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Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
V. Chair: B Tim Holden (D-PA)
B Joe Baca (D-CA)
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B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
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B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
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B Jim Costa (D-CA)
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B Frank Kratovil (D-MD)
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B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
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- Phil Roe (R-TN)
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- Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
*=House Organic Caucus member
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Appropriations
Chair: Dave Obey (D-WI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: P Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
* Allen Boyd (D-FL)
- Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
*P Sam Farr (D-CA)
*P Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY)
P Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
P Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA)
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- Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
* Tom Latham (R-IA)
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P Donald Payne (D-NJ)
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P John Tierney (D-MA)
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- Todd Russell Platts (R-PA)
- Tom Price (R-GA)
- Mark Souder (R-IN)
- GT Thompson (R-PA)
- Joe Wilson (R-SC)
P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

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Parking Lots to Gardens In Vancouver, BC

by: JayinPortland

Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 11:24:04 AM PST


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When I'm up near Union Station here in Portland, I can't help but think there's gotta be a better use for many of the empty, eyesore surface parking lots than the current service they provide, which is apparently to hold extinguished cigarette butts and broken glass, while blades of grass pop up through the cracks here and there to admire their unparalleled view of the Steel Bridge.  

A few hundred miles north of us, local charities are teaming up with businesses to turn those places in the city of Vancouver, B.C.'s Downtown Eastside into gardens with work opportunities for those who need them most -

About 50 volunteers took to wheelbarrows, shovels, and drills Saturday to begin construction of a new community garden in the Downtown Eastside.

The half-acre garden, located on East Hastings Street at Hawk Avenue, will provide food, job training, and education on urban agriculture for local residents, businesses, and community organizations starting next year.

This neighborhood is said to be Canada's poorest.  Some food from the garden will be sold at farmers' markets and to local restaurants to support worker's salaries, while some will be donated to meal centers in the neighborhood.

JayinPortland :: Parking Lots to Gardens In Vancouver, BC
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Isn't Growing Power doing something like that (4.00 / 2)
(putting in raised beds on top of existing paved ground) somewhere? I like the idea of raised beds on a hard surface like that. Makes moving around the gardens a lot easier, especially with wheel barrows, etc.  

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

Co-op grocery store (4.00 / 1)
Perhaps the first year, maybe the second year, exploring the possibility of selling to a co-op grocery might be a good idea. I'll bet Vancouver has them.

I hope they can grow year-round. When I was in downtown Vancouver one Christmas, daylight was short but weather was mild. And that's all I know about Vancouver weather!


From what I can tell... (4.00 / 1)
It's basically Portland weather, with the addition of a couple snowfalls each year.

I'll let youze all know exactly what it's like when I move there...

;-P


[ Parent ]
Don't move there... (4.00 / 1)
they don't have food carts.

Lots and lots of diverse good restaurants, though. And it's the only time I had an opportunity to buy roasted chestnuts from a street vendor. I liked them.


[ Parent ]
drawings (4.00 / 1)
I wish the papers had published architect/planning drawings of what the finished project should look like.

(And grow some tilapia, guys!)

This has exciting possibilities. But Jill, how much acreage do you think the Milwaukee Growing Power site has, for comparison?


2 acres total area... (4.00 / 1)
their main center in Milwaukee is two acres total - Jill would obviously have a better idea than me as to how much of that is in production, but I think they make pretty efficient use of what they have.  

Here's a diagram of the place.  Were I to venture a guess, I'd say maybe 0.75 acres once you take away the office, parking and classroom space?


[ Parent ]
Oh, lol... (4.00 / 1)
"Duh" -

I think they make pretty efficient use of what they have.

How's that for Understatement of the Century, huh?

:)


[ Parent ]
We, our country, our politicians, (4.00 / 1)
our friends and neighbors and relatives really need to reconsider what is meant by "efficiency" and "productivity."

[ Parent ]
Growing power and Will Allen have small scale farming (4.00 / 2)
about as dialed in as you can get it. They are extremely productive and efficient. Their model is the goal that a lot of integrated, diverst farms should work off of. And one of the really nice things about them is that like Joel Salatin's model, theirs is scalable.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

[ Parent ]
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