With just over three months left to go before the Global Work Party on 10/10/10, we have noticed that many of our U.S. organizers are choosing to focus on the connection between climate change and food security as they narrow down the details of their event. Lack of access to fresh food, while already a serious problem in many countries all over the world, will only become more of an issue as the climate changes, and it’s inspiring to see that folks are hard at work developing ways to ensure that their communities have access to a fresh food supply.

The creation or restoration of community gardens is a popular work party choice among organizers concerned with food security, but for those living in urban areas it can be difficult to find the necessary open space to implement such a project. That’s why we were so excited to hear what our friends at Bay Localize and POWER were recently up in California’s Bay Area.

The two organizations, along with Movement Generation: Justice and Ecology Project, hosted a Garden Rooftop Work Party earlier this month at POWER’s headquarters in San Francisco. The purpose of the work party was to improve a rooftop garden that needed some reconstructing and to learn the hard skills needed to start growing food on urban rooftops. In addition, POWER and Bay Localize wanted to share with volunteers the role rooftop gardens play in the quest for ecological justice in communities of color. Through their newly-renovated rooftop garden, POWER's members are growing healthy produce and building a community dialogue about the role urban food production will play in the quest for self-sufficiency and community self-determination.

As explained in POWER’s most recent newsletter, “we chose food security as a starting point because we recognize that the food system is as connected to climate change as how we fuel transportation and how light, heat and cool our homes and offices. Also, the need for quality food and a clean sustainable environment connects people across difference of culture, race and age. A local and sustainable food system can help guarantee nutrition and health while also increasing community cohesion and self-reliance.”

Now that summer is in full swing, we’re looking forward to hearing more stories about folks putting on their gloves, taking out their shovels, and getting to work in the garden. If you’re thinking about hosting a food-related work party for 10/10/10 but aren’t sure how to proceed, feel free to send me an e-mail at sara[at]350.org.

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