October 2011

Agricultural Center for Responsible Environmental Sustainability Studies

Know Today, Grow Tomorrow

In this issue...
What Is ACRESS? Why Agriculture? Why ACRESS? Our Plans Our Need

What is ACRESS? /krs/

ACRESS was designed to create a comprehensive, sustainable, organic farming venture that will educate the people of the Central Coast. We plan to do this by offering educational and vocational programs especially targeted at underrepresented segments of our community including but not limited to low-income children/families and people with disabilities. Our services will help empower our community to live sustainably themselves while showing them the value of actively participating in the food-totable process. Through hands-on education we aim to plant the seeds of a new generation of farmers that will inspire, produce, and collaborate on this agricultural revolution.

Volume 1, Issue 1

Sustainable farms mean profitable America

Were Social!
See us on the web at www.acressfarms.org Read our blog at Acressfarms.blogspot.com Follow us on Twitter @acressfarms Have questions? Email us at info@acressfarms.org

Why Agriculture?
Agriculture is something that sets our region apart from the rest of the world. We grow world renowned fruits, vegetables, and unique native plants. Food production is not only a vital business but a valuable resource. The more active we all are in the food-to-table process, the more we participate in our own sustainability. A society that can last is ultimately the most successful , so we decided to invest our time in a profitable and ethical future for America that focuses on local, personal, and community agriculture systems.

Volume 1, Issue 1

Page 2
Why ACRESS?
Santa Cruz County has nearly 275,000 people and is comprised of rural and suburban communities. ACRESS supports agriculture. America is speaking up and were all interested in the quality of our food. Not enough of our children are taught about our agricultural history, nor are they being prepared for the future. We plan to change this. By having a large scale, functional farm dedicated to teaching sustainability and sharing our agricultural resources we hope to inspire the farmers of tomorrow and empower our community. Interest and need for community focused farming is projected to increase as fuel prices rise and it becomes more difficult and expensive to transport food between regions. The age of agribusiness where quality and the good of the environment are sacrificed in favor of ruthless efficiency is coming to an end. ACRESS aims to be a learning conduit for children and adults of our community to get involved, to give them the opportunity to take charge of what they eat and how it came to their table. We recognize that there are many agricultural organizations and our goal is to utilize the existing framework of sustainable agriculture already present in Central California while developing programs in areas that have a growing demand.

Having the opportunity to grow our own food this year really changed how we ate. We had more fresh food that tasted better and we got to garden as a family - Recipient of donated plants

Our Plans
Over the rest of 2011 we will fundraise in preparation for incorporation in early 2012. Once incorporated we will seek grants for acquiring land and commission an environmental impact study. Construction will begin once all the grants, permits, and plans are in order. We hope to have several different areas of the farm including aquaponics set-ups in greenhouses, a vineyard, an apiary, a berry patch, a chicken coop, an orchard, a mushroom farm, and a community kitchen. All these programs will help our students to see and feel the rich variety of Californias agricultural possibilities.

Page 3
Our Need
October 22nd is national Make a Difference day and were celebrating it by working with local nurseries and garden centers to bring vegetable plants to lowincome families. Were also collecting donations of soil and pots. We will deliver the plants and give a brief lesson to the family on how to care for the seedlings. Our ongoing needs include company partnerships, volunteers, and funds. We want to work with businesses in our community to foster mutually beneficial relationships. If your business could benefit from some positive environmental publicity, contact us! If you or someone you know would like to donate their time and/or expertise to our project, please set up an appointment on our blog or send us an email. And if time is money and youre very busy, we have a secure Paypal donation button on our blog .

Our Debut Fundraiser

On October 1st and 2nd we had our very first fundraiser rummage sale. People were supportive and interested in our efforts and the positive feedback we got makes us feel this event was a great success! Visit our blog for pictures and video. Thank you to everyone who donated items to our rummage sale we couldnt have done it without you!

Exciting Times
We live in an exciting time. Urban farms are cropping up in cities across America. Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) is a growing business. Sustainability is trending toward the masses world wide. There is also a lot of fear. Our economic situation looks bleak for middle America and the uncertainty of global business and trade has a lot of us worried. What will this country be like for our children? We all want the best for our families and thats why ACRESSs time is now. We want to leave an agricultural legacy for the next generation to endorse and build on. As our organization is born we hope you can join us and share in our excitement for what is to come.

Know Today, Grow Tomorrow.

Agricultural Center for Responsible Environmental Sustainability Studies

Our mailing address: 1900 Commercial Way Santa Cruz, CA 95065 Phone: (831) 288-5776 Email: info@acressfarms.org

ACRESS was founded in 2011 by a husband and wife team that decided to share their love of food and growing things. Our purpose is to make agriculture accessible to all through the construction of a teaching farm where our community can learn and grow. Since our creation we have become a group of people who care about securing Californias agricultural future. We decided wed be the change we wanted to see and now were a non-profit organization on the road to incorporation.

Find us on the web! www.acressfarms.org

A Girl and A Dream, An Excerpt From Our Blog

I start with my passion. I have that and a plan. Then I switch to: what do I want? I used to stop and think, "I want a farm someday" and it gradually transformed into, "I want everyone to have the opportunity to grow something". That essential principle propels me forward. So one day a community farm pops into my head. It grew and it snowballed through my imagination and became this cause. The loving support of my partner helped me incubate the ideas until I could release them to my trusted peers. The spawn of this collaboration is the Agricultural Center for Responsible Environmental Sustainability Studies, or just ACRESS, for short. I owe a huge thank you to everyone I've ever encountered as they've all helped me facilitate my dreams. Thank YOU, the knowledge you gave one day became a maze of ideas the next and allowed me to grow into now. What better way, then, to show our commitment to agriculture, community, and sustainability than our favorite tagline, "know today, grow tomorrow". -Tatiana Stone, Co-Founder

I start with my passion...I want everyone to have the opportunity to grow something