In January 2008 I made two trips to New York to build bridges with important movements.

Green for All Planning Retreat: In early January I attended a planning retreat for Green for All in upstate New York. Green for All is a new initiative to “to help build a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.” While I arrived at the retreat feeling skeptical, three days of explorative conversation and strategic planning with 30 extraordinary organizers, visionaries and leaders left me feeling that Green for All has the potential of being a very important movement.

Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY): I was able to keynote at the annual conference of NOFA-NY, an organization made up of hundreds of rural small farmers in New York State. My purpose in attending was to build bridges between urban and rural communities and to find win-win solutions for low-income consumers and small farmers through a multicultural food system founded on principles of inclusiveness and social justice. My message was warmly embraced by over 500 hardworking and committed farmers.

Sister Organization in the South Bronx: I spent time with several organizations in the South Bronx that we have a strong affinity with. First was Greenworker Cooperatives, a nonprofit “building an alternative green economy in the South Bronx”. On March 3 Greenworker launched ReBuilders Source the first worker-cooperative reuse center in the U.S. Next I spent some time with Majora Carter and her staff at Sustainable South Bronx and learned about their Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training Program (BEST). Finally, I spent an afternoon with the staff of For a Better Bronx and got a tour of local community gardens including the inspiring Taqwa Community Farm, a 1 acre urban farm deep in the South Bronx (near Yankee stadium) that has been in operation since 1993.

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