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Outpost MissionLast Organic Outpost Mission Statement Last Organic Outpost is non profit organization committed to developing urban agriculture in the greater Houston area. The fifth ward garden outpost is a demonstration project where we are building a garden farm in the inner city. Joe Nelson Icet started the garden in November 2001 on an abandoned piece of land in an industrial area near downtown. It's continued to expand with the help of a few dedicated volunteers. The Last Organic Outpost was created to be a beautiful agricultural park in the inner city, to become a community of people helping people to learn about health and nutrition by growing what we eat. We believe it is urgent to know how to grow the food we eat. Our goal to promote self reliance for other communities, to refine ways to grow nutrient dense foods using cutting technologies like sea water agriculture and EM (effective microorganisms), to learn and teach holistic nutrition, help to create a food based economy in Houston by participating with other local and regional growers to produce and bring to local sustainable farmers markets quality nutrition accessible to all. We are committed to forming alliances within our communities and by contributing to neighborhood food pantries. We at The Last Organic Outpost believe that the future of out planet depends on what we do today. We will forward our mission through internships, volunteer opportunities, tours of the garden, picnics, classes, and work weekends and public speaking engagements on topics such as raw foods nutrition\live foods preparation, seasonal and regional planting, identifying and introducing into our diet wild edibles from this area, juicing and nutrition for children in the garden. We are in the process of developing an international garden to grow food from other countries grown in similar climates. The Outpost is working to develop markets to retail compost soil blends. Future projects include creating a system to use stable and barn manures from 4 H programs, coffee grounds, rice hulls and other materials currently discarded by local businesses. We recently held a workshop to learn and teach building skills in Spanish by and constructed a storage shed using recycled materials. We are completing an experimental water catchment project started by Engineers Without Borders, a Rice University student group. Our next workshop and project will be to build a solar composting toilet.
Vision "Building in this day upon our greatest dreams, reaching with our efforts to achieve our great hopes - all beneath a great sky," says Joe Nelson Icet. In a vision of the great and wonderful, in a time of great need, we begin to build the things that bring good into our lives. Driven by vision, hands working with the feet to make things happen, we have formed a cooperative of individuals interested in learning how to create in our community a green industry where we grow the food we eat. We learn about self-sufficiency, sustainability and explore the different possibilities that will allow us to have a community that we truly appreciate. We like to gather on weekends to play in the dirt, plant and share meals at the picnic tables by the ponds. We eat live food from the garden and use mustard leaves as dinner plates, so bring your own fork! Let us know if you are interested in joining us by emailing us at lastorganicoutpost@gmail .com. Support community agriculture - eat what you grow!
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