Passing along some info - Thanks Carl !! ....
It's down to the homestretch for Cleveland's Ordinance 1562-08- Restrictions on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Bees.
The city planning commission has forwarded the legislation for City Council's approval. However, the fate of the legislation is at this point uncertain. The legislation needs 11 affirmative votes for passage. Your assistance could be crucial to the effort.
If you are in support of this effort we need your help.
Things you can do:
Cleveland residents can call, write or e-mail your council representative; or do all three. Here's the link to the council directory:
http://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org/Home/ CouncilMembers/tabid/59/ Default.aspx
If you call, tell the person who answers that you are calling to ask for you representative's support of proposed legislation: Ordinance 1562-08- Restrictions on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Bees.
Additionally, ask your rep to help by trying to persuade their more reluctant colleagues to support the legislation too.
You rarely will actually speak to your representative, but the aide handling your call should note your support and collect the information about the call.
Writing an old fashioned snail mail letter may have the biggest impact of all, since phone calls and emails are so much easier. If you go this route come to the Rally (see info below) and bring a copy with you so we can present as many letters of support as possible to Councilman Cimperman.
If you go the email route, please cc: blue.pike.farm so I can collect your efforts and pass them on to councilman Cimperman.
I'm sure you have plenty of good reasons of your own for supporting this legislation, but in case you need a crib sheet try these:
Economic security; in these lean times raising your own food, veggies, chickens for eggs or meat, bees for honey etc. help stretch your families food budget. Maybe you could make a $ or $$ by selling some to your neighbors.
Food security; raising your own food helps insulate you and your loved ones from the contaminants in the industrial food chain (see i.e. this one about antibiotics in the U.S. meat supply; A direct relationship exists between food consumption levels and poverty. Families with the financial resources to escape extreme poverty rarely suffer from chronic hunger; while poor families not only suffer the most from chronic hunger, but are also the segment of the population most at risk during food shortages and famines.
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf? /base/opinion/ 1227951270212840.xml&coll=2& thispage=1
or this about food scarcity: http://blog.cleveland.com/pdopinion/2008/11/remember_ summers_world_food_cr.html# more
Passage of the ordinance will help support local food initiatives.
Nothing could be safer than growing your own food, or purchasing locally grown foods.
Not a Cleveland resident? Even if you don't live in the city you could call / write and tell our city fathers how much you admire their progressive and forward thinking and how much you wish YOUR city's leaders would follow Cleveland's lead. Address these to Councilman Joe Cimperman: ward13@clevelandcitycouncil.org
Circulate a petition
Make up your own. "We the undersigned support the Cleveland City Council effort to encourage local food security...yada, yada, yada..... by voting in favor of Ordinance 1562-08- Restrictions on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Bees."
Take the petition to your church, and the grocery store where you shop: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the Food Coop seem like no-brainer places to gather support for this cause. Maybe too your favorite local restaurant that supports the local food movement. Don't assume someone else will do this. Bee the change YOU want to bee! Get out and circulate. The exercise will do you good.
Bring your petitions to the Rally (see below).
Encourage your friends to lend their support. Community gardeners, "foodies" and even your in-laws can help.
For example, if you know a teacher, or know someone who knows a teacher or if you ever had a teacher yourself encourage them to get their students involved. Biology, Science, Gov't, Art or Ecology teachers could use this as a teachable moment. Art teachers could encourage their students of all ages to draw pictures of chickens in the city. More advanced students could create You Tube videos in support. Math teachers could construct lesson plans: I rooster + 6 hens equals how many chickens? Hmmmmm. Maybe that's not a math question after all.
And of course the History teachers could introduce the eternal question: Why did the chicken cross the Rubicon? Was it to get to Cleveland where it will (hopefully) be welcomed with open arms? (http://www.chickencrossing.org/forum/ )
The possibilities are endless!!!!!! Just bring the finished work to the Rally (see below) so we can present all the collective efforts to councilman Cimperman.
--
Carl J. Skalak, Jr.
((216) 373-9461
OhioBio / Blue Pike Farm
900 E. 72nd St
Cleveland, OH 44103
Naturally grown vegetables
Organic products for consumers and market gardeners.
The city planning commission has forwarded the legislation for City Council's approval. However, the fate of the legislation is at this point uncertain. The legislation needs 11 affirmative votes for passage. Your assistance could be crucial to the effort.
If you are in support of this effort we need your help.
Things you can do:
Cleveland residents can call, write or e-mail your council representative; or do all three. Here's the link to the council directory:
http://www.
If you call, tell the person who answers that you are calling to ask for you representative's support of proposed legislation: Ordinance 1562-08- Restrictions on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Bees.
Additionally, ask your rep to help by trying to persuade their more reluctant colleagues to support the legislation too.
You rarely will actually speak to your representative, but the aide handling your call should note your support and collect the information about the call.
Writing an old fashioned snail mail letter may have the biggest impact of all, since phone calls and emails are so much easier. If you go this route come to the Rally (see info below) and bring a copy with you so we can present as many letters of support as possible to Councilman Cimperman.
If you go the email route, please cc: blue.pike.farm so I can collect your efforts and pass them on to councilman Cimperman.
I'm sure you have plenty of good reasons of your own for supporting this legislation, but in case you need a crib sheet try these:
Economic security; in these lean times raising your own food, veggies, chickens for eggs or meat, bees for honey etc. help stretch your families food budget. Maybe you could make a $ or $$ by selling some to your neighbors.
Food security; raising your own food helps insulate you and your loved ones from the contaminants in the industrial food chain (see i.e. this one about antibiotics in the U.S. meat supply; A direct relationship exists between food consumption levels and poverty. Families with the financial resources to escape extreme poverty rarely suffer from chronic hunger; while poor families not only suffer the most from chronic hunger, but are also the segment of the population most at risk during food shortages and famines.
http://www.cleveland.com/
or this about food scarcity: http://blog.cleveland.com/
Passage of the ordinance will help support local food initiatives.
Nothing could be safer than growing your own food, or purchasing locally grown foods.
Not a Cleveland resident? Even if you don't live in the city you could call / write and tell our city fathers how much you admire their progressive and forward thinking and how much you wish YOUR city's leaders would follow Cleveland's lead. Address these to Councilman Joe Cimperman: ward13@clevelandcitycouncil.
Circulate a petition
Make up your own. "We the undersigned support the Cleveland City Council effort to encourage local food security...yada, yada, yada..... by voting in favor of Ordinance 1562-08- Restrictions on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Bees."
Take the petition to your church, and the grocery store where you shop: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the Food Coop seem like no-brainer places to gather support for this cause. Maybe too your favorite local restaurant that supports the local food movement. Don't assume someone else will do this. Bee the change YOU want to bee! Get out and circulate. The exercise will do you good.
Bring your petitions to the Rally (see below).
Encourage your friends to lend their support. Community gardeners, "foodies" and even your in-laws can help.
For example, if you know a teacher, or know someone who knows a teacher or if you ever had a teacher yourself encourage them to get their students involved. Biology, Science, Gov't, Art or Ecology teachers could use this as a teachable moment. Art teachers could encourage their students of all ages to draw pictures of chickens in the city. More advanced students could create You Tube videos in support. Math teachers could construct lesson plans: I rooster + 6 hens equals how many chickens? Hmmmmm. Maybe that's not a math question after all.
And of course the History teachers could introduce the eternal question: Why did the chicken cross the Rubicon? Was it to get to Cleveland where it will (hopefully) be welcomed with open arms? (http://www.chickencrossing.
The possibilities are endless!!!!!! Just bring the finished work to the Rally (see below) so we can present all the collective efforts to councilman Cimperman.
--
Carl J. Skalak, Jr.
((216) 373-9461
OhioBio / Blue Pike Farm
900 E. 72nd St
Cleveland, OH 44103
Naturally grown vegetables
Organic products for consumers and market gardeners.
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