Community Learning Initiative/Service Opportunities (updated 10/8)

1)    Community gardens - This project would examine the role of community gardens in contemporary Hartford area (& beyond) food systems.  What are community gardens? Why have they evolved? What makes them successful?  You will work with Timothy Otte (728-5822) of Timothy’s Restaurant to develop a plan for a community garden next to his establishment, just down the hill from Trinity on Zion St.  (Monique Myers and Ben Yanni-Lazurus)

2)     Farmer’s markets - This project would examine the role of farmers’ markets in contemporary Harford area (& beyond) food systems.  What are farmers’ markets? Why have they evolved? What makes them successful?  How do they operate in Hartford versus elsewhere?  You may also explore the regional market in South Hartford (contact executive director Frank Intino. at 566-3699 if your interested in learning more about the regional market) (Christie Schiff and Tamara Greenman)

3)     The small arms trade. What is the campaign against small arms?  What factors (especially related to globalization) seem to determine its success or failure?  You might create a set of materials (posters, informational brochure, annotated bibliography/webliography) concerning the campaign for the Trinity community (and beyond)?  You will work with local, regional and national organization, such as IANSA (http://www.iansa.org/), Oxfam, and Amnesty International to learn about this issue. (Mike Reynolds and Jared Boyd)

4)     Farm to school/college programs.  You will investigate how schools, especially area colleges (e.g., Wesleyan, Yale, Vassar, Bard, and UConn), have tried to “go local” and “organic” with their own food systems.  To what extent have they succeeded?  Could such a system be implemented at Trinity? You will work with Jiff Martin of Hartford Food System (296-9325), Chartwells (Trinity Food Service), and contacts at area colleges to develop this project (Charlie Callahan and Jamie Lingard)

5)    Farmland Preservation?  What steps have CT and local governments taken to conserve land for farming?  How do these efforts compare to other states?  What are the major challenges in initiating such and effort?  You will work with the Hartford Food Systerm’s Jiff Martin (296-9325), CT Department of Agriculture, CT Farmland Trust (http://www.ctfarmland.org/) and local working lands alliances to research this issue.  (Mark Canning and Alex Penfold)

6)    Hunger and Homelessness Campaign.  To what degree is hunger a problem in Hartford and why?  You will work with Foodshare, the regional food bank that feeds hungry people in the greater Hartford area (http://www.foodshare.org/main.cfm), and other organizations in this campaign.  You will work with Abby Randall and perhaps Gloria McAdam of Foodshare (meet her at the Oct 12 conference).  (Stephanie Grimaldi, Tania Joseph, Fatima Jafri)

7)    Food Prices in Hartford & beyond.  You will participate in supermarket price surveys and analyses carried out by the Hartford Food System (contact Jiff Martin at 296-9325, also Alta Lash of Trinity Neighborhood Alliance).  In addition to comparing prices of key commodities in area food stores you will use spatial analysis to contrast the availability of key foods in Hartford with other areas.  (Katy Rice, Brian Tak, and Steve Dunn)