Los Angeles Crop Walls Offer More Then Food

Wall 1 BeforeCooperation

In a previous post I posted some pics of one of our Green Living(TM) Wall projects growing at Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo..... These walls have become more then additional food for homeless people, we experienced something only Hollywood can dream of......Let me recall the latest post so you don’t have to re-read, this project was a collaborative effort between Urban Farming (Urbanfarming.org) and Green Living Technologies...specifically know as "Urban Farming Food Chain", with the help of many, in fact too many to name all, the vision was to install the Green Living Wall system using our 4" stainless standard 2'x2' panels pre-vegetated with tomatoes, leeks, cucumbers, strawberries and much more, into 4 locations in and around San Julian Street bka ground zero / skid row. These panels were to help provide supplemental fresh fruit and vegetables. The plan was to utilize local volunteers to help install the green wall panels, I would teach and lecture for 15-20 minutes on the green wall, have our volunteers install and then rely on master gardeners to help maintain the wall.....that’s not how it went down......I have a degree in education and one of the things I love about our business is that it gives me a chance to teach. On Monday morning the panels were delivered in a refrigerated truck and with the help of volunteers they were unloaded. It was Tue at the first location we met with CNN and the local news etc...There was lots of excitement since this was the first pilot project of its kind anywhere in the world. The apt. complex we installed the first wall at was literally in the heart of skid row and acted as a transition from being homeless to rehabilitating back to society. The complex has an infant garden club that was willing to help install the wall. The 15 min lecture actually developed into a 6 hour class on installing our green wall, how to plant them, maintain them etc....what developed was an overflow of positive energy through cooperation, teamwork, pride, ownership and joy among these community members who where known to not always get along too well socially. The green wall brought an entire community together developing a very strong bond between the wall and the people involved. We ended up working with a small group of 4 men who truly took a leadership position. It was mutual they wanted to learn and continue to work with us on Wed, then Thur and all day Friday........From what was planned as a 20 min lecture at 4 sites ended up working with these 4, formally homeless, people from sun up to sundown everyday teaching them multiple skills involved to install our green wall. Some of the skills included operating a drill, something we take for granted, irrigation, communication, problem solving, gardening and more. By the time Friday came it was our students who took the lead and installed the final wall, including irrigation, from start to finish without our assistance. The culminating press event on Friday, right in front of the last wall, included key speakers such as Richard Lewis and Ed Bagley, upon my turn to take the podium it was no longer about the food and how cool it was that it was hanging off the wall. This was a journey about a company and strangers coming together to overcome social indifferences, working together to create a micro society, living and working in harmony, learning to work in a collaborative manner, setting aside differences for a common goal. In addition by the time the week was over it was my announcement at the podium that we now have created 4 new green jobs in Los Angeles through the use of our green wall, helping others pick themselves up, learn new skills and transition back into society.

Our company is based on 3 key values :

• Environmentally based products...this is obvious
• Social Responsibility, giving back to society in such a way the impact is felt with the entire community. I urge our organization to go beyond writing checks as a "Giving"technique...really giving back is to go out and do....do something beyond a monetary value, although cash is good......get out there and do....teach, shake hands, dig, trust me its appreciated, sadly and ashamed we underestimated the population we were working with, little did we know we were coming to skid row not to install garden walls we were coming to change lives and provide opportunities.
• Economic responsibility: We strive to train and teach new installers and maintenance techs in every community we work........the idea is to contribute to the local economies by keeping the money in the communities we work, this also means not importing outside products and materials......we are 100% manufactured here in the USA and we export our systems vs. us importing.....

This experience has opened my eyes in a new light and I find myself seeing deeper into a persons individual ability. I also have re-newed faith that communities can come together, live in harmony and become one. Personally my feeling is that we all live in the same world just different real estate......Oh by the way did you know that there are fruit and vegetables on these walls.....I seem to forget too.......www.agreenroof.com, 800-631-8001......contact us if you are interested in creating a garden wall for your community, school or church! Become part of the "Urban Farming Food Chain"

Cooperation