Small-scale farming in the city is risky business, especially if you don't own the land you're farming. Low profit and high rent can leave these urban spaces to grow healthy food to dry up. Brooke Budner and Caitlyn Galloway, the co-founders of San Francisco’s Little City Gardens, understand this better than anyone. They don’t own the three-quarter acre lot they farm and scrape by on a month-to-month lease. A new law proposed by California Assemblyman Phil Ting (who represents San Francisco and San Mateo) might give Little City Gardens a bit more security so the small business can thrive. The idea is simple: Property owners who commit to leasing their land to agricultural enterprises for at least 10 years will be able to receive a re-valuation of their parcels that will ...
What happens when youth are given the opportunity to lead their classmates toward a healthier school environment? The results might just amaze you! Teens involved in the 20-20 Leadership program at JC Harmon High School, a 58% Latino school in Kansas City, Kan., learned about the county’s high obesity rates—and they decided to do something about it. They developed plans for a healthy hub at Harmon High and later came up with the win-for-all solution of developing an outdoor fitness trail on school grounds. Now the school has a half-mile fitness trail and students plan to continue enhancing fitness opportunities by installing outdoor exercise equipment along the trail.
EMERGENCE
Awareness: D’Angelo Hicks was a junior at Harmon High when he first joined 20/20 Leadership, a 10-15 ...
Could Los Angeles soon be seeing more pocket parks? According to a news article from The Los Angeles Times, a nonprofit that works to bring more green space to underserved communities, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust (LANLT), is working to identify lost lots throughout the city, in efforts to develop more pocket parks for residents. After discovering that nearly half of the city's 3.8 million residents did not live within a 10-minute walk to a park, LANLT decided to create a database comprised of lost and abandoned lots like small lots, alleys, and utility corridors throughout the city. According to the article, in the last two years, the city's Parks and Parks and recreation department purchased 24 small lots---most of them not larger than 1/2 acre---to build ...
Resource bonds that bring more parks and green space to low-income, park poor communities can make a difference in the way Latinos live, work, and play, according to the City Project. In a June 2014 update from the City Project---a non-profit group that works towards equal justice, democracy, and livability by improving the conditions of the built environment---we are reminded that equitable distribution of park funds must continue and that policy should be written to include standards to ensure that this happens. At a Summer 2014 park bond hearing, according to a KCET news report, Robert Garcia Founding Direct and Counsel of the City Project said: "Fair distribution of funds is good policy." As stated in a City Project blog, California's Assembly Bill 31 (2008) is a ...
Parents and students from Central Elementary, a predominantly Latino school in San Diego, CA, celebrated accomplishing their goal of walking or jogging over 100 miles in less than a year, according to a Mid-City Community Action Network (CAN) blog. According to the blog, the school's 100 mile club has over 50 students, and this year eleven of its members and some of their parents logged in over 100 miles. One student, 7 year old Alvaro Perez and his mother Margarita, walked a total of 214 miles. The group, which is primarily parent led, was started in fall 2013 by parent Jos Ramos in collaboration with the Central Health and Wellness Council. With the support of the school's principal, Liz Duvall, the team applied for and received a start up acceleration grant from Michelle ...
With all the Smart Snack changes rolling out in schools nationwide this fall, attention may begin to turn to what kids are buying at the grocery store. One food company is making major improvements in what they offer and how they market it to kids. Giant Eagle is in the process of installing the go-to kid sections, labeled "Kids' Healthy Snack Zone," in about 400 stores in the mid-Atlantic and Ohio. And Walmart is piloting the concept in 30 stores in California, with plans to roll it out to 1,500 stores later this fall. Bolthouse Farms is responsible for making this effort in grocery stores throughout the US. They are the same company that released the extreme baby carrot campaign, which marketed ranch and chili-lime dusted carrots as go-to snacks for kids. The company has been ...
In Houston (43.8% Latino), members belonging to the Ketelsen Trailblazers---a group originally formed out of the Go Neighborhoods community development initiative---are working to improve their neighborhood's streets and access to physical activity opportunities. According to a Healthy Living Matters newsletter, the Ketelsen Trailblazers recently attended a July 2014 Super Neighborhood meeting where they shared their plans for working to prioritize street improvements on the northside of the city and for reaching out to local school Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs). By joining the city's Complete Streets Coalition the group hopes to demonstrate the need for strengthening language in the city's Complete Streets executive order. In addition to seeking street improvements, the ...
In 2007, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) became aware of a serious problem, the city lacked open spaces for kids to play. Without safe places to play children, especially Latino kids, are more likely to be sedentary and less likely to get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity they need to lead a healthy and active life. According to a document from the New York City Global Partners, nearly 97 out of 188 city neighborhoods were overcrowded with more than 1,250 children per playground. If the lack of open spaces continued, it was projected that by 2030, 50 neighborhoods would have less than 1.5 acres per 1,000 people. In order to manage the situation, partners from the DPR, the Department of Education (DOE), and the Trust for ...
Food and beverage marketing, including toy giveaways, can influence children’s food preferences, food choices, diets, and health, and Latino kids are specifically targeted more than others when it comes to food marketing. On August 21, New York City Council Member Ben Kallos introduced legislation that would set nutrition standards for those restaurant kids' meals that are accompanied by toys, games, trading cards, or other incentives . According to the press release, a meal that met the health standards would include: 500 calories or less;
Fewer than 35% of calories from fat;
Fewer than 10% of calories from trans fats;
Fewer than 10% of calories from sugar and fewer than 600 mgs of sodium; and
A serving of fruit, vegetable or whole grains. Food policy ...
