Kingston’s Role in a Global Movement

One of the sessions last night. Photo by Norman Stockwell of WORT radio.

By Arthur Zaczkiewicz

The convergence of activists working for human rights, health care reform, climate change, and social justice, among others is happening right now in Detroit, Mich. Over 20,000 people have flocked to the Motor City this week for the US Social Forum to exchange ideas, participate in people’s movement assemblies (PMAs) and attend (and present) 1,000s of workshops with topics ranging from grassroots networking to change immigration law to learning how to mobilize citizens for better access to public funds.

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South Pine Street Garden Makes First Food Donation to Queens Galley

Farmer Frank and Rebecca Martin making a delivery of turnip greens to the Queens Galley from the South Pine Street Garden. Photo credit: Kevin McEvoy

The South Pine Street Childrens/Community Garden off of Greenkill Avenue in Ward 5 made a large food donation of Turnip Greens to Queens Galley.

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Garden Volunteers: We Need You

By Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Earlier this month I attended a conference in North Carolina relating to the national effort behind the local “Healthy Kingston for Kids” project, which aims to reverse childhood obesity through environmental and policy change. It was a “mind-opening” experience to meet others working on the same issues from places such as Buffalo, Oakland and Chicago.

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Feeding the Community

Our friends Kevin and Barbara are just back from a trip to New Orleans, and shared this site with us that was of note.

The Hollygrove Growers Market & Farm is a ” storefront retail center in Hollygrove offering locally-grown, affordable fresh produce as well as ‘green jobs’ certification programs in urban agriculture” — a program born out of the need to redevelop New Orleans, post-Katrina.

What’s interesting is that this is the sort of project that can work in an urban setting such as Kingston. The bottom line is about getting healthy food to people.

For our part, Rebecca Martin’s work with Victory Gardens and Jennifer McKinley’s work at the Kingston Food & Gardens buying club have the same aim. It’s nice to see that Kingston is trend right on important issues.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz