Seeds of Hope—News Article
Seeds of Hope Farm Market is back in business this year with the help of workers from Seneca County Opportunity Center.
Sister Shirley Shafranek of the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center, which operates the market, said the center received a grant from the Betty Jane Foundation this year to provide jobs for disabled people. The new employees are assisting with the market by picking vegetables and stocking the tables, and also cleaning, weeding, watering and doing other tasks.
Sensory Garden Survey
Click HERE to take the Sensory Garden Survey
The new Sensory Garden at FELC is almost finished! Filled with beautiful live plants and other features, this unique, inviting space encourages visitors of all ages to explore the garden using every sense–touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing, with colorful signs to educate and guide the way. Children will especially enjoy interacting with multiple fairy gardens and visiting with the rabbits, chickens, a duck and even a small fish pond. The area also includes a new picnic area complete with new plastic lumber picnic tables, benches and sun sails. The Sensory Garden is made possible through generous grant funding by the Meshech Frost Foundation and the Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation. All are welcome!
FELC’s Camp in a Box to provide nature-related activities for kids
Franciscan Earth Literacy Center is creating a new way to keep kids engaged with nature-related activities this summer. Because FELC’s usual lineup of day camps is questionable this year, the staff is putting together a Camp in a Box program.
The boxes are the brainchild of Environmental Educator Samantha Busack.
“It came about when the state first starting shutting everything down,” she said.
Staff members were faced with the idea of not being able to offer camps at all.
Johnston finds her role ‘endlessly interesting’
In its 25th year of operating, the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center has a new director. Mimi Lange Johnston started her new role in early June. “The time has really gone quickly,” she said. “There’s so much to do. There’s so many different aspects to the job, but most of it is fun.” A Tiffin native, Johnston graduated from Calvert High School in 1981, and then studied music at Ashland College.
FELC celebrating 25th anniversary
The Franciscan Earth Literacy Center on the campus of the Sisters of St. Francis is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In 1994, the center opened in one office with the goal of teaching people to have healthy relationships with nature and educating people about environmental sustainability.
Climate Disruption Program
Global Climate Disruption
What Can We Do?
How Do We Know?
Climate change is a very intense topic which finds its way into political, business and social conversations, often with vocal disagreement among participants. This presentation will give background information about the phenomenon and methods which have been used to characterize these changes. The human dimension of the problem will be emphasized. We will then consider solutions to the problem. Participants will be able to share their views using personal response devices and to compare their replies to those of more than 5,000 members of previous audiences.
Dr. Andy Jorgensen
Associate Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
School of Green Chemistry and Engineering
University of Toledo
Senior Fellow, National Council for Science and the Environment
andy.jorgensen@utoledo.edu 419.344.0768
If you missed the program on Global Climate Disruption with Dr. Andy Jorgenson, click on the link below to view the slides from his presentation and another set which has excerpts from a website which provides answers to questions from skeptics.
Link to PowerPoint: “Global Climate Disruption”
Link to PowerPoint: “Answers to Questions from Skeptics”
Niche crop: Founder of Franciscan Earth Literacy Center finding new growth as urban farmer
Balancing her Franciscan beliefs with her love of organic gardening and teaching, Sister Rita Wienken has found a unique niche at Toledo GROWs.
Formerly based in Tiffin at St. Francis, Sister Rita founded the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center in the mid-1990s and served as director until 2011.
Today, as an urban farmer, she is growing food for people in downtown Toledo while she trains the next generation to grow food.
Click the link below to learn more about
Herbs 101 Presentation – April 2016
The program Herbs 101 was presented by Linda Haas, a member of the Herb Study Group at Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware, Ohio who also serves on the Board of Trustees at FELC. Participants learned how to identify, grow, process and cook with common herbs. Following the program, everyone was treated to a herbaceous lunch using the the simple recipes that were provided.
PowerPoint:
Franciscan Earth Literacy Center
