PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release - April 17, 2020
Air Rhodes
Director of Development & Assistant Executive Director
845-202-1091
Landtolearn.org
Local Garden Education Nonprofit Hudson Valley Seed Changes Name To “Land to Learn”
New name better reflects mission focus on education and agriculture
Beacon, NY - The garden education nonprofit based in Beacon, known until today as “Hudson Valley Seed Inc”, has been teaching thousands of local elementary school children how to garden since 2012. But the office phone would constantly ring with people wanting to order seeds - People reasonably thinking that this education nonprofit and the Hudson Valley Seed Company were one and the same.
“We buy and plant a lot of seeds - including from the Hudson Valley Seed Company! - but we don’t sell any,” explains Air Rhodes, the organization’s Director of Development and Assistant Executive Director. “This confusion has created barriers to building relationships and our brand. We’re looking forward to people knowing us as who we are, a regional social-justice-rooted garden education organization.”
The organization’s new name, Land to Learn, better reflects their mission and programs. Their mission is “Growing a movement for food justice and community wellness through garden-based education.” Land and learning/teaching are the two things most at the heart of who the organization is and what they do.
The name goes deeper than simply reflecting programs, though. A focus on land brings attention to their lessons about environmental stewardship and our connection to nature, which is incredibly important as humans stress the climate and agricultural systems. Land to Learn’s staff is deeply aware of how control of the land - urban and rural - and how it is used, dictates what our communities look like.
“We want to teach a respectful and reciprocal relationship to land, rather than one that is merely extractive. Gardens are more than extracurricular spaces: many indigenous societies regard Land as the first teacher,” explains Serena Padilla, Newburgh Program Manager and Educator.
“We conceptualize ‘Land’ as both a noun and a verb: social and emotional learning like mindfulness and compassion is a big part of what we teach and model during garden lessons. We’ve seen, and studies show, that kids who get to learn outside are much better at focusing in the classroom,” shares Nicole Porto, Education Director. (Learn more about these impacts at tinyurl.com/LtLwhitepaper)
The name change and logo decision was made by Land to Learn’s staff and Board.
Jess Conway, Chair of Land to Learn’s Board of Directors, says, “Although this name change has been in the works for quite a while, now feels like an especially important moment to focus on our interdependence, as well as on inequities that predated this crisis. I believe in my heart that a shared future in which we all thrive depends on the connection of our children to the land. Their understanding of the value of seeds planted in nurturing earth has never been more important, and I am proud to support the staff as they center the land as our teacher.”
Hans Hageman, Land to Learn’s Executive Director, shares, “Our new name, “Land to Learn,” captures our mission and our passion. Historically, land has been the holder of memories. Land is the basis of independence and the center of community, healing, and learning. Many of us have lost our connection to the land and its lessons. We’re rebuilding those connections in the schools and communities we work in.”
Other than how the education staff are implementing their garden lessons from a distance during this unprecedented coronavirus time, nothing else about the organization has changed.
Emily Sylvester, a freelance graphic designer who lives in Beacon, created Land to Learn’s beautiful new logo and look. She was exceptionally adept at incorporating social justice ideals and multicultural visual considerations into the final product.
About Land to Learn:
Land to Learn serves 5,000 K-2nd grade students each year in eleven elementary schools in New York’s Hudson Valley, in the cities of Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston, and Garrison. They integrate nutrition education and experiential learning into public schools with lessons for dozens of classes each week both outside in school gardens and in classrooms. Students grow and taste new vegetables, read and write, practice math and science, and learn about health and wellness.
Land to Learn also runs an after-school garden education program; an incarcerated youth gardening program; and community education programs including summer camp lessons, and open garden time; and helps facilitate Vegetable of the Month school cafeteria programs. They donate food grown in school gardens to local pantries and soup kitchens; teach schools to run their own garden education programs; and help train the next generation of educators through a teen internship program.
With thriving students,more than 15,000 kids on their waiting list, and a demand for their unique curriculum and teacher training program, Land to Learn is growing fast!
For the Press:
More general information about Land to Learn is available at https://www.landtolearn.org/press-summary-sheet.
Information on what we’ve been doing to respond and operate programs during the Covid19 quarantine is available at https://www.landtolearn.org/blog/a-letter-to-our-friends-amp-supporters-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.
Photos and copies of our new logo available with permission for use by media are available at https://www.landtolearn.org/press-selected-photos.