Burgdorf Community Garden is a signature outreach project for Hartford County Master Gardener volunteers. They helped plant and maintain a garden on the grounds of the Burgdorf/Bank of America Health center, a clinic for the underserved in Hartford’s North End. The garden is used to teach nutrition to clients and also provides healthy produce for […]
Family
Poop Happens
By Diane Wright Hirsch, UConn Extension Educator Farm animals poop. Why should that matter to me…a frequent farm visitor? We all poop. Dogs poop, cats poop, cows and even goats poop. It is a natural process that rids our bodies of indigestible food and waste products. Unfortunately, it is also a way to carry […]
Nutrition Education for Students
UConn Extension’s Heather Pease recently educated students enrolled in a child development class at CREC’s Medical Professions and Teacher Preparation Academy on how to make baby food.
“Ruins Reborn” – Revitalization Strategies
“Ruins Reborn”, Hugh Bailey offers revitalization strategies Posted on September 26, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern Hugh Bailey, urban planner, columnist for the Connecticut Post, and member of UConn class of 1999, will be speaking on the issue of the post-industrial challenges posed by the numerous abandoned buildings in Connecticut’s urban areas. His presentation, “Ruins […]
Cut Food Budgets – Grow a Kitchen Garden
By Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD UConn Extension Educator/Food Safety Though some economic indicators are showing that things are getting better, there are many Connecticut citizens who still find tough going. The result has been that more and more people are growing food in their backyards or on patios, and some […]
Spirit & Sense of Place in Relation to the Naugatuck River Greenway
Posted on September 25, 2015 on Extension Community & Economic Development By John McDonald, Extension Intern The Romans advanced the concept of the genius loci, or protective spirit dwelling in a certain place. The same idea, minus the superstitious trappings of polytheism, is today reflected in the notions of spirit and sense of place. Spirit of […]
Get Healthy Connecticut
UConn Extension SNAP-Ed partnered with the Get Healthy CT Know Your Numbers campaign at Iglesia ‘El Olivar’ food pantry in Bridgeport, CT. Heather Peracchio provided healthy eating tips and recipes as folks were being screened for elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. For more info about upcoming screenings in Bridgport this month visit, http://gethealthyct.org/know-your-numbers/
Let’s Talk Trails
Originally Posted on October 23, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern The Let’s Talk Trails event held in October at Torrington City Hall was arguably a gathering of the most important people involved in trail development, construction and maintenance in the state of Connecticut. Bruce Donald, Chairman of the Connecticut Greenways Council and President of […]
Did You Know: Urban Agriculture
Learning in the Field and the Classroom Students in the Urban Agriculture and IPM Training program completed 180 hours of classroom instruction, and volunteered 1,603 hours. Volunteer time was spent working on the farm preparing the land, building raised garden beds, planting and maintaining an acre of organic vegetables, and selling produce at the Danbury […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Marcia Johnson
Teacher and 4-H Volunteer Brings Gardening, Nutrition and Fitness to Students in the Classroom and Beyond By Kim Markesich Originally published by Naturally@UConn on January 26, 2016 Twenty-eight years as an elementary school teacher has not dampened the enthusiasm of 4-H volunteer Marcia Johnson. She’s upbeat, energetic and clearly excited about teaching. Five years […]
Assessing the Potential Value of the Naugatuck River Greenway
Originally posted on September 25, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern Greenways are multi-use trails that act as linear parks, often following the course of a river or former right-of-way such as a canal, railway or trolley line, or abandoned road. The Greenway movement gathered momentum in the United States through the 1980s and ’90s, […]
Fruit Flies Are Annoying!
By Carol Quish There is nothing more annoying than seeing tiny insects flying around inside your home. Fruit flies are one such insect commonly considered a pest by their mere presence sharing your living space, causing us to question where they come from and how to get rid of them. Fruit flies are attracted to […]
Brownfield Revitalization as a Community Development Catalyst
Originally Posted on October 30, 2015 By John McDonald, Extension Intern Brownfield redevelopment has become a hot topic of late. The issue can be examined through a number of different lens. A project in Middletown, Connecticut will focus on the health outcomes of brownfield conversion in inner-city neighborhoods. Middletown’s Department of Planning, Conservation and Development has […]
CPR-AED Course at Hartford County Extension
Would you know what to do if someone in your office, meeting, class, program, or even your home became unconscious and had no pulse? Five more members of UConn Hartford Extension Center would. Weston Forbes, Diane LaBonia, Marilyn Diaz, Mary-Margaret Gaudio, and Christine Smith, participated in a training course on December 14th and are now […]
Teen Mentors Attend National 4-H Congress
CT 4-H FANs IM Teen Mentors, and Danbury High School seniors, Ciara Broggy and Yanis Aracena, were selected to participate in the National 4-H Congress held in Atlanta, Georgia, November 27th through December 1, 2015. Both attendees were required to submit an application and attend an interview. While at the National 4-H Congress, they enjoyed […]
On the Training of Community Observers
By John McDonald, Extension Intern We have all heard or perhaps spoken the phrase “a fresh set of eyes”, meaning to obtain a second viewpoint or return later to a situation to see what has been missed due to fatigue or overstimulation. Geographer Yi-Fu Tuan makes the distinction between visitors and tourists, for whom a […]
FoodCorps Making an Impact
Our FoodCorps Connecticut service members are making a large impact across the state! Since September 1st: The 15 superstar service members have interacted with 6257 students! They have harvested 355.25 lbs of produce from school or community gardens! They have worked with 545 volunteers! CT Service members have also worked with 40 farmers! What amazing numbers!!!!
Reflections on Community Development
By Laura Brown, Community & Economic Development Educator, UConn Extension Anyone who’s been in this field will attest that community development takes grit. Sometimes the day-to-day work is monotonous, exhausting, and trying. We’re challenged by conflicting personalities, politics and bureaucracies and given the charge of changing the status quo when the tides seem turned against […]
Casey’s Clean Air Week
As part of an outreach and education effort, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), along with UConn Extension’s Healthy Environments for Children Initiative, has developed a children’s book on air quality, titled Casey’s Clean Air Week (flipbook, pdf). The purpose of this book is to teach young children (approximately 4 to 7 years old) about […]
The Role of Greenways and Multi-Use Trails in Connecticut
Posted on September 20, 2015 on Extension Community & Economic Development By John McDonald, Extension Intern The concept of a network of trails in the state of Connecticut dates back to 1929, when the Connecticut Forest and Park Association established the blue-blazed hiking trail system (CFPA, 2006). In many cases, these trails follow steep ridge lines in […]
Make the Holidays Healthy
Extension educator Heather Peracchio was at Daily Bread food pantry in Danbury yesterday. She was providing clients with healthy eating tips during the holidays and food safety information. For 10 tips on Making Healthy Holiday choices, visit: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-make-healthier-holida…
PEP Facilitator Training
In October, 19 people completed our two-day People Empowering People (PEP) Facilitator training, including two participants from Miami, Florida.
Urban and Community Studies
UConn Extension‘s Laura Brown (second from left) served on a career panel for the Urban and Community Studies Program at UConn Waterbury on November 4th. Panel members were from the social services, criminal justice, community development, and college administration fields, and talked about their jobs and how they got them!
Fermentation: Preservation with Benefits
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, MPH, RD Senior Extension Educator – Food Safety Believe it or not, winter is coming. This is a good time to think about preserving some of the vegetables that you may find in your cold cellar or at the fall farmers’ market. Cabbage, of course, but really, that is just the […]
Study Underway to Assess the Economic Impact of the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail
The Naugatuck River Greenway (NRG) Steering Committee has initiated a 2015-2016 study to catalog the economic and quality of life impacts that will result from the construction of the Naugatuck River Greenway trail, a planned multi-use trail along the Naugatuck River. The study is designed to assist each of the 11 greenway municipalities and local […]
Sustainable & Climate Smart Agriculture
The White House recognized UConn Extension educator Jiff Martin as a Champion of Change for Sustainable and Climate Smart Agriculture in October. The program features individuals who are doing extraordinary things to inspire and empower members of their communities, Martin was one of 12 individuals from across the country selected for this honor. Jiff reflected […]
Eat Local This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Did you know that you can buy a Connecticut grown turkey? Check out the Buy CT Grown guide to Connecticut turkeys. Even if you don’t eat a Connecticut grown turkey, there are lots of great suggestions for how to add some local flavor to your holiday meal. Check out the recipes […]
4-H Attends Wellness Fair
UConn Extension’s LaShawn Christie-Francis the Eversource Wellness Fair with Aqueelah Virgo, our CYFAR afterschool instructor. They attended both fairs one was located on Prospect Street in Hartford and the other was at Windsor, Connecticut, both were in October. Over 200 people attended their wellness fair and it gave Urban 4-H/CYFAR afterschool programs a lot of exposure.
Is Home Vacuum Packaging a Safe Way to Preserve Food?
By: Diane Wright Hirsch, Extension Educator/Food Safety Whether you are someone who wants to store away a cache of food in case of an emergency or weather disaster or if you simply want to preserve some green beans from your garden or freeze some chicken from the farmers’ market, you may have considered purchasing […]
New Program Leaders
UConn Extension has four major program areas: 4-H youth development, agriculture and food systems, family and community development, and land use and water. Each of these areas has an Extension educator that serves a two-year term as program leader. New program leaders were recently announced for the Family and Community Development and 4-H teams. German […]
Lynn & Marjorie Brown: Promoting & Supporting 4-H for a Lifetime
Lynn & Marjorie Brown: Promoting and Supporting 4-H for a Lifetime By Nancy Wilhelm, Program Coordinator, 4-H Youth Development Marjorie and Lynn Brown have spent a lifetime promoting and supporting UConn Extension and the 4-H Program. Both grew up on farms in Iowa where they were 4-H members – Marjorie participated in home economics […]
International Experience at Auerfarm
UConn Students from UConn’s Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders on Social Entrepreneurship and participants from either North or Sub-Saharan Africa came out to 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm camp in July. After a morning in the garden, everyone ended up in the shade sharing information about themselves and showing the campers where they came […]
9/11 National Day of Service
9/11 National Day of Service – members of FoodCorps CT and the CT Food Justice VISTA Project, helping a local farmer get her fields ready at Cloverleigh Farm in Mansfield. Both projects are coordinated by UConn Extension and proud partners with AmeriCorps.
New PEP Facilitators
The training for People Empowering People (PEP) facilitators was on June 22 & 23rd and there were 18 participants from Waterbury, CRT Hartford, Torrington, UConn Health, New London Youth Affairs, and CREC. We’re looking forward to seeing these facilitators work with new groups of PEP participants.
4-H Recognition Night
The Fairfield County 4-H Recognition Night was held on June 4th. Congratulations to all of the 4-H members who received awards.
Metabolic Family Day
A Family Day was held for patients with metabolic disorders and their families at Rock Cats Stadium in New Britain on May 17, 2015. Sherry Gray from the UConn Extension – Hartford County coordinated the event. The event was hosted by UConn Health Center, UConn Extension and Yale New Haven Hospital and was sponsored by […]
Home Canning, Food Safety, and Botulism
Home canning, food safety, and botulism—don’t freak out, but do process safely By Diane Wright Hirsch As an Extension educator, I have been teaching folks how to can for more than thirty years. And still, what worries folks the most is botulism poisoning. While it continues to be very rare, when it does occur, it […]
Greenwich PEP Graduates
Congratulations to our UConn Extension People Empowering People (PEP) graduates from Greenwich! They graduated in a ceremony on May 11th.
Eat Smart Live Strong
UConn Extension’s SNAP-Ed Food Security partnered with Elmwood Senior Center in Danbury to offer the USDA Eat Smart Live Strong program this summer. Programs are led by Heather Peracchio, Extension Educator and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Seniors are provided $15 vouchers towards fresh produce and round-trip transportation to the Farmers Market twice per month thanks to a […]
CLIR Annual Meeting
Our Center for Learning In Retirement (CLIR) held their annual meeting in June with music and plans for upcoming courses. Visit their website for all of the latest news.