Working Together for a Sustainable Future in Connecticut

Greetings, At this joyous time of year, we ask you to do what you can to support sustainable organic agriculture and land care in Connecticut. For our part, we are working smarter and harder to maintain the high level of programming and distribute the timely, relevant content you have come to expect from us. However, we cannot do it alone. Thank you, and let's keep it going. Together we've made important strides and have had a great impact creating a strong demand for locally-produced organic foods in Connecticut. Here are just a few of the things we've accomplished Hidden Brook Gardens on-farm workshop 125 local farms and businesses are listed in Connecticut NOFA's 2012-2013 Farm and Food Guide Annually, 10,000 free copies the Farm and Food Guide are distributed across the state 4000 people receive CT NOFA's Gleanings e-Newsletter monthly  Over 400 farmers receive The Farmer e-News Thousands of people are reached each week using social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook Over 200 people receive our new CT School Garden Network e-Newsletter, Growing and Learning The CT NOFA Facebook page has an average 5000 person weekly reach 300 people have taken our on-farm workshops on winter food growing techniques and other topics  60 women over four years have taken the Beginning Women Farmer Program Over 800 people have attended CT NOFA's educational programs so far this year  Impact of the NOFA Organic Land Care Program (OLC) The NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care are the only standards of their kind that have been accepted into the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Family of Standards. These standards include the Basic Organic Principles-Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care as the foundation for all land care programs and projects. Here's what we've accomplished: In 10 years over 1200 professional landscapers have taken the NOFA Accreditation Course in OLC Compost Tea Advanced Workshop  526 of these professionals maintain their Accreditation with the NOFA Organic Land Care Program 300 professional landscapers have taken the NOFA Organic Lawn and Turf Course Over 2,000 copies of the Introduction to Organic Lawns and Yards were distributed  1000 land care professionals receive the monthly NOFA AOLCP eNewsletter 1000 Homeowners receive our quarterly newsletter NOFA Organic Land Care's Facebook page has over 300 fans and reaches 1200 people each week Over 200 homeowners have attended our 90 minute workshops on organic land care Our program has been copied by Oregon Tilth, the State of New York and Rutgers University

And there's more to be done! Will you give a year-end gift to help carry our work forward? Now more than ever, we need your continued support of CT NOFA for our Annual Appeal.  This is a 100% tax-deductible gift that supports our operations and allows us to build a sustainable local food system and a healthier environment for all the residents of this beautiful state we live in and learn from. Please help us to help others and together we will weather these uncertain economic times. We are reaching out and asking for you to consider an Annual Appeal gift of $100 or more.      We've made it easy    You can donate securely online by clicking the button above.  You can join by clicking the button below.  If you're already a member, renew by December 31st to extend your current membership at 2012 membership prices. You can contact the office directly by email atdeb@ctnofa.org or by telephone at 203.888.5146. Do you work for a company with a Matching Gift Program? If so, please submit a matching gift form with your donation and double the impact of your gift to CT NOFA.  We thank you for your continued support. Please know that your contribution and membership will be gratefully received and deeply appreciated. With gratitude, Bill Duesing Executive Director CT NOFA