What We Do
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Food deserts - urban areas where it is both difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food and economic mobility is difficult with more than half the population below the poverty level - are prevalent in America.
In Winston-Salem, there are 21 food deserts.
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WSPC creates food forests by combining creative placemaking with permaculture. This model includes the arts, living food forests and the little free library+food pantries in areas where affordable, fresh food is not easily accessible aka Food Deserts.
We also provide education and sustainability consulting. The mobile WS Little Free Seed Library is used as an educational tool at Farmers Markets, schools, community groups and more to help support local food sovereignty!
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Activating and engaging community through food forests, the arts and permaculture education to cocreate sustainable solutions to city food deserts.
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To have low-maintenance food forests in every food desert in the City.
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A food forest is a type of permaculture or "permanent agriculture" that utilizes native plants, perennials, herbs, vines, trees & shrubs to produce food, medicine, and other benefits to humans and the supporting of important pollinators such as bees!
Food forests can be designed to be almost little to no maintenance at all, making them a great way to support the good health & resiliency of local communities & food systems.
There are considered 7 "layers" to forests: canopy trees (30ft+), small trees/large shrubs (10-30ft), small shrubs (10ft-), herbaceous perennials, ground covers, vines, and underground plants. In food forests, each one of these can produce food for humans, improve the soil, & provide food for important animals such as bees or birds.
This is something you can do in your yard or community garden!
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Permaculture is an agricultural design approach where communities work with biomimicry, nature & the health of living soil for the long-term benefit of individuals and the community.
This is done through a variety of techniques and tricks that solve problems in an ecologically and socially acceptable way.
At an individual level, food forests or small gardens can be planted to reduce your grocery bill. Rainwater washing off your roofs can be collected and purified for use in the home or for the garden. These are examples of small things you can do that will support your community to be more close-knit & resilient.
At the community level, we can consider your very street - the grass patch you walk past to get to your home is required by the city to be mowed below 6 inches. Instead, what if we planted pollinators, bushes or small trees that give free fruit to the community, provide habitat for wildlife and shade to keep the street cool in the summer?
What if the city implemented separated bike lanes to calm traffic, quieting the noise from vehicles and encouraging more healthy lifestyles?
This can be done to make our community more safe, resilient, and beautiful.
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Creative Placemaking is a collaborative process that uses arts and cultural activities to shape the physical and social character of a community. It can involve partners from public, private, non-profit, and community sectors, including artists, arts and culture organizations, and community developers. The goal is to strengthen communities and address a range of issues, such as:
Public health, Safety, Economic development, Housing, Neighborhood development, Social justice, Environmental sustainability, Civic pride, and Sense of place.
Creative Placemaking projects can include murals, street carnivals, busker musicians, or public art sculptures. The process can look different for each neighborhood, and key steps like planning, visioning, and implementation may vary based on the community and the challenges being addressed.
Creative Placemaking can also utilize ‘human-centered design’ strategies for empathy mapping, ideation, prototyping and testing
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Subreddits we like:
Book List:
The Goodreads link has options to buy the book if you so choose (see “GET A COPY” Section)
Gardening and Permaculture:
Creating a Forest Garden by Martin Crawford
The Permaculture City by Tobey Hemenway
The Earth-sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book by Mike Oehler
Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms by Paul Stamets
City Design
Strong Towns by Charles Marohn