Brownfields and Urban Agriculture
Q.1. Who do we contact to learn more about the brownfields program or our local contacts?
A.1. You can contact the Brownfield Coordinator at each of the EPA Regional Offices or contact the State or Tribal Brownfield program to learn more. Their contact details and a great deal of other information about the EPA Brownfields program can be found on the EPA Brownfields page - www.epa.gov/brownfields. State and Tribal response program contacts can be found on the Brownfields program website at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/state_tribal.htm.
You can also identify the communities in your area that have successfully applied for Brownfield grants in FY2008 and in previous years. Here is a list of EPA Brownfield coordinators as of January 2009. Click here to see the listing of Regional Brownfields Coordinators.
Q.2 What kind of brownfield grants does EPA award and how can they be used to make sure gardens and urban farms are safe?
A.2. To learn more about the types and funding levels of brownfield grants, please go to the EPA Brownfields page - www.epa.gov/brownfields. Under the grants section, you can find the most recent version of EPA BF grant guidelines. EPA plans to award an estimated ~$70 million in competitive brownfield grants in FY2009. This include assessment, revolving loan fund and clean up grants. EPA also plans to award an estimated $2 million in job training grants in January 2009 selected through a national competition.
Communities could apply for EPA brownfield grant funds to assess or clean new sites that are being acquired or expanded to create community gardens or farms. Communities can also apply for loans or subgrants from existing revolving loan fund pool previously awarded and already established.
Communities and organizations working on their behalf can also contact state and tribal program to see if existing response program funds can be directed to new or existing sites. EPA plans to award an estimated ~$50 million in grants to state and tribal response programs in FY2009.
Q.3. What tools exist to protect an organization from liability issues related to contamination they did not cause?
A.3. Under CERCLA there is protection from EPA enforcement through the All Appropriate Inquiry due diligence standards established by EPA. Most states manage Prospective Purchaser Agreement programs that protect a purchaser from State enforcement and to some extent third party lawsuits. View the AAI fact sheet.
Resource materials from Brownfields call
Ann Carroll - Powerpoint
Removing the Stigma of Contamination and Repairing Blighted Areas
Across the Country, Youth Programs Bring the Issue of Brownfields Home
The Path to Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup and Sustainable Redevelopment
Examples:
Sacramento, CA
Hartford, CT
Shelton, CT
Philadelphia, PA
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Forum Resources
2009 North Carolina Forum
2008 Oregon Forum
2007 Iowa Forum
2006 Maine Forum
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SAFSF Year End Reports
2006 Report 2007 Report
2008 Report
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Member-Fed Resources
(Information generated by and for network members.)
Soil Nutrients and Nitrogen
Query from Greg Horner, Cedar Tree Foundation and subsequent responses from SAFSF Listserv members
The Undiscovered Planet: Microbial science illuminates a world of astounding diversity
Written by Jonathan Shaw, the article was published in the November - December 2007 edition of Harvard Magazine .
The Global Food Crisis
A collection of information on the global food crisis.
Civil Society Statement on the World Food Emergency: Sign on Letter
The WTO's Doha Round Will Not Solve the Global Food Crisis – Time for Real Solutions
Manufacturing a Food Crisis
Making a killing from hunger
Open Letter to the High-Level Conference On World Food Security
Behind Latin America's Food Crisis
Nyéléni – for food sovereignty
Terra Preta: Forum on the Food Crisis, Climate Change, Agrofuels, and Food Security
Water Scarcity: The Real Food Crisis
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Food and Ag Films, TV & Other Media Resources
Recommended by SAFSF Members and Friends Film Databases:
Michigan State University
Database of introductory books and films/documentaries related to food and agriculture (mostly from the last 7 to 8 years).
http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/booksfilms.html
Contact: Philip H. Howard, Assistant Professor, Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS) 316 Natural Resources Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 http://www.msu.edu/~howardp
Phone: 517-355-8431
UC Berkeley's Media Resource Center
On Food: Production, Consumption, Politics
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/fooddocs.html
Media that Matters
http://mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm_good_food/
Film:
KING CORN
www.kingcorn.net
This is a twofold journey: the story of how two college buddies learned about their agricultural heritage, and the tale of how kernels of corn have insidiously worked their way into America's diet.
FED UP
Genetic Engineering, Industrial Agriculture and Sustainable Alternatives
http://www.wholesomegoodness.org/
TABLELAND
http://www.p1-productions.com/tableland.html/
A culinary expedition in search of the people, place and taste of North American small scale, sustainable food production.
THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN
http://www.farmerjohnmovie.com/Home.html
A film that charts Farmer John's astonishing journey from farm boy to counter-culture rebel to the son who almost lost the family farm to a beacon of today's booming organic farming movement.
DECONSTRUCTING SUPPER
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/decon.html
A journey into the billion-dollar battle to control food production.
FAST FOOD NATION
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460792/
SUPERSIZE ME
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/
THE GLOBAL GARDENER with Bill Mollison
4, ½ segments about permaculture around the world
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/booksvid/vid%20dvd%20cd.htm
MY FATHERS GARDEN
http://www.mirandaproductions.com/garden/
This film is about the use and misuse of technology on the American farm telling the story of how synthetic chemicals have changed farming and farmers.
BEYOND ORGANIC: THE VISION OF FAIRVIEW GARDENS
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/bo.html
Tells the story of Fairview Gardens and its struggle to survive in the face of rapid suburban development. It draws a sharp contrast between community-supported agriculture and conventional chemical farming.
ASPARAGUS: A STALK-UMENTARY
http://www.asparagusthemovie.com/
For thirty years, Oceana County Michigan has been the Asparagus Capital of the World. Now its residents and family farms take on the U.S. War on Drugs, Free Trade, and a Fast Food Nation, all to save their beloved ‘roots'.
SEEDS OF HOPE: FEEDING THE WORLD ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME
http://www.creativerealization.com/
About rural communities around the world that are using community-based approaches to battle food insecurity. A woman's group in South Africa starts small vegetable gardens to feed their families, an NGO in Cambodia that starts a rice seed credit bank and nutrition education, a profile of Patchwork Family Farms in Missouri and a community research project in Colombia that helps farmers produce food more effectively. 4 sections – total 24 minutes. Producer: Sarah Hesterman, Creative Realization, [media for social change];
THE ACCOUNTANT
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0222675/
It's a devastating, searing, off-beat look at the demise of the family farm.
THE GLEANERS AND I
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247380/
It's about the practice - now threatened - of people gleaning left-behind produce from harvested fields, mostly a European thing. The film even gets into the modern version of gleaning - dumpster diving!
THE FUTURE OF FOOD
http://www.thefutureoffood.com/
This film by Deborah Garcia offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.
LIFE RUNNING OUT OF CONTROL
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/lroc.html
Bertram Verhag's film offers a thorough examination of the issues surrounding the genetic manipulation of plants, animals and human beings.
EAT AT BILL'S: LIFE IN THE MONTEREY MARKET
http://www.tangerineman.com/eab.htm
A video documentary by Lisa Brennis about the phenomenon that is the Monterey Market, a family owned produce market in Berkeley, CA. The focus is on Bill Fujimoto, the market's owner. Bill's enthusiasm and experience fuel the enterprise and illuminate the Market's wide world of small growers and diverse customers. The Monterey Market's single store supports many dozens of small (and formerly small) farms. Bill's determination to support the maximum number of small growers and his passion for connecting customers with the very best has attracted a small army of restaurant customers. Bay Area chefs know the Monterey Market's back room is the place to find the season's finest.
SERIES:
Cooking Up A Story, part of the Local Food Sustainable Network, strives to build audiences around the many important and interconnected issues that involve food and sustainability. We produce three shows about people, food, and sustainable living: Stories consists of documentary shorts about farmers, artisan producers, and others; FOOD NEWS features interviews with experts on the science, politics, and culture of food; and Cooking showcases food enthusiasts as they demonstrate how to prepare fresh seasonal dishes.
http://cookingupastory.com
SEASONED WITH SPIRIT
http://www.nativetelecom.org/program_sws.html
5-part PBS series about various Native American people and their traditional foods. Loretta Oden; Rt. 4, Box 81; Tecumseh, OK 74873; email: shedreams2@mac.com
CHEFS A' FIELD
http://www.chefsafield.com/
39 episodes putting farmers and food issues center stage, by taking the nation's best chefs out of the kitchen and onto family farms across this country to see the real work, love, passion, lifestyle, and labor that goes into growing good, sustainable food for America's tables.
CHEFS A' FIELD – KIDS ON THE FARM
http://www.chefsafield.com/
Now in it's third season, Kids on the Farm takes the nation's best chefs – and their kids – out to the source, to learn where their food comes from, to meet the people who passionately grow their food, and finally – into the kitchen where they partake in the creation of a family meal. The series companion book features kid-friendly cooking tips, ideas for supporting sustainability, sourcing notes, health and nutrition information, and one of the most comprehensive arrangements to date, of activities designed to encourage families to engage and share in the joys of food, cooking, and farming, together.
DOCUMENTARY SHOTS
http://www.chefsafield.com/ http://www.warnerhanson.com/
For more information on both contact Heidi Hanson, Warner Hanson Television
HOW TO MAKE A PIZZA
This story is about how making a pizza can be good for the environment. "How To Make A Pizza" features George Schenk whose mantra is to use only local and organic ingredients from farmers and artisans close to home.
LUNATIC FARMER
Farmer Joel Salatin is considered by many as the “high priest of the pasture.” Restaurant reviewers say Chef Cathal Armstrong “steeps into another reality using local ingredients…to produce dishes that are subtly, intriguingly unique.” As the two connect on film, along with Armstrong's kids, Eve 7 and Eammon 4, on the rolling pastures of Joel Salatin's idyllic Polyface Farm, we get a lesson in where our food comes from and how to care for the land.
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General Resources
Green Beyond Grants - a toolkit for greening your organization's operations
Grantmaking isn't the only way to support the environment! There are easy ways to go "green" through your organizational practices. Green Beyond Grants is a toolkit for greening foundation operations brought you by SAFSF, the Environmental Grantmakers Association and the Sustainability Funders. This guide offers simple advice and specific steps to start your foundation on the road to practicing environmental sustainability. Featuring five key recommendations for greening your day-to-day operations and special event planning, plus related tips and examples and an extensive resource list, this concise handbook can help you substantially (and affordably) reduce your foundation's environmental "footprint."
Ways to Stay Current on Agriculture and Food Systems Issues
December 6, 2004
Note: This partial list of resources is the product of discussions and conversations as part of the ongoing SAFSF Federal Ag Policy conference call series. We hope you find it to be of use. Please forward any additional suggestions or corrections to Virginia Clarke-Laskin at vclarke@safsf.org as we plan to update it regularly.
US Congressional House Committee on Agriculture
http://agriculture.house.gov/
This site lists all Committee members, subcommittees, and tracks all related legislation
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
http://agriculture.senate.gov/
This site lists all Committee members, subcommittees, and tracks all related legislation
Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports
http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), part of the Library of Congress, prepares reports for the U.S. Congress. This site lists reports on issues areas including agriculture, forests, natural resources, pesticides, and others.
United States Department of Agriculture
http://www.usda.gov/
Sustainable Agriculture:
For generalists and people interested in substance and analysis as well as breaking news:
- http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/April04/ - USDA-ERS 'Amber Waves' publication" provides valuable information and analyses on public policy issues related to agriculture and comes via email.
- http://www.ers.usda.gov/updates/ - weekly email updates from the research arm of USDA on the environment, agriculture, food, and nutrition
- http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ - ERS 'briefing rooms': approximately 75 individual briefing rooms - each devoted to a particular area of research or topic that ERS covers. Inside each briefing room are multiple links to individual reports or analyses or other information available on the topic. There are often links to ERS staff who will respond to questions or requests for further information. The briefing rooms are updated regularly and new briefing rooms are established if a topic becomes hot.
- "Making Hay" -is a sustainable ag e-mail bulletin with news on federal agency activities, as well as brief descriptions of reports and other events relevant to sustainable agriculture. This bulletin is produced by the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (SAC). To Subscribe contact Martha Noble, Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, mnoble@msawg.org
- http://www.sare.org - USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program provides grants for sustainable agriculture projects and information on sustainable agriculture for producers, researchers, and educators.
- http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/enews13.php - National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture - monthly AgMatters E-News
- http://www.cfra.org/newsletter/current.htm Center for Rural Affairs Newsletter
- http://www.agpolicy.org/articles04.html Wide ranging weekly column by Daryll Ray, agricultural economist of the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Policy Analysis Center
- A New Agricultural Policy , by Dennis Keeney (IATP) and Loni Kemp (The Minnesota Project). The paper is included in a new book: The Role of Biodiversity Conservation in the Transition to Rural Sustainability available at: http://www.iospress.nl/navfr/searchfr.html
Animal Production/Welfare
Conservation
Faith and Food
Food Safety
- http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca The Food Safety Network provides current, generalized, public risk perception information about rapidly changing issues. This information is culled from journalistic and scientific sources around the world and condensed into short items or stories that are distributed daily by electronic mail to thousands of individuals from academia, industry, government, the farm community, journalism and the public at large. They have a series of listservs to which one can also subscribe, see: http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca/subscribe.htm
- http://www.tacd.org Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue provides regular international information on obesity, food, antibiotic use in animals and other food-related issues. TACD includes groups like Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, USPIRG, Public Citizen, and several European consumer groups).
Food Security
Health and Environment
Nutrition
Rural
Subsidies
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