Dear All, Milwaukeean Paul Schmitt is a leader of the Obama Transition's Innovation and Civil Society Team.
I believe Paul is very much aware of the potential of Will Allen's urban farming and aquaculture systems. I think he would be happy to learn about other urban agriculture and good food movement innovations as part of his job. Paul and the Obama Transition team welcome your story at... http://change.gov/ Here's "my" story as told today. I would appreciate copies of the story any of you might share at the change.gov site. I would upload them somewhere at... http://www.milwaukeerenaissance.com/Main/HomePage To: The Obama Innovation and Civil Society Team Re: The Promise of Sweet Water Fish Farms I am part of a team that is converting an industrial slum into a "greening urban village" in the old community of Bay View, Milwaukee. Key to this transformation will be a fish farm in an old Harnischfeger building with a concrete lined trench 90'x11' and 5' deep. This trench was for railway cars, but now will be transformed into 3 30' long tanks. Four more fish runs will be dug up, providing runs 45'x6' and 5' deep. These 7 "fish run tanks" will hold 70,000 gallons of water and 70,000 tilapia or lake perch. Following recent MacArthur Genius Awardee Will Allen's Aquaculture Systems, with the oversight of the Great Lake's Water Institute and the support of Milwaukee School of Engineering classes led by Professor Michael Swedish, these 70,000 fish will yield up to $300,000 per year gross sales revenues. This hypothesis is currently being tested(and confirmed) with 10,000 lake perch at the Growing Power urban farm, in partnership with the Great Lakes Water Institute. In addition to the $300,000 revenue from the fish, the Growing Power Aquaculture Sytem's 2nd and 3rd tiers of the simulated river bed will yield thousands of dollars of high end,year round greens and herbs. The capital outlay for this system will probably be less than $20,000 start-up costs. My "ask" of the Obama administration is very simple. Sometime this year when the Obama family is in Chicago, a day trip to the Growing Power "miracle" 2 acre city farm would provide the "Growing Power awakening" that would enable President Obama to understand the potential of urban agriculture systems. These systems are powered by the sun and by urban waste streams like wood chips, leaves, veggie wastes, coffee grounds, cardboard and paper, brewers' mash, etc. Or, if the Obama family cannot make it(the daughters would love the farm's goats, turkeys, chickens, bees, and worms!), Vilsack's visit would be welcomed. Here's a video of MacArthur "genius" Will Allen at the Growing Power farm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EpTWQWx1MQ I have an electronic copy of the report by 12 MSOE engineering students on the issues involved in transforming an old industrial building into a tilapia fish farm per Will Allen's methodologies. Rocky Marcoux, director of Milwaukee's Department of City Development, will be meeting us at the KK River Village Fish Farm site this December 31st, at 8:30 a.m. if you would like to join us. Will is scheduled to meet with us this Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., along with some teachers from the Inland Seas School of Expeditionary Learning. Come along if you can! Here's the start of my own Growing Power Story: One. It began in earnest when the kid from the hood, Just 15 years old, shot in the stomach, A fine Riverwest, gay, pub worker/owner, A few weeks after an intemperate leader Gay-bashed rogue cops Rather than thoughtfully, powerfully, Seize the reins of justice. Second. This outrageous shooting, plus A rash of thuggery that summer, 2005, Brought forth a community gathering, Which I attended, at the Art Bar on Burleigh, Across from old St. Mary's, Where the shooting had occurred. I had the same sinking feeling in my stomach, As during the 1970s and 1980s, when I and friends Had done our best to inspire thought in things better Than racist scapegoating at community meetings, Following notorious crime events and moments In struggling Milwaukee. Third But when I arrived at the Art Bar, there was a Spirit of graceful, powerful…resolve. A succession of strong and warm people, A polyglot, rainbow melange, People with deep roots in the neighborhood And the movements of our times, Expressed thoughts and feelings aiming to heal and renew, To draw upon our deepest imaginations and Sources of resilient endurance… To keep our eyes on the prize that Ghandi and King, Rosa, John, and Bobby, Mandela, Grace Lee Boggs, and many more, Had blazed in great visions in our youth. Having spent much time alive In the dark, dank tombs of pharaohs, While not witnessing manifestations of bestial hate Aimed at minority "others" I was overwhelmed by these Bursts of warm light Coming from everyday people. I had to leave early, Lest I lose my composure, And while driving home Along sacred city trails, Alongside resurgent neighborhoods And cleansing rivers, The notion of finally meeting Big Will Allen, The legendary urban farmer already renowned In awakened circles for his avant-guard Permaculture and urban agriculture innovations, Innovations agricultural and "biological," e.g. vermaculture, Agriculture ecological, e.g. gloriously productive Simulated indoor river valleys with sweet water And fat, healthy, tasty fish, Innovations social and cultural, e.g. farmer training youth programs. And when I got out to Growing Power, on 55th and Silver Spring, More than one incredibly exuberant persons, Starting with Miss Karen, greeted me with a warmth and generosity That continues to inspire, and even, startle me. Later on I learned that I had experienced my first moment with… Growing Power Magic! That's what Miss Karen calls it. And it's true! Thanks for this opportunity! James J. Godsil, President Community Roofing & Restoration, Inc. Apprentice Urban Farmer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://list.communitygarden.org/pipermail/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org/attachments/20081221/eb66ab48/attachment.html> _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. 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