green farm project

Green Farm Project

You could make the case that Dawn Farm has been earth-friendly for all of our 35 years. We are a farm, after all. Recently, we’ve made a decision to become the greenest treatment center in the world. We’re taking it one day at a time and one step at a time, doing what we can, when we can. It just seems like the next right thing to do.

Here are some of the steps we’ve taken recently:

  • We’ve installed dual flush toilet kits at the Farm. This should save about 45,000 gallons of water a year.
  • We’ve been replacing ailing washers with high-efficiency models. This should save 100,000 gallons of water at the Farm alone!
  • We’ve installed Solatube lighting at the Farm.
  • Fair Trade coffee (helps people AND the earth)
  • We’ve replaced all of our light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs
  • We’ve improved recycling practices at all of our sites.
  • As much as possible, using reusable cups, plates, silverware
  • Hormone-free chicken, pork, and beef – we sell to local people for local consumption
  • Raising grass-fed beef
  • Adopting new power management practices for our computers
  • Starting to replace clothes washers with high-efficiency washers

We also continue our long standing practices that help the environment and the community:

  • We’ve installed a point well so that we can water our garden and other plantings with ground water rather than city water.
  • We’ve used recycled paper for our mailings for at least 20 years
  • Accepting community donations for distribution and reuse
  • Extra food that we grow can be donated to local food bank
  • Vegetables (and meat and eggs) for sale to the community (Eat locally!)
  • Cage-free eggs
  • Composting manure and yard waste (= organic fertilizer)
  • Feeding food waste to pigs (= less trash)

And, of course, we farm. Creating our own garden means that we have control over how our food is grown – no toxic pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

This year our Farm garden included….

  • 4 types of tomatoes
  • carrots
  • 2 types of onions
  • 6 types of peppers
  • zucchini
  • butternut squash
  • 2 types of eggplant
  • cantaloupe
  • cucumber
  • 2 types of watermelon
  • green beans
  • snap peas
  • 4 types of corn
  • leeks
  • black-eyed peas
  • 3 types of pumpkins
  • lettuce
  • broccoli
  • spinach
  • radishes

Gardens at other sites…

  • Huron Street = strawberry patch
  • Detox = small vegetable garden
  • Transitional Housing = several small vegetable gardens

If you have ideas or suggestions, please send them to us. Thanks for your support!