As one of approximately 70 OARDC Research Internship Program (ORIP) interns, I have been traveling to nearby cities and interviewing people involved in the local food movement, then writing their stories for this website.  One of the most exciting things about my internship is the ability to see progress in the local food movement occurring right in front of my eyes.  My most recent opportunity to see progress in action was during a trip to Columbus last week.  Two of my fellow interns and I went to lunch at the New Harvest Community Center and Café

The front page of the July 21st edition of the Columbus Dispatch announced "Schmidt's Restaurant rescues Oktoberfest" with the full article in the Metro section.  It brings to mind the fragility of local food systems in an urban setting and how difficult it is for them to establish and gain sustainability.  An annual food festival sponsored by an anchor institution, e.g., schools,

You may have already seen this, but in case you haven't, the entrepreneurs in agriculture group should certainly be aware of a new project in NE Ohio.  The project is described in a post to the Advance Northeast Ohio Partners group.  If you are in NE Ohio and haven't done so already, please consider joining the Advance Northeast Ohio Partners group.  And if you know of individuals in NE Ohio who would be key leaders that could serve on a leadership council for this regional effort, please

Last November 3, we met at Corporate College in Cleveland to discuss a
green, sustainability agenda for inclusion in the Advance Northeast
Ohio Plan.  Brian Gwin, Steve Bosserman and I shared a vision for
building local economies in Northeast Ohio starting with local food
systems, leading to renewable energy and distributed manufacturing with
renewable raw materials from the region's agricultural lands.  We're
delighted to share with you the news that the project has been
supported by the Fund for Our Economic Future.  A summary of the

Since the last Green and Growing meeting on 8 June 2008, numerous conversations have occurred that centered on a strategic framework for the initiative. Such a framework outlines the purpose, principles, and goals upon which future steps are effectively taken, efficiently coordinated and well-leveraged. Furthermore, it honors the good efforts put forth by many groups and individuals thus far with the initiative and it sets an inviting stage that enrolls wider participation.

The attached PDF file of the Community Gardening Toolkit was distributed in hard copy at the June 8, 2009 Urban Agriculture / Farming Roundtable meeting.  This document was written by Bill KcKelvey, MU Extension Associate, as part of the Healthy Lifestyle Initiative.  It is available for online viewing or download on the MU Extension website.

Thanks to Susan Shockey, OSU Extension, for providing this information at the meeting!

The attached article, Local & loving it is in today's USA Weekend.  The author, Natalie Ermann Russell, shares her recent "locavore" experiences planning a "local-only" family birthday celebration.  In the course of the narrative, she offers several links to sites with information about local foods and local economies.