Front Range Eco-Social Solutions: A Bioneers Network Event

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” And through the power of collaboration, individuals and organizations can offer innovative options for improving the evolving food systems, creating useful places from regular spaces. By joining together for a purpose, we create more from less and fill the gaps for building our localized food systems. At the University of Colorado in Boulder, students and community members have unified, Collaboration for Local Solutions has come together to design and install a living landscape at the Sustainability Energy and Environment Complex (SEEC), hosting perennial plants, annual plants, fruit trees, berries, herbs, and pollinator plants. By creating a food-producing learning landscape within a national hub for learning and innovation, we are encouraging creative thinking, education, stewardship of the Earth, and healthy lifestyle, while supplying the onsite SEEC Café with fresh nutritious produce. Just up the road in Denver, Jovial Concepts has been able to galvanize neighborhoods around food production through partnerships with homeowners in the metro Denver area. By transforming lawns into community garden space, Jovial is able to provide thousands of pounds of fresh, local, produce for food banks and participating homeowners on a yearly basis. Similarly, UpRoot Colorado, has been able to provide thousands of pounds of fresh produce to food banks throughout the state, by rescuing food that is left on farm fields for various reasons. They are a fledgling social enterprise launched in the fall of 2016, following Feeding 5000 Front Range, and are working to reduce both on-farm food loss and food insecurity in Colorado through gleaning, experiential education, and nonpartisan legislation. Join Mike Spade, David Laskarzewski, Michael Gilmore, Swapnil Kumar, James Edwards, & hosted by Robin E White. Come hear the inspiring stories and see how you can get involved or start a movement in your community, and bring home a “recipe” you will create in collaboration during the session. Bon Appétit.