It was a three-tour Iraq combat Marine and his war-protestor wife who pointed me in a new direction.

[midnight]

-Dylan Ratigan



"Last Fall, I moved from NYC to north San Diego County, just outside of the Camp Pendleton Marine Base, to work full-time with Colin and Karen Archipley at their hydroponic organic farm, “Archi’s Acres.” After realizing how impressive their ideas and effectiveness are, I decided to invest the money that I earned for writing Greedy Bastards (which when combined with a loan from Whole Foods) to build a 30,000 square foot “farm incubator” that can serve as the prototype for job-creating, water-saving, food-producing, veteran-led hydroponic organic greenhouses nationwide. We’ve even enlisted Major General Melvin Spiese and his wife Filomena to join us in support of our mission to make this program more diverse and robust enough to build it into a nationwide network.

Our Intention…

Our intention is to create real value and good jobs in countless American communities, by harnessing the power of the 1% of Americans who served in the past decade of war. These high capacity people have already demonstrated their unique ability to be trained and subsequently serve with distinction under most arduous and demanding of conditions, and we can leverage those qualities and skills against some of our greatest needs. We have begun redeploying returning veterans and unemployed civilians to US cities, while coordinating with city, state and federal governments to create good jobs providing local, fresh food, reduced energy waste and pollution, improved wellness and rebuild infrastructure.

With more than a decade of war winding down, we have a wealth of returning veterans. This gives us a unique and powerful opportunity to refocus their training on transitioning our nation to sustainable systems, as they transition themselves from military to civilian life.

While we are just getting started on our national rollout at Archi’s Acres, I believe all of this is possible if we work together with a shared vision. Together, we can join in a mission to learn, model and scale a high-integrity value-based culture. Together, we can heal and evolve America into a sustainable, healthy and prosperous future.

I encourage you to join us in this journey.

- Dylan

http://www.dylanratigan.com/2013/03/20/putting-our-money-where-our-mouth-is/


I'm very impressed and inspired....

[midnight]

1. This journey plans to amend the problem of food deserts...

A food desert is a district with little or no access to large grocery stores that offer fresh and affordable foods needed to maintain a healthy diet.[1] Instead of such stores, these districts often contain many fast food restaurants and convenience stores.
"Access", in this context, may be interpreted in three ways:
Physical access to shops can be difficult if the shops are distant, the shopper is elderly or infirm, the area has many hills, public transport links are poor, or if the consumer has no car. Healthy options are unavailable. Carrying fresh food from grocers is also a challenge for individuals who must take transit or walk long distances.
Financial access is difficult if the consumer lacks the money to buy healthy foods (generally more expensive, calorie for calorie, than less nutritious, sugary, and fatty 'junk foods') or if the shopper cannot afford the bus fare to remote shops selling fresh foods. This limits individuals to cheaper local fast food outlets. Other forms of financial access barriers come in the forms of inability to afford storage space for food, or, for the very poor, homelessness, or living in temporary accommodations that do not offer good cooking facilities.
The consumer’s mental attitude or knowledge about nutrition and food preparation can be major barriers limiting access to fresh produce and other healthy food choices. Consumers may lack cooking knowledge or have the idea that eating a healthy diet is not important.
Food deserts disproportionately affect socially segregated groups in urban areas, specifically single mothers, children, and the elderly living in underprivileged urban neighbourhoods. Families and individuals without a car are also at a higher disadvantage in terms of their access to healthy food in food deserts.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert

[SunSeeker]

2. Anything that creates jobs and gives us healthy food is a good thing. I hope he succeeds. nt