Sunday, July 8, 2012

An Ohio Urban Farm (Ohio City Garden)

For the Fourth of July my husband and I ventured north to Cleveland,OH to take in some sights and experience fireworks at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River (which caught on fire in the '70s because of the pollution).  Along with our plans to see the fireworks and attend an Indians' game, we also checked out the Cleveland Museum of Art (Faberge Eggs and imaginative medieval weaponry) and went on a quest to find the urban farm I kept hearing about.

Earth Borrower & Husband at Ohio City Farm (Cleveland, OH)
We found the urban farm my family and friends had described in Ohio City, which is a neighborhood in Cleveland sandwiched just Southeast of Lakewood and just west of Downtown Cleveland.  Ohio City is also the home of the Great Lakes Brewery (Burning River Beer is my husband's fav.) and some fabulous little vintage shops. I'd heard about the farm because of I've been telling people about my love for urban gardening-- particularly with veggies and herbs and because of my desire to one day open an urban gardening store of my own.

The farm didn't seem be open for sales even though it was the middle of a week day, but my husband and I wandered into the area through an open gate and briefly talked with some of the workers just to ask if it was OK if we looked around.   What's so amazing about the farm was the amount of space-- 6 acres-- dedicated to it.

Ohio City Farm (Cleveland, OH) with apartments nearby
From the middle of the farm there were high-rise apartments on one side and the skyscrapers on the eastern horizon.  As well, there seemed to be quite the irrigation system and a fence around the entire perimeter of the growing area-- which had a large, wide-open gate (when we wandered in).

The farm included a large walking strip that bisected the rows of crops: lettuce, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, beets, and then different varieties of Lillies at the end of each row.  I also noticed that there were numerous sections of beds that lay unused, as if something had been pulled up recently or as if the bed were set aside for future use.  One thing that particularly stuck out was the 12 foot poles with strings rigged for a beans.  I was amazed at how tall the poles were and I'm flabbergasted as to why the poles would need to be that tall.  Can bean really grow that tall?  Are they worthwhile fruits if they put so much energy into growing tall rather than just stocky?  I don't know.
Earth Borrower's Husband (6'2") and 12' bean poles

Overall, what sticks with me the most was the feeling of pride.  I wanted to shake every worker's hand and say: "Nice Job!"  I did tell a few of them the it was beautiful and that I was really impressed (which is true).  I had to chuckle at how much I could see their chests swell with pride and I instantly received smiles and nods because they knew that I KNEW how much work a venture like urban farming takes.  I was also filled with pride for Cleveland because of the entrepreneurs willing to put in the time and effort to refuse to let Cleveland become a healthy food desert.  Bravo, Ohio City Farm, Bravo.


Monday, July 2, 2012

Attempting to "Stop the Frack Attack" in Athens, OH

Madelline ffitch (sic.) at the Ladd Ridge Road Injection Well Site photo courtesy of Eco Watch:  http://ecowatch.org/2012/ohio-woman-arrested/

As I was killing some time in Athens, OH recently  between my classes, I picked up the Athens News because of the cover: "Fracking Protester Peacefully Removed From Injection Well Site Southwest of Athens."  The notion of old-school green sit-ins was scintillating.  I just couldn't help myself from reading, particularly because of my similar concerns regarding fracking and because of the protests I recently attended. 

What stuck with me from the article was the response to the woman's protesting.  There were other protesters there to support her, but who had chosen not to fasten themselves to barrels of cement like she had and there was the opposition-- in the form of ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources-- who are the supervisors for all things fracking related in Ohio) and then the local police presence.  The woman seemed to go peacefully [to jail], but only after the police informed her that they'd be using the jackhammer on the cement to get her out if she wouldn't release herself.  She was also fined $7500 for "creating a panic."

Aside from these facts, was the fact that ODNR apparently was trying to figure out if the protesters were organized in any way through a given group and they went as far as to take pictures of all of the protesters' license plates if they were parked nearby.  As well, it sounds like there may have been a bit of an attempt to shield the protester from the public eye (on part of the injection well's company truck drivers) for whatever reason and one of the protesters shouted to the truck driver that they were only hurting their own cause. 

These facts are what stood out to me because they're a reminder of how much shielding of facts is being used as a tool to manipulate the public.  I commend Athens News on this because they aren't shying away from making the debate public.  It's also very telling as to how our State government has decided to operate lately. They don't seem to want to really get the facts out to the public about the repercussions of fracking and exactly what fracking fluid in someone's backyard may mean for their property and health. It also told me that they're nervous because they're trying to crack down-- with the heavy fines and with the documentation (i.e. pictures) of the protesters' license plates.  This also tells me that the protesters were doing something right because it not only brought attention to the public, but it slowed down the injection well's capability to operate normally and it created a stir among the authorities. 

It's time that ODNR be reminded that we've done our homework and that Athens is full of students and teachers of Thoreau, Ghandi, King, and Malcolm X so those lessons won't be lost anytime soon.