Thursday, October 09, 2008

Urban Farming

While I'm posting again (sorry for dropping off the face of the earth), I'll mention this story about Will Allen in Milwaukee, who recently was awarded one of the MacArthur Foundation genius grants for his work running a non-profit farm, Growing Power, inside the Milwaukee city limits.

It's an inspiring story of this man's commitment to providing fresh, natural and locally grown food to a poor urban area where fresh produce is often in short supply. Allen's urban garden has become a focal point for urban renewal, volunteerism, creativity as well as a showcase for composting, gardening and the joys and pleasures of fresh and natural food. Will is practicing food justice at its best.

Bi-Rite In the News

There are two stories out this week on Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco, one of my favorite grocery stores in the city. The Chronicle ran a story yesterday and Edible San Francisco has a story in the just-released October issue. There was a posting about Bi-Rite on the Ethicurean today.

I'm a big fan of Bi-Rite's commitment to selling locally grown and organic food, and these stories highlight owner Sam Mogannam's leadership of the store and his decision to buy a farm in Sonoma to grow some of the fresh produce sold in the store. It's a great idea, and I'm glad he's getting some publicity and some commercial success for his efforts.