Indy's first Urban Farming Forum

Please come to the first Groundhog Day (Monday, 2/2) Urban Farming Forum at KIBI Headquarters: 1031 Fletcher Ave., 5:30Pm to 7ish.

All Indianapolis fans of backyard gardening for food and growers of goodies should take note of Punxsutawney Phil's next big day of Monday, Februrary 2nd, 2009. This will be the date upon which more will arrive to Indy than news from some groundhog harbinger of more foul winter weather. Instead, from 5:30PM to 7:00PM at 1029 Fletcher Avenue, the new Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIBI) headquarters site will host Indy's FIRST "Urban Farming Forum."

Chris Harrell, brownfield/urban redevelopment specialist (and local produce fan); Sarah Wiehe, IUPUI medical researcher and pediatrician (and ardent urban gardner); Matthew Jose, urban agriculture specialist; and Laura Henderson, Founder of Indy's new Winter Farmer's Market will join together to host all attendees at this FREE event.The Urban Farming Forum expects to bring together the many disparate groups, individuals, churches, nonprofits, and more to discuss multiple topics of interest. Main topics will include: health and safety issues sometimes confronted when farming urban sites, how to mend soil if health concerns are discovered in the soil, what crops are best suited for Indianapolis and environs and related garden growing hints, and lastly how to share the bounty from urban gardens with the your neighbors or the public at large by market or through nonprofit assistance (churches, community gardens, poverty relief, or supplying urban schools with fresh and healthy produce,etc.).

These are just some of the topics that will be discussed on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 (Groundhog Day) from 5:30PM to 7PM. Come out and link up with other nonprofits and individuals seeking to grow their own goods in Indy's urban gardens! Light refreshments will be served following the meeting to prompt further discussion and help chart the course for next steps. Details on the upcoming Indianapolis Food Security Summit will also be provided by attendees from Earth Charter Indiana and Slow Food Indy!

Whether or not old Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Monday Feb. 2nd, 2009, please come out to meet other urban farmers no matter the size of your plot! Even if you are just thinking of splitting some soil this spring, come meet others planning to do the same in Indy. If you have any questions please email Chris Harrell at theharrell@gmail.com or call 502.298.2832.

See more details and RSVP on A Greener Indiana: http://www.agreenerindiana.com/ or email Chris Harrell at theharrell@gmail.com

Comfort Foods Potluck

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2pm, Normandy Barn, Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St.

What to bring: your favorite comfort food to share, dining ware (plates, bowls, cups, utensils, etc.), drinks

Join fellow Hoosier food fans to beat the winter greys. Bring your favorite comfort food to share and sample the luscious, indulgent dishes of friends old and new. Several local chefs and food producers are eager to share their favorite comfort foods with you at the event. Come hungry. Everyone is welcome!

During the event, Slow Food Indy's delegates to Terra Madre--an international food conference in Torino, Italy--will hold a panel discussion about their experiences in Italy and how the lessons they learned will impact our food culture here in central Indiana. Check out photos from their trip, listen to their first-hand experience representing Indiana to a global audience, and get the chance to ask your own questions about their trip and the future of food in Indiana.

Slow Food Indy will also hold its brief and interesting 2009 Annual Meeting during the event. Everyone is welcome to listen in, but only members of Slow Food USA will get to vote for new chapter board members and bylaws.

Slow Food Indy's board has put together a draft of chapter bylaws, and we're looking for your input. Please contact us at slowfoodindy@gmail.com to receive a copy of the draft bylaws and contact us BEFORE the annual meeting on Jan. 25 (details above) with any suggestions regarding the bylaws. The bylaws will be presented to the membership for a vote of approval during the annual meeting on Jan. 25 (details above). Only members of Slow Food USA who have chosen Slow Food Indy as their local chapter will be eligible to vote on the bylaws during the annual meeting. If you are a member, please attend the annual meeting to cast your vote (and get some tasty comfort food!). If you're not a member, come enjoy the comfort food and Terra Madre presentations and please consider joining to take advantage of all the benefits.

Want to have a hands-on role in promoting central Indiana's food culture? Consider joining the Chapter Board of Slow Food Indy! Elections for three board positions will be held during the annual meeting on Jan. 25 (details above). Board members elected in 2009 must be members of Slow Food USA and will serve three year terms. Board members are responsible for attending regular board meetings and Slow Food Indy events. If "good, clean, and fair" food is important to you and you want to help ensure that everyone in central Indiana has the opportunity to learn about and experience truly slow food, then please consider serving on Slow Food Indy's board. To nominate yourself or someone else and for more information, contact us at slowfoodindy@gmail.com

DocNight: Eco-Documentary Series

The Indianapolis Museum of Art's Tobias Theater presents DocNight: Eco-Documentary Series, a trio of recent documentaries featuring artistic treatments of environmental issues and adventures in green architecture. All films shown in the Indianapolis Museum of Art's Tobias Theater FRIDAYS at 7 pm. Facilitated discussions after each film. For more information, visit http://www.imamuseum.org/toby/cinema

March 13: Garbage Warrior

March 20: Our Daily Bread: "Welcome to the world of industrial food production and high-tech farming! To the rhythm of conveyor belts and immense machines, the film looks without commenting into the places where food is produced in Europe: monumental spaces, surreal landscapes and bizarre sounds - a cool, industrial environment which leaves little space for individualism. People, animals, crops and machines play a supporting role in the logistics of this system which provides our society’s standard of living."

March 27: Manufactured Landscapes