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 a couple of AQUS Water Saving Devices to start reusing some of our bathroom sink greywater at the Farm.
• 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!