gardening
Our Fresh Local envisions community gardens, energy efficient housing
by (erictank)
Submitted 08-27-2013 under INNOVATION-SPOTLIGHT
Our Fresh Local founder Jenny Bongiorno has big plans for the edification of Grand Rapids neighborhoods. She envisions a community that is eager to participate in growing and harvesting its own food. Her farming experience has taken her to Costa...
How to grow food successfully: it can't be that hard!
by (heatherhughesian)
Submitted 06-04-2013 under OPINION
I navigate life by the motto, “It can’t be that hard!” Roast coffee? “It can’t be that hard!” Rewire the electrical? “It can’t be that hard!” Build a deck? “It can’t be that hard!...
Panel discussion focuses on community gardening in Grand Rapids
by (Allison Arnold)
Submitted 03-07-2013 under LOCAL LIFE
In February, the WMEAC Film Series presented "Urban Roots," a documentary on the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit. The film covers the plight of post-industrial Detroit, specifically a decreasing population and scarcity of fresh food...
Baxter Community Center greenhouse cultivates healthier, friendlier community
by (jtstoner)
Submitted 07-09-2012 under LOCAL LIFE
A recent Kent County Health Department food security assessment revealed that the Baxter neighborhood qualifies as a food desert. Though “food desert” might evoke Lawrence of Arabia-esque imagery of a lone figure traversing an ocean of...
Food access crisis affects Grand Rapids
by (marieroper)
Submitted 05-04-2012 under LOCAL LIFE
By: Marie Roper, Naomi Jackins, Taylor Libolt, Katie Burkley, and Amanda Granger Over the past 50 years, access to healthy food has become more dispersed due to urban sprawl and the development of mega-grocery stores. These mega-grocery stores tend...
Exotic and Interesting: Orchid Show on display this weekend
by (Roberta F. King)
Submitted 01-25-2012 under LOCAL LIFE
Just when you thought January could not be any more grey, cold or unpredictable, the Grand Valley Orchid Society and the Frederik Meijer Gardens offer up a bright breath of beauty with the 14th annual orchid show. The show is held in the Grand Room...
Start a Canvolution: Host a Canning Party
by (LisaRoseGR)
Submitted 08-31-2011 under LOCAL LIFE
The canning bug is sweeping across America! The last time canning was this popular was during WWII as women canned harvests from their Victory Gardens to win the war. Today, people across the country are re-finding the joy and benefits...
From the garden: Harvesting your own hyper-local herbal apothecary
by (LisaRoseGR)
Submitted 06-13-2011 under LOCAL LIFE
For many, the term herbal apothecary evokes images of shelves, bottles and jars all filled with mysterious herbs and herbal formulas from exotic plants. But to have an herbal apothecary, plants need not be exotic or mysterious - in fact, as more and...
Fulton St. Farmer's Market opening day
by (Jessica Ennis)
Submitted 05-07-2011 under LOCAL LIFE
Winter is over: this is the message reverberating off sidewalks and garages surrounding the Midtown neighborhood as couples, families, dogs, cyclists and tons and tons of babies crowd the sidewalks. They came to the opening day at Fulton Street...
First 5x5 Event: Fire and Knife is the Big Winner
by (Roberta F. King)
Submitted 02-23-2011 under NEWS
"Relax." said Rick DeVos "This is not a competition, this isn't about business ideas and it is not a pitch night." DeVos' own latest idea, 5x5 Night drew a crowd of about 200 interested people who packed the Grand Rapids Art Museum's auditorium to...