Photo: Solar platform team places the beams in place
By Wylie Goodman
It was still 35 degrees outside in late March when a dedicated group of nearly 10 volunteers began the tough work of hammering, sawing, leveling, and raising a 12′ x 14′ frame into the ground the corner of Rail Road (where our chickens take their dust baths). It was the first stage in building a Solar Panel Shade Structure that, come summer, will provide cool relief for staff and visitors who help wash food scrap bins, while storing energy from the sun that can be used to charge everything from cellphones to the aerators beneath the wind rows.
The Solar Panel Shade Structure is just one of the projects Earth Matter’s recently-launched development committee is raising funds for in the coming year. Made up of Earth Matter Board members, staff, and a handful of dedicated supporters, the Development Committee identifies projects that align with EM’s mission, then finds creative ways to pay for those projects, whether through grants, farm-to-table dinners, or a soon-to-be-at-a-store-near-you “Chicken-of-the-Month-Club” T-shirt.
One of the most exciting project’s the Committee is seeking support for is a demonstration farm, where EM can show how our compost contributes to producing delicious, nutritious fruits and vegetables and provides hands-on activities for visitors, such as learning how to use “lasagna composting” to build on existing soil. In exchange for joining our farm collective, members will receive a share of produce, based on what’s available to be harvested.To learn more about what would be involved for you to join the farm collective we are developing, please email syed@earthmatter.org
The demonstration farm will also offer an opportunity for EM to encourage Governor’s Island vendors to “Buy Local,” in this case merely a few hundred yards away, and support Earth Matter in the process. Wouldn’t a sandwich made with just-harvested EM lettuce taste great? We sure think so.
If you have ideas for other projects the Development Committee can explore to support EM’s growth, please let us know. You can email the Committee through its Board representative, Wylie Goodman, at wylie@earthmatter.org. It’s because of you… that Earth Matter can realize its goal of educating all New Yorkers about how to steward the earth, water, and air on which we all depend.