SEED: Climate Change Resilience

SeedBroadcast Report in Collaboration with Native Seeds/SEARCH

Winowing seed at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico 

Introduction

SeedBroadcast is a collaborative project exploring bioregional agri-Culture and seed action through collective inquiries and hands-on creative practices. SeedBroadcast holds the belief that it is a human right to save seeds and share their gifts, to grow food and share its abundance, and to cultivate grassroots wisdom and share its creativity. These are the roots of agri-Culture to be broadcast.

SeedBroadcast encourages communities to keep local agri-Culture alive and vibrant through working together in creative and inspiring ways. Spending time with people on their farms, in their gardens, at seed exchanges and at community gatherings, SeedBroadcast digs deep into the oft-unheard stories of local agri-Culture. Our work includes community based projects, art installations, dialogues, creative actions, and cross country tours with the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station. Interdisciplinary collaboration is a founding principal of SeedBroadcast activities where cohorts from diverse backgrounds work together as critical partners of inquiry and creative production.

During 2016 and 2017, SeedBroadcast is partnering with Native Seeds/SEARCH (NS/S) and farmers across New Mexico to facilitate Seed Story Workshops and to creatively document bioregional seeds and climate appropriate agri-Culture. Through seasonal photo essays and audio interviews, SeedBroadcast will work with these farmers to share their stories about farming in a changing climate while cultivating seed, food, and community resiliency.

These will be published in:
SeedBroadcast Blog: http://www.seedbroadcast.blogspot.com
SeedBroadcast agri-Culture Journal: http://www.seedbroadcast.org/SeedBroadcast/SeedBroadcast_agriCulture_Journal.html
SeedBroadcast soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast

The following is a brief multi-media report from the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering and Farmers' Field Day April 16-17 at Tesuque Pueblo and April 23-24 at Acoma Pueblo. We plan to compile all of this for additional publication in the near future. Stay tuned!

Christopher Honahnie presentation on Traditional Hopi Farming Practices at Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Seed exchange at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Toñita Gonzales, Traditional Food as Medicine. Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Seed Story Workshops

SeedBroadcast held two Seed Story workshops in collaboration with Native Seeds/SEARCH Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, the first at Tesuque Pueblo and the second at Acoma Pueblo. Our intent was to evoke an open discussion around seeds: the relevance of saving seeds, its relationship to sharing stories, and the impact of climate change.

We started with a brief introduction about SeedBroadcast and held an open discussion about the question: What is a Seed Story?

We then handed out the following prompts and asked everyone to take some quiet time to reflect and write:
• What was your first memory of your relationship to seeds?
• What is your present relationship with seeds?
• What changes have you experienced from that first memory to now?
• How do you see your relationship to seeds in the future considering what is happening with climate change?
We then broke into small groups and shared stories that arose from these questions.

This action evoked some emotional stories around the loss of traditional ways, dreams for the future of our world and the seeds, the notion that seeds are our children, and much more. It brought everyone into relationship, not only to their stories, but to each other. We finished by posing the question: Now what will happen if these stories are lost?

SeedBroadcast Seed Story workshop during Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering at Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico (photo: Samantha Martinez)

The following day we set aside time to record some of these stories. Here is a selection:

Christopher Honahnie from Tuba City, Arizona shares his story of growing up in a Hopi Farming family and his plans to continue his family’s traditional farming practices.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/christopher-honahnie-shares-his-story-of-growing-up-in-a-hopi-farming-family



Louisa Ann Genin Jojola Lucero of Isleta Pueblo shares her story about the community garden and her role as a trans-planter.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/louisa-ann-genin-jojola-lucero-of-isleta-pueblo-shares-her-story-about-the-community-garden



Jennifer Padilla of Isleta Pueblo talks about her role as a clinical therapist and organizer for the community garden. She talks about seeds, healing ancestral wisdom, and climate change.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/jennifer-padilla-of-isleta-pueblo-talks-about-seeds-healing-ancestral-wisdom-and-climate-change



Gilbert Yazzie from Shiprock, New Mexico talks about seeds as life, where there is no beginning or end, and the importance of keeping farming and food alive to give thanks and share its goodness with all in harmony.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/gilbert-yazzie-shares-his-seed-story-of-farming-sharing-healthy-food-and-harmony



Michael Willie, Diné, shares his story of his love of bringing elders and kids together to care for each other through growing food.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/michael-willie-talks-about-bring-the-community-together-through-growing-food



Rhonda Yazzie Moore shares her dream of planting her families corn field which has been laying dormant for ten years.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/rhonda-yazzie-moore-shares-her-dream-to-bring-back-her-families-corn-field

Seed cleaning workshop at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Germination testing at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Hopi Tobacco Seed at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Seed cleaning workshop at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Shelling Corn at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Tesuque Seed Refrigerator at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Farmers' Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Tesuque Pueblo Orchards, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Strawberry Greenhouse, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Espalier Greenhouse, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Rainwater Catchment, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

Tim and Elvira Chavez Farm Field, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Robert Salvador’s Farm, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Robert Salvador and Chris Honahnie, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Acequia Gate, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Southwest Conservation Corp, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Rio San Jose First Diversion Dam, Farmers Field Day at the Seed Sovereignty Growers Gathering, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Upcoming 2016 Farmer Interviews

We will be conducting on-the-farm interviews with five farmers, three times throughout 2016. Each visit will correspond with an important agri-Cultural time and space viewed through the lens of seasonal weather phenomena and corresponding seasonal farming practices, i.e. spring – transitional weather/planting, summer – monsoon/tending, and fall – transitional weather/harvest. These interviews will be recorded as audio/sound pieces and through photographic essays.

Spring is now upon us and we are scheduling our first visits with these incredible farmers. Here is our plan of action, along with the interview questions that we will be asking. We have also asked each farmer to contribute his/her own questions to this list.

May 8, 2016
Ron Boyd, farming at Mer-Girl Gardens in La Villita, New Mexico. He and his family is cultivating 5 acres of orchards, cane fruit, and annual and perennial herbs and vegetables.

May 15, 2016
Aaron Lowden is Ancestral Lands Program Coordinator at Acoma Pueblo with the Southwest Conservation Corp where he is coordinating traditional farming practices on Tribal lands.

May 25, 2016
Larry Emerson, farming and teaching at Hogback, near Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo Nation. He is developing an indigenous permaculture farm and educational space while developing bioremediation processes to cope with Coal Powered Power Plant fall-out and the recent Gold King Mine spill that have contaminated the air, land, and water in his community.

May 27, 2016
Beata Tsosie-Peña is an activist from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. She is a mother, poet, farmer, musician, and certified in infant massage. She also serves as an educator in permaculture design. She is on the staff of Tewa Women United, a non-profit organization based in New Mexico, where she advocates for justice, a clean environment and health. She believes in the practice and preservation of land-based knowledge, spirituality, language, seeds, family and the Earth.

Late May/Early June
Christopher Hanahnie is a student at the University of Arizona and practices traditional Hopi Farming with his family near Tuba City, AZ.

Spring 2016 Interview Questions:

• Tell us about where we are today and the history of this farm and its mission.
• How long have you been farming?
• Do you farm alone or with others?
• What are you planting this year. Is this different from the past years?
• How do you plan/decide your yearly planting/farming routine?
• Do you have a long-term plan for your farm?
• What do you like to grow and what grows well for you personally and/or for you here?
• Where do your seeds come from? Do you save seeds? Why?
• What seeds do you save? Can you describe how you save seeds? What does this look like?
• How do you save seeds and grow food at the same time?
• Do your saved seeds/crops do better? Or others? Which seem more adaptive/resilient to seasonal/environmental shifts you have noticed?
• How have you prepared the soil?
• How do you water?
• What other things are important for the success of your crops and your farm?
• What seasonal/environmental shifts have you experienced over the years? In this year?
• How have these affected your farm, crops and/or other things you have noticed?
• What are your hopes for this growing season? What are the challenges you face?
• What are your dreams for the future of your farm? What are the challenges you face?
• What wisdom would you like to share about how we can continue to grow our own food here in the bioregion of the southwest?
• Seeds not only nourish us physically but they hold a sense of potential in these changing times, we believe that it is not only important to save our seeds but the stories they hold. Do you have a seed story that you would be willing to share with us?

Many thanks to our collaborative partners, Native Seeds/SEARCH and all the indigenous and local farmers who are keeping seed and local food alive in their communities. This project is made possible through the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Climate Change Solutions Fund.

In Memory, Carl Barnes, the man who saved corn, passed it on, and taught us to cherish the gift of seed

With sad news I wanted to share with you about one of our beloved seeds who has passed.

In Memory

Carl L. Barnes
June 18, 1928 – April 16, 2016

Family, friends, and the seed saving community mourn the passing of Carl ‘White Eagle’ Barnes, who died in Grove, Oklahoma on Saturday morning, April 16. Carl was known for his years of work with heritage corn, enabling many Native tribes to recover and reunite with their sacred seeds.

Carl was of half Cherokee, half Scotch-Irish ancestry, and was born in the original farmhouse in the Panhandle of Oklahoma. His father had moved the family west, acquiring land and setting up farming on the High Plains. Carl spent his childhood on this homestead, and the family lived through the ‘Dust Bowl’ years, staying to survive the ordeal, rather than leave as many did at that time in our history.

As a youth, Carl began to seek out his Cherokee roots, and to explore the knowledge of his ancestors and of Native American traditions in general. Much of this quest centered on the ceremonies surrounding planting, harvest, and honoring of the seeds. Later in his adult years Carl worked with the Cooperative Extension Service, and several years serving with the Kansas Highway Patrol, at the same time continuing to work the farm, along with his wife Karen, where they raised a family.

In the course of growing some of the older corn varieties still being farmed at that time, Carl began noticing ancestral types re-appearing in his crops As he isolated these, he found that many of them matched up with traditional corns that had been lost to various Native tribes, particularly those peoples who had been relocated to what is now Oklahoma during the 1800’s. Thus he was able to re-introduce specific corn types to the elders of those tribes, and this helped their people in reclaiming their cultural and spiritual identities. Their corn was, to them, literally the same as their blood line, their language, and their sense of who they were. Carl went on to acquire and exchange other traditional corn seed from a variety of people he had befriended around the country. To those that he met, he became known by his spiritual name White Eagle. Through being of service with the seeds, Carl awakened to the more esoteric nature of corn and its mystical relationship to human beings. This led to further insights, which he shared widely, inspiring many people over the years. His philosophy and teaching could be summed up in three words he repeated so often—
‘The Seed Remembers’.

After the passing of his wife Karen in 2005, and later his son A.V. Barnes, Carl stepped back from public life and encouraged the next generation to carry on the work of seed-keeping. In 2012, Carl became known for having originated a unique rainbow colored corn that became known as ‘glass gem’, which has since become an inspiration in our current-day seed saving movement.

Carl will be remembered for his generosity, wit and humor, and for the seeds he passed to willing hands. These will continue to multiply beyond his time, to nourish and enrich the coming generations.

“I stand in a radiant Glory.
My roots in the heart of Mother Earth.
My crown in the clouds of Father Sky.
The Four Winds encircle me in spirals of Love.
One going up, then down,
One going down, then up.
They meet in the Center of Complete Perfection--
The Human Stalk of Corn.”

--Carl Barnes

This memorial came from our dear friend Greg Schoen, who was a student of Carl's. Last year, Greg shared a Seed Story with us about Carl's work on the Glass Gem Corn.

Greg Schoen talks about the Glass Gem Rainbow Corn from its history with Carl Barnes to the memories it carries in its seed and the many stories it shares with us.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/greg-schoen-shares-a-seed-story-about-the-glass-gem-rainbow-corn?in=seedbroadcast/sets/2015-seed-stories

SeedBroadcasting from Seed Library Week and Seed Celebration in Silver City, New Mexico

On April 10, the Grant County Seed Library and Volunteer Center of Silver City hosted a public Seed Celebration and Seed Exchange. For a short but packed two hours a multi-generational group of Silver residents gathered to swap and talk seeds, read poetry, bake horno fresh pizzas to eat, tour the gardens, and talk about the year ahead growing food and feeding a community in need. Local kids were making a seed mural out of beans and squash seeds and they were excited by the prospect of displaying the mural at the Center.

The swap included a wide variety of locally saved seeds including flowers, different herbs, beans, corn, squash, melons, onions, and greens. Most came from the surrounding area, including Carl Barne’s Glass Gem Corn and several special bean varieties which are grown by seed keeper Greg Schoen outside of town in the mountains. There was a large mason jar of Glass Gem seeds that were returning to the exchange after being planted out in town as a small population. The woman bringing these back got a great yield of saved seed and was returning them to the community to support the creation of a truly unique and biodivese Silver City variety.

Many of theses seed seekers are planting out small backyard gardens within the city. This makes it a challenge to grow enough plants of one variety to keep diversity strong as they cross and commingle their genes, while building memories that are deep and varied. Genetic diversity is the most important aspect of encouraging resilience in everything, let alone plants. But, there are several solutions for this…and one such tried and true method is sharing. After growing out seed with a small number of plants, you can find seed from neighbors in your region to include in future grows of your saved seed. And you give some of your seed to your neighbors to help build their populations.

Earlier this year, Grant County, New Mexico declared a proclamation to make every year during April 4 – 10, Grant County Seed Library Week. The seed library was founded in February 2015 in partnership with the Volunteer Center of Grant County, High Desert Organic Gardeners, and the Silver City Co-op to help local residents grow gardens, fight hunger, and eventually develop locally adapted seed varieties to be saved, shared, and redistributed. It was founded by Azima Lila Forest and she says it is growing slowly, but more seeds show up whenever she checks in to see how the library is going. So far it seems that Silver City has many bean growers and the varieties showing up at the library are incredible. She is hoping to expand the seed library and create a branch at the local public library.

The week of dedication and celebration brings with it a feeling of commitment by local political leaders in support of meaningful ways to build a healthy, sustainable, and resilient community. This is special, in that it seems that very few politicos actually support the practice of small scale, people to people agricultural efforts, which aim to build free systems based on generosity, hard work, and the local. Instead they typically import outside solutions that favor the commodification of community knowledge, practice, and well-being, while extracting these for money. But you cannot eat money.

Speaking with local city council-woman, Lynda Aiman-Smith, she talked about how Silver City was also on a path to support city sustainability and resiliency. They even have a thirty year program dedicated to recycling and reuse and developing lasting and meaningful solutions to fight poverty and hunger in this southwestern New Mexican food desert. She pointed to the Volunteer Center as a perfect example.

The Volunteer Center is an ambassador for building partnerships across Silver City. It brings together people, projects, and other organizations across the county by providing a beautiful space for gathering, learning, and sharing. At its core is the Common Center for Food Security and Sustainability in conjunction with the Food Pantry, Partners for Seniors, Alimento Para El Ñino, Nuevos Camienzos par las Mujeres, and the Seed Library. At the center, there is a beautiful soalr powered building with meeting space and commercial kitchen. It is surrounded by gardens, a newly planted orchard, outdoor kitchen and gathering space. On the street is a colorful mosaic mural with tiles in the shape of vegetables and fruits, and the words, “Hunger is not an issue of charity, it is an issue of justice. El hambre no es una cuestión de caridad , es una cuestión de justicia,” a quote by Jacques Diouf, Food and Agricultural Organization Director-general. Even though the center is officially endorsed by the county, the city, and many sponsors, the heart of this venture are people, not politics. It is run almost entirely by volunteers and people that use the space and its purpose is to fight for justice through food, health, and cooperative community.

Here are some of the Seed Stories shared with us during the Seed Celebration:

Renee Pierpont shares her story about the importance of school gardens and parent involvement
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/renee-pierpont-shares-her-story-about-the-importance-of-school-gardens


Tiger Lily Warner shares her poem "Sunflowers", that was inspired by her mother.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/tiger-lily-warner-shares-her-poem-sunflowers


Kristin Lundgren, the gardener at the Commons Center for Food Security in Silver City, shares her story about seeds and food justice.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/kristin-lundgren-shares-her-story-of-seeds-and-food-justice


Andrea Warner shares her love of working with children and seeds.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/andrea-warner-shares-her-love-of-working-with-children-and-seeds


Lynda Aiman - Smith talks about building a sustainable and resilient Silver City and the tremendous work that the Volunteer Center and the Grant County Seed Library do to tackle huge issues of hunger, poverty, and oncoming climate change through education and practice.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/lynda-aiman-smith-talks-about-the-volunteer-center-and-silver-city-sustainability-and-resilience

Ówînegh Táh Pueblos Y Semillas Gathering and Seed Exchange

SeedBroadcast at the Nambé Pueblo Wellness Center

It had rained all night. It was one of those soft gentle rains that are so rare here in the high desert. A rain that soaks into the hard ground instead of bouncing off and forming streams that wash away the topsoil. When I woke early, the light of dawn just arriving, I could still hear the rain dropping on to the tin roof. Here in the desert of the southwest we pray for these kinds of rains.
It was a blessed day.
After taking some moments to breathe in the damp air I meandered north to gather with other seed lovers to celebrate and bless the seeds for another year.
The rain decided to join us.
 The 11th Annual Ówînegh Táh Pueblos Y Semillas Gathering and Seed Exchange was held this year in the pueblo of Nambé and was presented by the pueblo and the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance. This year’s theme was Remedios de la Tierra: Agua, Comida, Plantas/ Nânkwiyo Wo, Po, Kohgi. Phé Yâvi. Medicines of the Earth: Water, Food, Plants.

Hava beans from Abiquiu

 The New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance was formed in 2006 following the Seed Sovereignty Declaration in which farmers from our tribal, Pueblo and Acequia communities signed the declaration to defend seeds from genetic contamination. To make sure that this declaration is reactivated and kept alive in our northern New Mexico communities these important gatherings continue to bring seeds and people together.

To evoke this year’s theme and bring the essence of New Mexico into the space at the Nambé  Wellness Center we were welcomed with an opening prayer from Phillip Perez the Governor of the pueblo. Then the seed ceremony began with Los Hermanos Penitentes de: La Morada de Nuestro Señor de Esquipula La Cofradia de la Santísima Trinidad y otras Moradas blessing the space with an alabado and invocation to San Ysidro the patron saint of farmers. As the hermanos circled the room we all stood close to one and other in a deep silence listening to the voices and prayers resonate around the room. A stillness was held, a stillness that allowed us to reflect on our departed farmers, acequierous and community members.

After the hermanos brought their prayer to a closing Kathy Sanchez from Tewa Women United and Marian Narjanjo of Honor our Pueblo Existence led the seed blessing. Earth and water were brought by youth from the four directions and placed in a circle in the center of the room. Then all of the seed savers were invited to carry a selection of our seeds in small woven baskets into the circle and place them with the water and the earth at one of the four directions. Each seed basket was placed at the direction from which the seeds emerged, mine went to the south and were carefully taken from me by a young woman who smiled and placed them gently on the floor.
We were bringing our seeds home.

Cotton and devils claw from Roxanne Swentzall

The silence continued and as I entered into the circle I felt the room in the Nambé Wellness Center turn from a basketball court into a place of deep reverence not only for the seeds but also for each other. I saw people hug and shake hands; children making way for their elders, and a communal hope arise for the new planting season.
To complete the ceremonial cycle the Santa Clara Pueblo dancers moved their feet and hearts in a traditional rain dance. It was explained that the chanted songs had been in this community for thousands of years, and that every article of clothing and way of being was intentionally worn and held as a spiritual connection to the sky, earth, and mother earth.
 Not only is this gathering a blessing for the seeds it is a blessing for the elders that have carried and held the traditional ways. This years Aciano Se:daa Lifeways award was given to Raymond and Lila Narjanjo. As their family of children and grand-children and great-grand-children gathered round, Raymond explained that he and Lila had been married for sixty seven years. It made me think of the resilience within our pueblos not only of the culture but also the seeds and humans that are all connected.

SeedBroadcast sharing seeds and stories

This brought us to the seed exchange and the gentle ceremonial atmosphere contained the exchange and instead of the usual seed frenzy people were respectful and tried hard to only take what seeds they would plant. There were seeds from all over, havas and peanuts from Abiquiu, a special cotton from Roxanne Swentzell and many more varieties.

 Roxanne Swentzell

As seeds were exchanged so were stories.
Harold Trujillo of the New Mexico Acequia Association told me that he loved to dig the spring soil as it glitters, “You know that glitter don’t you” he asked me. He also told the story of one time when he cleaned the weeds from his corn field how at the end of the day when he stood up to stretch out his back he heard the corn clap….. “You know that sound the corn makes when the wind blows it sounds like clapping." Time was also given for traditional herbalists, plant medicine specialists and farmers to share their wisdom. Gilbert Yazzie from Shiprock told of the tragedy that hit his community last year when the spill from the Colorado Gold King mine contaminated the Animas and San Juan rivers. As the rivers turned to a sickly yellow color the Navajo Nation declared a state of emergency. The headwaters to Gilbert’s farm were shut off. “Our sacred corn and squash were affected. We held prayers. We said the water will fix itself. I am still looking forward to planting this season and when we plant we say 'here my little ones here is some water for you to grow'. It is all part of the circle of life. We are sending our energy and strength through our ceremony to all the farmers. There is only one water.”

Gilbert Yazzie with members if the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance

 Over in a quite corner of the room a group of youth and women mixed the earth, water and seeds from the morning ceremony and rolled this life giving mud between the palms of their hands into small seed ball bundles . These seed bundles will be given to the peace and dignity runners  as they make their way North to South running thousands of miles in honor of the sacredness of the seeds. These seed bundles will be tied to the runner’s staffs for the duration of their journey.

Seed bundles

 The day concluded as the beginning with a blessing and a Mohawk song for the seeds. The prayers, seeds, earth, rain and mother earth came together in that room on the hill in Nambé Pueblo. The seeds were truly blessed and we all left with seeds in our pockets, a determination to make sure that these seeds and traditions are kept alive and even though we know its still a long difficult road ahead our hearts were full of hope.

SeedBroadcaster Ruben Olquin with Marian Narjano and the seed pot made by Roxanne Swentzell as a gift for Nambé Pueblo

SeedBroadcast at University of New Mexico Sustainability Expo

SeedBroadcast will be at the 8th Annual University of New Mexico Sustainability Expo
Join us to celebrate the resilience of SEED.

April 21, 2016
1030 am - 230 pm
Cornell Mall
Main Campus of University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
Map: https://iss.unm.edu/PCD/SM/doc/VisitorMapCentral_Numeric.pdf

For details about this event go to: UNM Sustainability Expo
https://www.facebook.com/events/1551327408529235/


What is Sustainability? Come find out and celebrate Earth Week at the University of New Mexico's Sustainability Expo! Now in its eighth year, the Expo will be held on Cornell Mall-- just east of the Student Union Building-- on Thursday, April 21st from 10:30am to 2:30pm. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come.

The Expo offers an opportunity to interact with the community and learn about sustainability. Enjoy a vibrant array of growers' market, food trucks, educational events, and live entertainment including demonstrations, music, bicycle auction, and clothing swap. Engage in zero waste training, educational events, and have a fun time with the community! Learn about sustainable initiatives on campus and in the surrounding community as well as meet local farmers and artisans, and enjoy delicious food, fun, and a lively community atmosphere.

The Expo is organized by UNM Sustainability Studies Program students in the Growers' Market Practicum class who are passionate about educating the campus and community members about sustainable ways of living. For more information about the sustainable food and agriculture initiative in particular, check out the class blog, at abqstew.com.
We encourage your participation and support at this year's Expo!

SeedBroadcasting from Earth Day at Civic Plaza

SeedBroadcast and the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station will be at the Earth Day celebration sharing seeds, stories, and resources.
Come by and share your story about seeds, resilience, and the earth!

April, 22, 2016
5 - 8pm
Civic Plaza in Downtown Albuquerque
See below for more information about the evenings events.

Civic Plaza Presents an Earth Day Celebration
Civic Plaza Presents a free, environmentally focused event in the Heart Of The City
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - EARTH DAY is coming! Civic Plaza Presents an Earth Day Celebration on Friday, April 22 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. This free event is proudly sponsored by Positive Energy Solar in conjunction with the Young Professionals of Albuquerque.

Earth Day Celebration: Love Your Environment is a community event that is open to all and will feature live music, exhibitors, vendors, locally sourced food, beer and wine, electronics recycling and more. This an opportunity to gather as a community to celebrate, participate, and contemplate this important day.

The event will have an array of exhibitors on hand to talk about Earth-conscious and environment-positive endeavors that help make our region a better place to live. In addition, OFFCenter Community Arts Project will be hosting a recycled materials arts and crafts making area for kids. Plant starts will be available for getting gardens growing. Local arts & crafts vendors will be on site as well. The event will also serve as a launch party for Albuquerque’s 2030 District, a community based initiative to make Albuquerque an even more economically competitive and environmentally healthy community.

Music for the Earth Day will be provided by ¡Revíva! with special guest Lone Piñon. Reviva plays a locally flavored style of reggae and rock, and have made a name for themselves through their inspiring lyrics and unique sound, becoming one of Albuquerque’s best loved and most popular bands. Lone Piñon is a trio that plays the ensemble-driven violin music of Northern New Mexico, a colorful tradition that represents the forging of diverse cultures in this area. The modern musicianship that the members Lone Piñon bring to this music results in an exciting new birth for an old sound that is not to be missed.

Locally sourced cuisine from Dig & Serve and Food Karma will be served from the Silver Spoon, a top-of-the-line mobile kitchen in a newly remodeled Airstream trailer that will make its premier at the Earth Day event as Civic Plaza’s own pop-up restaurant. Local microbrews from Marble Brewery, Rio Bravo Brewing Company, Bosque Brewing Company and Boxing Bear Brewing will be available.

Attendees to this free event are encouraged to drop-off electronic devices they would like to have recycled. Electronics recycling is provided by Natural Evolution, New Mexico’s first recycler certified to the E-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronics. They are also the first tribally owned, solar powered certified electronics recycling facility in the U.S. Electronics recycling is free (an $18.00 fee applies to the recycling of televisions only).

This is a free event and, like all Civic Plaza events, it is family friendly / dog friendly / bike friendly. The Earth Day Celebration is produced by Civic Plaza Presents and DowntownABQ MainStreet Initiative. Please join us in the heart of the city for this celebration of Mother Earth!

CONTACT: Damian Lopez‐Gaston, Director of Event Services, SMG managed Albuquerque Convention Center; (505) 768‐3818, dlopez‐gaston@albuquerquecc.com.

SeedBroadcast at the Grant County Seed Celebration!

Great news!
The Grant County Commission has declared the week of April 4-10 as Grant County Seed Library Week.

Join SeedBroadcast at the Grant County Seed Library to celebrate!
Bring A SEED STORY to share.

Seed Celebration!
April 10, 2016 from 2-4pm

The Commons (Volunteer Center)
501 E 13th St, between Corbin & Swan
Silver City, NM

Seed Swap! (bring some, take some home)
Seed Mural! (we’ll create it together)
Food!
Music!
Poetry!

Free fun for the whole family!

For more information: 575-574-7805
or azima@ zianet.com

The Grant County Seed Library is sponsored by High Desert Organic Gardeners, the Grant County Volunteer Center, and the Silver City Food Co-op.

Music by Greg Renfro and Andrew Dahl-Bredine.

Poetry by Bonnie Maldonado, Elise Stuart, Terry Song, and Stewart Warren

Food to be enjoyed will include Seven Pillars Soup (made with the three sisters plus tomatoes, chile, amaranth, and chia, all part of the traditional diet of this region), pizza made in the horno, and Barb's great chili lime cornmeal cookies!