Agriculture
Support local farmers while adding fresh vegetables to your diet
by (jproth1)
Submitted 04-10-2018 under PLACE-MATTERS
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a distinctive model to support diversified, small scaled vegetable growers. The idea is that people buy into a share of the farm at the beginning of the season. Instead of money dividends, your dividends are...
West Michigan Growers Group partners with Downtown Market, MSU Extension to host 2017 Growers Fare: CSA Open House
by (Downtown Market GR)
Submitted 03-21-2017 under NONPROFITS
The 2017 Growers Fare: CSA Open House, an event for the West Michigan community interested in connecting with and supporting farmers growing and selling local food, is coming to the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. In partnership with the West Michigan...
Urban Roots looks to dig deeper than soil, investigate inequities, land use
by (carly.schweppe)
Submitted 11-01-2016 under NEWS
Urban Roots is an urban agriculture organization that sits among the houses in the Madison neighborhood in the city of Grand Rapids. They grow fresh vegetables on their community farm at 1316 Madison and have a farm stand on Thursdays. And according...
Urban Roots growing from farm to community
by (Urban Roots)
Submitted 10-25-2016 under PLACE-MATTERS
Jamie walked up one day and asked how much the cut flowers were. Given that we weren’t selling many of them that day, and that Jamie was a regular passer-by, I told him free for him today. “No, I couldn’t do that to you guys,...
Film screening at Wealthy Theatre explores lives of undocumented immigrants
by (crcna)
Submitted 08-16-2016 under PLACE-MATTERS
Imagine believing you were just like everyone else—and then one day discovering that your future would be very different. That’s what happened to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas when he applied for a driver's...
Local food is important economically, environmentally
by (FultonStMarket)
Submitted 07-05-2016 under PLACE-MATTERS
Do you know where your dinner came from? Often we sit down to the table and don’t think about how far our food has travelled. Would you believe there are reports that estimate the average dinner has traveled 1,500 miles? We live in a...
Urban agriculture and placemaking: Toward building resiliency
by (levigardner1)
Submitted 11-17-2015 under OPINION
I have been in counseling for the majority of my adult life. I nearly always balked at the seemingly outrageous cost of this endeavor, questioning whether or not it was worth the large amount of money for what sometimes felt like limited...
Urban agriculture + placemaking = new economy
by (levigardner1)
Submitted 10-06-2015 under OPINION
Drive through the city to see abandoned lots with a “For Sale” sign, and you are faced with a fascinating conundrum. Inquire from a real estate agency the value of that property and they will de facto respond with its financial value....
First apples of season donated to Food Bank
by (Feeding America...)
Submitted 08-28-2014 under NONPROFITS
Instead of throwing a party, Riveridge Produce Marketing, a West Michigan apple grower, packer and sales company, decided to celebrate their 25th anniversary by feeding the hungry. On Wednesday morning, they invited volunteers from Feeding America...
Feeding America West Michigan distributes 400 millionth pound of food
by (Feeding America...)
Submitted 04-09-2014 under NONPROFITS
On March 18, 2014, Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank distributed its 400 millionth pound of food. The story of how we got from our first pound more than three decades ago to 400 million today is a story of compassion and tenacity. It’s...