"Seeds of Change" Local Food, Alternative Energy, Foster Care Transition
[Update, July 25: While the legislature appropriated money for this, I heard that Governor Parnell vetoed the appropriation for this project.]
I bumped into longtime friend, Eleanor Andrews (Probably half the state would say they're longtime friends of Eleanor) on the fourth floor of the Capitol Building Monday. She was there with Dr. Mike Sobocinski - he and I took a while to figure out when we met before - to talk to legislators, and to raise a significant chunk of money to build a greenhouse near the Anchorage power plant where they would use the steam from the plant to heat the greenhouse. They are planning a commercial quality greenhouse that would grow vegetables that would sold to local markets and restaurants. Plus they would also make it as part of a program for kids in foster care or institutionalized as they transition out into life on their own. [As I reread this, I realize my description doesn't convey the amount of research that's gone into the business plan for this.[
Eleanor has had a long career that has included working at Mclaughlin Youth Center, being a union organizer, Director of Personnel at the Municipality of Anchorage, Commissioner of Administration for the State, and for many years now, the CEO and President of the Andrews Group. She's working on this project as a member of the board of the Anchorage Urban League. Mike is a psychologist who has worked with residential kids in public programs and now is an assistant professor at UAA.
So as they were going in to pitch their program to Rep. Berta Gardner I asked if I could come along. The video shows the kind of thing that happens a hundred times a day in Juneau as someone visits law makers to discuss a program they are working on.
You can listen to the whole presentation to the Senate Health and Social Services Committee Monday March 1, 2010. First the committee hears a bill from Sen. Kookesh.
I bumped into longtime friend, Eleanor Andrews (Probably half the state would say they're longtime friends of Eleanor) on the fourth floor of the Capitol Building Monday. She was there with Dr. Mike Sobocinski - he and I took a while to figure out when we met before - to talk to legislators, and to raise a significant chunk of money to build a greenhouse near the Anchorage power plant where they would use the steam from the plant to heat the greenhouse. They are planning a commercial quality greenhouse that would grow vegetables that would sold to local markets and restaurants. Plus they would also make it as part of a program for kids in foster care or institutionalized as they transition out into life on their own. [As I reread this, I realize my description doesn't convey the amount of research that's gone into the business plan for this.[
Eleanor has had a long career that has included working at Mclaughlin Youth Center, being a union organizer, Director of Personnel at the Municipality of Anchorage, Commissioner of Administration for the State, and for many years now, the CEO and President of the Andrews Group. She's working on this project as a member of the board of the Anchorage Urban League. Mike is a psychologist who has worked with residential kids in public programs and now is an assistant professor at UAA.
So as they were going in to pitch their program to Rep. Berta Gardner I asked if I could come along. The video shows the kind of thing that happens a hundred times a day in Juneau as someone visits law makers to discuss a program they are working on.
You can listen to the whole presentation to the Senate Health and Social Services Committee Monday March 1, 2010. First the committee hears a bill from Sen. Kookesh.