   
As I think about the issue of kids learning about "where food
comes from” and the value of fresh organic food ...
I am struck by the number of schools who have used our
Growing Domes as a living laboratory for the discovery of nature
and health. Our Growing Domes are perfect for schools because they
make it possible to grow food in winter, during the school season,
on a budget. Our idea about making them as affordable as possible
from 1989 on, led to practices now called Socially Responsible for
our business model.
In the early days in Snowmass Colorado Rocky Mountain
School created a small business, growing seedlings for organic gardeners
in their 22 foot Growing Dome. Paonia High School had a large dome
for science classes for a decade, and many other schools followed.
Bayfield High school had an article on the front page of the Durango
Herald in May of 1999, announcing that their “Living Classroom
was to be a model for the nation as students in food science classes
harvest herbs, vegetables and medicinal plants in their specimen
garden.” Many Montessori Schools bought from us before the
popularity of organic food created more interest. An article from
the New Mexican from March 10, 2003 shows Ecoversity
in Santa Fe incorpating our Growing Dome as part of their High
Desert Permaculture program. The Blackfoot
Community College produces medicinal plants for pharmaceuticals
under the direction of Wilbur Fish. Raw
Utah and Tree of Life Foundation teach raw food lifestyles,
using our Growing Dome. Stonewall Farms and Naropa University recently
purchased our greenhouse as a part of their nutrition programs.
Now, our association with Global
Children's Gardens in Evergreen, Colorado brings the opportunity
for donating Growing Domes to schools through a non-profit agency.
We have donated or sold to many Native American tribes who are interested
in eating healthy and remembering their wisdom in gardening. Fort
Lewis College, in Durango and Rio Gallenas School in Las Vegas,
New Mexico both gave us studies last year that have added to the
curriculum we can offer.
Learning about health and nature is important in our modern world.
America’s reliance on fast foods and public ignorance about
the effects of genetically modified foods and hormones is big news
these days. Our gratitude goes out to First
Lady Michelle Obama, in recent weeks for highlighting the gift of
healthy organic food both for taste and energy. She recounts
in her interview by Oprah, that the family maintained its energy
better in the long campaign time by “eating healthy,”
and her recent “kitchen garden” introduced to kids from
Washington DC modeled the power of healthy food choices for children
of all ages.
We, who have made the transition to healthy foods, have learned
that it is not impossible and we can even find it less expensive,
if we "grow
our own". Of course this lifestyle requires the time it takes
to garden and read labels, but the rewards are many, especially
in tastes and well-being. First time gardeners learn the joy of
watching life in action as they are responsible for tending seedlings.
Children are a good motivation for the patience one needs when dealing
with the natural challenges of greenhouse growing, and learning
to live with the seasons, in terms of planting schedules. All these
lessons teach a sense of confidence and appreciation for the miracle
of life.
-- Puja Dhyan Parsons |
