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Sunday, January 22, 2012

What’s Good for the Farm is Good for the Community

HGI establishes a Diversity Scholarship Fund

Some of you may know that one of the big problems in the food system is that in the last 60 years, farmers switched from growing lots of different plants and livestock on smaller family farms to a mono-culture - growing all corn, or all soybean, or all wheat on huge parcels of land. In this model, when one plant gets sick they are all at risk of getting sick. When one pest gets munching, the whole tribe shows up for the feast. The system is sustained only by applying ever-increasing amounts of

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Home Grown Institute

Questions Sustainability as the Goal

I have to be honest. Every time I see the tag line I created for The Home Grown Institute “Evolving Skills for a Sustainable Future.” I think - “no, that isn’t quite right.” The alliteration of the Ss does roll so nicely off the tongue, and it is most definitely about evolving our individual and communal skills... but is sustainability what we really want?

The root of the word sustainability is Latin and the most common definition is the capacity to maintain, support and endure. None of

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Mindful Conferencing

Planning The Home Grown Institute with an Eye Toward “Human Sustainability”

Last month I met with Allen (not his real name), a director of a local non-profit. He arrived looking harried - unshaven, cheeks drawn, exhausted. As much as he wanted to pay attention to my “Big Picture” presentation, it was clear he was having a hard time. That is... until I mentioned the silent dining option, voluntary simplicity workshop and guided contemplative walk in the Wissahickon. He smiled, a spark in his

Sunday, July 17, 2011

How to Fix our Diets - The Puzzle is Solved, Part 1

The headline reads "Access to Grocers Doesn't Improve Diets, Study Finds" in today’s LA Times. While Daniela Hernandez’ article citing a 15 year study tracking thousands of people might feel like a blow to the many hours and initiatives people have devoted to increasing access to fresh food, I want to shout “Wait! Don’t despair – It isn't that access doesn't work, it just that access alone doesn't work.” Access is just one piece of the puzzle and although not everyone knows it, this puzzle has