GreenLeaf is...

Creating social change through urban agriculture and sustainable infrastructure.

Urban agriculture and sustainable infrastructure can provide many benefits to urban communities, by providing safe, healthy, and green environments in neighborhoods, by involving city dwellers in healthy, active, and fun work, and because the more experience people have growing food, the more likely they are to eat it. As energy and food prices continue to rise, communities, particularly in urban centers, are struggling and health is declining. The current food system is not sustainable in any aspect from production to distribution. Industrial agriculture is heavily dependent on oil and is ecologically devastating to our land, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Many people lack adequate access to healthy, affordable, fresh food. However, there is a unique opportunity to build sustainable infrastructure in Denver by paying youth a fair wage to grow healthy food locally and organically, and provide it to city residents at affordable prices.

Imagine:
Vacant lots turned into green, growing urban farms. Young people cultivating land in the city, working hard and getting paid to grow food for neighborhood residents. Youth taking leadership roles in their communities, working together to build a just society.

GreenLeaf is seeking to:

• Create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to build sustainable food systems and infrastructure

• Engage youth with leadership and employment opportunities

• Inspire and support others to create change in urban communities

• Produce and distribute affordable, healthy food for residents of cities and suburbs

• Build, expand, and increase access to sustainable infrastructure


Sustainable Infrastructure: In addition to learning skills in urban farming, youth crews will participate in leadership, diversity, nutrition, and social justice workshops to cultivate the confidence and knowledge to create change within their communities. Youth will have the opportunity to connect with local green-focused businesses to learn skills in installing solar panels and other energy technologies, green roofs, composting, resource conservation, and water use. Youth will be supported in providing trainings to community members on how to employ these skills at home.


Values:

• Justice, equity, diversity


• Care for people and the environment


• Conserve and reuse resources


GreenLeaf is committed to social justice as the driving force of this project. This includes employing a non-hierarchical organizational structure in order to breakdown oppressive power dynamics and building into our operations meaningful methods of communication and accountability.




Contact:
Leah Bry at leah.bry@gmail.com
or
Lisa Knoblauch at lmknoblauch@care2.com





you ARE what you EAT
EAT what you GROW
GROW your COMMUNITY