By Karen Picciano
In follow-up to the “Just Eating” Lenten study series, we haven’t so far found a good date to make the trip to visit the ECHO demonstration farm in Ft. Myers (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, http://www.echonet.org/), and now it’s getting hot and about to start the rainy season. Therefore we would like to push this idea back to late October/early November.
As background (quoting from their website):
‘ECHO is a non-profit organization whose vision is “to bring glory to God and a blessing to mankind by using science and technology to help the poor.” As an inter-denominational Christian organization located on a demonstration farm in North Fort Myers, FL, ECHO exists for one major reason, to help those working internationally with the poor be more effective, especially in the area of agriculture, specifically small farm tropical agriculture.
A unique attraction for Lee County, ECHO’s Global Farm Tour is a fascinating 90-minute tour of the most creative working farm you have ever experienced. You will find demonstrations, plants, and techniques useful to farmers and urban gardeners in developing countries. Experience six settings of the Global Farm and taste leaves and berries while you explore rain-forest habitats, visit farm animals, stop at a simulated Haitian school, witness urban gardening techniques that allow gardens on rooftops and learn all about ECHO’s mission of helping the poor help themselves.
Appropriate technologies demonstrated at ECHO include biogas (turning cow manure into gas for cooking and lighting): a sawdust cooker; a simple solar food dryer; and more. Tropical sheep, goats, turken chickens, ducks, tilapia, and rabbits are integrated into the farm. If that is not enough to entice you, ECHO has one of the largest collections of tropical food plants in Florida.’
If you are interested in being on the trip list and did not sign up during worship, please email Karen Picciano (picciano@bellsouth.net) with a copy to the church office. By overwhelming preference, the trip will be on a Saturday morning.
Thanks! Karen