Green Bridge Blog
What's Growing on the Farm
We have been selected as finalists for Home Of The Year award from Green Builder Media!
Actually the whole project was selected which is very gratifying to me as the owner of Green Bridge Farm.
I will let you know the final results of the contest as soon as I know. I have planted "fence to fence" this fall so the gardens have really kept me busy. We are also rehabbing and reconstructing a yurt on the farm. This will serve as housing for willing organic workers. Stay tuned for pics of the yurt and updates on the Home Of The Year Awards.
/media/AA/AA/greenbridgefarm-com/downloads/188363/HOY_Awards_Certificate_Savannah_iHouse.pdf
We are having an open house and and field day at Green Bridge Farm on August 12-13. Come see Clayton Homes amazing Ihouse and see what we have growing in the gardens and orchards. The Ihouse is a sustainably built modular home and is the area's first true net zero energy house. The owner, Charles Davis, will not have an electric bill! You can also view Charles' new Chevy Volt. Times for both days are 9:00am-5:00pm. Light refreshments will be provided.
The idea of organizing a farm dinner bubbled up in late April when my friend and fellow local food advocate, Leslie Marticke and I wanted to put something together that could be a physical manifestation of both of our graduate studies.
Through my M.A. final project (FoodScape: Savannah), I discovered that people were genuinely interested in exploring the local food system but they really wanted some FOOD to go along with their travel experience. Of course!
Leslie, finishing up her M.F.A. in Design Management, was seeking how to best structure the new Slow Food Savannah chapter to suit the needs of the community.
With our overlapping interests in promoting good, local food and connecting more like-minded people to this movement – the farm dinner planning picked up speed quickly. With the invaluable assistance of farmer Michael Maddox (Green Bridge Farm) and the most excellent Robyn Richardson (Design Management, M.F.A.) we made it happen.
Click to see the Flickr Set
Much of the meal was harvested the day of the dinner and prepared on-site. Our goals for The Great Escape (as we came to call it) were two-fold: get people together to showcase a beautiful organic farm and talk about the new Slow Food Savannah chapter. Personally, I also hoped to connect some people I had been lucky to meet through my studies at SCAD that maybe hadn’t had the chance to link up. Professors, farmers, chefs and community leaders were invited to attend.
My professor Scott Boylston was one of the guests who in reflection of the evening said,
The food was amazing, and the conversation was equally appetizing. And as a piece of the larger puzzle in creating a livable community in Savannah, your gathering was very welcome in that it allowed an opportunity for rejuvenation for some of us who are working so hard in the doing that we forget sometimes that simply being is necessary, too.
SOME QUICK OBSERVATIONS & REFLECTIONS:
Expectations: In the earliest stages we completely overplanned! As “doers” Leslie & I imagined some unnecessary complexity concerning costs, ticketing, hiring chefs, renting tables & chairs… well pretty much everything.
Realizations: Fortunately, we know the benefits of conducting contextual research. After we met with Michael in second stage of planning, we realized he does this kind of thing all the time with his friends, informal dinners that is. Potluck style, bring your dish & finish it in his kitchen. Needless to say, we followed his lead & removed a bunch of cost and stress.
Surprises: Sandoor, a resident on Green Bridge Farm, took it upon himself to provide a fantastic demonstration of how to make Hungarian noodles & pancakes. AMAZING!
Opportunities: For future events, keep consciously trying to diversify the audience. Connect chefs and community leaders to local farmers to facilitate these vital relationships. Also, could a financial model be developed to assist farmers & organizers without compromising the event, making it elitist that is?
A few weeks ago, a group of Native American and Buddhist activists led by Dennis Banks came to camp at the farm on part of the southern leg of their journey on the Longest Walk III.
It is the intention of the Longest Walk III to set in motion a series of plans that will return us to a path long followed by our ancestors. A path of planting, growing, harvesting crops and healthy eating. This habit linked to the daily activity of walking, running and general exercise will close the door to Diabetes, Heart failure, kidney failure and other related health concerns.
Find out more about their crusade at llongestwalk3.com
For more photos from the visit click here.
Meet Michael Maddox, organic farmer, musician, and eco-sustainability building pioneer. For the last 15 years, Michael has come to see his dream of Green Bridge Farm come to fruition, literally. Green Bridge Farm, located near Guyton, Ga. (25 minutes outside of Savannah), is an intentional community aimed at sustainable living. Approximately four acres are set aside for community space, including a stunning organic vegetable garden, fruit orchard, and chicken coop. At Green Bridge we will help weed, harvest, and prune in the gardens. In addition to learning about Green Bridge’s farming and irrigation practices, Mobbers will be privy to a tour of a resident’s I-house, the first truly “zero energy house” in the area. Lunch will be provided and there’s talk of a post-mob jump in the pond!
When: Saturday, June 25th.
Meet at the farm 9am or carpool from Savannah at 8:30am.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!
Find out more about Crop Mob at their website: www.cropmobgeorgia.com
