U.S. Social Forum 2010

We just returned from the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, Michigan. Driving into the city felt like driving into the aftermath of war--a war starting in the 1960s, waged against the working class people of Detroit. Abandoned buildings (and sometimes entire blocks) with most, if not all of the windows broken out. Graffiti. Vacant lots by the dozens. Home after home collapsing after foreclosure and neglect took over. And peppered throughout this devastation: the shiny GM tower, three monstrous new casino-hotels, and several luxury condos.

Bountiful Cities made this trip to learn how the people of Detroit are taking back the land, making it a mecca of urban agriculture. What we really learned about is the beauty, resiliency, determination, and creativity of the people. Public transportation was inconsistent and we didn't have bikes, so our feet were in the street for much of our stay. We wondered through neighborhoods and down streets that sometimes seemed endless (Detroit is a big city!) and were always greeted with a smile and a blessing by the people we met. Here in the South, we take a smug pride in our "friendliness", but we don't hold a candle to the genuine heartfelt kindness and love that the people in the streets of Detroit had to share.

We met members of the Detroit Black Food Security Network who run the D-Town farm and work hard to educate about and promote urban agriculture as a sustainable answer to our food security issues. We stumbled across several community gardens tucked into vacant lots. We visited Tyree Guyton, founder of the Heidelberg Project, a visionary art installation project in a neighborhood long affected by the corporate oppression we continue to see in Detroit today. We listened to revolutionary leaders, both elders and youth, who are changing the face of Detroit and putting the power in the hands of the people. Grace Lee Boggs age 95, a woman active in shaping the change we see happening today, spoke at the forum and continues to be clear that connecting with each other and working together is the way forward. We listened with our whole selves.

At Bountiful Cities, our focus is urban agriculture and food security (issues inextricably connected to justice of all stripes), so we commit to taking what we learned in Detroit and acting on it here. We're not the only folks in the Asheville area working on this topic--we have kindred spirits in the form of individuals and organizations working hard to do their part. We're interested in creating our own urban food security network--creating the space for us all (whether we represent an organized group or are simply interested in the topic) to come together and take action steps to make our community food secure--especially for those among us who are most vulnerable.

Another world is possible. Another U.S. is necessary. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

Please join us for the 8th Annual Birdhouse Auction on May 15th

BCP In the News

Article on the edible park:
http://www.mountainx.com/news/2010/033110buzz1

Call for Submissions! BCPs 8th Annual Birdhouse Auction!

The Bountiful Cities project is now accepting donations of handcrafted birdhouses, bat houses, birdbaths, and yard art for its 8th annual birdhouse auction! Deadline for submission is May 1st. This year’s auction will be held on May 15th at 307 Flash Studios (behind the Rocket Club in East-West Asheville) and will be emceed by Jen Lauzon of LaZoom Tours! Submissions can be dropped off at Short Street Cakes, 225 Haywood Rd. in West Asheville; or at Honeypot at 85 N. Lexington Ave Downtown. Artists most fill out submission form at drop off location. Submissions will be displayed and juried: prizes will be awarded for the top 3 birdhouses. For specs on creating birdhouses for specific species of birds, go here.
The mission of the Bountiful Cities Project is to create, on urban land, beautiful community spaces which provide food in abundance and foster a learning environment for social justice and sustainability. Ashevillebcp@gmail.com 828.257.4000 www.bountfulcitiesproject.org

The Core Values of the Bountiful Cities Project

As a member of the Board of Directors of the Bountiful Cities Project (and having been active in this organization for 9 years), I spent time last week with the rest of the board and staff to develop our organization; as a part of our ongoing strategic planning process, we identified four core values that guide our work as an organization. These values were inspiring to me, and I wanted to share them with you. This is the work of BCP- to work with communities in Asheville to enliven community self-reliance through urban agriculture.

Our work is guided by commitments to four key values of Community, Social Justice, Education, and Sustainability. I believe that challenging our assumptions about what these words mean, and working to live in integrity with these goals, just might be what brings about the much-needed healing that is possible in our communities and society.

Community
Healthy communities consist of: shared and diverse cultures, cooperation, safety, support, health, respect, trust, self-reliance, and love; within and among individuals, families, and groups. Bountiful Cities is committed to fostering healthy human relationships by nurturing these community values.


Social Justice
Bountiful Cities is committed to ending oppression based on race, class, gender, culture, age, religion, and sexuality and to creating social justice by honoring and practicing cooperation and mutual respect.

Education
Education is a lifelong process involving the shared exchange of knowledge and experience. Bountiful Cities is committed to supporting this shared exchange by role modeling, and by providing inspiring events, programming, and experiential education.

Sustainability
Sustainability is the equal balance between environmental health, social equity, and economic viability. Bountiful Cities is committed to sustainability through integrated food systems, food security, food production and job creation.



Happy New Year, Y'all.
xo
Jodi

2nd Annual Food Security Forum December 5th!

Urban Harvest Dinner was a beautiful success!

Last Friday's Urban Harvest Dinner benefit for the Bountiful Cities Project was nothing short of magical. I want to share with you some images (by Naomi Johnson Photography) of the evening, and some information about the generous and amazing donors who made the benefit a success. I am always amazed at small businesses in Asheville, and the readiness to pitch in that so many business owners show. Please support these businesses who support your community! The Bountiful Cities Project is growing in new and exciting directions, and the Urban Harvest Dinner served to bring a wider group of supporters to the table, as well as helping us to envision the continued use of the Pearson garden for community celebrations in the future.

The most beautiful outhouse in Buncombe County; Pearson Garden's handbuilt cob composting toilet with living roof:


Hearth-keeper/baker-lady extraordinaire Tara Jensen baked focaccia on the Pearson Garden's community wood-fired cob oven. The DELICIOUS dough was given to us by Farm and Sparrow! Thanks Tara! Thanks, Dave!

And I cannot emphasize enough how impressive the work of the chefs was.
This is Chef Mauricio and Chef Vinnie of Artisan Catering:

And this is the meal that they prepared: spinach salad, beet salad, parsnip-carrot puree, mashed potatoes, smoked trout corn cakes and sun-dried tomato salsa, and Le Chon with red onions.

And this is Chef Andrew of Chef in Motion, showing off their offerings, which consisted of a mixed greens salad with roasted beets, candied walnut goat cheese crest, smoked bacon and stone ground mustard vinegarette; apple encrusted NC trout with romesco sauce; stuffed pork loin with sausage and mushroom ragout roulade over adobo sauce; and tomatillo lime roasted potatoes (grown on-site at the Pearson garden!)

There are so many others to thank.
Shay Brown, of Shay Brown Events and Palettes of Perfection, worked her magic to bring together vendors, decorations, and all the little details that can be overlooked, but make all the difference.

Pisgah Brewing donated the beer!
The Wine Guy gave us a discount on the wine!
Mountain Foods and the Fresh Quarter donated the produce that was not grown in the gardens. (let me just stop here and thank Ron, owner of these two businesses and also the Grove Corner Market, for being such a badass for the local community. In my 8 years of living here and working on community projects, I have always known these businesses to give back to the community consistently and kindly. Ron even gave me a pat on the back for working on this... while agreeing to give me lots of food for free. Rock on, Ron.)
Greenlife Grocery: Thanks Sam!
Sunburst Trout Company! Yum! Thank you!
Hickory Nut Gap Farm: Thank you, Jaime, for the sausage! Y'all rock!
And, for dessert, there was a collaboration between little old me, AKA Short Street Cakes, and my friends Braden and Mindy's Farm: Good Times Farms! They grew the sweet potatoes that went into the sweet potato spice cupcakes. Thanks, y'all!
Fast Lit Fuse also provided the musical entertainment for the evening. Thank y'all so much for all your hard work! It was a beautiful event!


For more information about the Bountiful Cities Project, or to find out how to get involved, go to www.bountifulcitiesproject.org. Together we can return our cities to living on a more sustainable, more connected, and more just food system! We can start right here, in Asheville, one garden at a time.