By Mansfield Frazier
Here’s an opportunity for any interested parties to go down in the history books. And to be part of it doesn’t require any money; it requires something much more valuable: Your time.
Cleveland is one of the leading cities in terms of the nascent urban agriculture movement sweeping the country and our BioCellar project will help to put our city on the map for innovative reuse of blighted and abandoned properties.
Our non-profit has been able to pull together enough funding for us to break ground later this month on the world’s first BioCellar, and everyone is invited to participate on whatever level they’re comfortable with. You don’t have to be a carpenter, glazer, bricklayer or other skilled craftsperson to participate (although folks with these skills are certainly welcomed)… you could be part of the project by doing something as critically important as helping to prepare and serve lunch, help manage our online presence, or work with the video crew that will be documenting the planning and construction.
One of our primary goals is to find ways that allow anyone to take a degree of ownership of the project — a project that we’re positive will garner national attention once it’s completed — and be able to boast, “Hey, I worked on that!”
To see what “that” is, click here.
We’re going to deconstruct an abandoned house that sits adjacent to our vineyard, save and reinforce the basement, and then, over the next few months, construct the world’s first underground growing environment, which will be topped by a two-story high Plexiglas-like envelope. The structure will act as a giant cloche that allows sunlight in while maintaining a constant temperature on the basement floor, which will allow for year-round propagation of a variety of vegetables and other plants. The project’s biologist, Jean Loria, will utilize the space to determine what works best in the newly created environment.
For a more detailed report on the science supporting the concept click here.
When one skeptical elected official recently asked me if the idea would work, I responded by saying, “For it to work, one important thing has to happen — the sun has to keep coming up in the morning.” It really comes down to that.
With close to 10,000 vacant and abandoned houses waiting to be torn down in Cleveland alone, and another 6,000 waiting to get on the list, BioCellars could have a significant positive impact on neighborhoods. When constructed adjacent to three or four vacant lots, an urban farming operation that creates jobs and produces healthy, nutritious food can be established, and these could become game changers that help to revitalize entire city blocks
We’ll even help any interested parties in establishing their own vineyards, since, after being featured in an article in Oprah’s “O” Magazine, a number of food outlets have expressed interest in carrying our wines when they are ready. The problem is, we won’t be able to fulfill all of the orders out of our existing vineyard, which I guess is a good problem to have. A one-acre vineyard will produce enough grapes to make the effort significantly profitable. This is how wealth can be created in inner-city communities.
Anyone interested in going down in the history books with us can call me at 216.469.0124, or shoot me an email: mansfieldf@gmail.com. I’ll find something worthwhile for everyone to do.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
Cleveland, OH 44103