WCSU Club to Present 'Farm for Yourself' Lecture Series

From Western Connecticut State University:

Continuing the effort to "go green" and promote sustainable living, Western Connecticut State University’s (WCSU) Roots & Shoots club will present the "Farm for Yourself" lecture series featuring local farmers every Wednesday evening in April. The lectures will focus on the importance of sustainable living and local farming and will be held from 7-8 p.m. in the atrium of the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus, located at 181 White St. in Danbury.

The free, public lectures will include "Using Animals to Manage Your Land" with Dr. Whitney Freeman, owner of Henny Penny Farm in Ridgefield, on Wednesday, April 6; "Composting and Soil Amendment" with Jessica Wong of Holbrook Farm in Bethel on Wednesday, April 13; "Backyard Beekeeping and Honey Production" with Stacy Murphy, owner of Sweet Pea Farm in Bethel, on Wednesday, April 20 and "The Importance of Urban and Community Gardening: What Is Permaculture?" with Ashley Kenney, manager of WCSU's Jane Goodall Permaculture Garden, on Wednesday, April 27.

The Roots & Shoots club at WCSU was created in 2005 by the Jane Goodall Institute for Excellence in Environmental Studies to promote global conservation and environmental issues. The club created the permaculture garden on the university’s Midtown campus to promote the importance of sustainable living. The garden has provided the university with food that has been used in the dining halls on campus as well as within the community. The garden also is used to promote outdoor lifestyles away from technology.

WCSU Professor of Anthropology Dr. Laurie Weinstein, chair of the Jane Goodall Institute, said, “There’s quite a movement going on across the country now. People are waking up to the idea that they can grow their own food that is both more nutritious and less expensive than the food that they are buying from the local supermarkets. The concept of the local garden is pulling people together from all walks of life and creating communities. That’s part of our plan at the JGC permaculture garden: grow our own food and bring people together!”