Three childhood friends open an urban farm in the Kinsman neighborhood with the dream of producing fresh vegetables, farm-raised Tilapia fish and jobs for inner-city residents. The founding partners of the Rid-All Green Partnership — Randall McShepard, Keymah Durden, and Damien Forshe — talk about their growing business.
Workers at the Rid-All urban farm in Cleveland had planned on building their fourth greenhouse on Saturday Nov. 19, but opted to begin work on a 1,000-watt solar station instead. “‘Keep it moving,’ that’s our motto,” sad Rid-All co-founder Damien Forshe. In this video clip, Forshe talks about getting off the grid. Dan Weaver, owner of Windsor Greenhouse in Ashtabula County talks about building greenhouses for Rid-All, and Tim Lewis of Green In The Ghetto, A Rid-All partner, talks about educating children about urban farming and eating healthy.
YES! MAGAZINE HONORS WILL ALLEN—ONE OF THE “YES! BREAKTHROUGH 15”
(Milwaukee)—Will Allen, founder of Milwaukee-based Growing Power, has been named one of the “YES! Breakthrough 15”—a group of people who are “tuned in to the deepest needs of our time,” says YES! Magazine executive editor Sarah van Gelder. YES! asked heroes from the grassroots—such as Pete Seeger, Naomi Klein, Wendell Berry, and Eve Ensler—to name 15 people whose work is creating the most important solutions and transforming the way we live.
YES! recognizes Allen’s leadership in providing fresh food in urban food deserts and in developing appropriate technologies for urban farming. YES! solicited nominations from its readers; Allen was selected by Regina Siegel. “I feel this is one of the most important issues today, and he has the answers right there in his homemade systems,” Siegel says.
The newly released winter issue of YES! Magazine marks the publication’s 15th anniversary as an ad-free, independent magazine.
The full list of the YES! Magazine Breakthrough 15 is:
Wes Jackson (selected by poet and essayist Wendell Berry), revolutionizing agriculture with crops that grow like a prairie.
Henry Red Cloud (selected by journalist Naomi Klein), solar warrior, bringing renewables and jobs to Native American reservations.
Grace Boggs (selected by songwriter Pete Seeger and civil-rights leader Vincent Harding), a 96-year-old activist, leading a revolution to reclaim Detroit’s prosperity, neighbor by neighbor.
Ai-jen Poo (selected by feminist playwright Eve Ensler and Van Jones, former White House adviser), battling for the economic bottom-rung—domestic workers.
Lily Yeh (selected by author Terry Tempest Williams), an artist who heals war-torn, broken, and economically devastated communities.
Lucas Benitez (selected by Frances Moore Lappé, bestselling author of Diet for a Small Planet), fighting for the dignity of the most exploited workers—in the fields.
Jason F. McLennan (selected by economist David Korten), architect of the world’s greenest building standards.
Eboo Patel (selected by educator and author Parker Palmer), training youth to leap global society’s deep religious divides.
Tim DeChristopher (selected by anti-corporate trickster duo The Yes Men), jailed for a courageous act to stop an illegal oil and gas auction.
May Boeve (selected by Colin “No Impact Man” Beavan), uniting an international movement to fight against climate change.
Deepak Bhargava (selected by immigration advocate Pramila Jayapal), rewriting the American Dream to include people left behind by economic inequality.
Dr. Deb Richter (selected by YES! senior editor Madeline Ostrander), a doctor who uprooted her life to bring universal health care to Vermont.
Nipun Mehta (selected by scholar Margaret Wheatley), forging a new economy based on giving, bartering, and kindness.
Will Allen (selected by YES! reader Regina Siegel), growing affordable food—and justice—in the inner-city.
Alison Smith (selected by activist Paul Loeb), campaigning for elections that money can’t buy.
For information or interviews with Will Allen, contact [your designated press contact].
For interviews regarding YES! Magazine’s 15th anniversary and the YES! Breakthrough 15, contact Christa Hillstrom: (206) 842-5009 x 226, chillstrom@yesmagazine.org.
We were so excited to have the First Lady, Michelle Obama, come visit the farm on October 25th with Mayor Emanuel. Mrs. Obama and Mayor Emanuel came for a tour of Iron Street Urban Farm after holding a press conference at a Walgreens in Chicago’s Chatham community, located on the City’s south side. The Chatham Walgreens and 19 others in the city will start offering vegetables and other fresh food in communities that lack fresh and healthy food options.
In her continued efforts to address and fight childhood obesity and food insecurity, the First Lady came to Iron Street to see how Growing Power and the local community have been working towards producing healthy and sustainably grown food in urban environments. While touring the facility, Mrs. Obama got her hands dirty in our vermicomposting bins and examined our aquaponics systems and oyster mushroom production.
Over a dozen of our youth, many who reside in food desert communities, were also given the opportunity to meet and interact with the First Lady!
So if you haven’t already, please find a time to come out and take a tour of Iron Street Urban Farm. It is growing and evolving every day and we’d love the opportunity to share our work with you. Call our Chicago office to set up an appointment, 773.376.8882
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