential cuts include closing the Sheldon Pool and the Bethel and Sheldon branch libraries, shutting the downtown library one day a week, and reducing social services. To access the full story, click here. 8. The Four Steps Required to Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Garden Seed catalogs are starting to arrive in mailboxes across the Northern Hemisphere with home gardeners everywhere starting to plan which seeds they will sow in their spring gardens. A positive trend in recent years is the growing number of gardening enthusiasts choosing to plant gardens using organic and/or heirloom seeds. What most of these home gardeners don’t realize is that corporate behemoth and GMO titan Monsanto has been gobbling up the seed market faster than a caterpillar can munch a tomato plant! With one fell swoop in 2005, Monsanto grabbed approximately 40% of the US vegetable seed market with its acquisition of Seminis. This means that a home gardener could unknowingly be supporting the development and proliferation of genetically modified crops if the seeds used are from Seminis. In addition, Monsanto now apparently owns many of the names of the seed varieties themselves! Planting a sustainable home garden is much more than just choosing certified organic seeds and seedlings because Monsanto has cleverly positioned itself to make money off the home gardening trend. Does this mean that even if you buy organic or heirloom seeds from a completely independent company some of your purchase might be supporting the bad guys? To access the full story, click here. 9. The Pollination Project The Pollination Project believes in the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We make grants to individual change-makers with an idea and a plan to make their community and their world a better place. We give $1,000 seed grants to individual change makers, every day, 365 days a year. We fund in a wide range of issue areas including environment, justice, community health and wellness, and arts and culture. We place special emphasis on projects that are designed to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, socially just, spiritually fulfilling human presence on the planet. For more information, click here.
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10. Vandana Shiva on Bowman v. Monsanto: This Case Is About Every Farmer, Person and Seed in the World Watch the entire interview with Vandana Shiva on Democracy Now! at http://bit.ly/Z5y8Zh. Indian scientist and environmentalist Vandana Shiva addresses the recent U.S. Supreme Court case pitting an Indiana farmer against Monsanto, the world's largest seed company. The soybean farmer bought and planted a mix of unmarked grain typically used for animal feed, and the plants that grew contained the popular herbicide-resistant genetic trait known as Roundup Ready, which Monsanto guards closely with patents. Monsanto accused Bowman of using their technology without paying for it. Shiva has long been critical of Monsanto and the movement to genetically engineer and patent seeds. She points to how these changes have impacted India's farming community. Democracy Now!, is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,100+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. 11. Funding Opportunities THE HOME DEPOT COMMUNITY IMPACTS GRANT PROGRAM is offering grants to nonprofit organizations, public schools and public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their communities. Priority is given to projects for veterans that include housing repairs, modifications and weatherization work. Grants of up to $5,000 are made in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials or services. Applications will be accepted from 2/1/13 through 8/13/13. Visit the Home Depot website here<http://rurallisc.cmail2.com/t/r-l-uupad-jrdkjkiilu-d/> to submit an online application. METLIFE FOUNDATION AND THE LOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION (LISC) are partnering to recognize, sustain and share the work of innovative partnerships between community groups and police to promote neighborhood safety and revitalization. Through this awards program, MetLife Foundation and LISC will identify and honor partnerships that exhibit tangible accomplishments in their efforts to advance the process, outcome and/or evaluation of potent police-community collaborations. Eligible applicants must be member organizations of partnerships that include, but need not be limited to, community organizations and police. Deadline: 3/17/2013. Click here<http://rurallisc.cmail2.com/t/r-l-uupad-jrdkjkiilu-h/> for an application. THE eWOMENNETWORK FOUNDATION is accepting grant proposals from nonprofit organizations working to improve the emotional and financial well-being of women and children. The foundation awards individual grants of $6,000 to small entrepreneurial organizations working to address the health, wellness and/or safety of underprivileged women and/or children. Eligible organizations must have been in existence for more than three years and have an annual budget between $25,000 and $1 million. Deadline: 3/31/2013. Click here<http://rurallisc.cmail2.com/t/r-luupad-jrdkjkiilu-p/> to visit the website and get an application. LAND O'LAKES FOUNDATION is accepting applications for projects that benefit rural communities. Grants will be awarded to organizations working to address hunger, youth education, and arts and culture in rural communities. Deadlines for 2013: 4/1, 7/1 and 10/1. For more information and an application, click here<http://rurallisc.cmail2.com/t/r-l-uupad-jrdkjkiilu-x/>. THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR is offering grants through the The National Farmworker Jobs Program that provide support for training, employment services, and related assistance to increase economic opportunities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents. Deadline: 4/2/2013. Click here<http://rurallisc.cmail2.com/t/r-l-uupad-jrdkjkiilu-m/> to apply. Page 5 of 6
THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES Health Resources and Services Administration is offering grants to rural nonprofit and public agencies to support formal rural health networks that focus on activities relating to the recruitment, education, training and retention of Heathcare Information Technology specialists. Deadline: 4/15/2013. For guidelines and an application, click here<http://rurallisc.cmail2.com/t/r-l-uupad-jrdkjkiilu-c/>. THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE is accepting proposals for the Farm to School program. This year, three different kinds of grants will be available. Planning grants are intended for schools just getting started on farm to school activities, while implementation grants are available for schools seeking to augment or expand existing efforts. Additionally, eligible nonprofit entities, Indian tribal organizations, state and local agencies, and agriculture producers or groups of producers may apply for support service grants to conduct trainings, create complementary curriculum or further develop supply chains, among other activities. Deadline: 4/24/2013. A series of webinars is planned to guide applications. Click here<http://rurallisc.cmail2.com/t/r-l-uupad-jrdkjkiilu-a/> for more information.
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