Thursday, 14 July 2011
Ambassadors of the Earth

Ambassadors of the Earth hosted a fundraising summer event on the site of the Growcology resourceful gardens this Wednesday evening. Bianca and Nick Heyming led tours of our guests through the remarkable gardens to start the Wednesday evening. The grounds are true labors of love. Families brought a favorite summer dish, and children were encouraged to bring their voices, dancing shoes and musical instruments to celebrate the summer in the rustic century-old red barn.

Harvest has been plentiful. We have been sharing food and exchanging recipes as we realize the richness our garden has brought to our lives. It has been a busy academic year as well as a busy summer in our gardens. Much is growing, including that which we did not plant intentionally! Garden day is everyday and YOU are welcome to join us at the School Community Garden at Emerson Elementary. Contact us, Claire Carbonell and let's meet!

By Ambassadors of the Earth

Thursday, 30 June 2011

Summer is in full swing and we are enjoying summer activities outdoors! Gardens are in full bloom and harvest is bountiful everywhere... weeds are also bountiful! We are excited about our projects and partnerships as we design new additions to our garden-based learning programs.

Green Education Foundation honors the work of the students and the families of Ambassadors of the Earth by sharing our video on their website. We are proud to be recognized by this non-profit organization, committed to creating a sustainable future through education.

It's that time of year in our gardens!

from SEED to TABLE,

plants are "going to SEED",

and the birds are TASTE TESTING!

Thursday, 26 May 2011

Ambassadors of the Earth invited everyone to gather at the Eastside Community Garden for "A Taste of Sustainability..."

Emerson Elementary Eastside Community Garden,
RSC Mosaic Academy Garden Science Club,
Lowe's #1574,
Riverside Corona Conservation District,
Ai, The International Arts School - Inland Empire,
The Culinary Arts School, Chef Laurent Baillon
Wood Streets Green Team,
Growcology,
Goodwin's Organics,

Thursday, 12 May 2011

Ambassadors of the Earth build friendships and support sustainable living via the sharing and exchanging of food growing practices (and of food)! As the arms of the clock indicated the end of the school day Wednesday, students from Mosaic Academy left their classrooms to gather in the MPR and wait for their ride home. In preparation of the hour, or so, they would spend in the community garden after school, some of these students had their garden gloves, journal and water bottle in their backpacks. And so we note on the Weeding, Writing and Arithmetic.

Planting seeds in Riverside

We remind readers that our garden plot was weeded and amended with compost in early March. These grounds now feed the vegetable and fruit plants chosen and sowed by students, ages 5 to 13. A string made around the perimeter of Mosaic's 40' x 80' plot remains in place. Approximately 1/3 of the area is planted, i.e. there is room for YOU to come out and plant with us!

This Saturday, May 14th, students of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire, will join Mosaic Academy's Garden Science Club in the Eastside Community Garden to make some garden history of their own! James Kellenberger, Academic Director, Laurent Baillon, Chef/Instructor, and Donna May, President of the Culinary Circle Club, at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire, will meet students and their families for a morning of gardening and recreation!

As always, Come Join Us! :-)

By
claire@ambassadorsoftheearth.org

Ambassadors of the Earth
Our mission is to nurture
the knowledge, skills and values
essential to sustainable living.

What greater gift can parents give their children than the opportunity for a joyful, productive, and responsible adult life?

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

Now, a few weeks into Spring, Ambassadors are rediscovering the natural world as evidenced in the fauna and flora around us! Many are inspired to renew and replenish their gardens (and their lives) with what prospered last year. Many of you will venture to learn about new plants and vegetables by growing them this season (symbolic of new adventures and different expectations for late Spring and early Summer harvest?!) We are finding that working in the community garden offers opportunity not only to get some exercise, reconnect with nature and feel confident in one's food growing ambitions, but perhaps more essentially, it provides the chance to meet and to share these moments in our lives with others.

Dear Fellow Food-Growing Enthusiasts,
You are probably discovering, as well as we are, how gratifying it is to grow food, to prepare a simple meal of vegetables and fruit with friends and family, and to take part in conversation around a table with the delicious results of your labor embellishing your plate! You may notice that nothing tastes quite the same since once you began to grow those tomatoes and shared your first tomato salad (as the yield far exceeded your need). That tomato you picked off the plant you cultivated, nurtured and loved, is a direct result of your collaboration with nature. How awesome is that? It is a sweet tasting symbol of victory and, likely, you are interested in propagating similar experiences with other varieties of plants, i.e. "replay", "repeat", "do over"!

To those of you who are planting for the first time, be warned that once you begin this adventure of planting seeds and follow your honorable intention to harvest time, you may never be satisfied with anything less. The first time we came out to the school garden with students, aged 5 to 12, and took these actions... several feelings came about throughout the process: intention, inspiration, exhaustion, frustration, admiration, discovery, elation, anticipation...and so on. I hope that many of you agree that being in the garden is a daily celebration of all that is good in life.

Images of school gardens in Riverside that I have had the pleasure of discovering. Remember to thank the people who plant and grow gardens at your school!

Fremont Elementary

California natives,
Longfellow Elementary

Future garden plots, K-5
RSC

Mosaic Academy

As we share in the garden days to come: turning the soil and pulling weeds, discovering worms and other creatures living among us and deep within the soil, we discover ourselves. All these words to express how indescribable an experience it is to actually be one with the natural world and allow it to teach us. Even if we do not recall that we read somewhere that it took hundreds of thousands of centuries to create and form what we know to be our Earth, deep inside there is a solemn understanding and a peace that comes somewhere between the constant interactions of our thoughts and actions. We may appreciate all of this as we aspire to reconnect our classroom lessons, our culinary adventures, and our time in a garden with the people who come and go in our lives.

Enjoy these moments together, we look forward to meeting you in the school garden.

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Good morning! Hope you all remembered to turn your clocks forward!

I'm remembering my second grade teacher saying, " Fall back, Spring forward". To this day, I am still in awe of the concept of being able to control time by physically moving the arms on a clock ~ genius? or illusion?!

Anyway, Happy SpringTIME to all! We are going out to the school garden later today to layout some rows and to plant! Yeeeeaaaahh! The sun is shining and outside our living room window there are flowers blossoming on the plants my children and I planted about two years ago!

We have seeds and seedlings ready for planting today. We may not plant them all but we will prepare the soil with compost, plan & measure out our rows according to the type of plant and put our seeds into the soil!

This past week students and their families from Mosaic Academy came out for a field trip and prepared the site for planting. Today and next week students will be coming out to layout their rows and to plant fruit and vegetable seeds for Summer harvest.

Mosaic Academy is having a Botanical Interests Seed Fundraiser, if you are looking for some good seed (heirloom and/or organic fruit and vegetable seeds for your garden this season, come and talk to our students in the garden!)

What we'll be planting:

See you in the garden!

By Claire Carbonell
Ambassadors of the Earth

Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Tuesday morning, Ambassadors were on the site of the Eastside Community Garden, this time on a field trip with Mosaic Academy students and their families. Organized by Marie Rhodes, Mosaic Academy and Claire Carbonell, Ambassadors of the Earth, a student-inspired/parent-supported organization for eco-literacy.

It was a wonderful turn-out of about 60 students and 42 parents. Students worked with their parents and, in many cases, their siblings to prepare a plot of land measuring about 40' x 40'. A tour of the garden and a brief gardening tool safety workshop was given before students and their families worked together to prepare their garden site for planting.

John McCombs, principal at Emerson Elementary, invited students into the garden as part of the community. He spoke about the history of the school community garden and the 8 years that have taken place since the garden became the Eastside Community Garden. It is truly a unique place to be and, for us, one of the hidden treasures of this Riverside community and its culture!

In addition to funds that Ambassadors received from Annie's Homegrown Organic Garden Grant, our local Lowe's graciously provided vegetable seeds and discounted seedlings in support of this field trip and our goal to build community by growing gardens! Lowe's Community Outreach has donated to school garden projects at Emerson Elementary throughout the three years that Ambassadors has been involved with students: composting, exploring and running experiments in the garden. Time and effort has been invested in this by Emerson's PTA, County of Riverside Master Composters, Sustainable UCR and, most importantly, Student/Parent leadership. This year we have partnerships with Nutrilite and "the gist" to collaborate efforts in our common goal to teach eco-literacy by growing food together in a community garden.

Is your school interested in joining our efforts? Please come garden with us. Contact Emerson Elementary or Ambassadors of the Earth, we look forward to meeting you. There is a world to discover through gardens and gardening with friends and family! Feed the Soil, Feed the Soul...

by Claire Carbonell

Wednesday, 2 March 2011
By Claire Carbonell

Sixth-grade students at Emerson excited about being a part of the Emerson Green Team for their second year. They explain that they enjoy working with other students in the garden, exploring "best practices" of growing food, companion planting, composting, and feeding worms! And, although they themselves do not describe it as such, they are having fun learning teamwork, leadership and compassion for others.

Ambassadors are busy exploring the community starting with schools in Riverside and learning about the existing gardens and programs. We are growing despite certain, although not all monetary, difficulties. With the wealth of resources found in Riverside, Ambassadors firmly believe that it is in working with each school community that sustainable solutions may be found. The common goal being to build a sustainable social and economic model for a school garden program in support of that which is taught in the classroom.

Mr. Chien, 83, explains how gardening keeps him active, healthy, and happy to grow his favorite vegetables!

Nationwide, First Lady Michelle Obama leads the way in the grand initiative, Let's Move, "America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids".

Locally, Riverside's own Rodney Taylor, Director of Nutrition Servicies, Riverside Unified School District, brought farm-fresh salad bar to RUSD schools. Ambassadors of the Earth works as a Sustainability Coordinator to create and develop Green Teams, i.e. Emerson Green Team. Although there must be collaboration with school administration, it is the students, parents and community leaders that make the difference.

Green Team students are learning the science and art of growing food! We learn about our culture and that of others through the food they choose to plant and share. Anyone interested in joining us is welcome to spend some time "working the land" in Emerson Elementary's flourishing garden, the Eastside Community Garden. In the last 12 months, a Taiwanese and Chinese Senior Community has joined the community garden and brought their food culture! Conversations are exchanged and friendships are built!

Visitors are welcome to come out and experience the beauty and bounty of a school community working to grow food, get fresh air and exercise, and meet like-minded Riversiders! At Emerson Elementary, gardening is open to the community on weekends. Garden Days planned by the school are forthcoming! Come out and meet your neighbors, grow your own food, learn about others and exchange knowledge and maybe even a friendship or two!

John McCombs,
Principal

Tony Inaba,
Garden Supervisor

Emerson Elementary
4660 Ottawa Avenue
Riverside 92507
T 951 788 6472

Ambassadors of the Earth
contact info
Riverside 92507
T 951 534 0424

Saturday, 26 February 2011

Written by Claire Carbonell
email inquiries

These last few weeks have been busy for most. Seeds are germinating and seedlings are cultivating! Spring planting is eminent!

NOTE: Ambassadors seeks artwork for a Silent Auction taking place on April 2nd at the Mayor's Ball at Grand Terrace. We are collecting artwork for drop-off Mid March. Please donate. Proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Research.

Saturday, 5 February 2011

Written by
Ambassadors of the Earth
Riverside 92507

Emerson Elementary School Principal John McCombs and Garden Supervisor Tony Inaba greeted residents today as they arrived on the school campus (Eastside Community Garden). Families came as they do every Saturday to tend to their garden, others, parents and siblings, came to help clear the site for children to plant potatoes, and yet others came out to see the school community garden. It was "Garden Day" and the principal took the opportunity to have students in the Saturday School program come out to the garden! Emerson Elementary students are blessed with one of Riverside's most wonderful school community gardens! What makes it so wonderful? The people that have contributed to making this garden grow throughout the years!

We all took part in a healthy exchange of concerted and not-so-concerted efforts, supervised direction, teamwork, laughter, and an informal citrus taste testing under a beautiful Riverside sky!

We shared in the beauty that only a community garden seems to offer. "I come here for the fun!", explained one of the gardeners as she watered the plants with her two grandchildren. "This is a haven away from the chaos", another gardener exclaimed. Children are enthusiastic about being in the garden and it is no wonder! Anyone that has planted a seed knows of the excitement and promise that it brings.

The roughly 40'x40' area seemed to be cleared in no time! And in the 4 hours time, all who were present worked to clear away weeds, turn the soil, dig shallow trenches and observe the students plant potatoes.

Two rows were dug between each pair of water rows. Every 12" on center, a potato seed was placed in a row by a student and covered with soil. "I planted my first potato! screamed a five-year-old" and later asked when she could come back to see it grow.

The bounty of the garden today: blood oranges, onions, laitue, snap peas, peppers, cabbage, bok choi and, most treasured of all, community spirit and collaboration!

Among the visitors to the garden were Erin Snyder, Riverside Corona Resource Conservation District, Andy Melendrez, City Councilman, Ward 2, Karen Wright, Community leader, other garden advocates: Susan, Veronica, Alison, Benjamin, Etzli, and Max! We came home with a feeling of accomplishment for an afternoon well spent and with the anticipation for the Saturdays to come! We thank John McCombs and Tony Inaba (and their families) for making this wonderful Garden Day possible!

Written by
Ambassadors of the Earth
Riverside 92507

January 2011

Happy New Year Riverside! We are excited about our partnerships to build sustainable school garden programs this year! Working together as a collaborative is growing. With the current national movement "Let's Move" led by our First Lady Michelle Obama, schools are looking to develop nutrition education programs alongside existing school garden projects.

Students in Riverside are creating teams within their schools to make their school campus a living laboratory for their classroom learning. We learn about our food and our environment in and out of the classroom. We discover the connections between our food, our environment, our history and our future! Each school has its own unique story to tell. If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, let us begin to tell their stories here! Each school is welcome to contribute to this blog, graciously given to us as a communications platform for all schools by the The Press Enterprise's InlandSoCal blog.

(At this writing we have not received permission to publish photos with children in them, so we give you the story through their in the school landscape! Inspired by the efforts of these school programs? Come out and join us on garden days!)

Claire Carbonell,
Ambassadors of the Earth

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

Students representing 4 different schools here in Riverside, attended the California Green Schools Summit last week in Pasadena. It's always a pleasure to visit the City of Pasadena although not always a pleasure to face the reality of traveling the freeways.

One of the many interesting conversations we had were at the booth of the SciArc, Southern California Institute of Architecture, students that displayed their scale model of the venue (designed by l'Enfant) linking the White House and the Washington monument (obelisk) in Washington D.C. marking the location of a dozen sites sitting on the famous axis. Their proposition is to build sustainable housing which utilize "alternative" natural resources such as the sun, wind and even geo-thermal energy to power the homes of America! This is not a new idea, but it seems our current economic circumstances have given opportunity that we may no longer ignore the soundness of these design proposals to meet our current state of affairs.

the Ambassadors of the Earth