I grew up here in Santa Cruz, and though I was never a ‘slug’, I feel like one. Santa Cruz has always offered a unique perspective on things within and without it’s borders. And the Universities Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) is no exception.
Dating back to 1967 when Alan Chadwick broke ground on the campus for what would be it’s 25 acre living, breathing nucleus of sustainability and organic gardening, it has endured and to this day. Countless apprentices have come for decades to eat, drink, and even dream sustainabilty. And I do mean dream. During these years an apprentice in the program was expected to sleep on the farm. Beginning as teepees, then as tents, students lived on the Earth that they cultivated, rising with the sun to work, and embracing it again at days end. But this Summer, that is all about to change.
This Summer session marks the end of the tents. No longer will the apprentice program be under the stars. Housing will have to be made available. And to make enough money to support the new roof over their dreams they have embarked on raising $250,000 in the effort. With only $25,000 remaining, it couldn’t come too soon.
So this is a shout out to all of those who follow the path of sustainability and all those that are to come! And if you would like to help them achieve their goal, please visit www.growafarmer.org
Tags: Alan Chadwick, CASFS, organic, organic growing, Santa Cruz, Sustainability, UCSC
