Common Ground Country Fair 2012

Our group shall focus on their raised bed gardening experience and how this experience supports 5210, MyPlate, community involvement, and life-long learning.

As kids spend more and more time indoors and plugged in, there is bound to be a disconnect between these future leaders and our current goals for Land Conservation and Community. Trust in our Children bridges that gap by connecting the local elementary school with our Conservation Trust. Trust in our Children provides unique adventures on our properties that teach them about their history and local environments as well as enhance their education through hands on experiences. It is our hope that we are instilling in them a sense of place that they will be invested in caring for, for their lifetime. Come see why environmental education is vital for this generation, and learn how we are working on providing it for our community!

Education has a role to play in building sustainable communities. To be effective at this, we must re-invent education in ways that foster understanding of our connection to the ecological and social systems we are part of.

Youth interns from Lots to Garden will lead the audience in a food justice activity.

Youth will lead a discussion about a food justice topic such as traditional foods, processed vs unprocessed food, economic impact of buying local food, and the Coalition of Imokolee workers.

Learn how to use the science of ecology to create an edible garden that mimics nature in form and function. Join us as we explore how to utilize some common and not so common plants (like persimmons, prickly pears, and pawpaw's!) to create a bountiful, scalable and low maintenance edible garden that has many other functions.

Pine Tree Youth Organizing (PTYO) is a brand new alliance of young activists who have come together in collaboration with experienced organizers to build a truly independent, community-based, youth-led organization. Our goal is to help each other build the skills, support and energy that we need to make a difference in our communities and in our lives. We will describe how PTYO is being built and what kinds of support and opportunities we plan to offer, and involve participants in a discussion of how younger people can transform Maine through democratic social change, and how PTYO could help.

Youth will lead a discussion about a food justice topic such as traditional foods, processed vs unprocessed food, economic impact of buying local food, and the Coalition of Imokolee workers.