Roaming around Rodale...

This afternoon I took a trip out to The Rodale Institute. It's not far from me and I wanted to find out about their upcoming courses. LUCKY me I actually got a Volunteer Apprenticership with them! I can't wait to start as I LOVE to garden and was recently laid off after several years from the Law Firm I worked for in New York City and well, things are very slow lately due to the economy. So this will give me something to do till I'm able to find another job in my field (Ha! No pun intended).

For those of you who are not familiar with the Rodale Institute was founded in 1947 by Jerome Irving Rodale as the Soil and Health Foundation. It continues as a 333-acre (1.35 km2) working organic crop farm with research trials and a visitor’s center near Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The Institute outreaches to farmers throughout North America and the world to promote economically viable sustainable farming techniques that benefit human health and the environment. Offered on the Institute’s dynamic website are: 1) the online Organic Transition Course (funded by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency); 2) the Organic Price Report, a weekly comparison of U.S. wholesale organic and non-organic prices in various locations; 3) the New Farm webzine, offering stories by and about farmers and researchers practicing cutting-edge organic agriculture; and 4) continuously updated sections containing news and research focusing on how biologically based farming can curb global warming, improve the nutrient value of food and play a role in fighting hunger worldwide. For more information check their website http://www.rodaleinstitue.org/

Below are some pics I took of the Institute while I was there today.

Enjoy...

This is their latest project. A Garden Rooftop!

Pretty neat right?

The "Igloo" you see is actually a Greenhouse!

Another angle of the Rooftop Garden

Garden Beds Galore!!