I just watched this film last night and I wanted to share it with you. This is a very well done film outlining the idea that perhaps plants are using us to the same extent that we use them and that they have developed traits and capacities in order to ‘convince’ us to propogate their species. The idea itself is novel, to most, and presented stunningly well. I am very picky about movies and this one is worth some hot chocolate, dried mango and a warm friend to snuggle with on a winter night.
I had the pleasure of meeting David Baldwin who is heading up this farm project a few weeks ago. David brings to the local farm movement a professionalism that is refreshing and has a very inspired and organized approach to the ROCF. That being said, I am going to present an arguement here that the model for the ROCF is not beneficial for the community as it is.
Here is what I have understood about the ROCF (Royal Oak Community Farm).
1. It is on school property
2. Profit’s go mainly to the royal oak school system
3. Executive management fee’s are unknown, not in place, or simply not considered at this stage
4. Food will be sold locally in royal oak
5. So far 1 job has been created – which is 1 more than we had.
6. The long term vision is to use more school land(s) to propogate this model.
7. Fundraising activities are in place but currently no 501c3 is.
It is awesome to see more and more energy and attention being moved to producing food locally and I applaud David for his work here. That being said, I am personally concerned with the model he has in place given that an undisclosed, yet substantial amount of profits are going to public schools…which…already recieve state and federal money from YOU and I…and statistically, they waste it. There is something for me about this that feels like the bank bail outs. If this program was aimed to fund local schools so they could turn down federal dollars and thus directly control their education locally…I would be ALL for it. As it is, I personally rather see Mr. Baldwin profit from this endevour than a school. Let me explain…
Check out the newest video from our Art Party in May 2009. Special thanks to the The Mati Group!
If you like the video, please do vote on it in youtube and pass it round. The point to this event and the video’s is to not only promote my business (:) but to generally promote local food, local culture, local art.
Love,
Michael
Today I continued development of our Wild Bramble patch at the personal residence of EdibleWow.com who is our partner on this particular crop we are developing.
The Land
Close to 3 acres of the finest northern suburbian property is home to our Jewel of a Wild Bramble garden. The area where these are growing has been free of lawn care of any kind except mowing for over a decade. There is a stunning red tailed hawk in the mightiest white pine on the property, deer everywhere (they don’t even eat the brambles!!!) an aspiring apiary – this is a really stunning lot we are working with. Video on it to come.
Why:
If you have tried to grow raspberries, of any variety, you are aware that they are tricky to grow. They seem to succumb to a series of problems from insects to fungus. The wild bramble in michigan is utterly easy to manage and produces in adverse conditions with ease. I have personally never seen them succumb to some dis-ease nor have I talked to a single person who has. In fact, this wild variety is said to carry a virus that negatively effects cultivated varieties of raspberry and thus the wild one’s should be eradicated from any area where cultivated varieties are to be planted. Huh. Think about that. That is like removing a peach tree that grows wild, with no effort on your part, to plant another peach tree that requires tedious management. Ornamentally speaking, yes, it is fun to play with varieties – but practically and functionally speaking, long term ease and sustainability…in my opinion it is the Wild Bramble all the way. I decided to begin managing and developing distribution for this crop because it is so easy to sell. It is easy to sell because I know it kicks ass and so does everyone else who has spent a little time around plants.
Welcome to the first official installment of this little video series I am working on.
My dear friend David Messerschmidt who was working with InDi on our project had the idea to use our office space for an Art Battle event. The way an art battle works is that the guests vote on their favorite piece at the end of the night. There are any number of artists working under any number of themes and mediums with a limited time frame of completion. Funny enough, we had a decent amount of negative feedback on the use of the word ‘battle’ and the idea it was a competition. I would like to take the opportunity to say that it is ironic because such a statement and critique itself is competitive and aggressive in nature but I choose not to focus on the ‘battle’ part of the event in these video’s too much – mainly because we did not win. lolololol We came in 2nd place. And for the record Competition with Honor is a beautiful thing.
I am so in love with this place that we filmed a commercial for them. Family owned, local brews, awesome unique pizza and salad – they embody the spirit of quality and local business. Often I go there and get a french press coffee, work on the internet, have a smoke and eat lunch. I love this place. Check it out. I know, I will quit smoking, soon…
You can talk to the owners here, you can talk to the brewer’s – this place is a family and when you show up you are part of it – at least, this is my experience.
Also, they are huge supporters of green initiatives in the city and just recently I saw Dan loading used barley into compost bins heading to become rich soil.
See you at Motor City sometime -
Love,
Michael
A friend of mine happens to put on the hottest heaviest and most notorious funk show in the country and it happens every month here in Detroit. Aside from being cultivators and collectors of the richest sounds Frank and his wife Nicole are avid supporters of healthy local food and veganism. Check out Veganslaughterhouse.com and Funknightrecords.com
Along with building gardens I love working with film and I am brand new at it. This is my first solo edit actually – it is not hard to see I am not super savvy on final cut yet, but I enjoy it a lot. I had to film Frank’s party after the first time I experienced it. I will let the video describe the rest for you.
I love your feedback so pass it along.
Love, Michael
IndiIn
If knowing is half the battle, is the other half not knowing?
Ready?… I propose to you that if you live in a climate that can have a freezing winter (or in my not so tactful opinion – ANY climate) and you have spent money on FLE’s, you are the victim of a landscape crime. You have been ripped off. The crime is being perpetuated by a ruthless suspect known as ‘Greed,’ sometimes accompanied by ‘Poor Taste’, ‘Suggestability’ and ‘Irrational Reasoning’ who seem to be possesing the pyhsical forms of human beings that refer to themselves as ‘landscapers,’ ‘landscape purchasers’ and ‘whoever the hell choses the general pile of cheap, useless and often ugly filth that fills the garden sections of wallmart, homedepot and lowes.
Here is why…
As part of our efforts to promote organic and local food, along with small local business we film the work that we do and when we have time/money we have them edited or try to edit them ourselves. We also put on events to promote this culture (as well as our business) – and our next event is in the later spring. More details on that shortly.
However, in the meantime, if you want to participate, read on…
(Gracious Bow)
Hello!
Check out this great article on my goji plants in HOUR magazine. READ ARTICLE HERE
Thank you Alexa for yet another awesome article on my work! Alexa has written about my companies over the past 9 years several times – thus, in my mind, she is the most talented writer in the city right now! lol
I took the plants from SEED to BERRY in 2 seasons while over wintering them in pots TWICE! What this means is this plant is Extremely hardy. At night I would have dreams of a berry colored woman telling me secrets about how to grow the plant, what it needs, how to prune it, how to transplant it and how to make it sing. I prefer this story more than how I really figured those things out 