Mar 16, 2022 / The Weekly Dirt / persis

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The Weekly Dirt 3.16.22

3.16.22

Around The Farm

by Elizabeth Theirl, fourth-year undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience and Geography, UW Farm Environmental Justice Intern
 

What is Environmental Justice?  

It is established that one’s geographical position can result in disproportionate levels of exposure to harmful environmental toxins and contaminants, as well as differences in accessibility to resources and outdoor spaces. 

The field of Environmental Justice aims at addressing this inequality by redistributing both the environmental burdens and benefits among all members of society, regardless of age, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity.

The field of Environmental Justice is very diverse—there is not a single scenario or measure that clearly defines whether an environmental injustice is occurring within a given community. For example, environmental injustice can manifest itself through uneven health distributions from neighborhood to neighborhood, or through lack of affordable and accessible food sources within a given geographical area, oftentimes referred to as food deserts.  

Focusing on food deserts, approximately 23.5 million people in the United States live in an area without adequate access to nutritious and budget-friendly food options according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Close to half of these individuals are also low-income. Without access to food markets with produce and other healthy options, many individuals turn to fast food and convenience stores as their primary sources of food.

This limited availability of healthy foods promotes higher rates of obesity and diabetes prevalence in these food desert areas. These underprivileged areas produce poorer health outcomes in comparison to areas with an abundance of nutritious food options. 

The UW Farm helps to enhance food security to those who lack the financial means to secure healthy options by donating organic produce to the University of Washington Food Pantry, and in peak production season other food banks. We also host student internships that help the farm address environmental justice issues.

News and Noteworthy:
Agriculture Work Opportunities in Washington:
Volunteers Needed: UWBG Miller Library
When: April 8th 9 am, 4pm, April 9th 3pm

The Miller Library at The Center for Urban Horticulture is looking for volunteers to help with their annual book sale. Volunteers will be invited to join the “friends only” sale from 1:00pm-4:00pm on Friday, before the sale opens to the public

Volunteer needs include:

  • Setup: Friday, 4/8 from 9:30 am until done but no later than noon.  The books (upwards of 3,000) are in boxes in the library.  The boxes need to be moved into the Commons atrium, emptied and setup for display.
  • Take down: Saturday, 4/9 from 3:00-4:30pm, re-boxing the remainders and bringing them back into the library.

To learn more and sign up contact Jessica Moskowitz here (moskoj@uw.edu).
UW News: How Alaska Native communities are building resilience to climate change

"On the shores of the Chukchi Sea in far northwest Alaska, climate change is already impacting the traditional way of life of the Iñupiaq people. The inhabitants of this region have lived off the land for thousands of years, hunting caribou and bearded seals, fishing for salmon and sheefish, and foraging wild berries and plants. But as the planet warms and Arctic sea ice thins, accessing and harvesting these traditional foods has become more difficult.".

Read the full article from the UW News here
Gardening with the Seasons
Hosted by: UW Horticulture Consultant, Christina Pfeiffer 
Where: Virtually via Zoom
When: March 17, 7pm – 8:30pm
 

As spring approaches and things start moving fast in the garden, it can be hard to keep up or decide what to do first. With a focus on seasonal growth patterns, and best tools and techniques, this session will help home gardeners determine what tasks will have the most effect for the progress over the next months. Key topics will include planting, seasonal care for shrubs, vines, and perennial plants, lawn care, mulching and preparing for summer irrigation.

Learn more and get tickets for this class here
Magnuson Reforestation
Hosted by: Green Seattle Partnerships
Where: Warren G. Magnuson Park
When:  March 20th 10 am – 2 pm

Help improve habitat and create replacement forest on a formerly denuded navy airfield. The aim is to create healthy forest habitat and increase beneficial ecosystem services including provision of human enjoyment and health. It is also an opportunity to enjoy nature and learn a bit about native plants while doing satisfying work.

Work will be with a team of UW restoration ecology students preparing for planting and is likely to include distributing wood chips and removing invasive plants like ivy. .

Register for the event here
Spring Skills of a Naturalist: Birding by Ear
Hosted by: IslandWood Community Program and Events
When:  April 14th 9:30 am – 11:30 am

Spring is here and with the lengthening days, birds (including migrant birds) are singing their hearts out! We birders focus primarily on identifying birds by plumage, colors and field markings during our outdoor explorations. However, tuning your ear to bird’s songs and vocalizations is a next-level way to land your id, even when visibility for birds is poor. The trouble is, it can be tricky to learn as birds make a lot of vocalizations and many are similar to each other. That’s why we’re so glad to welcome IslandWood naturalist and docent, Mark Salvadalena, who will teach you how to listen for key features in bird chatter and song to arrive at a proper ID – even without seeing the bird..

Learn more and register for the event here
UW Farm Winter Quarter Volunteer Information  

              
If you have some time to spare and would like to know more about how to grow food, come volunteer with us!
3 volunteers in the field with their masks on. 2 of them are holding up loppers and one person is waving. They are dressed in warm clothing and surrounded by winter foliage, next to a large blue tarp.

We welcome all community volunteers to our three farm sites! 
 

Our winter quarter volunteer shifts and locations can be found on our website. 
Please be sure to sign up beforehand and help us start the season off strong!

See details and learn more about how to sign up by visiting our volunteer website.

Food Access Resources

The UW Farm donates regularly to the UW Food Pantry. During peak season we also donate to food banks close by. The links below are resources to help you or someone you know with food access.  

Help The Farm Grow!

Every year, we have the capacity to grow more food and increase our educational and research program at the UW, but not without your support. Every contribution goes to work immediately, helping us better serve students. Your support can sustain our momentum and help seed new opportunities for student internships, academic work, and future growth. Please consider making a gift to the Farm online

 

The Weekly Dirt is produced once a month by the University of Washington Farm, a program of the UW Botanic Gardens, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment. It is published nearly year-round for educational purposes and the majority of the content is written or contributed by students and farm staff.

This issue's contributors:

Around the Farm, Elizabeth Theirl, Student Intern, Neuroscience and Geography
Editors: Dannette Lombert, UW Farm AmeriCorps Member- Food Security Lead, Perry Acworth, UW Farm Manager, Diana Knight, Advancement and Communications Manager, Department of Chemistry; Jessica Farmer, Adult Education Supervisor and Community Education Lead, UWBG
Photo Credits and Other Content: Dannette Lombert, Perry Acworth
Other photos retrieved from the internet and noted in sections 

Copyright © 2022 The UW Farm, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
The UW Farm
3501 NE 41st St, 
Seattle, WA 98105

On campus mailbox
Box 354115

NEW email address:
uwfarm@uw.edu