Staten Island Chuck may have seen his shadow Feb. 2, forecasting six more weeks of winter, but that does not mean there isn”™t anything to look forward to regionally as winter draws to a close.
March 9, the Greenwich Audubon chapter will host a sustainable food and farm expo, kicking off an early start to the spring season.
Curated by the Fairfield Green Food Guide, the daylong event includes food tastings of dark chocolate, honey and champagne, as well as workshops on how to raise chickens, make cheese and maintain a garden.
The event seeks to inform the public about the region”™s sustainable food community and connect them with farmers, chefs, homesteading experts and artisan food producers.
“Even if it”™s a potted tomato plant on their patios, fresh produce is really interesting to people right now,” said Jeff Cordulack, Audubon Greenwich”™s event and communications manager. “As evidenced in the increased popularity of farmers markets, people want to feed their children well and better.”
A wildlife and habitat conservation center, Audubon Greenwich was established in 1942 as the National Audubon Society”™s first environmental education center. In addition to its school and camp programs, it promotes public interaction with nature through its seven miles of hiking trails, hawk watch and community events.
Located in the northeastern corner of Greenwich, the center”™s main sanctuary is on 285 acres of forest, wetland, gardens and an old apple orchard. While current visitors might see otter tracks and bobcats in the snow, spring visitors can look forward to nesting bluebirds, migrating hawks, frogs and flowers blossoming in the meadow.
In response to an ever-growing interest in sustainable food and agriculture, Cordulack said the center was excited to host the expo to educate attendees on local food resources, how to grow organic food and cultivate a community of gardeners. General admission is $20 per couple. Workshops cost $10 per session, per person.
“The more people get detached from nature through all their technology, the more they withdraw from it,” Cordulack said. “People need to get reacquainted to nature and these topics. The simple act of home cooking almost makes people feel better, not spiritually but emotionally.”
Cordulack said the center has seen an increased interest in its programming and ”” under the leadership of its new director, Michelle Frankel ”” hopes to see continued growth. Over the last 10 years, attendance at the center”™s annual Hawk Watch weekend festival has increase fourfold, with 2,500 guests last year. School and camp programs continue to fill up months in advanced as well.
“There”™s the old story you have to be resourceful, you can”™t be wasteful,” Cordulack said. “And this society has certainly lost its way. We”™re a bit wasteful with our daily living. So we”™re promoting people be thoughtful in their daily actions.”
“You vote three times a day, the famous saying goes,” he added. “So vote with your fork.”
