Invest Green - New Program for Organic and Sustainable Farmers

Looking for a new route to green your venture capitalism? Consider this.

Robert Karp, former director of Practical Farmers of Iowa, is launching a new program to help farmers committed to organic and sustainable agriculture start, maintain and grow their operations by linking them with socially motivated investors who will purchase the farmland they need and lease it to them on long-term, renewable leases with an option to buy. Mission: Promote organic and sustainable farming operations through investing What: A program designed for experienced organic and sustainable farmers who need additional land or need help maintaining their existing land base. I will help farmers who meet the criteria link up with a socially motivated investor who will purchase the farmland needed and lease it to the farmer on a long-term (up to fifteen-year), renewable lease. The lease will include an option to buy at a fair market value if the investor ever wants to sell the land. A conservation easement may also be put on the land to prevent non-farm development. The program is being piloted in 2008 through this Call for Pre-Applications. Who: Farmers may apply who can demonstrate a commitment to the core principles of organic/sustainable agriculture, have stable markets, and have been in business at least five years. Farmers should be able to offer, at minimum, a starting rental rate that is 4% of the land cost. (See detailed farmer criteria under #‘s 2 and 3 below). Where: The Call for Pre-Applications is being widely distributed in six states: Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. When: Read carefully the document below and send in a short letter as soon as possible, but no later than June 15, 2008, describing your farm and the investment you are proposing. New Spirit Ventures.pdf For more information for farmers and investors contact: Robert Karp New Spirit Ventures, LLC W2811 Friemoth Road East Troy, WI 53120 orgfarminvest@centurytel.net 414-477-1170 Bio: Robert Karp Robert Karp has been a social entrepreneur in the local food movement for over fifteen years. He has helped start community supported agriculture projects (CSA’s), farmers’ markets, institutional buying projects and farmer-buyer-consumer cooperatives. He has led many educational efforts focused on helping farmers and wholesale food buyers build relationships and helped start the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” marketing campaign which now has chapters in over 25 states. Robert accomplished much of this while working for a non-profit farm organization called Practical Farmers of Iowa, where he served as Executive Director from 2001 to 2006. Originally from Janesville, Robert currently lives in Milwaukee and works on a freelance basis with a wide array of community-based organizations and businesses that are working to create a new future for the food system. ******* More for Opportunities for Farmers: Beginning Farmer Programs Local Producer Loan Program - Through the Local Producer Loan Program, Whole Foods Market makes $10 million available annually for low interest loans to small local producers. Eligible products include agricultural crops, value-added food products, and other all-natural grocery items. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Visit their site for specific information. More about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) Buzz it up

What do Snowmen know?

Since when have news reporters become "foot soldiers?" Since the advent of the Fox News Network. Fox News is in an all-out attack against Iran. If you don't believe me, please continue reading and watch the videos contained in this message. Some people didn't take the Snowman seriously. And no one seemed to be listening to Dennis Kucinich as he uttered the most profound statement of the entire primary debate when he said, "We must first stop global warring before we can stop global warming." Why is it that some of the most essential and important messages seem to be minimized into oblivion while other messages are pounded out again and again? It is no accident. Please read on and watch the video in this message. We have gone from being a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" to one that is run by the profit-seeking corporate entities which have no allegiance to America or the American people. In collusion, segments in the news media are going beyond reporting to creating the news and beyond creating the news to writing our governmental policy. The president's bully pulpit has been usurped by an aggressive force that is misleading us down a path of destruction politically, environmentally, and socially. America needs to pay attention. How soon we forget. 911 is the rally call of the petrochemical-industrial compound to mislead us into wars for oil. It pulled us away from the real war in Afghanistan into Iraq. Will we be so easily mislead into expanding our global warring into Iran? And where next? More than 3500 brave young men and women in the American armed forces are dead and untotaled numbers of other American solders maimed physically and mentally. How many innocent Iraqi citizens have lost their homes and their lives? We do not even know nor has any one even attempted to count. You can do something! Send a message to the Main Stream Media (MSM) and let them know you don't want the news to become an endless stream of Fox News Propaganda. Stop the Morph! Go to the site: foxattacks.com/iran Buzz it up

How Green is Kansas City?

Living in the Kansas City area, I was curious how my metro area ranks on the Green Scale. The answer 18 according to SustainLane.com. I think 18 is good, maybe a B+, but we can do better! This was our note from "the teacher": While sprawl continues and most residents remain committed to auto travel, leading indicators point toward a more sustainable future for Kansas City. Without a champion for sustainability, such as a mayor or city manager, or even a sustainability plan, the city's sustainability efforts have been piecemeal until recently. However, progress is being made in some very innovative areas. Mayor Kay Barnes' 2006 addition of an Environmental Department, increased plans for public transit, green building, community gardens, and pristine water quality are just a few examples. Let's hope that Mayor Funkhouser will hold sustainable living high on his priority list for our metro area. Read about it: Take a look at SustainLane.com and find out how green your city is. Post about it: How do you feel about your city's action or in-action in turning green? Have you taken any personal action in contacting your city council? Have you sent a letter to the editor of your paper? Let us know what you think and what you are doing. Buzz it up

How green is your city?

Learn what you can do about global warming.

To date, 772 mayors across the US have signed The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The agreement states that cities will try to reduce environmental impacts through various actions, ranging from anti-sprawl land use policies to urban forest restoration project to public information campaigns.

Check the list of signing mayors on The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Center . Is your mayor listed? If not, you can encourage your mayor to sign by sending the signature page along with your encouragement to make your city part of the effort to protect our environment. You will find the signature page at this link: The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement - Signature Page.

I am proud to say that my mayor, Jeff Meyers of Shawnee, Kansas is one of 20 mayors to sign the agreement in the Kansas City area. What is your city doing? Encourage your mayor to sign if he/she hasn't signed yet.

Check it out: The Top 10 Greenest Cities

What the countries mayors have agreed to do:

1. Inventory global warming emissions in City operations and in the community, set reduction targets and create an action plan.
2. Adopt and enforce land-use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve open space, and create compact, walkable urban communities;
3. Promote transportation options such as bicycle trails, commute trip reduction programs, incentives for car pooling and public transit;
4. Increase the use of clean, alternative energy by, for example, investing in “green tags”, advocating for the development of renewable energy resources, recovering landfill methane for energy production, and supporting the use of waste to energy technology;
5. Make energy efficiency a priority through building code improvements, retrofitting city facilities with energy efficient lighting and urging employees to conserve energy and save money;
6. Purchase only Energy Star equipment and appliances for City use;
7. Practice and promote sustainable building practices using the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program or a similar system;
8. Increase the average fuel efficiency of municipal fleet vehicles; reduce the number of vehicles; launch an employee education program including anti-idling messages; convert diesel vehicles to bio-diesel;
9. Evaluate opportunities to increase pump efficiency in water and wastewater systems; recover wastewater treatment methane for energy production;
10. Increase recycling rates in City operations and in the community;
11. Maintain healthy urban forests; promote tree planting to increase shading and to absorb CO2; and
12. Help educate the public, schools, other jurisdictions, professional associations, business and industry about reducing global warming pollution.

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