Sustainable Alachua County

A proposed cost effective shared office space, conference room, & all-around entrepreneurial inspiration center. Are you a stay-at-home parent with a business or non-profit percolating in your head, who needs an occasional quiet, supportive space to work on your idea? Or do you run a home-based business ready to take the next step, but not quite ready to lease space on your own? Community House may be just the place for you!

SAC is a non-profit organization founded in 1996. SAC organizes ”…education and action to promote a deeper, healthier, and more resilient community.” SAC wants to be the sustainability hub for our community and to encourage activities that enhance the healthy functioning of our environmental, social-cultural, and economic systems – the three-legged stool of a sustainable community.

Florida Organic Growers (FOG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1989. FOG operates two programs: Education & Outreach and Quality Certification Services. FOG’s Education & Outreach Program promotes organic and sustainable agriculture and healthy and just food systems, working diligently to educate producers, consumers, media, institutions and governments about the benefits of organic and sustainable agriculture. Quality Certification Services (QCS), a USDA ISO Guide 65 accredited program, offers USDA National Organic Program, Canadian, Japanese and European Union accredited certification options. QCS also offers Social Justice, Aquaculture and Vegan certification options. QCS certifies farming, wildcrafting, livestock, processing, packing and handling entities large and small in more than 30 states and 13 countries.
Website: http://www.foginfo.org

Citizens Co-op is a legal entity in the State of Florida that is structured to operate as a cooperative association. The aim of this co-op is to establish a natural food market in Gainesville, Fl that is focused on supplying fresh local food and produce first and foremost. The market will encompass all the bounties of a full-service grocery store, but with the guarantee of providing socially responsible goods to our community. A larger vision includes building and enhancing the local food system in general, from soil to production to market to table and back to soil.

We are working toward establishing a facility in Alachua County which would provide inspected kitchen and dry/cold storage space for rent in combination with business start-up and expansion assistance. This facility would also have an community/educational outreach component, and would be available to agricultural producers for value-added product creation.

The Gainesville Community Bicycle Project, The Kickstand, provides free or inexpensive bicycle-related services. We assist individuals in acquiring a reliable bicycle, scheduled access to knowledgeable volunteers, and quality tools. Providing services allows us to help build a sustainable community, engage citizens, and create opportunities for communication and cooperation.

The mission of the Office of Sustainability is to make the University of Florida – in its operations, education, research, and outreach – a model of sustainability, integrating the goals of ecological restoration, economic development, and social equity.

In pursuing this mandate, the Office of Sustainability will encourage and facilitate the collaborative efforts of faculty, students, and staff to generate knowledge, acquire skills, develop values, and initiate practices that contribute to a sustainable, high quality of life on campus, in the state of Florida, and across the globe.

The Office of Sustainability supports faculty, students, and staff in assuming leadership to transform the following guiding principles into practices.

Slow Food Gainesville is a local chapter of an amazing national and international non-profit organization that works to educate, support and celebrate food traditions and sustainable food production. Like Slow Food USA, Slow Food Gainesville believes that pleasure and quality in everyday life can be achieved by slowing down, respecting the convivial traditions of the table and celebrating the diversity of the earth’s bounty and our community. From the spice of Datil Peppers to the delicious simplicity of produce at our local farmers’ markets; from animal breeds and heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables to handcrafted wine and beer, farmhouse cheeses and other artisanal products; these foods are a part of our cultural identity. They reflect generations of commitment to the land and devotion to the processes that yield the greatest achievements in taste.

Gainesville Farm Fresh is a local community food resource, providing an ongoing accumulation of local food resources such as farmer’s markets, farms, CSA’s, roadside stands and U-pick farms. In addition Gainesville Farm Fresh provides news, resources and links to publications, organizations and services dedicated to sustainable agriculture and local food.
Website: http://www.gainesvillefarmfresh.com
eMail: jamessteele@gainesvillefarmfresh.com

Forum to discuss and announce permaculture related topics.