Sunday was the first RISD Earth Week event: the Demo Garden ‘Her/ban’ forage Tour and Workshop. If you missed it here is the summary of the day by Demo Garden Coordinator, Devon Miller.

We spent the first half talking about our experience with herbal medicine/remedies and then Rachael (Elmaleh) guided us on a tour outside. We looked at and learned about mullein, plantain, dandelions and violets among other herbs. When we returned to the nature lab we drank nettle-peppermint tea and talked about the different ways you can utilize the herbs -from tinctures and salves, to creams and teas. Rachael then demonstrated how to make an all-purpose healing salve. We watched as she poured the herb infused olive oil into a double boiler, added several drops of essential lavender oil and organic local beeswax. Once the wax had fully melted she poured the mix into small metal tins. After about 10 minutes the mixture had hardened and we each had a new healing balm to take home with us.

Sounds like a great time! Stay tuned for pictures of this and other earth week events to come.

The RISD Demo Garden is screening a movie about current food production in the United States. You can’t miss it.

Food, Inc.
When? 7 pm, Wednesday, Feb 3
Where? Tap Room

(Food, Inc. appropriate) snacks provided

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s
food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been
hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s
regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now
controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of
consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of
workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the
perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes
that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful
bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans
annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among
children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food
Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food:
An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs
like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin,
Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we
eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we
are going from here.

_______________________________________

Seed Bomb Workshop
It may be winter but you can always (guerrilla) garden!

Join the RISD Demo Garden as we kick off our ‘How To’ Workshop series
with 2 hours of DIY seed bomb making. It’s an easy, fun way to
green up Providence. Whatever you make is yours to keep.

When? 5-7 pm Thursday, February 4
Where? Nature Lab

Light snacks and drinks will be provided to satisfy guerrilla appetites.