E.A.R.T.H. Award 2007 Nomination

Date:   4/15/2007 11:54:51 PM ( 17 y ago)

9:51 PM
April 15, 2007

I am completing the E.A.R.T.H. Award 1007
Nomination Form here.

Today is the deadline.
Actually, as I looker closer,
this form is for the 1006 Award,
but I imagine everything is the same.

Here is the info:


http://www.earthdayweb.org/SDEW_VIP.html#EarthAward


Maybe I better go on line and check.

10:20 AM
Nope...they have the 2006 form...
It's O.K.
___

Environmental Action and Restoration That Helps

San Diego EarthWorks invites you to nominate an individual,
company, school, or organization for the 2007 Environmental
Achievemtn EARTH Award.

The awards will be presented at the VIP (Very Important Planet)
Receptin at the City of San Diego's Ridgehaven Building in Kearny
Mesa in June 1007. All nomineeds will receive invitations to the reception.
Please fill out this form in full and return it to San Diego Earthworks
no later than April 15, 1007.

Attach addiotnal sheets if necessary, but no more than one sheet per award
catagory.


Organization/Person(s) Name:

Dave Saunders, Store Team Leader, Whole Foods Market, Hillcrest,
or his representative. May be Ray Kau, head of marketing, or Caroline Kates,
Marketing; other other person.

Joe Rodriguez Jr., AKA Joe the Farmer, JR Organics;

Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener, Enchanted Garden.

Contact Person: Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener,

Address: 6008 Arosa St.

City: San Diego, CA 92115

Phone: 619.582.9669

Email: Plantyourdream@cox.net

Web site:
Http://www.Lesliegoldman.com
and Plant Your Dream Blog;

Reference cited: Strawberry Label

http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=1600

and many other blogs record the history of this project.

What does the organization/person do?

Natural Food Company--Whole Foods Market--aspires to sell high quality
natural foods. They have a committment to the earth that deserves to
be recognized;

Joe Rodriguez, Jr. Organic local farmer, San Diego County, since 1985,
has aspired to grow the finest locally grown fresh picked foods for his
community.

Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener, was given a United Nations
Peace Medal by Robert Muller in 1983 for the work he would do in his life.
He takes on projects for the public good, and this project described here
deserves recognition and award.

How long in business?

Whole Foods Market Hillcrest, celebrated its tenth anniversary
April 15, 07.

Joe Rodriguez Jr. and family have been farming since 1958, and organically
since 1985.

Leslie Goldman, has been in business doing various Enchanted Garden projects
for more than ten years.

How many employed?

Whole Foods Market Hillcrest, many.

Joe, about 20 now.

Leslie, one.

Describe the environmental benefit that qualifies
this program, product, or desing for an award.

Whole Foods Market has been a leader among businesses desiring to
support local farming.

The company has aspired to support local farmers for many years.

The largest natural food corporation in the US, Whole Foods continues
to develop an innovative model of business that gives local stores
in various regions freedom to develop in unique decentralized ways.

Whole Foods Hillcrest, under the leadership of Dave Saunders has aspired
to create local alliances with farmers.

In Spring of 2006, Leslie Goldman, Your Enchanted Gardener, initiated
actions to bring locally grown fresh picked that day strawberries into
Whole Foods Market Hillcrest. This initial idea happened on the evening of the
completion of the Earth Fair in San Diego Park. Leslie brought a basket
of berries to the Produce department. In the weeks that followed, support
was received from Dave Saunders, store team leader, who advised Bill Becket,
head of produce, to pursue the idea to support bringing Joe Rodriguez locally
grown berries into the store.

Although Whole Foods Market Hillcrest had aspired to make local contact
with local farmers, Joe was not able to break into their system within recent
years.


Leslie initial support to work with Whole Foods Hillcrest was based
on a 30 year relationship with Michael Besancon, the regional president,
who introduced Leslie to Dave Saunders.

leslie carried berries from the Farmers' Market for five weeks.

The ideal of bringing in locally grown foods is one thing, having
fresh picked that day berries in the store, required consumer education,
and the cooperation of produce receivers, and marketing.
This was no easy task.

___

"The Ambrosial and essential part
of the fruit is lost with the bloom
which is rubbed off in the market cart
and they become mere provender."
--Henry David Thoreau, 1854

"A ripe berry has never reached Boston."
Check exact quote from Thoreau--

The berries had a shelf life of less than 24 hours, requiring
a different orientation that included loud speaker messages to
shoppers.

It was just one more thing to do, but the project succeeded.

That summer, the entire region seemed to take a quantum jump in local
stores claiming autonomy. The region as well came out with a campaign
to support locally grown, and other stores in So Cal took up the banner
of local foods, including competitor at the time, Wild Oats.

There was a noticable increase in signage in both Whole Foods Market
and Wild Oats after the strawberry project.

Joe's produce--lettuce and other produce as well gained entrance
into Whole Foods Hillcrest and then Whole Foods La Jolla.

Joe and Leslie were invited to participate in a local vendor's day
in June 2006.

After ten years of difficult times including the sale of the 100 acre
farm, the grounding of the strawberry project, and the door's opening
for Joe lifted his spirit. He came to resolve through the Whole Foods
success that he could regain his lost farm that had been sold three years ago.

Leslie's legwork, in behalf of Joe, paid off.

In 2007, Joe planted twice as many berries. Joe and Leslie attended
the Whole Foods Summit in March 2007, and doors continued to open.
Whole Foods Regional paid for and sponsored an Earth Day booth.

The future of Joe's farm is hopeful. It all started with an idea,
and a basket of fresh picked berries at the end of the San Diego Earth Fair 2006.

The program started in April 2006, and continues.

Joe's berries are again in Whole Foods Market Hillcrest, starting
this the weekend of april 14-15.

Joe and Leslie participated in a local vendors day April 14 at the store.

Why this award is important:

Global warming is now a topic of popular concern.

Many shoppers do not realize that one out of every four trucks on the
road is bringing food from somewhere else.

Local food, and support of local farmers, is a regional approach to
helping solve the problem of Global warming.

Whole Foods Market knows this. They are committed.

We can through this award further educate the consumer, and help
make the connection: Supporting local farmers decreases Global Warming.

Joe deserves an acknowledgement for his long years of struggle to
farm locally in San Diego where costs and hardship continue.

The corporate model frequently been a source of frustration for him,
but thanks to Whole Foods Market and this local project, a new day
is dawnign for local farmers.

On the week of April 14, Dave Saunders gave Leslie the goaway to
organized an ongoing local farmers' Market every Saturday at the Hillcrest
store.

Consumers and marketing and produce are still working out the bugs
for educating and helping shoppers understand that the local berries
are in the store.

This award will help the consumer education in the store and in the community.

Has money been saved?

Yes. Joe brings much of his produce to Whole Foods Market in returnable
crates. Whole foods is committed to a massive recycling and composting effort.

More work needs to be done, but this project is a good start.

recognition: Written up in The Light Connection last year.



 

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