GardenShare Growing Community Award

Congratulations to the Local Living Venture, the recipient of GardenShare's 2016 Growing Community Award.  Each year GardenShare recognizes an individual or organization whose efforts strengthen food security in northern New York State with the Growing Community Award.  Past recipients have included farmers, food service staff, a food bank, community groups, and others.  Individuals, families, or organizations who are making progress in solving the problem of hunger through policy and advocacy work or by building a stronger food system to better serve all North Country residents may be nominated for this recognition. 

Local Living Venture is a non-profit responsible for spreading knowledge throughout the community regarding affordable and sustainable solutions that local people can implement in their daily lives. They are especially concerned with local food, clean energy, northern forest, green building, simple living and homesteading skills. Through hands-on, learning workshops LLV implements healthy and low-cost living styles for community members as well as strengthening local community ties.  

Jan /Dewaters, left, presents to award to the Local Living Venture team.

In nominating Local Living Venture for this award, GardenShare Board member Jan DeWaters wrote, "Since they first formed out of the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair in 2009, this group has emerged as a leading authority in all-things-back-to-basics. By offering a wide array of educational programming, as well as a number of community gathering events, they are filling a need here for teaching people important, often-forgotten skills our ancestors practiced on a daily basis, and are also bringing people together to join in community as they venture forth with putting their newly-learned skills into practice. To me, this group is a unique and valuable piece of our north country community building effort." 

At the same event, GardenShare honored the St. Lawrence University Environmental Studies Department, who hosted GardenShare's offices from 2009 until 2016.  Without their support, with facilities, services, and many talented interns over the years, GardenShare would not begin to have accomplished all we have in our history.

Gloria McAdam, far right, along with Aviva Gold and Carlene Doane, left,
present a recognition to Carrie Johns, Environmental Studies Department Chair.
Professors David Murphy and Glenn Harris are in the back row.

Than you to everyone who attended and was part of the this event in any way.  More photos can be found here.