August 26, 2009
We would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to share the details of our project with you and thank you for providing grants for horticultural education in Colorado. Our organization it committed to increasing the health and well being of our local communities through local food production and agricultural education. We are very excited about the Roaring Fork high school Greenhouse & Garden project because we understand the value of growing and cooking food as a hands-on teaching tool and hope the project can serve as an inspiration and model for other public schools in Colorado and the nation as a whole.
ROARING FORK HIGH SCHOOL GREENHOUSE & GARDEN PROJECT
Initiated and managed by the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute
Fundraising and community organization managed by Fat City Farmers, Inc. and Illene Pevec (Angel earning her wings);
42’ dome greenhouse & 1-1/2 acre edible schoolyard project
Outdoor classroom space / Horticulture, cooking and food prep vocational classes
Cafeteria composting area and worm farm
Mission Statement:
The Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute was founded in 1987 to research and demonstrate methods of environmentally sound agriculture, gardening, and landscape design. The Institute is dedicated to providing affordable educational workshops, residential internships and Permaculture design courses, and features a 1/2 acre high altitude demonstration garden and several greenhouses on site. Since 2007, CRMPI has widened it’s educational focus to community based agriculture initiatives, such as the CSA?Farm School and Edible Schoolyard projects, to help restore a local food economy the Roaring Fork Valley.
History:
For decades, the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute has been a leader in local sustainability and has been an advocate for ecologically sound organic growing practices. The Institute has provided courses in Permaculture Design and community accesible workshops on many gardening related topics. CRMPI has always advocated local food production for the health of the community and to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.
Project Purpose:
The Roaring Fork high school Greenhouse & Garden project is a collective effort between CRMPI, the RE-1 school district, partner organizations, University extension agents, volunteers and the town of Carbondale. The high school has set aside land surrounding the school building to use for this purpose, and unanimous approval from the school board has been given to build a 42’ geodesic dome greenhouse and a 1/2 acre garden on the grounds of the Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale. Letters of recommendation have been received from the Colorado Community College System and and research on the project is being coordinated by Illene Pevec, a Ph.D. candidate from CU Boulder.
This project is privately funded and will provide an outdoor classroom for hands-on learning and will be utilized by several classes of students per year. High school teachers and Edible Schoolyard educators will integrate food systems concepts into the school’s core curriculum and students will grow healthy, organic produce for the school lunch program. Food preparation and cooking classes will be offered to compliment the food growing efforts. Sixty students are currently signed up to attend these new classes, and every effort is being made to secure the funds necessary to make this project a reality.
Total Project Costs:
Greenhouse Construction $56,600
minus funds raised to date:
C.O.R.E. Grant -$7,000
Fat City Farmers & Partners -$18,000
Total outstanding construction cost $31,600
Outdoor Garden & Orchard Installation $27,000
Agricultural Education Program (Operational expenses) per month $ 5,300 x 9 months $47,700
GRAND?TOTAL? $106,300
Amount of Funding Requested: $69,200
This funding amount covers initial costs for materials, construction and the first 2 months of operational expenses. Many local volunteer service and non-profit organizations are working to raise funds and grants have been written to provide ongoing operational funding for the project. $25,000 has been raised to date by our partner organizations and can be used as matching funds for the grant.
Related Project Information & links:
Community Food Initiative Portal: http://communityfoodinitiative.org
A portal site that includes all the active school garden projects in our area
Project blog link: http://rfhsgreenhouse.ning.com
The project blog includes a site overview, preliminary greenhouse design and site plan
CSA Farm School blog: http://csafarmschool.ning.com
A school to train new CSA?Farmers - located at the Roaring Fork High School
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