A reminder to visit the roof this Wednesday and Friday for our work days.

Wednesday

• Working with Azul on the roof
• 10am – 1pm
• Please arrive on time at 10am for check in and work brief
• Remember to bring: plenty of warm clothing (all weather gear), strong shoes, gloves, flask of warm drink
• We need teapots and mugs donated, so if you have any spare please bring them along
• As always we’re also in need of plant pots, any donations greatly appreciated

Friday

• With Jack harvesting, food growing and creating structures
• Flexible time  8am – 4pm
• Remember to bring: plenty of warm clothing (all weather gear), strong shoes, gloves, flask of warm drink

And now an introduction from myself: Sarah – new manager/coordinator for FOOD from the SKY…read on

Hello FOOD from the SKY supporters! It’s my first day in the manager/coordinator role for FOOD from the SKY…I’ll be taking over from the wonderful Azul in about a month’s time! And so the training process begins. I’ll be helping to move the organisation forward to the next life stage – working with the team to grow and deepen FOOD from the SKY to become a serious proposition for other supermarkets to install as part of their structure.  I’ll be giving it all the energy, enthusiasm and dedication I possibly can!

So, a bit about me…I’m from the far off land of New Zealand, and have been residing the UK for the last 4.5 years. I moved to the UK to pursue new career opportunities and specifically, work more directly in the environmental sector – where my life’s passion lies. I’ve been working in the food industry for much of my career, firstly for an organic food distributor in New Zealand, and then for a natural food retailer here in London since 2008. In addition I am a trustee for the Women’s Environmental Network charity. I enjoy being able to bring my strong business skills to the social enterprise/charity sector, finding a blend between these two worlds.

I’ve always believed food growing is a fantastic way to inspire people and educate them in the ways to make our environment more sustainable, I am therefore extremely excited to be part of the FOOD from the SKY organisation. I’ve dabbled in growing my own food at home, but as the typical London flat dictates – have lacked sufficient space to be too ambitious with this. Working at FOOD from the SKY will be a great opportunity to increase  my food growing knowledge and skills, so please bear with me during this learning phase, I look forward to absorbing knowledge and advice from those of you more experienced in this area!

In my spare time I love keeping active – I usually cycle everywhere, and I practice yoga regularly.  I also enjoy making the most of the impressive arts and cultural events London has to offer.

More about and from Sarah next week…

We are wishing you all a radically responsible and ferociously loving New Year 2012 for you, your dear ones and for Life!

I (Azul) am just back from Mexico full of beans and looking forward to being with volunteers this week:

Wednesday 25th Jan between 10am and 1pm – Azul

Please arrive a little before to join us for checking in and setting an intention for the day/year

Come warm, water proofed, generous and willing. Jobs and focus will be clearer by the time you arrive, I promise

Friday 27th Jan between 9am and 4pm – Jack

Help with the harvest and the setting up and maintaining of growing space with many learnings in store.

Take care and see you soon

Azul and team

Do you love Life and Food and live in the City with a balcony or a garden ?  Do you want to learn how to grow organically and create an environment for bees and butterflies with other like minded people?  Do you want to go on an exciting year journey learning different methods to increase your yield (Permaculture, Biodynamic) while improving the space you live in …without costing the Earth?

We are so excited here at FOOD from the SKY to offer Seed2Seed: Foundation course in Urban Food Growing  in 2012!

We have just ended our first year which has be a wonder-full experience for many (see below what 2011 students say)

Seed2Seed is a Year course that starts in March and finishes in Nov It runs on the third Saturday of the month Time:

10:00 to 15:00.

The dates are:

1. March 17th – Soil, Sun and Water
2. April 14th – Planning and Planting
3. May 19th – Bees and other pollinators
4. June 16th – Intro to Permaculture
5. July 21st – Beauty in Sustainabilty
6. Sept 15th – Intro to Biodynamic
7. Oct 20th – Preserving and collecting seeds
8. Nov 17th – Plan your next year

LOCATION:
On the beautiful and pioneering roof top of Thornton’s Budgens, Crouch End, London N88DU.

FEES
Fees include 8 sessions, course work, some free organic seeds and access to a vibrant network of London food growers and seeders of change. Each course is limited to 16 people.

 £480/year (£60/ a day session)  10% off if you book and pay in full by 31st Jan 2012

(Capital Growth Spaces have a 20% off = £384/year – £48 a day session- must be paid in full)

BOOKING and QUESTIONS
Contact Susie : seed2seed@foodfromthesky.org.uk

FAQs
We’ve answered some of your frequently asked questions at the bottom of this page.

Course Outline:

Month	Theme	Content outline
March	Soil, Sun, Water & container basics.	Learn what makes a good container soil. Mix compost and sow seeds to take home. Find out about containers: what size you need, where to source them etc. Consider sun and wind and how it effects what you can grow.
April	Planning, fertilisers	Learn about natural fertilisers and how to make them, including comfrey tea and wormeries. Make a potting mix and learn to transplant seedlings. Find out about soil life and how to nurture it. Make a growing plan for your own space.
May	Bees and other pollinators	Learn and identify different urban pollinators and their habits and habitats Learn about how to create a wild urban flower meadows Learn about natural ways to prevent pests and disease, including rotation & companion planting.
June	Permaculture	Understand the founding ethics amd principles of permaculture Discover how working with nature, you can increase productivity, while reducing work and waste. See how permaculture tools can be applied to your own life to creatively solve problems. Learn about forest gardens, as one application of permaculture.
July	Beauty in Sustainability	Create a beautiful growing space using recycled items and natural forms. Learn about structures to maximise space and yields, including self watering containers.
August	NO CLASS	You are always welcome on the roof to practise your learning at our volunteer days on Weds and first Sat of the month.
September	Biodynamic and winter growing	Find out how biodynamic techniques can improve the quality, taste and quantity of your produce – including the influence of the moon. Learn about the variety of crops you can grow in containers over winter. Plan your winter growing.
October	Preserving and seed saving.	Learn the theory and practise of seed saving. Find out about different ways to preserve your harvests, including bottling and jams.
November	Plan you next year	Content will be tailored to your group’s needs and may include: Planning your 2011 growing season. How to engage your community in your project. Ongoing support and networking.

SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED :

Are the classes aimed at total beginners? Or at people with some prior gardening knowledge?

CLASSES ARE AIMED AT BEGINNERS AND PEOPLE WITH SOME KNOWLEDGE.  THE MIXING OF BOTH WILL INCREASE THE RESSOURCES AVAILABLE FOR ALL

Is the aim to enable the participants to create a garden in their own backyard, or is it more about working/growing things in the Food From The Sky garden? (which looks like an amazing project – I must say).

IT IS TO ENABLE PEOPLE WITH VERY LITTLE SPACES, ROOFS, BALCONIES TO GROW LOTS OF FOOD WHERE THEY ARE.  THE COURSE WILL PROVIDE HOME PROJECTS SO YOU CAN DEVELOP YOUR OWN GROWING AREA WHILE DOING THE COURSE

Do you have to pay upfront, or once you’ve signed up can you pay per session?

PAYING UP FRONT WOULD BE HELPFUL. HOWEVER WE ARE AWARE THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR EVERYONE SO WE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO EXPLORE PAYMENT PLANS THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS AND OURS.

Finally where do the sessions take place?

THE SESSIONS TAKE PLACE ON THE ROOF OF BUDGENS. SOME SESSIONS WILL BE INDOORS AND MANY MORE OUTDOORS.
For BOOKING and ENQUIRIES: Please contact Susie: seed2seed@foodfromthesky.org.uk

WHAT SOME OF LAST YEAR’S STUDENTS SAY ABOUT IT:

‘A lovely garden on the roof of a supermarket! That also runs a food growing course over the year to learn about how to grow food for yourself in whatever space you have .  A lovely place, lovely people, inspiring activities. Highlights: All the different lovely people. The various teachers/visitors and the others in the group. Getting our hands into soil, being outside.  The practical aspects that linked back to theory, in general across the sessions.’ Geraldine Gilbert, Network coordinator/Food team, Forum for the Future

 ‘An amazing project and group of people that care about the health of us and the planet and are actually doing something about it. The course gives you a broad understanding of how to take the first steps in growing organically regardless of the size of your growing space. It is underpinned by principles of permaculture which adds an extra dimension that makes it not only learning about growing food but also about how you want to live your life.’ Susie Gill – Personal Assistant for CEOs.

‘Inspiring, opening lots of new doors to different aspects of food growing; going at a natural pace through the growing year, great fun and opportunity to learn with lovely people, lots of practical learning for my own growing.’ ‘Being on the roof, in the middle of a city, yet close to the earth.’ ‘A journey of discovery. All you need to know to start growing your own food. Fabulous fun. Learnt so much and an introduction to many growing systems.’ Angela Hockley – Editorial Manager

‘A great way to learn about the growing year-whatever your level of experience and whatever your available growing space. A wonderful overview of what you need to know and an opportunity to get a taster of different but complimentary growing ‘philosophies’.  A lovely way to learn and to share with like minded people.’ ‘The way we learned through sharing and supporting each other.’ Wendy Rowan – Devine Chocolate

For BOOKING and ENQUIRIES: Please contact Susie: seed2seed@foodfromthesky.org.uk

• We are Looking for a Part time Manager to take over from Azul from February 2012.  ( February will be the passing over time and you will start on your own in March)
• 2 /3 days a week on site @ Thornton’s Budgens of Crouch End office and on the roof. Days must include most Saturdays.
• £125 a day (8hrs) as a freelance person.  Our predicitions,  funds and your input would take you to Oct 2012 minimum.

The role is varied, exciting, creative and requires focus and commitment.  It also requires flexibility and an ability to hold and support the whole of the initiative and all involved. The role is based on the values of  Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share and calls for an entrepreneurial mind and heart.

The Manager will be required to:

• Hold some experience of Permaculture or similar
• Hold some experience of the natural world and its needs and requirement
• Coordinate and support  the urban grower, the supermarket and the 2 apprentices
• Coordinate and manage events and courses
• Coordinate with local schools and local initiatives
• Manage the General administration, phone calls, emails, paperwork and documents
• Prepare report and meet with Directors once a month
• Look at fund-raising opportunities and develop them
• Write and manage all Social media including WordPress website
• Record keeping and financial activities
• Keep risk assesments and insurance up to date
• Keep the roof maintained and safe
• Coordinate and manage volunteers on Wednesdays and Saturdays ( including  cover Health and Safety)
• Flexibility and willingness to do what is needed to support FOOD from the SKY to grow, flourish and spread its seeds…

It is important that the role despcription above is familiar and a joy for you to do.  You need experience in being with people, in  managing, coordinating, office work and Social Media as well as some fundraising know how. I understand that many of us are in transition as we follow our hearts calling.  A complete change of carreer would not be the best situation for what we need at FOOD from the SKY in 2012. Azul will take the month of February to make sure the passing over is as smooth, empowering and supportive as possible.  FOOD from the SKY is reaching its second year and requires consolidation and deepening of what has already been achieved and established with Thornton’s budgens and the community whithin and out. The manager will know of and be connected with the London food growing seen and preferably (but not compulsory) be a local to Crouch End/North London

If you are interested please send me Azul: azul@foodfromthesky.org.uk the following:

• Your full CV with 2 references
• A paragraph or two about why you feel and think you are the right person for the job covering each of the roles described above
• What do you see are the potential challenges and opportunities in the role?
• Something that inspires you.

Please send all this by 20th January 2012. Interviews will be offered to the shortlisted people on Fri 27th Jan am and Sat 28th Jan all day.  The job will start on Monday 6th February

FOOD from the SKY is a CLG non for profit that has 4 directors to keep the mission and vision alive with the input of Jack the urban farmer.  We are all looking forward to welcome you in the team of a very exciting and challenging initiative.  We wish you a Fierce and Loving New Year 2012!

• We are Looking for a Part time Manager to take over from Azul from February 2012.  ( February will be the passing over time and you will start on your own in March)
• 2 /3 days a week on site @ Thornton’s Budgens of Crouch End office and on the roof. Days must include most Saturdays.
• £125 a day (8hrs) as a freelance person.  Our predicitions,  funds and your input would take you to Oct 2012 minimum.

The role is varied, exciting, creative and requires focus and commitment.  It also requires flexibility and an ability to hold and support the whole of the initiative and all involved. The role is based on the values of  Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share and calls for an entrepreneurial mind and heart.

The Manager will be required to:

• Hold some experience of Permaculture or similar
• Hold some experience of the natural world and its needs and requirement
• Coordinate and support  the urban grower, the supermarket and the 2 apprentices
• Coordinate and manage events and courses
• Coordinate with local schools and local initiatives
• Manage the General administration, phone calls, emails, paperwork and documents
• Prepare report and meet with Directors once a month
• Look at fund-raising opportunities and develop them
• Write and manage all Social media including WordPress website
• Record keeping and financial activities
• Keep risk assesments and insurance up to date
• Keep the roof maintained and safe
• Coordinate and manage volunteers on Wednesdays and Saturdays ( including  cover Health and Safety)
• Flexibility and willingness to do what is needed to support FOOD from the SKY to grow, flourish and spread its seeds…

It is important that the role despcription above is familiar and a joy for you to do.  You need experience in being with people, in  managing, coordinating, office work and Social Media as well as some fundraising know how. I understand that many of us are in transition as we follow our hearts calling.  A complete change of carreer would not be the best situation for what we need at FOOD from the SKY in 2012. Azul will take the month of February to make sure the passing over is as smooth, empowering and supportive as possible.  FOOD from the SKY is reaching its second year and requires consolidation and deepening of what has already been achieved and established with Thornton’s budgens and the community whithin and out. The manager will know of and be connected with the London food growing seen and preferably (but not compulsory) be a local to Crouch End/North London

If you are interested please send me Azul: azul@foodfromthesky.org.uk the following:

• Your full CV with 2 references
• A paragraph or two about why you feel and think you are the right person for the job covering each of the roles described above
• What do you see are the potential challenges and opportunities in the role?
• Something that inspires you.

Please send all this by 20th January 2012. Interviews will be offered to the shortlisted people on Fri 27th Jan am and Sat 28th Jan all day.  The job will start on Monday 6th February

FOOD from the SKY is a CLG non for profit that has 4 directors to keep the mission and vision alive with the input of Jack the urban farmer.  We are all looking forward to welcome you in the team of a very exciting and challenging initiative.  We wish you a Fierce and Loving New Year 2012!

Then it will only be open on Wednesdays between 10am and 1pm and Fridays 9am to 4pm for the whole of January.

No Saturdays working days  until next February.

xxxxx Azul, Aya, Jack, Andrew, Vince, Paul, Jane, Maria, Sarah, Silvio, Susie, Tamara.

Sky-high ambitions

Shannon Denny meets Azul-Valerie Thome, the green-fingered activist whose work with Food from the Sky may well turn the world of supermarkets upside down

ALL IMAGES: FOOD from the SKY

Sustainability informs everything in the space, with pallets and other up-cycled materials providing planting spots. Rain is harvested in •

Grow it! November/ December 2011 15

Recycled recycling tubs make perfect vessels for this rooftop haven “When you have half of a vision, you don’t have enough”. While it’s a pleasant enough area of London, the streets of Crouch End are hardly paved with gold. On any given weekday the central crossroads are a logjam of prams, black cabs, Bobbies on the beat and mopeds. A delivery lorry lumbers loudly past as I head to the local Budgens store.

Inside, on the ground floor, it’s not unlike any other supermarket up and down the country. In the neat aisles I can stock up on muesli, get a can of baked beans and purchase whatever fragrant new product promises to get my laundry brighter and whiter. Up above on the roof, however, is something that’s absolutely unique. Here, a bumblebee teeters on a poppy. A feisty raspberry bush reaches for the sun. Bunting and CDs strung along a length of twine flit in the breeze, warding off the capital’s considerable population of pigeons. And Azul-Valerie Thome reaches out a compost-covered hand to greet me in this unlikely – but visionary – market garden.
Rooftop renaissance

Azul is a former silversmith and art consultant with a background in organic gardening, permaculture, design and community projects. When she left her leafy 50-acre smallholding in
Devon to relocate to London’s concrete jungle, an image entered the activist’s mind every time she left the house. “I used to walk in the streets of London and literally had the vision of orchards and food growing from the roofs.” She couldn’t glance skyward without imagining strawberries hanging down and tomato plants shooting up.

Then Azul met Andrew Thornton, who owns the Crouch End Budgens franchise. “He shared that vision. And he said, ‘You know, I have a roof. It would be great to grow a bit of salad
for the shop’.” They took a look at the space and Azul immediately saw the possibility of her dream taking root. “I thought ‘Forget the salad – it’s not just salad. This is about communities, people, education, biodiversity, sustainability, permaculture – a hub’.”
It was a fantastic fusion, and an unusual resolution of opposites. So often the supermarkets are seen as the bad guys who perpetuate intensive farming, contribute to unnecessary food miles and cripple plant species that aren’t economically viable. Andrew’s involvement in the project introduced a new way forward. By colocating the garden with the retailer, carbon emissions could be reduced. Food transport would no longer require expensive airfares and lengthy Lorry journeys, while a customer could stock up on everything in one place rather than driving from farmers market to grocery store in a quest to tick everything off the shopping list.
“When you have just half of a vision, you don’t have enough,” Azul affirms. “He’s got a foot in the food industry and my background is in community work and sustainability. So it was like, ‘Cool! We can do this!’.”

Getting it off the ground

The pair’s determination carried them though a round of endless meetings to get the project literally off the ground. A surveyor assessed load-bearing capabilities, happily discovering that the financial and logistical nightmare of additional structural work would be avoided. Landlords, insurance companies and the planning office meanwhile needed full assurance about a host of regulations and building issues. Several meetings with neighbours addressed concerns about everything from noise to smells. While Azul and Andrew waded through
forests of paperwork on health and safety, risk assessment and insurance, volunteers rallied under the new ‘Food from the Sky’ banner to dive hands-first into some compost. In February of 2010 they mustered the cardboard tubes from loo rolls into service as plant pots and sowed seeds in the car park. When all of the necessary papers had been signed, sealed and delivered less than four

The local council contributed 10 tonnes of months later, a crane lifted the fledgling garden compost and more than 250 retired street-up to its new home above. side recycling bins to serve as planters, while Azul’s team adhered to organic standards and biodynamic rhythms in planting an orchard, veggies, fruits and edible flowers.

As predicted, this 450m2 (4844 sq ft) aerial allotment became home to much more than salad. What’s flourished? You name it! Pak choi, carrots, beans, peas, spinach, herbs, radishes,
courgettes, squash, chicory, spring onions, cauliflower, loganberries, globe artichokes, kale, broccoli, tomatoes, beetroot, pumpkins, raspberries, rocket, mushrooms and melons to
name a few. Even grape vines and fig trees are thriving here.

Meanwhile, a rich cultural diversity inside the store has led to adventures into off-the-beatenpath produce too. The Thornton’s Budgens team speaks no fewer than 31 languages and originates from a variety of lands across the globe. Thanks to the suggestion of store employees, a Garden of Bangladesh has been planted with lau, amaranth, puishack and coriander, while Sri Lankan employees are now lobbying for a patch of earth for their native produce.

14 November/ December 2011 Grow it!

Freshly baked this morning by Ayako who created a lovely creation telling some of the stories, talks, poetry, images, connections and collaborations of our year 2011 on the roof of Thornton’s Budgens.  It is like what Khalil Gibran says:  Work is Love made Visible.

Thank you warmly to Andrew, Aya, Jack, Peter, Ed, Paul, Vince, Maria, Pablo, Sarah, Nicole, Tamara, Spencer, Wendy, Thomas, Ashad, Mary, Claire, Clare, Anna, Roberto, Rob, Daniel, Taylor, Silvio, Roman, Jake, Barbara, Becky, Sebasten, Lacey, Diane, Polly and many many more for an extraordinary year!

Love and gratitude

Azul

1 – 2 days a week on our roof garden in Crouch End.(Fridays + an other day)

The post is designed to give a budding grower the knowledge and experience to grow salads and other crops to commercial organic standard in an urban setting and would particularly suit someone interested in working in the food growing sector in London. The post also includes growing your interpersonal skills working with other volunteers and connecting with the team of the supermarket.

The position is voluntary with some bonuses*. It will require a minimum commitment of 6 months, at least one full day a week (Fridays) and will begin in January.  For more information please send a paragraph outlining why you are interested in the position to Azul: azul@foodfromthesky.org.uk

We are looking forward to meeting you and growing with you!

Azul, Jack and team.

* Bonuses are:

1. A staff discount card for Thorntons Budgens
2. Access to FOOD from the SKY community, Capital Growth Community, Project Dirt Community, with many discounts on courses and access to a deep pool of knowledge and ressources.