Cleveland Film Festival, "Poly Cultures: Food Where we Live"

In POLY CULTURES, local filmmaker Tom Kondilas describes the thriving effort in Northeast Ohio to bring back small scale, sustainable organic farming. In contemporary society, which is based on industrialized agriculture, food is typically moved 1,500-1,800 miles from place of growth to place of consumption. This results in the use of a huge amount of hydrocarbon fuels, not to mention a reliance on often harmful growing technologies. Advocates of a return to ecological agriculture who give testimonials in the film include the proprietors of the George Jones Memorial Farm, a 70 acre sustainable farm owned by Oberlin College and operated privately by a group of alumni. Then there’s City Fresh, a joint initiative that works to bring local produce to underserved areas in Cleveland and Lorain. Harold Hartzler, a dairy farmer from Wooster, describes how his use of pesticides beginning in the 1950s eventually made his animals sick and the earth unusable, until he reverted to natural methods. Proprietors of the Pint Size Farm at Hale Farm in Bath describe how they grow exclusively for the Great Lakes Brewery. POLY CULTURES is a testimony to the imagination of local innovators who are dedicated to revitalizing a sustainable model of commerce. – B.B.
=

Local Food Resource

This is a great online resource for accessing local foods at farmers markets and other businesses that support our Ohio farmers.I love this site, it's very helpful once farmers markets and open farm times are in full swing.

www.localharvest.org

Remember the North Market's www.greenergrocer.org is the sister of Local Matters, offering Regional Produce. They have a great program offering "Fresh Bags" of vibrant, local produce, in small or large bags depending on your family size. All subscriptions also come with a sheet full of information about your bag of goodies. Recipes are included, so you can get your bag and take it strait to the kitchen for dinner. Delicious, simple, affordable and you can support local farmers and our economy at the same time.

Amy Youngs and Kin Rinaldo create art and food

See some of the amazing work going on here in Columbus, Ohio bringing art and food together. www.farmfountain.com

Farm Fountain is a system for growing edible and ornamental fish and plants in a constructed, indoor ecosystem. Based on the concept of aquaponics, this hanging garden fountain uses a simple pond pump, along with gravity to flow the nutrients from fish waste through the plant roots. The plants and bacteria in the system serve to cleanse and purify the water for the fish.

This project is an experiment in local, sustainable agriculture and recycling. It utilizes 2-liter plastic soda bottles as planters and continuously recycles the water in the system to create a symbiotic relationship between edible plants, fish and humans. The work creates an indoor healthy environment that also provides oxygen and light to the humans working and moving through the space. The sound of water trickling through the plant containers creates a peaceful, relaxing waterfall. The Koi and Tilapia fish that are part of this project also provide a focus for relaxed viewing.

The plants we are currently growing include lettuces, cilantro, mint, basil, tomatoes, chives, parsley, mizuna, watercress and tatsoi. The Tilapia fish in this work are also edible and are a variety that have been farmed for thousands of years in the Nile delta.

Farm Fountain is a collaborative project by artists Ken Rinaldo and Amy Youngs. We hope you will be inspired to create one yourself. Please visit our illustrated "How-To" pages to see how we made our home version and join our free online forum to share your ideas.

Check out the live webcam! (6am to midnight EST)

http://farmfountain.com/ff4mov1.html