Presentation for 2018 Massachusetts Sustainable Communities and Campuses Conference in Plymouth, MA

1. Sustainable Lifestyle
Education
Holly Hill Farm
April 27, 2018
Janice McPhillips
Farm Educator - Holly Hill Farm
Cohasset, MA

4. Sustainability – defined:
Word Origin and History for sustainability Expand
n.1907, in reference to a legal objection, from sustainable + ity.
General sense (in economics, agriculture, ecology) by 1972.
Sustainability is defined as a requirement of our generation to
manage the resource base such that the average quality of life th
at we ensure ourselves can potentially be shared by all future
generations. ... Development is sustainable if it involves a non-
decreasing average quality of life. [Geir B. Asheim, "Sustainabili
ty, "TheWorld Bank, 1994]

5. Teaching students about sustainable living:
•Economic - water, fertilizers, seeds, labor,
wages, fuel, electricity, and more
•Physical – workforce
•Environmental – fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers
or pesticides, soil

6. Food is a great way to introduce these concepts because
EVERYONE EATS!

7. How we teach about sustainable living
at Holly Hill Farm
• Buy local
• Grow your own food
• Use organic practices
• “Grow” soil
• Teach kids to cook
• Save on trash by making compost
• Switch from Styrofoam to compostable lunch trays and plates
• Save seeds
• Use seaweed for fertilizer
• Catch rainwater to use in the garden
• Teach respect for the Earth and interdependence

8. Buy local:
• Shop at the farm
• Grow & eat from the
school garden
• Teach about “Food Miles”

9. Grow your own at home:
• Shop at the farm for plants
• Workshops at the farm - seed
sowing, seed saving, garlic
growing, season extension, etc.

10. Grow & eat from
a school garden:

11. Food Day – October 24th
Harvest party at school from produce
grown in the school garden:
• Garlic bread
• Kale chips
• Roasted potatoes
• Tomatillo salsa
• Hummus
• Roasted carrots

12. Use organic practices:
• Improve health of the
soil, plants, water, &
ecosystem
• Improve pollinator
health
• Adding compost
improves plant yields &
increases disease
resistance

13. Grow soil:
• Cover crops
• Add compost – increases soil microbial life, increases soil
water holding capacity
• No till

14. Food for 7 billion people from soil!

15. Teach kids to cook!

16. Save on
trash by
making
compost:

17. EPA data from 2014
• About 15% of MSW is
compostable food
• Over 20% of landfilled
and waste to energy
material is food waste

18. Fool-proof backyard
compost recipe:
3 parts “brown”
1 part “greens”
water
soil microbes
stir to aerate
wait 2 months = BLACK GOLD!

19. Composting at schools and
at the farm

20. Hingham High School “GreenWeek” 2013

21. Switch from
Styrofoam to
Compostables
at lunch

22. 2nd grade
lesson about
Styrofoam

23. Save seeds:

24. Gather sustainable and free seaweed for fertilizer:

25. Catch rainwater:

26. Teach respect for the Earth
and interdependence

27. I
LEGEND
A St. Anthony’s Well Path
B Beech Tree Path
BC Brook Connector
C Cushing Pasture Trail
D Jane Doane Field Path
DA Davison Path
F Forest Avenue Trail
FF Finger Field Path
G Gallop Path
H Hunt Field Path
I Ice Pond Path
IL Ice Pond Ledge Path
IM Ice Pond Meadow Path
J Justin’s Trail
Jc Justin’s Trail Connector
LF Long Field Trail
L Lambert’s Lane
Ls Lady Slipper Path
M Morgan’s Barn Path
MA Marsh Path
MP Mink Pond Path
N Neely’s Path
O Ox Pasture Trail
P Peck’s Meadow Path
PL Pratt Lot Trail
PR Peter Rabbit Path
R Ridge Trail
RB Richardson Brook Path
S Sawmill Field Path
SO Second Ox Pasture Trail
T Two Bridges Trail
U Upper Pratt Lot Path
W Wheelwright Park Path
WO White Oak Path
Trails & Paths of Holly Hill Farm and
Cornelia & Richardson White Woods
On the map the names of trails
and paths are indicated by
letters which are identified
in the Legend.
In the woods and fields,
the names of trails and paths
are indicated by letters on
green-painted markers
which are also keyed to
the map’s Legend.
DA
H
H
H
T
T
T
T
G
G
RB
I
SO
MP
U
U
PL
FF
PR
U
FF
U
L
L
L L
L
L
DA
A
A
W
W
F
F
C
C C
C
B
B
J J
W
LF LF
LF
Ls N
N
C
M
M
IL
IL
C
D
O
O
O
P
P
PL
D
I
I
T
M
M
IM
IM
WO
C
R
R
MA
H
SO H
UBC
P
WO
Jc
IL
H
LS
RB
P
S
S
PL
Stonewalls
Grey areas indicate
non-farm property
Yellow areas indicate
privacy zones around farm residences
Orange line indicates farm’s right of
way through non-farm property
FORESTAVENUE
WHEELWRIGHT PARK
Ice
Pond
Peck’s Meadow
Finger Field #1
Ice Pond Meadow
Saw-
mill
Field
Upper Pratt Lot
Long Field
Private Property
Private Property
HOLLY HILL
FARM
BOWSTREETJERUSLEMROAD
Middle Pratt Lot
Jane Doane Field
Finger
Field #2
Ox Pasture
Mink
Pond
White Oak FieldRed Tail
Field
Three Angle Piece
I
Peck’s Meadow
Salt Marsh
Comprised of the lands of the
Charles, Donald & Frank White families
RICHARDSON
BRO
O
K
RICHARDSON BROOK
RICHARDSON BROOK
HHF Trail Map color.pdf 1 9/26/11 2:19 PM
Contact me: Janice McPhillips . jbbmcphillips@gmail.com . 781-383-6565. www.hollyhillfarm.org
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