Blog Post #9

This was a very hard topic to talk about with my community engagement because they do so much without asking for funding from outside organizations. There is no application that I know of that helps them maintain what they are. Like I mentioned in a previous blog entry, the help of POST allows them to conserve their land and have some protection. Potrero Nuevo farm is a farm that is based on the helping of others. Potrero Nuevo helps places such as Table of Plenty. I am not sure if Table of Plenty provides them with any type of funding which was not clear or either websites. Since there is not as much outside funding they are not as equipped to hire other farmers to help them with the farm which is why they revolve to heavily on volunteers to help them with farming duties. 

Community Engagement : Day 4

The Final Day 

It has finally come to an end. This community engagement was the great way to end my undergraduate career at NDNU. I have started at Potrero Nuevo Farm since my Freshman Year Seminar class and had the privilege to complete my community service at the same place.  Meeting Jay and Suzie has been such a great experience and I know if I ever need them for a resource I can always contact them. On our first day of arriving to the farm we started the process of growing strawberries. They were already planted but it was our job to remove all the weeds around the plants, spray it with compost tea and make sure everything was well groomed. This was our little baby of the farm. Everyday we came to farm the first thing we would go do was to check on the strawberries. Well it was officially our last day on the farm and all I could think about was that this will be my last day seeing my babies. After removing some weeds around the mints and rosemary we went to see the strawberries. Suzie saying  "okay now I have a competition for you all, who can eat the most strawberries". Running inside of the field I picked my first strawberry and the taste was unbelievable. So juicy and red and the perfect firmness. This was the best strawberry I have ever had, and the best part about them was that I helped them to be so delicious.

Being able to farm these past couple of months really allowed me to appreciate the process of farming and the time it takes to make something that we eat on a daily basis taste so delicious. Below are some pictures of the strawberries that we not only help grow but our very own strawberries we harvest.

Blog Post #8

The Potrero Nuevo Farm is a non profit organization. One profit aspect where they receive their money is the U-Pick Club. This club is designed for residents to come and pick their own produce. This program is ran from June to November, where the members come to the farm and harvest their own vegetables, berries, herbs and flowers. This allows people to understand the process of farming and learning the essentials needed to grow and harvest food. A single payment which consist of eight visit run for $250, additional harvest visit are $25 each. Majority of  their services are strictly volunteer and since Jay and Suzie run the farm together, having volunteers really help them with building the farm. With the money they receive from this program they are able to purchase things that they need for the farm such as plants, tools and necessities for Jay and Suzie. 

Call to Action Day 2016

Call to Action Day was a remarkable experience. Being apart of the NDNU community I was able to speak to people I have never seen about a topic that has been so controversial. From listening to the wonderful message told by the keynote speaker, Dr. Bobby Vaughn. He expressed the importance that "All lives matter" but what people fail to realize is that people such as black people feel like they don't matter because of the way they have been treated. It was great hearing so many different personal experiences that people encountered pertaining to race. Signing up to be a facilitator I didn't quite know what to expect. I was afraid that everyone would be a afraid to speak up on the notion os Blacks Lives Matter. The most touching aspect of the day was to see the freshman class (especially in my group) speak so highly on the need for change and that racism is not okay and never will be. 

Looking at the hallmarks of SND this day of reflection really resonated with Hallmark 3: We education for and act on behalf of justice and peace in the world. I believe this day of reflection was a good start on something big for the NDNU community. One big theme that was brought out from all groups was to converse, have more conversations regarding this topic. The more we share awareness the more we can make a difference. I really enjoyed my last Call to Action Day at NDNU. I was very shock to have not seen more people at this day. With looking at the climate survey it really shows the division that is on campus and there needs to be a way to resolve that issue. 

The first picture was the opening which was give by the Director of Diversity Lakiba Pittman. 

Dr. Bobby Vaughn giving the keynote message before students broke out into groups to discuss.            

Blog Post #7

Potrero Nuevo farm interacts with local governmental units through a protection firm known as POST. POST is an affirmative agricultural conservation easement that stands for Peninsula Open Space Trust. What the Post excels in is protection for natural resources of property and allows for a portion of land to stay in working agriculture production. This allows Potrero Nuevo farm to at least have two acres of row of crops in production and 100 acres gazed. With the notion of definite acre this allow for a community reliability for benefits. " Ours was one of the first such agreements created on the Coastside by POST's Farmland Futures Initiative and we are happy to be an early adopter of an easement that will guarantee agricultural land production in San Mateo County." POST is similar to COG'S which are councils of government who are intended to improve regional coordination. 

When researching more on the protection of land I came across:
"Local farmland is disappearing, fast. In San Mateo County alone, we have lost 35% of our farmland over the last 30 years. If it continues at this rate, there will soon be none left. At Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), we believe that it’s possible to save local farms for the benefit of us all. That’s why we are announcing the Farmland Futures Initiative (FFI). It’s a complex challenge that will involve a combination of land acquisition, legal land protection and strategic investments in farmland infrastructure. After nearly three decades of protecting working lands, POST is ready and we hope you are too. Join us as we celebrate the launch of this new initiative at A Taste of the Coast, on April 30, 2016." (farmlandfutures.org) 

Belmont City Village Remodeling Project

5pm-7pm

On Monday March 21st students of Notre Dame de Namur University had the opportunity to express their voice in the new model for the Belmont "downtown" city village. We discussed what places we go to the most in the village and majority related that they go to Safeway because it is open 24 hours. This was very interesting to see the new direction that the city of Belmont is hopefully striving towards. From the talk we had it seem like they want to direct the downtown setting for the younger crowd. They want to provide affordable housing for single home and college students. As well as bring in a "strip" that will have bars and live music. With this change of scenery for Belmont this will change the dynamics of the residents of Belmont.

http://www.planbelmontvillage.com/

Blog Post #6

Focus Questions: 1. What are three principal functions of legislatures?

The role of a legislature is to be responsible for making new laws and changing existing laws. They are elected by the public to work for the federal government or other various elements of the government.  They sit in at public forums to understand what to take back to government official meetings.  Public officials are also allowed to write letters or meet with their legislator to present concerns. The three principal functions are: policymaking, representation and oversight. Policymaking means to create laws or standards for government or business. Representation means to have a legislator represent constituents and people who live in their district. Oversight is where there is more of an administrative duty. Meaning if laws that were passed did not fulfill their duties then it it their job as legislatures to adopt a different method of approach.