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	<title>ECO City Farms</title>
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	<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org</link>
	<description>We grow great food, farms and farmers! </description>
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		<title>Hello From Antonio &#8211; ECO City Farms&#8217; New Blogger!</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/hello-from-antonio-eco-city-farms-new-blogger/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/hello-from-antonio-eco-city-farms-new-blogger/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:28:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Antonio Hernandez</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecoffshoots.org/?p=5000</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I would like to spend my first post introducing myself and what I&#8217;ll be doing as ECO City Farm&#8217;s blogger. Urban farming is a relative new interest, passion and pursuit of mine. As a young kid, the only connection to I had to farming was my grandmother&#8217;s small garden, where she grew tomatoes and herbs in her backyard in Northwest Washington, D.C. Combined with my basic education on how plants grew, I understood the gist of how we got our food, and it was sort of like my Nana&#8217;s small vegetable enterprise: Farmers planted seeds, tended to the plants and, with enough care and patience, the seeds would flourish with leafy greens, root starches and vegetables of almost every color. But that usually happened in far away places, like Idaho and California and everywhere north of New York City, so trucks had to ship them to our local Safeway and Murray&#8217;s. Throughout middle school and high school, I had learned a little bit more about the complex biological processes that seemingly galvanized seeds into produce. Textbooks revealed the industry behind food – the manpower and technology needed to feed 300 million Americans, and hungry folks across the world. By the time I enrolled college at Towson University – my knowledge of farming was relatively unchanged. After a study abroad excursion to Costa Rica in Fall 2009, I fell in love with photography (and the country&#8217;s beaches). In the subsequent years, my education in anthropology exposed me to the movements around the world, especially surrounding natural resources and food sustainability. During a Visual Anthropology class, a pair of classmates created a short film “Green Spaces” about an initiative to transform vacant lots in Baltimore city into useful spaces for community and the lightbulb went off. Urban farming combined many of my interests – biology, working outdoors, community development and, of course food. While I was busy interning at Voice of America and finishing my studies at Towson, I read about different programs in nearby Washington, D.C. as well as the host of others in Baltimore. When I came across ECO City Farms, I was ecstatic – it was a burgeoning urban farm that is right here in Prince George&#8217;s County – and they needed volunteers! I subscribed to their newsletter and waited patiently until the volunteer season arrived. On their first “Open volunteer day” of this season, I decided that I wanted to be part of this organization. Not only did I want to learn more about farming in an urban area, but their commitment to engaging the communities nearby cemented that conclusion. In a subsequent newsletter, they posted an opening for a blogger and I immediately jumped at the opportunity to combine many of my passions. After meeting the staff and talking about my interests and their needs, and they brought me aboard the team. Suffice to say, I am very, very, very excited about future postings. The blog will focus on the people and the communities as much as the food and the farms themselves. If you have any questions, comments or have a story about your experiences with ECO (or anything related to urban farming, community engagement, sustainability, etc.), please e-mail me: antonio@ecocityfarms.org &#160; Thanks for reading, and check back for updates!]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Urban Agriculture Certificate Program</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/urban-agriculture-certificate-program/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/urban-agriculture-certificate-program/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 2013 20:05:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opportunities]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecoffshoots.org/?p=4934</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Register Now for our  Intensive Introduction to Urban Commercial Agriculture offered by ECO City Farms and Prince George’s County Community College, held April 5-7.    Taught by the hard-working, experienced farmers at ECO City Farms, this very intensive weekend hands-on course will provide you with the sustainable strategies  to plan and design an intensive food production system. A variety of ideas will be on offer to help you design your own food production operation, based on your needs, goals, and resources, and suited to your own individual urban space. Read more.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Join us for the Winter Farming Lecture Series and Permiculture Certification Course!</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/join-us-for-the-winter-farming-lecture-series-and-permiculture-certification-course/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/join-us-for-the-winter-farming-lecture-series-and-permiculture-certification-course/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:49:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biodynamic farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Permiculture Certification Course]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable food production]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable food systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winter farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Winter Farming Course]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecoffshoots.org/?p=4830</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Winter Farming Lecture Series January – February 2013 Join us for a journey through winter farming with some of our areas most skilled farmers! Our Winter Farming Lecture Series will be held on four Saturdays. Dates: January 12 – Accokeek Foundation’s Ecosystem Farm – Accokeek, Maryland January 26 – Even’ Star Organic Farm – Lexington Park, Maryland February 2 – ECO City Farms – Edmonston, Maryland February 23 – Tree and Leaf Farm – Unionville, VA For full information, click here. Permaculture Design Certificate Course with Wayne Weiseman March 23-30, 2013 We invite our food and farming community to come together for this unique permaculture course to strengthen skills that can help us to be more effective in creating more sustainable farms and food system. The Permaculture Design course is an internationally recognized 72-hour course of study where participants will learn about sustainable food production, renewable energy, water harvesting, natural building, earthworks, and animal husbandry, as well as biodynamics–all geared to provide the skills to practice permaculture on any scale, from a city lot to a suburban yard or country homestead. This course is rewarding and challenging for anyone from beginners to those with years of experience in sustainability, horticulture or environmental stewardship. For full information, click here.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Blog Post – Slider</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/blog-post-slider/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/blog-post-slider/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:21:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Print Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HTML/CSS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photoshop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ixtendo.com/inc34/?p=235</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Phasellus varius, felis ac ullamcorper aliquet, justo nunc laoreet turpis, eget pharetra nulla arcu sed purus curabitur hendrerit bibendum erat, id sollicitudin arcu adipiscing eget. Nullam in nibh eget sapien placerat tincidunt nec ac dui. Ut lobortis, felis vel congue viverra, dui eros auctor lectus, sed sodales massa leo id sapien. Quisque nec tristique augue. Duis ut neque vitae velit rutrum gravida. Sed vel turpis nunc, non scelerisque nisi quisque sagittis malesuada lectus, bibendum tristique sed ornare rutrum sem, vitae imperdiet risus ullamcorper non. Curabitur hendrerit bibendum erat, id sollicitudin arcu adipiscing eget. Nullam in nibh eget sapien placerat tincidunt nec ac dui. Ut lobortis, felis vel congue viverra, dui eros auctor lectus, sed sodales massa leo id sapien. Quisque nec tristique augue. Duis ut neque vitae velit rutrum gravida. Sed vel turpis nunc, non scelerisque nisi. Nulla id eros pretium neque condimentum laoreet. Proin eleifend fermentum elit Vivamus cursus porta purus Proin at sagittis dolor Donec eu justo diam Fusce iaculis, lacus et consectetur condimentum, lorem erat vestibulum metus, vitae euismod odio risus et ipsum. Pellentesque nunc justo, mattis et sollicitudin non, malesuada quis est. Etiam gravida ultrices ipsum quis eleifend. Cras tristique lectus ut libero dictum semper. Nullam mauris lacus, convallis non ornare sit amet, pellentesque sit amet ante. Nulla accumsan adipiscing ultrices. Ut ac magna nec justo dapibus suscipit quis vel sapien. Donec in arcu tellus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer egestas augue non quam vehicula dictum. Nam orci eros, placerat laoreet pharetra lacinia, tempus ut odio. Pellentesque hendrerit risus eu libero sodales.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Job Opportunity: ECO City Farms Farmer/Organizer</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/eco-city-farms-is-iso-a-farmerorganizer/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/eco-city-farms-is-iso-a-farmerorganizer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:07:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Margaret</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Slider panel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community farmer and food organizer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[job opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JOB VACANCY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paying farm jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban farms]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecoffshoots.org/?p=4757</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ECO City Farms is searching for  a community farmer/food organizer (CFFO) who will work with a team to build the nation’s first Urban Residential Farm at a low-income subsidized housing complex. ECO City Farms in Bladensburg at the Autumn Woods Apartments will model, promote and educate about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development and access to good food for all. The position requires practical knowledge of agricultural skills and farming experience, combined with strong community organizing, outreach and networking skills, a broad understanding of community food security and a passionate commitment to food justice, community farming and social change. The CFFO focuses on food insecurity, the health consequences of lack of access to healthy food and an inactive lifestyle, and the community, family and individual benefits of healthy eating, active living alternatives. JOB DESCRIPTION 1. A primary responsibility of this position is to develop and maintain sustained and strategic community engagement around food access issues for Bladensburg residents, particularly those who live in and around the food desert where Autumn Woods Apartments is situated. 2. The CFFO will work in and around the Autumn Woods Apartments with a small team to address the diet-related health inequities of the resident community by creating programs, strategies and campaigns that increase the awareness of the need for, and the access to, healthy foods. 3. CFFO is a member of a collaborative team and part of a community-wide effort to generate a collective and sustained movement that promotes and generates community wellness and healthy food access for all. 4. The CFFO also serves as liaison between other organizations within the community that share similar goals. (S)he will connect community members through the creation and delivery of a range of educational programming, from concept and design through implementation and evaluation. 5. The CFFO will help design, build and support a number of food production projects and facilities, from community gardens to hoop house farm replicating our Edmonston farm at AW. REPORTS TO: ECO’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) &#38; collaborates closely with the AW team. ABILITIES &#38; PERSONAL TRAITS • Earned college degree or high school diploma with some post-secondary education or equivalent learning/training experience; • At least 2 years experience in some combination of gardening and/or farming plus outreach/education program development, teaching and/or community-based organizing, and/or leadership development; • Evidence of capacity to work well autonomously and within a team. • Knowledge of the Port Towns, Prince George’s County, its people, and the surrounding area; • Strong communication and interpersonal skills—listening, writing, speaking, emailing, strategic thinking; • Valid MD Driver’s License and regular access to reliable transportation. INTERESTED? CONTACT Viviana Lindo at lindo@ecocityfarms.org]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/eco-city-farms-is-iso-a-farmerorganizer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Blog Post – Video</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/blog-post-video/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/blog-post-video/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:12:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Animation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photoshop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ixtendo.com/inc34/?p=233</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Phasellus varius, felis ac ullamcorper aliquet, justo nunc laoreet turpis, eget pharetra nulla arcu sed purus curabitur hendrerit bibendum erat, id sollicitudin arcu adipiscing eget. Nullam in nibh eget sapien placerat tincidunt nec ac dui. Ut lobortis, felis vel congue viverra, dui eros auctor lectus, sed sodales massa leo id sapien. Quisque nec tristique augue. Duis ut neque vitae velit rutrum gravida. Sed vel turpis nunc, non scelerisque nisi quisque sagittis malesuada lectus, bibendum tristique sed ornare rutrum sem, vitae imperdiet risus ullamcorper non. Curabitur hendrerit bibendum erat, id sollicitudin arcu adipiscing eget. Nullam in nibh eget sapien placerat tincidunt nec ac dui. Ut lobortis, felis vel congue viverra, dui eros auctor lectus, sed sodales massa leo id sapien. Quisque nec tristique augue. Duis ut neque vitae velit rutrum gravida. Sed vel turpis nunc, non scelerisque nisi. Nulla id eros pretium neque condimentum laoreet. Proin eleifend fermentum elit Vivamus cursus porta purus Proin at sagittis dolor Donec eu justo diam Fusce iaculis, lacus et consectetur condimentum, lorem erat vestibulum metus, vitae euismod odio risus et ipsum. Pellentesque nunc justo, mattis et sollicitudin non, malesuada quis est. Etiam gravida ultrices ipsum quis eleifend. Cras tristique lectus ut libero dictum semper. Nullam mauris lacus, convallis non ornare sit amet, pellentesque sit amet ante. Nulla accumsan adipiscing ultrices. Ut ac magna nec justo dapibus suscipit quis vel sapien. Donec in arcu tellus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer egestas augue non quam vehicula dictum. Nam orci eros, placerat laoreet pharetra lacinia, tempus ut odio. Pellentesque hendrerit risus eu libero sodales.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Fruit Trees and Hugelkultur</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/fruit-trees-and-hugelkultur/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/fruit-trees-and-hugelkultur/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Oct 2012 20:23:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Renee</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecoffshoots.org/?p=4657</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Check out this explanation of the big mound in front of the hoophouses, written by Elizabeth for the August volunteer newsletter: &#8220;Some new developments have included planting of more natural pollinating plants at the front of Hoop House 3, maintaining the fruit trees as they continue to prosper and the delivery of long awaited wood chips and mulch. With the arrival of wood chips, volunteers were able to weed, lay burlap bags, and put fresh wood chip &#8216;donuts&#8217; around each of the 40 fruit trees to hold moisture and to discourage the nets of crabgrass that invade no matter how often you pull them from the ground.  There has also been an installment of a cover crop on the east side of the gravel driveway, thanks to the hard working hands of our volunteers. With the fresh wood chips in place and after the donation of rotting logs from our neighbors, we were able to construct a raised hugelkultur bed (which is the strict translation of &#8216;mound culture&#8217; in German) within the circle of fruit trees west of the kitchen. The practice of making a raised garden bed filled with rotting wood covered with burlap bags, compost, and fresh soil, creates benefits like water retention and warms the soil as the buried wood acts like a sponge as it decomposes. This clever addition will mimic the natural environment that the fruit trees are accustomed to and encourage some lovely decomposers that will add nutrients to the soil increasing soil fertility around the bed (Miles, 2010). Atop this hugelkultur bed volunteers planted numerous strawberries and other installments to reap the benefits and prevent soil erosion. These mounds are designed to allow fruit trees to survive in otherwise inhospitable temperatures and altitudes and should do wonders for our fruit trees at the farm. If anyone would like more information on the benefits of this strategy, I encourage a quick gander at this website hosted by the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia. It offers some excellent information including testimonials by those who have also created there own hugelkultur bed.&#8221;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/fruit-trees-and-hugelkultur/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Orchard Planting Will Bear Fruit for Community</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/orchard-planting-will-bear-fruit-for-community/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/orchard-planting-will-bear-fruit-for-community/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:11:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Renee</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Home Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecoffshoots.org/?p=4653</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Edy&#8217;s Fruit Bars and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation brought their Communities Take Root program to ECO City Farms this summer, donating dozens of fruit trees to our farm and leading volunteers in a day of planting and celebration. Read more about it in the Washington Post Capital Business story.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/orchard-planting-will-bear-fruit-for-community/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Fall/Winter Volunteer and Tour Hours</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/fallwinter-volunteer-and-tour-hours/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/fallwinter-volunteer-and-tour-hours/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:01:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Renee</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ecoffshoots.org/?p=4649</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As things slow down for the colder season, we will hold volunteer hours and tours ONLY on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month, from October through March. Thanks!]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Blog Post – No Media</title>
		<link>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/blog-post-no-media/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ecoffshoots.org/blog-post-no-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Oct 2012 20:03:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amanda</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Print Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HTML/CSS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photoshop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://ixtendo.com/inc34/?p=230</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Phasellus varius, felis ac ullamcorper aliquet, justo nunc laoreet turpis, eget pharetra nulla arcu sed purus curabitur hendrerit bibendum erat, id sollicitudin arcu adipiscing eget. Nullam in nibh eget sapien placerat tincidunt nec ac dui. Ut lobortis, felis vel congue viverra, dui eros auctor lectus, sed sodales massa leo id sapien. Quisque nec tristique augue. Duis ut neque vitae velit rutrum gravida. Sed vel turpis nunc, non scelerisque nisi quisque sagittis malesuada lectus, bibendum tristique sed ornare rutrum sem, vitae imperdiet risus ullamcorper non. Curabitur hendrerit bibendum erat, id sollicitudin arcu adipiscing eget. Nullam in nibh eget sapien placerat tincidunt nec ac dui. Ut lobortis, felis vel congue viverra, dui eros auctor lectus, sed sodales massa leo id sapien. Quisque nec tristique augue. Duis ut neque vitae velit rutrum gravida. Sed vel turpis nunc, non scelerisque nisi. Nulla id eros pretium neque condimentum laoreet. Proin eleifend fermentum elit Vivamus cursus porta purus Proin at sagittis dolor Donec eu justo diam Fusce iaculis, lacus et consectetur condimentum, lorem erat vestibulum metus, vitae euismod odio risus et ipsum. Pellentesque nunc justo, mattis et sollicitudin non, malesuada quis est. Etiam gravida ultrices ipsum quis eleifend. Cras tristique lectus ut libero dictum semper. Nullam mauris lacus, convallis non ornare sit amet, pellentesque sit amet ante. Nulla accumsan adipiscing ultrices. Ut ac magna nec justo dapibus suscipit quis vel sapien. Donec in arcu tellus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer egestas augue non quam vehicula dictum. Nam orci eros, placerat laoreet pharetra lacinia, tempus ut odio. Pellentesque hendrerit risus eu libero sodales.]]></description>
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