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  • From: "rafter t. sass" <liberationecology@gmail.com>
  • To: "Northeastern Permaculture (List)" <northeasternpermaculture@lists.riseup.net>, permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org, permaculturehudsonvalley@lists.riseup.net
  • Subject: [permaculture] Last Day to Vote! Great Promise of Will Allen as White House Master Farmer
  • Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:22:00 -0500

I don't generally forward things, here is an opportunity to raise the profile of a visionary food justice activist (and practitioner).
Sorry for cross-posting.


rafter t. sass
The Liberation Ecology Project
liberationecology.org
518-567-7407
skype: raughter




Begin forwarded message:

From: Leon W Todd <toddleon@mac.com>
Date: January 31, 2009 9:11:02 AM EST
To: Barbara Todd <bmtodd67@hotmail.com>
Subject: fwd: re: Last Day to Vote! Great Promise of Will Allen as White House Master Farmer


Vote for Milwaukee's Will Allen!

Hey, Everybody!

The Obama White House is considering transforming part of the White House Lawns into an organic farm to raise fruits and vegetable to be used, not only in White House Meals but also to donate to local food pantries. Several farmers across the country have been nominated, including former professional basketball player - now urban farmer, Will Allen of Growing Power. Governor Doyle recently nominated him for the honor. See: http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/

Will operates a working farm within the Milwaukee city limits. He offers thousands of tours a year of Growing Power, a Milwaukee-based organization focused on sustainable urban agriculture. Growing power conducts workshops and demonstrations in aquaculture, aquaponics, vermiculture, horticulture, small or large-scale composting, soil reclamation, food distribution, beekeeping, and marketing. Will turns compost into energy to heat his green houses in the winter and has been integral in educating inner-city dwellers about the importance of organic farming and energy efficiency.

Please take a few minutes to cast your vote for Will, or for your favorite farmer, at http://whitehousefarmer.com/

For more information about the wonderful things that Will Allen's Growing Power is doing both here in Milwaukee, Chicago, and across the nation, go to http://www.growingpower.org/. Three little videos introduce you to one of Will's urban farms on 5500 W. Silver Spring Drive here in Milwaukee. Will himself is in the third video.

Thanks for taking the time! And do spread the word!

Sister Josephe Marie

------------------
State farmers among top vote-getters for White House farmer

By Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Jan. 30, 2009 1:05 p.m.

Two Wisconsin vegetable growers at the moment are among the top three vote-getters in a national Internet campaign for White House farmer, and a Madison farmer has just taken the lead as of 12:40 p.m.

Voting – and campaigning - appears to be steady at www.whitehousefarmer.com as the midnight Saturday voting deadline approaches. Wisconsin leads the nation with 17 farmer nominees. Washington state follows with 15 nominees.

Claire Strader, farm manager for Troy Community Farms on Madison's north side, took the lead with 20% of the vote (7,225 votes as of 12:40 p.m.) and Will Allen, CEO and founder of Growing Power, an urban Milwaukee farm, is in third place with 9% of the vote (3,141 votes as of 12:40 p.m.). Strader is neck-and-neck with Carrie Anne Little, of Tacoma, Wash. Strader is actively campaigning; several influential friends of Growing Power are campaigning on Allen's behalf via social networking and e-mail lists.

The names of the top three vote-getters are to be forwarded to President Barack Obama, who has not created a White House farmer position, nor agreed to plant a vegetable garden on the lawn of the White House. The campaign for the garden is being shepherded by high profile foodies such as Alice Waters and Michael Pollan.

The White House Farmer campaign was started by a central Illinois farm family, and inspired by a New York Times column by Pollan.

Pollan suggested five prime south-facing acres of the White House lawn be transformed into an organic fruit and vegetable garden, with produce to be used by the White House chef and given to food banks. Another Web site, www.eattheview.org, promotes the White House garden and symbolically offers chunks of White House lawn to pay for the garden.

The White House has a rooftop vegetable garden and an herb garden, but the lawn garden would be much higher profile if it were to be built.

Allen has said he would not want the White House farmer job, if it were to be created. But he said he would be interested in designing and installing the garden, and training those who would tend it. Allen has also said it should be built and supported with donations, not taxpayer dollars.

<http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/38707252.html>





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