We enjoyed a windy morning outside at the farm. People sampled cheese from a farm two miles away along with bread from the Caretaker Farm bakery, ate apples from an orchard 10 miles away, and drank chai made with milk from Caretaker Farm's Jersey cow. The children assembled to hear stories with an environmental theme and then did simple craft activities. The adults had the chance to learn about solar hot water, green cleaning options, and vegetarianism. We also had exhibits with other information for people about how they might reduce their carbon footprint. Several participants helped spread straw on the garlic and strawberry plants to help get them ready for winter. We assembled to do our green fingers, but first made a very exciting announcement to our farm members: Caretaker Farm just received a grant from the MA Department of Agricultural Resources to help us install a 10K photovoltaic system, which will meet approximately 90% of the farm's electricity needs. We are delighted to be stepping it up and preparing to grow vegetables in an even more sustainably way. We look forward to hearing from Congress about their next move.

Step it up with kids activities, solar water heating, local food, green cleaning, vegetarianism, lower CO2.