Eastie Farm was delighted to be part of the discussion of Boston’s Green New Deal alongside city officials.
In our simple understanding, the green new deal is 2-fold:
- new: an economy that empowers regular people to uplift themselves (as opposed to one that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer)
- green: environmental stewardship that leads to a livable future for our children and theirs (as opposed to business as usual that leads to a destabilized climate system)
From the creation of food-growing green spaces, to the employment of regular folks (including youth who are experiencing homelessness and adults from low-income families experiencing food insecurity in order to address those very issues), to teaching environmental stewardship and green job skills to youth, to the construction of a greenhouse that contributes positively to both our local community and our global climate, Eastie Farm is a small demonstration of the green new deal.
The greenhouse provides:
- a living example of carbon-negative operations. It does not use fossil fuels for heating, cooling, or lighting. The heating/cooling is provided by geothermal energy. The electricity that powers the geothermal pump and lights the greenhouse are from City of Boston’s Community Choice Electricity.
- all year fresh produce, and some exciting fruits that you don’t get at the super-market
- all year hands-on environmental education for the school children in our community
- all year weather-protected indoor space for
People working — on packing, transporting, and delivering food during a time of immense need in the community — and getting paid for their work. Such paid work improved their economic security and sharpened their skill set, which in turn improved their food and housing security for the long term.
Thank you, Professor Ted Landsmark, Boston Green New Deal Coalition, North Eastern University, and the Global Center for Climate Justice, for facilitating a deep and meaningful conversation in the city about environmental and climate justice.
Most importantly, thank you, climate justice activists of greater Boston who have for decades who put their heart and soul into this work, and continue to do so every waking hour. We, the Eastie Farm family, know that we stand on your shoulders.
