Growing Cities Blog

Tune in to your local PBS station this Fall to see our movie! Check out the broadcast schedule here: http://goo.gl/7QAoZ6 If you don’t see your station on the list, don’t worry! We’ll be adding more showings for the spring too. Have a great day, and remember to #growwhereyouare!

It can seem like living in a city may mean the absence of living in nature and working in a garden. But think again! Many communities all over the world are and have been planting gardens in urban spaces for centuries. Here are a few ways people have gotten creative with the space they have, and built community through those efforts!

1. DJ Cavem is a rapper and song writer from the 5 points in Denver, CO. He encourages his neighborhood and others to garden as a form of empowerment and community building:

2. Sky Greens in Singapore is the “world’s first low carbon hydraulic water-driven, tropical vegetable urban vertical farm, using green urban solutions to achieve enhanced green sustainable production of safe, fresh and delicious vegetables, using minimal land, water and energy resources”. They help create ways for companies and individuals to have access to greens in a city where space on the ground is hard to come by.

3. Bus Roots in NYC is a fun and exciting way to bring farming on the road! Used as an educational tool, these farmers are reclaiming forgotten space and growing plants that can be transported anywhere.

This last week Growing Cities had the opportunity to talk with Emily Snyder about Food Day 2014! Emily joined the Food Day team in August of 2013. Prior to this, Emily worked on the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Nutrition Action Healthletter. Emily earned a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University, and completed the Cornell Dietetic Internship. She is a Registered Dietitian, and a member of the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area Dietetic Association (DCMADA). Click the photo below to learn even more about how you can get involved with Food Day!

Sophie: What is Food Day ​and how do you​ ​all ​support local and sustainable agriculture?

Emily: Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and our food policies. Every October 24, thousands of events all around the country bring Americans together to celebrate and enjoy real food and to push for improved food policies. October 24 is a day to resolve to make changes in our own diets and to take action to solve food-related problems in our communities at the local, state, and national level. In 2014, Food Day will have a special focus on food access and justice for food and farm workers.

Food Day aims to support sustainable and organic farms. Currently, sustainable farms receive little to no federal support and often lack market access to keep them competitive. Meanwhile, the largest 10 percent of industrialized farms—which contribute to poor health and severe environmental degradation—receive 75 percent of all farm subsidies.

Sophie: How long has Food Day been happening, and where did it get its start?

Emily: Food Day was created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in 2011, but it is powered by a diverse coalition of food movement leaders and organizations, including student leaders, public offices, school districts, and local organizers.

Food Day invites you to be a part of the movement that seeks to transform the way Americans eat.

Sophie:​ How can people get involved with Food Day in their community?​

Emily:There are a number of ways to get involved depending on your time, interest, and resources. Here are a few:

•Spread the word about Food Day to your friends, family, and network, and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

•Advocate for a food or nutrition policy in your community. 35 Ways to Change the Food System: The Essential Food Day Toolkit is a great resource.

•Host an event or organize an activity, whether large or small.

•Coordinate Food Day activity for your area.

•Attend events in your community.

Sophie: ​What’s your favorite part of our film, Growing Cities, and why?

Emily: I first saw Growing Cities in April 2014 at a film screening that Food Day hosted in Washington, DC, and I loved it.

While it’s hard to pick a favorite part of the film, I think it has to be the part about Windowfarms. I live in an apartment building in Washington, DC, on the sixth floor. I have no yard for a garden.It’s neat to see innovative ways to grow food wherever we are. From the film: “Instead of blinds [in windows], why don’t we use that space for farming? … They can also be something beautiful that we live with.” I have a windowsill herb garden, but now want to get a Windowfarm also!

Sophie: What’s one issue in the food movement you wish people were more aware of?

Emily: Justice throughout the food chain—from farm workers to child consumers. And that is one of the reason’s that Food Day 2014 will have a special focus on food justice, as well as increasing Americans’ access to healthful food.

America’s food system is extraordinarily productive, but aspects of it represent injustices to workers on farms, in slaughterhouses, and in restaurants; to child and adult consumers; to farm animals; and to the environment. To find out more, check out this infographic we created as part of Food Day’s focus on food justice.

Sophie: Anything else you’d like to add?

Emily: Please get involved in Food Day! However you and your community chooses to celebrate, the key is participation. For more information, please get in touch with us at foodday@cspinet.org or202-777-8392.

These good food interviews are part of Growing Cities “Grow Where You Are” campaign to inspire and empower people to get more deeply involved in their local food systems and create healthier, more sustainable, and just communities.

We are so lucky here at Growing Cities to be connected to the farmers, organizations, and schools that we are! We are constantly finding inspiration in the action and words of individuals we’ve had the chance to work with, support, and learn from.

Let us know who inspires you through our Twitter & Facebook. Just take a look at some of the amazing work being done to change the current food system by clicking the images below:

Brooklyn Grange:

That’s right, we can be on Netflix, but we need your help!

If you have a Netflix DVD account, just follow these 3 easy steps…

1. Visit our Growing Cities Netflix page.
2. Sign-in to your account (if you aren’t automatically)
3. Click the green ‘Save to DVD Queue’ button
It’s that easy – so please do this and tell your friends!

Note: you need a Netflix DVD account (not just streaming) to do this.

Thanks for your support!

Learn more  at www.growingcitiesmovie.com or ‘like’ us on facebook and ‘follow’ us on twitter!

Hi everyone!

We are incredibly grateful for the amount of support we’ve received making Growing Cities from individuals on Kickstarter, grants, volunteers, and so much more! As promised, we are listing all of our funders (1,300+) to live forever on our site – our thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way!

Check out our past Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns here and here.

Please note: since the film will be airing on public television we are legally required to disclose all funders of the project by the Federal Communications Commisiion (FCC). Now only if politics were so transparent!

These donors are in no particular order.

THE POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED, THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR APPLICATIONS – IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT DECISION!

COMPANY: Elmwood Motion Picture Company
JOB TITLE: Screenings Coordinator
START DATE: August 2014 (need six-month commitment)
HOURS: Half-time, 20-30 hours/week, paid position

Growing Cities is an inspiring new film about urban farming in America. The documentary highlights innovators and everyday people who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food—from rooftop farmers and backyard beekeepers to food justice activists and educators teaching kids to eat healthier. The film shows urban agriculture is about a whole lot more than simply good food. Learn more at: www.growingcitiesmovie.com

POSITION GOAL: The screenings coordinator helps facilitate community screenings across the US/world by communicating with, receiving payment from, and shipping DVDs and screening kits to the on-the-ground event organizers.

JOB DUTIES:

• Booking screening tour stops and negotiating speaking and screening license fees for filmmakers.
• Cold call/email outreach to targeted groups for Fall screenings campaign.
• Regular communication with screening hosts at various parts of process.
• Receiving screening applications and creating invoices/license agreements.
• Processing credit card payments using Square app.
• Printing shipping labels and preparing pieces to be mailed.
• Posting upcoming screenings to website.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Based in or near Omaha, NE (highly preferred)
• Self-starter — able to work independently and keep up on tasks
• Excellent at communication (both via email and over the phone) — good balance of friendly and professional
• Able to collaborate on team and follow through on assigned tasks
• Highly detail-oriented, organized, and thorough
• Proficiency with Adode in-design and/or photoshop highly preferred
• Interest in urban farming and/or film also a strong plus

TOOLS NEEDED:

• Computer (with MS Office, preferred)
• Cell phone number that can be given to screeners and posted online
• Heavily email-based, so internet access is essential (can work at studio)
• Access to a printer recommended (or can use studio printer)
• A smartphone or tablet needed to process payments

HOW TO APPLY: Send an email to dan@growingcitiesmovie.com with your resume and short letter detailing your interest.

Katrina didn’t stop Janette growing. What’s stopping you?

Folks, with just 5 days left until the end of our KICKSTARTER, we are proud of our results so far. 300+ backers and over $21,000 pledged so far. With the holiday weekend coming up, we need more support to finish strong. Check out our extended prizes for further pledging and get #GrowingCitiesonPBS www.kck.st/1kDfhgP

Why I want #GrowingCitiesonPBS: Mandy Mowers, Screenings Coordinator from Growing Cities Movie on Vimeo.

Hi. My name is Mandy Mowers, and I’m the screenings coordinator for Growing Cities. That means I’ve gotten to talk to hundreds of fabulous community-minded folks around the country and the world this spring and summer. These people have been interested in bringing Growing Cities to their communities, to help inspire their neighborhoods to grow where they are.

I saw the film in Omaha last fall. Finally. Dan Susman, the director, has become a good friend of mine, stemming from the ultimate frisbee field. We’d been hearing about this film for so long, I couldn’t believe I was finally getting to see it.

Going in, I knew the film was about gardening and growing food in cities. I had no idea just how inspiring it would be.

I loved that the documentary was so positive. I love documentaries, but they can be draining. They are often about issues affecting our world, and I’m left with a heavy, guilty sense. Growing Cities did talk about important issues of our time, but I left feeling light, hopeful, excited.

My friend Betsy and I (thank goodness I got to be her plus one!) talked the whole way home about growing food.

I’d been wanting to start a garden, but I’d resigned to just forget it for the time being. My apartment’s already-limited ground soil is soaked in lead. And I suffer from a black thumb for all vegetables. Houseplants, fine. But if it’s food, I will kill it.

Growing Cities inspired me to contact my friend Marcia, who is a master gardener. I’d help her with the labor of her garden if she’d teach me to nurture those elusive fruits and vegetables. I helped her plant seeds. She sent me photo updates later in the week of our sprouts.

As the summer has picked up, I confess I’ve slipped in my apprenticeship. But I am determined to learn to grow food, and I know Marcia will be on call when it comes time for me to start planting my own garden.

I also registered for an aquaponics class. Betsy is a teacher whose summer class last year built an aquaponics system (with help). That was the first, and the film was the second time I’d really heard about aquaponics.

These systems use fish and plants to feed each other—and to feed you. I’m deeply interested in learning more.

And finally, I was inspired to join the team at Growing Cities, to help spread word about good food and get even more people excited to grow their own. The film has been featured in more than 25 film festivals and at more than 200 community screenings.

I got involved in this project because I believe deeply in the message of the film. You don’t have to grow everything, but you can grow something. And every little bit helps move us toward sustainability.

Because the truth is, we have got to think about future generations. We’ve got to learn and then be able to teach sustainable agricultural practices, and we’ve got to do it in the cities where we live.

Me, I loved the small town I grew up in. But I live in a city now, and I think I’ll probably live in a city when I raise my own family. I want to be part of building a better world right here in the city.

A message like that belongs on PBS. I want kids to see it. I want adults to see it. The people I’m thinking of might not go looking for a documentary on sustainable agriculture or farming in the city. But they might find it if it’s on public television. And maybe they’ll get excited about urban farming too — just like I did.

Please help us spread the word about the Good Food Movement by donating to the Kickstarter today: www.kck.st/1kDfhgP!