behind the scenes: meet the alleycats
Posted 1/17/2010 03:42:00 PM by sean in Labels: Alleycat Bio Page
Sean, a late 20 something year old, hails from a small town in rural Western New York where he spent most of his childhood foraging for wild strawberries, climbing trees in search of the best apples and otherwise running around barefoot in the great outdoors. Currently a student at Seattle Central Community College, he has found his passion within the work of Alleycat Acres. In his own words: "It's getting dirty with a purpose. Ultimately, food reminds us of who we are and where we're rooted. Digging up those roots enables us to grow forth."
Amber is currently a doctoral student at the University of Washington studying Education Leadership and Policy. Her research focuses on program evaluation and the connection between policy, practice, and learning outcomes for marginalized youth. Planting, growing, cooking, and eating food are her favorite things to do..
Gia is a recent graduate from the Master of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Washington where she studied urban ecological design. She is excited to integrate her education, previous design/build work experience and vision for increased urban sustainability through community gardening. Outside of Alleycat Acres, Gia is also a member of the Light Table Design Collective. She spends her free time pursuing local cultural arts at museums and galleries and stays fit with regular stints at pin-ball machines and batting cages.
Bryan is a tinkerer who grew up in a small town in coastal Maine and moved to Seattle in 2005 in search of more interesting problems to solve. He is involved in a number of Open Source Software communities, volunteers logistical support to various organizations, and at the end of the day, builds whatever needs building. These skills also fit nicely into a job running internet operations for a local online software company. Endless additional nuggets can be found via loftninjas.org.
Tori, a local Georgetown vegan and dance party connoisseur, has been practicing and playing with gardening, urban farming and all sorts of other such mischief for the last 5 or so years. She has recently returned from a cross country farm interning trip, which included an incredible 3 week stint working on an urban farm in Braddock, PA. Her (big! big!) goal is to one day be part of a collectively run farm in the Northwest that works to connect people to the food they eat and the farmers who grow it -- "Shake the hand that feeds you", to borrow from Michael Pollan. When not getting her hands dirty in the garden, she can be found baking vegan cakes for The Highline, making lacto-fermented sauerkraut, and volunteering with the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.
Kate is soil scientist, a compost guru, a gardener, and a home cook. In her words, "I am interested in all aspects of food. I love to grow it. Somehow it always seems like a miracle to watch a seed transform into plant that I can then eat. I have loved to cook since childhood. While other kids where watching afternoon cartoons, my older brother and I used to watch Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Jeff Smith cook away on PBS. I LOVE to eat. After working in the field of organics waste management, and studying the benefits of compost use on soil in graduate school, I know that composting food and yard waste, and applying compost to one’s soil, are perhaps the most powerful ways for individuals to decrease their carbon footprint (arguably more powerful than riding your bike instead of driving). In addition to measurable environmental benefits, compost application helps me grow food in my garden. It’s a food cycle, and I love every step of it."
Kate lives the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, is a graduate student at University of Washington, and also blogs at urbanfoodproducer.
Scott, the son of two brilliant WA educators, Craig and Patricia MacGowan, began his interest in gardening and outdoor education early on at his family home near Franklin High School in Seattle. He has spent most of his life as an educator and activist helping advocate with Citizens for Commercial Free Schools, gay rights initiatives, outdoor education, and improving school lunch programs. After his move to the Central District in 2003, Scott was awarded two neighborhood matching fund grants for the Spring Street P-Patch and the Mercer School Garden Project. He received comprehensive training in urban farming by BY Organics, a small urban farming company in San Diego, CA. He now owns Homegrown Organics, a small landscaping company that focuses on sustainable, low carbon footprint maintenance, and currently volunteers with Alleycat Acres, and several other local organizations.
Amber is currently a doctoral student at the University of Washington studying Education Leadership and Policy. Her research focuses on program evaluation and the connection between policy, practice, and learning outcomes for marginalized youth. Planting, growing, cooking, and eating food are her favorite things to do..
Gia is a recent graduate from the Master of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Washington where she studied urban ecological design. She is excited to integrate her education, previous design/build work experience and vision for increased urban sustainability through community gardening. Outside of Alleycat Acres, Gia is also a member of the Light Table Design Collective. She spends her free time pursuing local cultural arts at museums and galleries and stays fit with regular stints at pin-ball machines and batting cages.
Bryan is a tinkerer who grew up in a small town in coastal Maine and moved to Seattle in 2005 in search of more interesting problems to solve. He is involved in a number of Open Source Software communities, volunteers logistical support to various organizations, and at the end of the day, builds whatever needs building. These skills also fit nicely into a job running internet operations for a local online software company. Endless additional nuggets can be found via loftninjas.org.
Tori, a local Georgetown vegan and dance party connoisseur, has been practicing and playing with gardening, urban farming and all sorts of other such mischief for the last 5 or so years. She has recently returned from a cross country farm interning trip, which included an incredible 3 week stint working on an urban farm in Braddock, PA. Her (big! big!) goal is to one day be part of a collectively run farm in the Northwest that works to connect people to the food they eat and the farmers who grow it -- "Shake the hand that feeds you", to borrow from Michael Pollan. When not getting her hands dirty in the garden, she can be found baking vegan cakes for The Highline, making lacto-fermented sauerkraut, and volunteering with the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.
Kate is soil scientist, a compost guru, a gardener, and a home cook. In her words, "I am interested in all aspects of food. I love to grow it. Somehow it always seems like a miracle to watch a seed transform into plant that I can then eat. I have loved to cook since childhood. While other kids where watching afternoon cartoons, my older brother and I used to watch Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Jeff Smith cook away on PBS. I LOVE to eat. After working in the field of organics waste management, and studying the benefits of compost use on soil in graduate school, I know that composting food and yard waste, and applying compost to one’s soil, are perhaps the most powerful ways for individuals to decrease their carbon footprint (arguably more powerful than riding your bike instead of driving). In addition to measurable environmental benefits, compost application helps me grow food in my garden. It’s a food cycle, and I love every step of it."
Kate lives the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, is a graduate student at University of Washington, and also blogs at urbanfoodproducer.
Scott, the son of two brilliant WA educators, Craig and Patricia MacGowan, began his interest in gardening and outdoor education early on at his family home near Franklin High School in Seattle. He has spent most of his life as an educator and activist helping advocate with Citizens for Commercial Free Schools, gay rights initiatives, outdoor education, and improving school lunch programs. After his move to the Central District in 2003, Scott was awarded two neighborhood matching fund grants for the Spring Street P-Patch and the Mercer School Garden Project. He received comprehensive training in urban farming by BY Organics, a small urban farming company in San Diego, CA. He now owns Homegrown Organics, a small landscaping company that focuses on sustainable, low carbon footprint maintenance, and currently volunteers with Alleycat Acres, and several other local organizations.
4 comment(s) to... “behind the scenes: meet the alleycats”
