G.A.L.A. has recently expanded its program staff to include PlusTime NH AmeriCorps*VISTA member Aislinn Johnson, who will be working full-time with G.A.L.A. to help strengthen the organization’s leadership and volunteer capacity.

Aislinn will serve with G.A.L.A. for a full year to focus on improving existing programs, including study circles, sustainability workshops, and eco-service projects such as installing compost bins, clotheslines, and rain-barrels. She will also help develop an exciting new School-to-Work program at Kingswood Regional High School that uses sustainability curriculum to inspire activities at home that help save money and conserve resources.

Aislinn will also assist G.A.L.A. Executive Director, Josh Arnold, with general daily tasks and event planning. Current projects include the upcoming October 3rd Farm to Table Feast – a catered local-foods dinner at Moody Mountain Farm Barn to celebrate and support local agriculture. Aislinn is also busy helping G.A.L.A. with a new TV program called “Starting At Home”, due to begin next month on the Wolfeboro Community Access Channel. The program is designed to promote different activities that can help home owners save money and conserve resources. Aislinn’s year of service is just beginning and already proving to be a great benefit to G.A.L.A. and to the community as a whole.

Aislinn, a Wakefield, NH native, was selected to be the PlusTime NH AmeriCorps*VISTA member for G.A.L.A. because of her commitment to sustainability education and her past experiences working in a nonprofit setting. Having launched her own alternative fuels awareness initiative in 2005 with her vegetable oil fueled van, termed the “Canola Strolla,” Aislinn has had first-hand experience inspiring others to become involved in a positive, sustainable future.

When asked about her term of service, Aislinn said, “I am so excited to get involved with G.A.L.A. on a much deeper level. I look forward to connecting with community members, strengthening the program’s outreach, and becoming an integral part of such a fun, positive, and important organization”.
The funding for an AmeriCorps*VISTA member was provided by an anonymous private foundation and PlusTime NH.

PlusTime NH is a statewide non-profit organization working with a vision of a day when all youth have opportunities for successful growth and become active citizens engaged in their communities. The mission of PlusTime is to partner with communities to create and support a variety of environments for positive youth development activities throughout the day and year.

PlusTime NH receives their funding through AmeriCorps VISTA, the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years.

VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more.

So, don’t be surprised the next time you call G.A.L.A. and hear a new voice on the other end of the line. Be sure to congratulate Aislinn on her acceptance into the position, and better yet, feel free to swing by the office at #3 Pork Hill Road, Ossipee, NH to welcome her in person. For more information visit the website or call the office at 603.539.6460.

WHEN: Saturday, August 28th, 10-3

WHERE: Sandwich, NH rte.113 in the center of town
opposite The LEAGUE OF NH Craftsmen. Next to the Sandwich FARMERS’S MARKET andMocha Rising Café (tours begin here- we will give you maps to the
other destinations)

Herbal Iced Tea , Lemonade and Homemade Organic Cookies and other treats!

IT’S PURELY ORGANIC, JUST LIKE GRANDMA USED TO DO!

For More Information: Ellen Fine (603)236-8269 / ellen_bfine@yahoo.com. Visit www.leahcollective.org

Sponsored by: The LEAH Collective, Natural Landscapes,
Mocha Rising Café, G.A.L.A.

G.A.L.A. is a proud partner of the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival being hosted by the Green Mt. Conservation Group this Saturday, July 24th, 7:00-9:30, at the Calumet Conference Center right off of the Ossipee Lake Road in Freedom, NH.

The Festival is presented by Patagonia in over 90 communities nationwide where it is hosted by local groups like GMCG. It features terrific films to inspire and engage people in environmental protection. Tickets are $10 per person suggested donation; $5 per person suggested for children or students with ID. Participants can also become a member of GMCG at a special discounted price of $10 the day of the event. There will be live music, food, goodie bags with Cliff Bars, Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, and other giveaways, raffle prizes of ski tickets, canoe trips, gift certificates, Patagonia jackets, and much more!

Visit http://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/ to see the festival trailer. Call (603) 539-1859 or email gmcg@roadrunner.com to reserve tickets.

MMRG_LOGOMoose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG) and the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension (UNHCE) will hold the 8th annual Woods, Water and Wildlife Festival on Sat, August 7, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at Branch Hill Farm, 307 Applebee Rd, Milton Mills, NH.

The WWW festival is a fun, family-friendly event designed to bring together members of MMRG, UNHCE and the community to celebrate and learn more about the natural beauty, resources and wildlife of our region. The 2010 festival will include many returning favorite events, such as Hayrides to the Salmon Falls River, Ruth Scranton’s Traveling Barnyard, the Tree Cookie Craft Corner, Canning and Preserving, Worm Holes, The Amazing Maze, Photography and Nature, and the New Hampshire Wildlife Workshop, as well as several exciting new ones: Canoe and Kayak Building, Children Discovering the Forests, Invasive Plant Species, Coyote Wisdom, and Fields, Shrub and Wildlife Habitat.

The York River Ramblers will entertain with toe-tapping music and food and beverages to suit all tastes will be available, including blueberry pies and pedal-powered smoothies from Global Awareness Local Action’s (G.A.L.A.) infamous “Fender Blender”.

The festival is underwritten by the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust and by many local businesses. It is free to all business sponsors and employees, to MMRG members, UNHCE staff, and to children 12 and under; all others pay $5 per person.

THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped pick blueberries last weekend at Darayl Remick’s farm. Be sure to come to the festival for your FREE smoothie as a gesture of appreciation, and a chance to literally taste the fruits of your labor!

Organize a “GALAvant” carpool to this event using RIDEBUZZ!

This week’s Market Bulletin published by the Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food had a great article about the benefits of Farmers’ Markets. It seemed appropriate to share

Farmers’ Markets benefit . .

PRODUCERS:
They cut out the middleman allowing increased financial returns through direct selling, price control, and a regular cash flow.
They provide the producers with direct customer feedback on produce and prices.
Transport and packaging requirements are less thus reduce the producers’ cost.
They provide a secure and regular market outlet. This is especially valuable for new producers, producers in organic conversion, and small scale producers who are unable to produce the quantity required by supermarkets.

CONSUMERS
They provide direct contact and feedback between customers and producers, so you can be sure how your vegetables are grown and meat produced.
They help to improve diet and nutrition by providing access to fresh food.
They play an important role in educating the consumer as to the production and origin of their food.
They can be a source of information and inspiration on how to cook and prepare fresh ingredients.

THE ENVIRONMENT
They help reduce food miles, thus vehicle pollution, noise, and fossil fuel use.
They help to reduce packaging.
They encourage more environmentally friendly production practices, such as organic or pesticide free.
They encourage farm diversification and hence bio-diversity.

THE COMMUNITY & LOCAL ECONOMY
They help bring life into towns and cities aiding regeneration.
They encourage social interaction particularly between rural and urban communities.
They stimulate local economic development by increasing employment, encouraging consumers to support local business, and thus keeping the money within the local community.
They attract businesses retailers in the vicinity.
Feedback from retailers in areas adjacent to the market locations has indicated that on days when a farmers’ market has been operating, takings have increased.
They play an important role in initiatives established to increase the environmental sustainability of government policies, local communities, and businesses.

And they are FUN!

Don’t forget to join us at the Wolfeboro Area Farmers’ Market every Thursday from 12:30 to 4:30 at Clark Park (across from Huggins Hospital).

Help support G.A.L.A. by coming to Flatbread Pizza in North Conway this Thursday, July 1st.   During these hours, Flatbread Company will donate $3.50 for each whole (large) flatbread and $1.75 for each small flatbread sold.  Buy the most delicious pizza in the valley and contribute directly  to G.A.L.A.’s sustainable community building efforts.

Contact Executive Director, Josh Arnold, for more information by calling 603.539.6460 or email

G.A.L.A. is a nonprofit based out of Ossipee, NH working to build a sustainable community building model that is practical, effective, and fun. G.A.L.A.’s programs include a Localvore Initiative, Homesteading & Cottage Industry Connection, Sustain-A-Raisers, and GALAvanting.

They call it the “Fender Blender.” It looks like a bike; sounds like a blender; and most noteworthy, replaces electricity with “pedal-power.” Stonyfield Farms Inc. agreed to sponsor the purchase of the bike for G.A.L.A. last April to use as a fundraising and educational tool. The bike had its first downtown debut during last weekend’s Moonlight Madness festivities where G.A.L.A. “pedaled” fruit smoothies using Stay Tuned’s sidewalk space. Although this was the Fender Blender’s first appearance downtown, it will be featured weekly at the Wolfeboro Area Farmers’ Market every Thursday, 12:30-4:30.

“We have been working on having this bike for a long time now. A prototype was made in my basement almost two years ago, but it was a little too rusty for public performance, “recalls G.A.L.A.’s Executive Director Josh Arnold. “After finding the Fender Blender online from a company out of San Francisco called Rock The Bike, I knew that was the one we needed. StonyField appealed as a likely partner and within months agreed to sponsor the purchase of the bike.”

G.A.L.A. plans to use the Fender Blender as a gateway into sustainability education, particularly regarding local foods and renewable energy. They are currently organizing pick-your-own field trips with local camp and youth groups on the Wednesday prior to the farmers’ market. The freshly harvest fruit will be the feature ingredient in the smoothies on the following day at the market, effectively promoting the PYO farm and giving youth participants a chance, as Arnold says, “to taste the fruits of their labor.” Each trip is also designed to engage youth in a discussion about sustainable local food systems.

Many of you may have already seen the Fender Blender at the Earth Week Expo last April or Wolfeboro’s Bike & Walk Day last May. If you had not yet had a chance to experience this unique piece of technology, or taste a pedal-powered smoothie, there are still plenty of opportunities. G.A.L.A. is open to bringing the bike to other community events as well. In addition to the “greening” feature the bike provides, it also serves as a nice novelty attraction. Contact G.A.L.A. for further details about bringing the Fender Blender to for your business, nonprofit, or private event. Contact Josh Arnold for more details by emailing , or calling the G.A.L.A. office phone at 539.6460.

What do juicy red tomatoes, serendipitous encounters, and steaming spinach spanakopita have in common? Still stumped? How about baskets brimming with perfectly ripe zucchini, children playing with sunflower stalks twice their size, and the smell of freshly baked pies wafting this way and that? You guessed it. What else? The appetizing indicator that summer is here. The Wolfeboro Area Farmers’ Market.

G.A.L.A. is pleased to announce that starting this Thursday, June 17th, the Wolfeboro Area Farmers’ Market (WAFM) will take place weekly at Clark Park (233 South Main St.) between the hours of 12:30 and 4:30.

Volunteers to help with vendor setup (11:30) are hugely appreciated. If you are interested and willing to lend a hand carrying boxes of vegetables, setting up tents, and other market setup tasks, please contact on-site Market Manager, Barbara Laverick to discuss possibilities. If your schedule permits a weekly commitment, fabulous. If you can only squeeze in one hour in the middle of the season, it is equally appreciated. Contact Barbara today by calling 569-4531 or email balcad@metrocast.net.

Begin your weekly summer ritual by joining us next Thursday for opening day of the farmers’ market. Expect to see familiar vendors and new. Bring your family and an appetite, and we’ll do our best to bring good weather and a bountiful harvest. Looking forward to another great season.

As G.A.L.A. transitions from Earth Week into its summer sustainability programs, the nonprofit is seeking matching funds of $5,000 to secure a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA member who would assist their Executive Director, Josh Arnold, for a full year starting this August. If the matching money is raised, G.A.L.A. will utilize a VISTA member to begin implementing their recently completed strategic plan while continuing to deliver and develop four main programs – Localvore Initiative, Homesteading & Cottage Industry Connection, GALAvanting, and Sustain-A-Raisers.

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more. G.A.L.A.’s particular VISTA member placement is being sponsored by PlusTime NH, a statewide nonprofit that helps build the capacity and quality of youth serving organizations.

“I’m particularly excited about the possibility of having a committed person help make our programs more accessible and relevant to the community we serve,” says Josh, “I’m would like to see our programs more effectively address issues of economic security, health, and social capital – all equally important parts of sustainability as environmental stewardship.”

G.A.L.A. needs the $5,000 matching funds before the end of June in order to take advantage of the AmeriCorps VISTA member opportunity. As a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization G.A.L.A. can accept tax-deductible gifts and donations. If you are interested in helping G.A.L.A. secure a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA member contact Josh by emailing josh@galacommunity.org or calling the office at 603.539.6460. If you prefer to make an anonymous contribution, G.A.L.A.’s mailing address is PO Box 2267, Wolfeboro, NH, 03894.

• To make sure a bicycle helmet fits correctly, use the “eyes, ears, and mouth” test:
• EYES:  when you look up, you should see the bottom rim of the helmet.  This should be one or two finger-widths above the eyebrows.
• EARS:  The straps should form a V under the earlobes, and should be snug but comfortable.
• MOUTH:  When you open your mouth as wide as you can, you should feel the helmet hug your head.  If not, tighten the straps.

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