• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Youth Eco Solutions

  • About YES!
    • About YES!
    • Partners
    • Supporters
    • Our Team
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Our Work
    • Statewide Map
    • YES! Team Projects
      • Current Team Projects
      • Past Team Projects
    • Impact
    • Events
  • Get Involved
    • Start a YES! Team
    • Invest in YES!
    • Community Involvement
  • Media
    • YES! Video
    • YES! In The News
    • YES! Blog
    • E-Newsletter
  • DONATE

PayPal Donation Button

February 24, 2014 | Events

The Sun Shone Down on the Local Foods Workshop

Throughout the Milan Local Foods Workshop, every speaker and tour mentioned the power of the sun.  Audrey Arner of Moonstone Farm started the day off by inspiring the students and explaining to them, “every one of you is a spot of light and creative potential to change western Minnesota through harvesting the sun”.  She mentioned that this included everything from high-tech approaches such as man-made solar panels to traditional methods such as harvesting photosynthesis.  She also discussed farming, her farm’s philosophy of perennial polyculture, and various ecosystems.  She emphasized that we are all part of the solution and we’ll need to use our creativity to figure out how we’ll eat, travel, and live in the future.

Elk's Bluff
Shelly Elkington talking to the YES! students about Elks Bluff, their winter production greenhouse and CSA

Next the students traveled to Carol Ford’s greenhouse to see some of these ideas in action.  They learned how she captures as much of the sun’s energy as possible through the design of her passive solar greenhouse and how she operates it.  She encouraged the students to learn through doing and encouraged them to experiment in their own greenhouses or hers.  One local student presented on the experiments related to soil content that she had done in Carol’s greenhouse.  The students valued hearing about what Carol and the student who worked with her have learned about greenhouses and growing in a northern climate through their own experiments.

The next greenhouse that the students toured was Elk’s Bluff, a winter-only production greenhouse run by Tim and Shelly Elkington.  This greenhouse was inspired by information gained through Carol Ford’s greenhouse.  This is their second year running a winter CSA and this year they have nearly doubled their number of shares.  They discussed their business, how the challenges they face differ from the challenges that school gardens and greenhouses face, and what they have learned.

LQPV Greenhouse
YES! students exploring the Lac qui Parle Valley High School  Greenhouse during the YES! Local Foods Winter Workshop

The final greenhouse that the attendees toured was the greenhouse at Lac qui Parle Valley High School that is run by the school’s YES! team.  The students were excited to show off their new greenhouse (they started planting on December 28th) and what they have learned thus far.  They shared some of the best practices they have developed such as keeping records, educating their peers about the new greens they are eating in the lunch room with photos on the salad bar, and selling produce such as pea shoots as a healthy snack at local sporting events and open houses.  It was great seeing this new greenhouse in action and seeing the excitement in sparked in all the other YES! students as well.

We’re excited to see how the knowledge gained from this workshop will impact the greenhouses and school gardens of these YES! teams!

TwitterFacebookLinkedInEmailPrintFriendly
Previous Post: « New London-Spicer YES! Team Harvest!
Next Post: Reducing School Lunch Waste in New London-Spicer »

Primary Sidebar

Alumni Stories/Testimonial

Alumni Stories/Testimonial

“In sustainability, the best outcome is only possible through collaboration”"

- Stephanie Pederson

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sign up and receive the latest news, events, and more from YES!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Footer

[email protected] 320-354-5894

Copyright © 2023 Youth Eco Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Vivid Image. Privacy Policy.