Women's Environmental Institute 2009 Organic Farm School
6:00pm–8:00pm
The Women's Environmental Institute is pleased to announce the opening of its 2009 Organic Farm School. Organic Farm School is a unique ten-week educational summer program composed of lectures, related readings, hands-on workshops and field trips related to sustainable agriculture, food justice and our role in today's local food movement.
The Women's Environmental Institute is a nonprofit organization with offices in North Branch and St. Paul, the mission of which is to promote environmental justice and sustainable agriculture. Organic Farm School began in 2006 to educate and inform the public on organic food and farming and to support the expansion of organic gardening and farming in Minnesota. This year's lectures and field days include:
June 8, Intro to Women's Environmental Institute, Karen Clark (WEI Executive Director) and "Hmong Family Farming and Sustainable Agriculture in Minnesota" Mhonpaj Lee (Hmong Organic CSA owner and community educator) - Mhonpaj's Garden
June 15, "Enhancing Farms and Communities through Bio-diversity" Atina Diffley (Farmer & Educator)-Organic Farming Works and Gardens of Eagan
June 22, "Permaculture in Minnesota's Cold Climate" Daniel Halsey (Certified Permaculture Designer)-Permaculture Research Institute
June 27, Field Day: Biodynamic Farm Tour-Philadelphia Community Farm, Osceola, WI & Intersection of Art and Environmental Sustainability, Tour of Franconia Sculpture Gardens, Franconia, MN
June 29, "What is Organic Anyways?" Meg Moynihan (Organic & Diversification Specialist) - MN Department of Agriculture
July 6-NO CLASS!
July 11, Field Day: "What Makes a CSA?", Women's Environmental Institute-Amador Hill Farm and Orchard
July 13, "Urban Agriculture and Marketing in the Twin Cities: Traditional African and African American Foods" Collie Graddick (Urban Pesticide & Farming Educator) - MN Dep. Of Agriculture and Afro-Eco
July 18, Field Day: "Composting 101 with Pat Farrell", Women's Environmental Institute-Amador Hill Farm and Orchard
July 20, "It All Comes Down to Humus" Pat Ferrell (Soil Scientist and Geographer) - University of MN Duluth
July 27, "The Role of Mushrooms in Remediation and Sustainable Agriculture" Ron Spinosa - The MN Mycological Society
August 3, "Wild Rice and Biological Patents" Winona LaDuke -White Earth Land Recovery Project
August 10, "Our Precious Pollinators" Elaine Evans (Biologist, Author, Bee Expert) - Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
August 18, "Growing Power and Dismantling Racism through Food Justice" Will Allen - Growing Power (in Suite 107)
Classes start Monday, June 8th at 6pm at the Midtown Global Market located at 920 E Lake St, Minneapolis. Full class registration is $120, drop-in class- $20, drop-in field day- $10. Validated parking. For more info or to register, call WEI at 651.583.0705 or visit http://www.w-e-i.org/.