[EVENT] 2012 Small Farm Summit, April 14th at Hofstra University

Today is the last day to register online for the Long Island Small Farm Summit!

"Last year, more than 600 interested and committed people attended the 2011 Small Farm Summit on Friday, April 15, 2011 at SUNY College in Old Westbury to promote locally sustainable agriculture.

The original [sic] six breakout sessions grew into 20 with the help of the Long Island Chapter of NOFA. Interactive workshops covered a wide range of topics from food equity to organic gardening 101. Panels of experts, organizers, and practitioners offered their knowledge and help to stimulate a free flow of ideas between group leaders and participants. The conference also include a networking lunch, a series of exhibits, and a closing session to aid in turning the ideas of the day into next steps toward supporting an active and sustainable local farming community." [text & photos from SmallFarmSummit.com ]
           

This year, the 2012 Small Farm Summit features keynote speakers Will Allen of Growing Power and Chef Ann Cooper, the Renegade Lunch Lady. There will be a concert by Tom Chapin to close the evening, as well as a movie screening, cooking demonstration, and build-your-own hydroponic planter workshop. The agenda includes 19 panel discussions, 18 interactive workshops, and a closing wine & cheese celebration, as well as 50 Long Island exhibitors (including yours truly, Locally Long Island!). 

You can register online today or at the door. There are also still plenty of volunteer opportunities for the day of the event. 

This will be a networking event you don't want to miss to get your finger on the pulse of Long Island's sustainable food scene. (And, the food at food conferences isn't bad, either!)

[EVENT] "One Water" Screening at Adelphi University

On April 18th, Adelphi University's Environmental Studies Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Communications, and the Environmental Action Coalition will host a screening of One Water.

One Water is a documentary, narrated by Martin Sheen, that was filmed around the world and examines water issues in the 21st Century. The evening's special guests are the film's Director Sanjeev Chatterjee and Executive Producer Sam Grogg.

To view a preview, click here.

Wednesday, April 18th

Adelphi University

1 South Ave

Garden City, NY 11530

4:00pm - 5:00pm
Panel discussion about water issues globally & locally (Black Box Theater)
Sanjeev Chatterjee, Director
Sam Grog, Executive Producer
K.C. Rondello, Chair, Department of Allied Health, School of Nursing
Frank Castellano, PW Grosser Consulting, Inc.

5:00pm - 6:00pm
Reception with Director, panelists and local environmental groups (Lobby)

6:00pm - 7:30pm
Screening of One Water followed by a discussion with the filmmakers (Concert Hall)

[EVENT:] Benefits of Juicing at Yoga & Tea, March 24th

Have you seen Dr. Terry Wahl's TEDx talk about "minding your mitochondria"? She was able to reverse her multiple sclerosis just by changing her diet & juicing fresh fruits and vegetables:

Yoga & Tea in Lynbrook will be hosting a juicing workshop this Saturday, March 24th in their studio. You can find more details here, and if you can't make it to the workshop, be sure to visit their new juice bar! The cafe also has smoothies, hot & iced tea, and a variety of healthy muffins, cookies, and granolas. You can check out their yoga schedule to stop in for a class, too. 

Events: LI Small Farm Summit & Anti-Fracking Rally

There are two big Long Island sustainability events this week, starting tomorrow morning! For those interested in small- and mid-scale agriculture on Long Island, there will be a planning meeting for the 2nd annual Long Island Small Farm Summit. And for energy-minded residents, Food & Water Watch will be hosting a rally against hydrofracking in Manhasset, right next to the LIRR station.

Both events are sure to be great networking opportunities with other Long Island citizens concerned about sustainability. You may also happen upon chef & Slow Food Huntington co-founder Bhavani Jaroff of I Eat Green, who shared these Nassau events in her weekly newsletter & radio show.

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Tuesday: Long Island Small Farm Summit Planning Meeting
9:30 AM at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration
1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, NY

"Sold out in advance, the first Small Farm Summit held April 15, 2011 at SUNY College Old Westbury was attended by more than 600 people interested in locally sustainable agriculture on Long Island.

Organizers of the 2012 Summit are expecting to bring together an even larger, more diverse group of educators, farmers, parents, children, municipalities, land trusts, not-for-profits, community leaders, restaurant owners and chefs, and concerned citizens focused on strengthening the local food system and increasing community awareness of and access to more locally grown food."

Thursday: Rally Against Fracking with Food & Water Watch
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM at Mary Jane Davies Green

200 Plandome Road, Manhasset, NY

Facebook Event Page

"Long Islanders will be directly affected by hydraulic fracturing. Fracking upstate will increase our air pollution, and could send millions of gallons of toxic and radioactive wastewater to treatment facilities on Long Island. That is why this coming Thursday, December 15th, at 3:30 PM, Food and Water Watch, Grassroots Environmental Education and Reach Out America will be holding a rally to show that Long Islanders care about hydraulic fracturing. The rally will take place at the Mary Jane Davies Green in Manhasset- the small park right on Plandome Road, near the train Manhasset train station. Come, and bring as many friends and family members as possible!"

Event: Organic Corner's "Survive the Holidays"

Organic Corner, the newly-renovated health food store in Massapequa, will be hosting a "Survive the Holidays" workshop with Letitia Fowler, founder and nutrition & health counselor at Personal Best Health and Wellness.

Organic Corner writes:

"As the holiday season approaches we wanted to help each of you navigate thru the never ending parties/celebrations (aka: season for binge eating) !!! On Saturday December 10th, Please stop by and learn some pointers to not only survive the holidays, but also enjoy them without all the stress and guilt that goes along with it." 


The event will take place this Saturday, December 10th from 2:00 - 3:00pm in Organic Corner's lounge, 37 Broadway, Massapequa NY 11758.

Upcoming Events: Yoga & Water

Here's two interesting & not-so-far events this weekend that may be of interest:

Meditation Retreat
9:00am - 4:00pm
Science of Spirituality Meditation Center
79 County Line Road
Amityville, LI
Workshops, yoga & cooking class
Science of Spirituality Website

Water for Long Island:
Defending Long Island's Water Supply Forum
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Cold Spring Harbor Library
95 Harbor Road (Rt. 25-A)
Cold Spring Harbor, LI
*Free*
Presentations by US Geological Survey, Suffolk County Department of Health Services & NYIT Center for Water Resource Management

Event: Moving Planet Worldwide Rally, Sept. 25th

This Saturday is Moving Planet's worldwide day of action, calling for urgently needed climate change solutions & immediate responses from governments. Already, 168 countries (out of 195) are participating, making this a truly global event for our planet & our future.

There 2 events in Nassau County, 2 events in Suffolk County, 1 major event in Manhattan, and 1 major even in Brooklyn. For a complete list of events, see Moving Planet's event finder page.

To highlight Nassau County's events, there will be a demonstration in Elmont and at Jones Beach. On Sunday, the day after the worldwide day of action, Crossroads Farm at Grossmann's in Malverne will be hosting a potluck dinner & farm tour with tribute to 350.org & Moving Planet.

As is the case with demonstrations, numbers matter most! Showing up for as little as 15 minutes can help these events become successful rallies & send a strong message to our government to lead fossil-fuel-free energy initiatives [see: the recent Tar Sands Action protests in Washington, D.C., Tar Sands Action's October 7th follow-up, the 2010 documentary Gasland]. There is plenty of momentum for clean, renewable energy - now it's just a matter of showing up.

Tar Sands Action Protest: Over 1,250 people traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this month, risking arrest to peacefully protest the Keystone XL pipeline. President Obama will be deciding this fall whether or not to approve the 1,900 mile pipeline, stretching from Canada to Texas to bring tar sands (a low-quality, unrefined fossil fuel) to the US's Gulf Coast. 

Featured as the first speaker in this video is Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and the Moving Planet events, including this Saturday's worldwide demonstrations.

Gasland Trailer: a 2010 documentary about hydrofracking or "fracking," a process used to extract oil & natural gas by injecting highly-pressurized water and chemicals into the ground. Fracking is often advocated by politicians as a "solution" to the energy crisis.

Event: The Long Island Fair, Sept. 22nd - 25th

This Thursday through Sunday, the Old Bethpage Village Restoration will host the Long Island Fair, a 166-year-old tradition began by the Queens County Agricultural Society in 1842. This is the 41st fair at the Old Bethapge Village Restoration grounds; the fair was held in Mineola from 1866-1950's, at Roosevelt Raceway from the late 1950's through 1970, and at Old Bethpage Village Restoration since 1970. The Old Bethpage Village Restoration is a great location to provoke images of the past and inspire the agricultural tradition today.

Images from www.lifair.org/history.htm

The Long Island Fair features children's games & shows, a corn husking contest, bluegrass bands, and of course, delicious food! There are also traditional showcases for vegetables, fruits, crafts, hobbies, and baked goods from Long Island. New this year are the Think Green Awards, classes for teens and adults in needlework, cooking, and hobbies, and a wine department for adults. For more details, visit the Long Island Fair's webpage and Long Island Fair's History. 

Grown on Long Island Day is August 5th!

Copied from the Long Island Farm Bureau:

CELEBRATE GROWN ON LONG ISLAND DAY 
Farmers Market, Activities for Kids, Roasted Corn

Date: Friday, August 5, 2011  

Location: Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank   

Time: 12pm to 5pm.  

• Large Farmers Market
• Meet Local Farmers
• Activities for Kids
• Educational Animal Yard
• Roasted Corn & Wine and Food Tastings

Admission to the event is FREE.  

The First 500 visitors to donate $10 of produce to Island Harvest, a food rescue organization, will receive a FREE Grown on LI T-shirt.  

For more information about the event, please call 631.727.3777 or visitwww.GrownOnLongIsland.com