|
NOFA ORGANIC LAND CARE PROGRAM
E-News January 2010
|
|
In this issue:
_________________________________________________________________________________
|
It's not too late: Re-accredit now!
If you haven't already done so, you can complete your 2010 re-accreditation by February 1 in order to maintain your AOLCP Search online profile uninterrupted.
There are many credit opportunities in January, and you can pay your re-accreditation fee online or by telephone (203-888-5146). Remember to complete the 2010 re-accreditation form, have it signed by the presenter, and then mail it to "OLC Program, CT NOFA, P.O. Box164, Stevenson, CT 0649." If you have any questions about re-accreditation requirements, check the OLC website. If you have any questions about your re-accreditation status, e-mail Carol. Act now! ___________________________________________________________________________________ |
AOLCP Search and Change of Contact Information
Please
remember that you are responsible for updating your professional information at
the AOLCP Search function of our website. Refer to the primer for guidance and call the office (203 888-5146) if you need further help.
If there is a change in your contact information, please be
sure to also inform Carol by email or telephone (203) 888-5146, so that we can keep
our internal database up to date.
Thanks!
back to top
________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
NOFA Organic Land Care Accreditation Course
The 2010 Organic Land Care Accreditation Course is offered in four states again this year. Please encourage your
friends and colleagues to "go organic" and call 203-888-5146 to
register. For more information, check out this brochure at the OLC website. If you can distribute some brochures among your colleagues and acquaintances that would be great. Thanks for whatever you are able to do to promote
this effort.
Massachusetts: January 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 2010 (Snow Date: Jan. 21) - Newburyport, MA Connecticut: January 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 2010 (Snow Date: Jan. 29)
- New Haven, CT New York: Feb. 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 2010 (Snow Date: Feb. 17) - Westchester County, NY
Rhode Island: Feb. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 2010 (Snow Date: Feb. 27) -
Providence, RI
Please contact Kathy (Massachusetts), Ashley (Connecticut), Clara (New York), and/or Sheryl (Rhode
Island).
___________________________________________________________________________________
|
The 2010-2011 NOFA Guide to Organic Land Care
We call the "2010-2011 NOFA Guide to Organic Land Care" the "print guide," because it is meant to supplement "AOLCP Search" and direct homeowners to that feature of our website. Both in the print guide and at AOCLP Search, homeowners can find Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals in their area. In addition, the print guide is a place where AOLCPs can offer gardening advice and showcase their photography. It is distributed widely in the Northeast throughout the year. If you would like your article on organic land care (one or two pages) or your photography to be featured in the 2010-2011 Guide, please contact Ashley for specs and instuctions on how to submit.
back to top
___________________________________________________________________________________
|
More Opportunities to Help
Your help is needed... - at the Metro Horticultural Group and Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 14th Annual Plant-O-Rama, a Trade Show and Symposium for Horticulture Professionals on Tuesday, January 26, at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where we need an AOLCP to table the event to distribute information about the 5-day course and NOFA AOLCP program. Please contact Clara if you can help.
- as a volunteer at the 5-day course in Elmsford, NY (February 10-16); in New Haven, CT (January 21-27); or in Providence, RI (February 22-26). If you can volunteer to help, please contact Clara in NY, Ashley in CT, or Sheryl in RI.
- at theThe UMass Winter Lawn Care Conference on January 20 to distribute 5-day course brochures and NOFA OLC Guides. Please let Carol know if you can help.
- at New England Grows on February 4-6, to staff the NOFA Organic Land Care Program table. We are also seeking AOLCPs of 3 years or more to staff a "Q&A with
AOLCPs" panel during NE Grows, on Thursday, Feb. 5. Contact Kathy Litchfield at (413)
773-3830 or by email if you can help.
- Help "Hope in Bloom" change the landscape for more people with breast cancer by volunteering to design simple 10' x 10' gardens at the homes of breast cancer patients in Massachusetts. Supplies
are purchased from wholesale nurseries and
installed by volunteer planters. While 75 gardens have been completed since the non-profit began in 2007, there are 125 gardens waiting
for funding and design assistance. If you'd like to help, please contact
Roberta Hershon at roberta@hopeinbloom.org. Visit www.hopeinbloom.org to
see photos of some of the gardens and for more information.
__________________________________________________________
|
AOLCPs in Action...
Sincere thanks to Priscilla Williams of Pumpkin Brook
Organic Gardening, Inc. for her generous contribution of $500 to the NOFA
Organic Land Care Program.
Mike Nadeau will represent our NOFA AOLCP program at the first course of the Oregon Tilth Accredited Organic Land Care program, to be
launched from January
25 through 29. Speakers will include experts in
many different aspects of organic and sustainable land care practices...including our own Mike Nadeau! For more information about this new organic land care accreditation program on the west coast, visit the Oregon Tilth website.
The Safer Pest Control Project, which is dedicated to reducing the health risks and environmental impacts of pesticides and promoting safer alternatives in Illinois, is
consulting with NOFA OLC experts, Bill Duesing and Chip Osborne. Kevin Burke, AOLCP, has been busy promoting organic land care in Atlanta, GA, where he is involved in the Beltline Project. Kevin is spearheading an effort to organize a one or two day event next fall to
begin to spread the gospel of organic land care in the Atlanta area.
back to top
___________________________________________________________________________________
|
Also of
Interest...
"Sorry, Vegans: Brussels Sprouts Like to Live, Too" is a fun article that recently appeared in The New York Times--a perfect follow-up to Bill Cullina's presentation at the December Update Course. Enjoy!UMASS EXTENSION'S 2010 GREEN DIRECTORY is now available. It is a
comprehensive guide to educational resources for Massachusetts Agriculture and
Green Industry professionals. This free 40 page guide can be used as a
reference all year long! It includes valuable resources and information or land care professionals. You can download a pdf copy of the directory here. Click on "Green Directory." For a hard copy, call (413) 545-0895, fax a request to (413) 577-1620, or email Ellen Weeks.
Thanks to Sanne Kure-Jensen for this "news from the UK," entitled "Compost Saves Money" which was a post
from the Compost Group at LinkedIn. FYI, $10 US equals 6.27 £ GB.
back to top __________________________________________________________________________________
|
Current AOLCP Credit OpportunitiesJANUARY 2010 January 13: Professional Turf & Landscape Conference - White Plains, NY
January 13-14: Native Landscape Design - Villanova, PA
January 13-14: CNLA Winter Symposium - Wallingford, CT
Jan. 13-Feb. 3: Herbs, Herb Gardens, and Herbalism - Bronx, NY
January 14: Introduction to Wetland Restoration Management - Bronx, NY
January 14: Using Natives - Solving the Riddle of Using Native Plants in Your Landscape - Somerset, NJ
Jan. 14-Feb. 25: Green Technology: Design, Installation & Maintenance - Bronx, NY
Jan.15 - Nov. 22: Permaculture Design Course -Shelburne Falls MA
January 15-16: Native Landscape Design - New London, CT
January 16: Winter Botany-Whately, MA
January 16: NOFA MASS WINTER CONFERENCE - Worcester, MA
Jan. 16-Feb. 6:
Introduction to Permaculture -Bronx, NY
January 19: Spirit: Garden Inspiration - Cambridge, MA
January 20: Winter Lawn Care Conference - Sturbridge, MA
January 23: Pruning in Winter - Cambridge, MA
January 23: Winter Botany - Framingham, MA
Jan. 26 & 27: Drainage Design and Construction - Bronx, NY
January 28-29: CT Grounds Keepers Association Turf & Landscape Conf. - Uncasville, CT
January 29: Long Island Horticulture Conference - Ronkonkoma, NY
January 30: Native Seed Propagation Workshop - Whately, MA January 30: NOFA NJ Annual Winter Conference - New Brunswick, NJ FEBRUARY
February 1 - March 8: Residential Landscape Construction - Stockbridge, MA
February 2:
Wetland Restoration: Planting and Design - Bronx, NY
February 2 - 23: Sustainable Landscape Care & Garden Maintenance - Stockbridge, MA
Feb. 2-March 16:
Soil Science I: Physical Properties - Bronx, NY
February 3-5: New England Grows Conference - Boston, MA Please note: At New England Grows, be sure to have your badge scanned and then inform Carol that you were there!
February 3 - 24: Designer Tool Kit II - Space & Materials - Stockbridge, MA
February 6: Winter Tree Observations: Deciduous Trees - Wellesley, MA
Feb. 6-27: Landscape Care and Maintenance - Bronx, NY
February 7: Invasives in the Valley - Whately, MA
February 8, 22, March 1: Landscaping with Native Plants - Arnold ArboretumCambridge, MA
February 9 and 23: Horticultural Math - Arnold Arboretum, Cambridge, MA
Feb. 17-March 10:
Pruning for Gardeners - Bronx, NY
February 18:
Year-Round Gardening - Bronx, NY
February 20: Pruning in Winter - Arnold Arboretum, Cambridge, MA
February 25: ELA Conference & Eco-Marketplace - Springfield, MA
N.B. At the ELA Conference, have your Reaccreditation Form signed by the presenter (or at the NOFA table) and mail it to CT NOFA, P. O. Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491.
February 27: Introduction to Winter Tree Identification - Arnold Arboretum, Cambridge, MA
_______________________________________________________________________
|
NOFA Standards Review
The following excerpt on Seeds, Transplants and Plant Material can be found on page 33 of the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care.
Every effort should be made to find sources of organically-grown seeds and plants or to produce them oneself. Growers of plant materials sold as "Certified Organic" should follow the guidelines listed in the NOFA/Massachusetts Organic Certification Standards for agriculture.
Preferred · All shrubs, trees, seedlings, plugs, rootstocks and other propagative forms of plants from certified organic sources · Organically-grown seeds · Nontoxic seed treatments such as hot water soaks and legume inoculants Allowed · Conventionally-grown shrubs, trees, seedlings, plugs, rootstocks and other propagative forms of plants and untreated seeds · Pelletization (of seeds) that does not contain prohibited materials Prohibited · Use of prohibited pesticides, soil fumigants or synthetic fertilizers on any seedling or plant materials · Fungicide-treated seeds · Genetically-modified seeds and plants · Synthetic rooting or wetting agents · Use of prohibited practices or materials (referenced elsewhere in the Standards) on seedlings or plant materials · Removal, harvest, or collection of any rare, endangered or threatened plant (including seeds) from its natural habitat · Planting commercially-propagated rare, endangered, or threatened plant species (to preserve the genetic integrity of wild populations of these plants)
__________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
|
|