Organic Sacramento Activities Update

Hi everyone,

Congratulations is in order for Organic Sacramento, as we have just passed
a milestone. May 2005 marks the one-year anniversary of Organic
Sacramento’s existence. Organic Sacramento has really made some amazing
progress (with the incredible hard work and support of its members!) in
this first year, and look forward to even greater successes and
accomplishments in the upcoming year !! (See more information below.)

However, it is never a dull moment, and Organic Sacramento is on a roll
again. This time we are working on a fundraiser for the Soil Born Farm
Agriculture Project, one of the only non-profit urban organic farms and
education centers in Sacramento. The upcoming Farm Dance and Potluck
benefit will be on Saturday, June 25 from 1:00 – 11:00 p.m. at Goethe
Ranch in Rancho Cordova, and will be a day sure to appeal to the whole
family !! (See additional details below.) We do need additional help in
pulling the loose ends together both the organizing and the promotion of
the event, and would appreciate any assistance that can be given toward
these efforts. We are also having a clean-up day at Goethe Ranch on
Saturday, June 11, and can definitely use additional help on that day, as
well as at other times, so please let me/us know if you have any extra
time either before, or the day of, the event. Any and all help will be
greatly appreciated !! Also a copy of the flier is being attached to this
e-mail so please send, and/or copy and distribute it to all your friends
and family and invite them to attend. Also, please post the fliers at as
many places as possible, so we can get the word out about the event. I
think it will be a very wonderful time !! (I can be reached at
kimg [at] organicsacramento.org or 455-8415 for more details on specific
assistance needs, or you can also contact Tod and Talia at 369-2645 or
Cory and Susan at 361-3595 or tenpinktoes [at] earthlink.net if you are
available to help with cleanup at the ranch.)

Organic Sacramento’s next meeting will be June 6, 2005 at 6:30 p.m. at
Goethe Ranch, 2140 Chase Drive, in Rancho Cordova (off of Coloma Road at
the entrance to Haggin Park), and will be a potluck. Note: All of the
summer meetings (June, July, and August) will be at Goethe Ranch. These
summer meetings will also all include potlucks, so bring a dish (or
dishes) to share, and come hungry !!

Please also review the information below about the County of Sacramento’s
meetings regarding their development of a 10-year plan. Now is the time
for those of us with concerns about green space and agricultural land
options to speak up (or forever hold our peace), so we can help to
influence the future development (or, hopefully non-development) of
Sacramento County. See below for more information.

Note: Also, a girl’s pink sweater was found at the Crest screening of The
Future of Food on March 31. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the owner,
could you have them contact Kim at kimg [at] organicsacramento.org to claim the
sweater. Thanks !!

Other updates and activities Organic Sacramento is working on includes
(and are listed in greater detail below):

· The Sierra Club’s June 5 River City Run/Walk for the Environment
· Support Whole Foods Market’s Community Support Day – Wednesday, June 8!
· The County of Sacramento’s 10-Year County Plan Town Hall Forums
· Additional Screening of The Future of Food
· Follow-up Meeting to Crest Screening of The Future of Food
· Karen Baumann’s Front Yard Garden Meeting Update
· Upcoming West Nile Virus Meeting
· Goethe Ranch’s Barn Dance and Potluck Fundraiser for Soil Born Farm
· Store Wars !!
· Del Paso Heights Community Farmer's Market
· The Orangevale Growers
· Organic Sacramento’s 1-year Anniversary and Milestone !!

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THE SIERRA CLUB’S JUNE 5 RIVER CITY RUN/WALK FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Sponsored by the Sacramento Chapter of the Sierra Club, the River City
Run/Walk for the Environment will go toward supporting the coordination of
the Earth Day Celebrations, sustainable living projects, and environmental
education in Sacramento. Mark your calendar and plan to participate on
World Environment Day, Sunday, June 5, 2005 !! Meet at 8:30 a.m. in Old
Sacramento for a 10K and 5K Fun Run/Walk for the Environment. For
questions, registration, or other information, contact Sacramento’s Sierra
Club website, or projectcoord [at] earthdaysac.org. Please join them in making
the River City Run a meaningful, memorable, and zero waste event. For
those available, volunteers and help are also needed to make this first
annual River City Run to Celebrate the Earth a great success! (See
attached registration and volunteer forms.)

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SUPPORT WHOLE FOODS MARKET’S COMMUNITY SUPPORT DAY – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8!

On Wednesday, June 8, 2005, 5% of all of Whole Foods Market store sales
will go toward benefiting the Soil Born Farm Urban Agriculture Project.
(Whole Foods Market is at 4315 Arden Way, Sacramento, 488- 2800.) The
money raised will be used to expand and further develop Soil Born’s
current projects at Jonas Salk Middle School, including a school garden
and orchard, cooking program, salad bar program, and cooking classes.
These programs will help raise the students’ awareness on how to change
their eating habits by creating their own healthy foods with active
hands-on projects.

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THE COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO’S 10-YEAR COUNTY PLAN TOWN HALL FORUMS

The County of Sacramento is apparently in the middle of developing its
plan for the next 10 years, and it would behoove those of us with some
concern about what priorities they put or don’t put on green and open
space voice our concerns. My understanding is that the meetings are being
held all around the county in order to give an opportunity for as many
people who want to attend, to attend. I believe it is really a painless
process and you can voice (or maybe write) your suggestions in small group
environments. The important thing is that at least 1-2 people show up at
these meetings. (It is better to say something now, than complain later!)
The remainder of the meeting dates and times are listed below, so I hope
everyone will attend at least one of the meetings. It really is needed !!


June 1: County Plan Town Hall Forum, Robertson Community Center
June 4: County Plan Town Hall Forum, Robertson Community Center
June 6: County Plan Town Hall Forum, Ben Ali Shriners Center
June 8: County Plan Town Hall Forum, McClatchy High School
June 11: County Plan Town Hall Forum, Consumnes River College – Cafeteria

June 15: County Plan Town Hall Forum, Coloma Community Center
June 16: County Plan Town Hall Forum, Natomas Charter School
June 18: County Plan Town Hall Forum, Consumnes River College

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ADDITIONAL SCREENING OF THE FUTURE OF FOOD

Please tell your family, friends, and co-workers!) about this additional
opportunity to see The Future of Food and become enlightened as to how our
food options are increasingly being narrowed and may be limited
permanently by the pervasiveness of genetic engineering technologies. (To
watch a trailer of the film go to: Lily Films. To order DVD or VHS
copies, go on-line to http://www.thefutureoffood.com or call (415) 383-0553.)

Wednesday, June 15th
7:00 p.m. Keppler Chiropractic
5667 Freeport Blvd., Lanai Shopping Center
Please RSVP at (916) 422-5111 or (818) 968-2890 - Free!

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FOLLOW-UP MEETING TO CREST SCREENING OF THE FUTURE OF FOOD

This meeting is now tentatively scheduled for sometime in June or July.
There appears to be a significant interest in an opportunity to discuss
concerns and address questions raised during the March 31 Crest screening,
as well as further explore additional options for building community
awareness and developing local action items to help mitigate these
uncertainties in our food future. Sorry it has taken so long to have this
meeting, but we hope it will happen soon !!

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KAREN BAUMANN’S FRONT YARD GARDEN MEETING UPDATE

Bill Maynard and myself were the only public attendees at the May 17
meeting where the City of Sacramento’s Law and Legislation Committee heard
the presentation of the City of Sacramento Ordinance - Landscaping
Requirements In Setback Areas regarding proposed revised language for
ordinances regulating use of residential front yards, and the possible
option of having gardens in the front yards or not. While it was expected
that the revised language which would allow for front yard gardens would
easily pass this committee, there was in fact very verbal objections to
the possibility of allowing for front yard gardens, especially the
possibility of dried corn stalks in the front yard. The regulations are
being returned to the City of Sacramento Neighborhood Services Department
staff for re-evaluation and further revision.

The City’s staff hopes to have these revisions completed within a
relatively short time and will offer these new revisions for
consideration. It seems really critical that those in Organic Sacramento
(and all city residents) who want to support the options for growing
vegetables, herbs, shrubs, and trees in their front yards (or on any part
of their property for that matter) come to these meetings to express their
views and show support of these revisions. Unfortunately, the sparse
public turnout was noted by members of the Law and Legislation Committee,
and it reinforced a need for significant attendance at future meetings
both with the Law and Legislation Committee, and then, the City Council
meeting, to reinforce the importance of re-establishing Sacramento
citizen’s rights to retain control over how they manage their own
property. I believe it is important that Sacramentans make their voices
heard on this issue. There are times when the City Council eventually
listened when they had heard enough from the public, so I believe it is
definitely worth a try. This also would be a real victory for
sustainability and allowing for alternatives to high resource consumption
grass and turf to be allowed in the City of Sacramento’s front yards. All
help and support of this process would be really appreciated.

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UPCOMING WEST NILE VIRUS MEETING

Well, the public town hall type meeting with the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito
and Vector Control District (SYMVCD) has been delayed again and at this
point the date and place for this meeting is still being negotiated. We
hope this meeting will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions
and get clarification as to what the SYMVCD’s plans are as well as to
learn about any options there are to avoid, or be notified of, the
spraying when it occurs, etc., in the event of an outbreak of the West
Nile Virus in the Sacramento area. I will let you know as soon as I know
more, or you can check the Organic Sacramento website for the specifics of
this meeting, which will be posted when they are available.

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GOETHE RANCH’S FARM DANCE AND POTLUCK FUNDRAISER FOR SOIL BORN FARM !!

Organic Sacramento and Goethe Ranch are sponsoring the Farm Dance and
Potluck family fun day Fundraiser as a charity benefit for Soil Born Farm
Urban Agriculture Project, Sacramento’s primary local urban farm. What
promises to be a wonderful day of family fun including farm tours, nature
walks, a petting zoo, bio-diesel and other sustainability demonstrations,
as well as an evening of live music, dance, and good food, this event will
be held at Goethe Ranch (aka: Rancho Rancho), 2140 Chase Drive (at the
entrance to Haggin Park) in Rancho Cordova on Saturday, June 25, 2005 from
1:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Please bring a favorite dish to share for the
potluck, along with your own place-setting (i.e. eating utensils, cup,
flatware, etc.). Additional side dishes and beverages will also be
available. As parking is at a premium, car-pooling, regional transit, or
bike trail usage are highly recommended. (Or at least come prepared to
walk a little from the parking area.) Check our website at
http://www.organicsacramento.org periodically, for the most updated and detailed
information about this very fun and enjoyable event !! A $10 (or more,
hopefully) donation would be appreciated (reduced price for children),
however no one will be turned away for lack of funds. See attached flier
for more details.

Directions from freeway:
Take Highway 50 to the Mather Field Road exit and go north to Folsom Blvd.
Follow Folsom Blvd. east ~1/2 mile to Coloma. Go north on Coloma ~¼-½
mile and turn left (west) on Chase Drive, following the road to the last
driveway before entering Haggin Community Park (~50 feet before entrance
fee booth). Turn left and follow the driveway (ignore the "No
Trespassing" sign) to the gate. Be sure to close the gate after entering
the property.

Directions using regional transit:
From light rail (<http://www.sacrt.com>), exit at the Mather Field stop:
it is about 1.5 mi to the farm from Mather Field; arrange ahead of time
for a ride from the station if can, OR...immediately cross Folsom Blvd.,
go 1 blk east on Folsom Blvd. (toward Sunrise) and turn left (north) down
Dawes St.; travel~1 mile just past the elementary school to Rinda and go
right 2 blocks to Chase, then go left and right away turn left down a long
driveway. Be sure to close the gate! (You can also check out the #21 bus
schedule from Mather field to Coloma & Chase to save about 3/4 mile if you
intend to walk.)

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STORE WARS !!

This great 5 minute animated video spoof on Star Wars puts into
perspective the dangers of food irradiation, pesticides, and genetic
engineering. Please check out this link "to a movie from not so long ago,
in a supermarket not so far away" ... http://www.StoreWars.org. Join the
adventures of Cuke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Cannoli, Chewbroccoli and the rest
of the Organic Rebels fighting against Darth Tader and the Dark Side of
the Farm. And if you like the movie, pass it on to your friends and
family! I am sure you will enjoy it !!

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DEL PASO HEIGHTS COMMUNITY FARMER’S MARKET

The Del Paso Heights Community Farmer’s Market will begin every Saturday
morning from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. starting July 9, 2005. It will be
held at the parking lot at the Robertson Community Center at 3525 Norwood
Avenue. This is a program sponsored by the Soil Born Farm Urban
Agriculture Project. They will also accept WIC Coupons, Food Stamps, and
Farmer’s Market Senior Nutrition Coupons. Call 566-6419 for additional
information.

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THE ORANGEVALE GROWERS

This yahoo mail-group could be a wonderful resource to build connections
within the organic growing community. This, and other similar groups, can
be used to build an alternative to our current food delivery systems and
support local growers as well! It's easy to sign up and the price is
right...free!

Orangevale Growers is a special forum for home organic gardeners in the
eastern Sacramento, California valley to offer any surplus crops, produce,
or products to other list members for purchase, barter, trade, or free.
Though most members live in Orangevale, hence the name, they welcome
organic gardeners from any nearby city. The products available for
listing in this forum are unlimited, and range from eggs and milk, to
flowers, fruit, vegetables, honey, and anything else a person might wish
to offer. The only limitation is that the products are organic - of this
they are specific and firm. To join, go to
orangevalegrowers-subscribe [at] yahoogroups.com. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!! and
Happy Organic Gardening!

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ORGANIC SACRAMENTO’S 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND MILESTONE

Hey, There’s Reason To Celebrate !!

Organic Sacramento has just passed a landmark and is now one year old !!
May is the one year anniversary of Organic Sacramento’s emergence as an
official group, having moved from an idea and concept to a functional
entity.

The idea for Organic Sacramento originated as a result of concerns about
genetic engineering raised during the USDA and State Department’s
Agricultural Ministerial which was held at the Sacramento Convention
Center two years ago, in June 2003. The realization that the increasing
use of genetically modified seeds, along with the continued general lack
of oversight and regulation, threatens the very existence of organic
options, inspired the vision to initiate an “organic revolution,” and work
toward making Sacramento the “Organic Capitol of the World.” With the
help of Alicia Oldfield at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, Organic
Sacramento was born.

In some ways this last year has gone very fast, in other ways it is
difficult to believe the group has only been in existence one year as so
much has transpired, not only in the kinds, amounts, and levels of
activities OS has been involved in, but also in it’s transition from a
very, very fledgling group to merely a quasi-fledgling group and in the
impact it is beginning to have on the community. Organic Sacramento has
been extraordinarily successful in the many diverse activities it has been
involved in (and there was even enough time for three weddings mixed in
there!). Some of these activities include:

· Demonstrating in the May 2004 protest against formerly Sacramento-based
Ventria Biotech company regarding their intent to grow pharmaceutical rice
in California.
· OS members attending the “Reclaim the Commons” anti-genetic engineering
activities in San Francisco last June.
· Writing letters and petitioning to maintain the current organic
standards for non-food products.
· Arranging for two OS members to attend CA’s for GE-Free Agriculture’s
weekend training session last August, which resulted in the formation of
GE-Free Sacramento.
· Sponsoring and hosting Jeffrey Smith, author of “Seeds of Deception,”
for a multi-day visit last September, complete with community talks and
book signings, radio and cable television interviews, and meetings with
government officials.
· Sponsoring Steven Druker, the attorney who sued the FDA for lack of
labeling and testing, effecting the release of previously undisclosed FDA
documents revealing FDA scientist’s documented concerns about genetic
engineering. This included significant talks in Sacramento and Davis, and
two debates at UC Davis last October.
· Providing support to members of Chico’s GE-Free Butte in their attempt
to pass a GE-free initiative last November.
· Co-hosting a progressive Christmas Holiday Party and Potluck.
· Co-hosting screenings of The Future of Food at the Crest Theater in
Sacramento and the Veterans Memorial Theater in Davis. These were both
extraordinary events and were highly complimented, even by the film’s
producer Deborah Koons Garcia. (A couple members of our group also
appeared on Access Sacramento’s program Soap Box, to promote this event.)

While we are currently actively arranging a Farm Dance and Potluck at
Goethe Ranch as a benefit for Soil Born Farm, there are many other
activities we have been working on and involved with as well. This last
year has seen significant growth in our website, with many additional
changes and great plans for other information to be added as time allows.
We look forward to a very busy upcoming year, with many new challenges and
opportunities for growth.

--
Kim Glazzard
Organic Sacramento