Upcoming Events:

May 2013

Volunteer Picnic!

If you've volunteered with us in the past, present or would like to in the future, we cordially invite you to our annual volunteer picnic for some relaxing fun on the beach with good music, good food and drinks and good people. May 19th from 2 pm to sunset, 4th Street on the beach in South Beach.

Solar Oven Workshop

Learn to make your own solar oven from materials lying around your house! Led by James Gabriel Duncan. May 19th from 12 to 2 pm, 4th Street on the beach in South Beach. Stay for our volunteer picnic afterwards!

Past Events:

April 2013

“UnderGROUND Miami 2013”

LIONFISH, PYTHONS, WILD BOAR - OH MY!

FERTILE EARTH FOUNDATION and the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Host The 2nd Annual:

“UnderGROUND Miami”, a night of EXOTIC FOOD, ART & AUCTION

To benefit local sustainable agriculture & the environment.

Guests will experience a night of unusual delights including a manure couture art installation, a fabulous buffet of exotic, but invasive species found in our own backyard such as lion fish, wild boar and python as well as local, organic vegetarian dishes, live and silent auction, and more.

Chef Julie Frans: Executive Chef of Essensia Restaurant at the Palms Hotel
Chef Kris Wessel: Executive chef/partner of Florida Cookery at the James
Chef Todd Erickson: Executive chef/owner of Haven South Beach
Chef Amber Antonelli: Chef/Owner of the Naked Bite

Guests will be more than just tasters, sampling tapas-style plates. For the evening they will become “invasivores”, enjoying exotics delights that are both sustainable and beneficial for the local environment.

Fresh off their success with the Ladies of Manure 2013 Calendar, the ladies of FEF will get you to rethink all your waste with specially commissioned art installation made with, you guessed it, manure! “We want our community to remember that it is not waste until we waste it. We love doing things with a special twist. This will certainly be a night to remember”, said Lanette Sobel, FEF’s co-founder and Executive Director.

Silent and live auction as well as a "cow-chip tossing contest" between Commissioner Jerry Libbin and fellow mayoral candidates will top off the evening.

Lastly, to ensure the event has minimal organic waste, leftovers will be donated to the Homestead Soup Kitchen and animals through Fertile Earth’s own food donation program. Additionally, kitchen scraps will be composted, thus making this event not just “farm to table,” but also “table to farm.”

“UnderGROUND Miami” is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30, 2013 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Palms Hotel & Spa. Exclusive VIP reception with private garden tour from 6 - 7 pm. Tickets are $125 for VIP and $75 for General Admission. Discounted early bird tickets available until April 16th. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

To purchase tickets click here

For media and PR, contact Julia at info@fertileearth.org, 786.333.9436 or Lourdes Guerra at lourdes@agencyguerra.com

To donate to the silent auction or for sponsorship opportunities, contact Priscilla at pcarolynschmidt@gmail.com

100 percent of all proceeds benefit the Fertile Earth Foundation and will fund various projects!

"UnderGROUND Miami” is made possible with the support of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, Palms Hotel and Spa, Whole Foods Market in South Beach and PooPooPaper.

April 2012

Underwater Miami

Miami is predicted to be under water by 2099. Rather than fear the ravages of climate change, Fertile Earth Foundation in conjunction with Sustainatopia invite our community to a party that celebrates the new liquified Miami.

Villa 221

221 Northeast 17 Street

Saturday, April 21, 2012

10:30 pm til ?

Food & Garden Festival

Join us and see what's cooking at Fairchild during the annual celebration of local foods and the gorgeous gardens. Visit Fertile Earth's booth and check out the worms.

Sunday only

11:30 a.m. Building a Worm Bin

Kids will enjoy a special interactive demonstration by the Fertile Earth Foundation.

3:30 p.m. Lecture at the Garden House

The Effects of Worm Castings on Gardens

Fairchild Tropical Garden

Saturday, April 14 - Sunday, April 15, 2012

9:00 am til 4:30 pm

Philanthrofest 2012

Join us at this large-scale festival showcasing and celebrating South Florida philanthropic organizations, community resources and cultural arts. It includes nearly 100 booths donated to many different philanthropic, live music, art, fashion shows, and food trucks, vendors, kids fun and much more!

Midtown Miami Greenspace

110 NE 36 Street

Miami, FL 33137

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Noon - 6pm

March 2012

Canoe Trip through the Everglades!

David Baskin takes us through the backcountry to explore parts of the Everglades few ever get the opportunity to see. With over 20 years of experience, this is an event you do not want to miss! Entrance to Everglades National Park and food not included in trip price.

Saturday, March 10th

7 am - 12 pm

Cost $65.00 (includes canoe rental & tour guide)

10 people maximum.

February 2012

OneLove Nutrifest

OneLove Nutrifest is a grassroots network on a musical platform designed to push our "green" identity on all levels with our focus on environmental sustainability. A funfilled day of social consciousness, community and environmental awareness, with an urgent humanitarian effort to fight poverty and feed the hungry whilst providing ecologically engineered economic transformation on a global level.

OneLove Nutrifest is the rescheduled event for Bayside Rocks 2011

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Downtown Miami

www.onelovefest.com

FEF will be participating in this events and needs volunteers. Please contact Judy, judy@fertileerth.org if you are interested in volunteering. Volunteers will receive free admission.

January 2012

FEF Monthly Meeting

Our 1st meeting of the year. This will be and informative meeting and ideal for those of you who are interested in volunteering or just want to know what FEF is all about.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

7:00pm - 8:00pm

Location Pending Confirmation

Redland Heritage Festival @ Fruit & Spice Park

Beauty in its Natural Element

A tradition at the park since 1976, this annual festival features arts and crafts, historic exhibits, a large selection of tropical plants and great food. Children's activities include a petting zoo, pony rides, an interactive puppet and magic show, and a wild and wonderful Everglades reptile show.

January 21 & 22, 2012

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Volunteers needed for this event, to help man the booth. Please contact Judy, judy@fertileearth.org to sign up. Volunteers will receive free admission.

Shifts are 9:30 - 1:30 and 1:30 - 5:30, Saturday & Sunday

Special Recycling Events:

Recycling should be a standard part of any special event, and although it takes a lot of work it is well worth the effort. That is why FEF has made it one of its main objectives. Events that FEF has recycled for.

Wine & Food Festival 2011 - Food Compost

Art Basel - Casa Wynwood - Miami International Thinkers

Swedish House Mafia - Holloween Masquerade Ball

Past Events:

December 2011

"Weekend at the Farm"

December 10th - 11th, 2011

Paso Fino Horse Farm, Homestead

We are teaming up with the leaders of the sustainability movement in Miami to bring you a weekend of learning and entertainment.

Get out of the city and camp with us at the farm or just join us for an event or two. The line up includes:

Saturday, December 10th:

Make your Own Tofu & Kombucha Workshop (10:30 am - 12 pm)
Lunch
Introduction to Permaculture Workshop - the Major Difference is "Design" (1 - 3 pm)
Building a Sweat Lodge Workshop (3 - 5 pm)
Building a Sweat Lodge FULL Workshop (10:30 am - 5 pm)
Dinner
Sweat Lodge Ceremony (7 pm - 9 pm)

Sunday, December 11th:

Yoga (7:45 am - 8:45 am)
Breakfast (9 am - 10 am)
Food Forest Lecture (10 am - 12 pm)
Lunch
Pros and Cons of Biochar Workshop (1 -3 pm)
Horseback Riding (3 - 5 pm)

MAY 2011

"A Day at the Worm Farm" - We need volunteers to help us in the clearing out of debris at the worm farm. You are welcome to come all day or half a day.

Please rsvp: judy@fertileearth.org

Sunday, May 22

From 9 am - 6pm

"Volunteer Appreciation Day" - FEF only exists because of volunteers like you! We can't thank you enough for all that you do but we can certainly try! Join us for a Satuday lazy afternoon picnic at the beach.

Please rsvp: judy@fertileearth.org

Saturday, May 21, 2011 @ 2:30 - 6:30

5th Street on South Beach

"Feast on the Farm" Fundraising Dinner & Live Auction

May 7, 2011 @ Paradise Farms

6 p.m. until 10 p.m.

Guests attending the "Feast on the Farm" fundraising dinner will savor a four course organic, gourmet vegetarian meal prepared by local chefs that include Ken Blue and Renate Wallner of the world-renowned Hippocrates Health Institute; Dionette Kalkhofer chef/owner of Om Garden and Micah Edelstein, former Top Chef contestant and chef/owner of neMesis Green Urban Bistro. It will be the first and possibly only chance to taste dishes from the Om Garden since the restaurant closed its doors a year ago, and one of the few appearances of Chef Ken Blue outside Hippocrates.

Presale Tickets: $100.00/pp

after April 25, 2011 @ $125.00/pp

Seats are limited and tickets will not be sold at the event

http://fertileearth.myshopify.com/products/feast-on-the-farm-dinner-fundraiser-2011

APRIL 2011

"The Food & Garden Festival" at Fairchild - Join us in the annual celebration of local foods and the gorgeous gardens they grow in.

Workshop by Lanette Sobel "Composting for Kids": use your food & paper waste to make the best soil posssible for your garden. -- Sunday, May 1st @ 1:00 p.m.

Visit our booth and take home some "Black Gold" aka Castings, which will be reduced to 50% off regular price during festival only.

When: April 30th & May 1st, 2011

Time: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

"EARTH DAY" @ WHOLE FOODS MIAMI BEACH

Celebrate Earth Day in style with us and taste sustainable delicacies including organic, sustainable & fair trade treats storewide. Bring the kids by Fertile Earth Foundation's booth and discover why worms are Nature's gift to our planet.

When: Friday, April 22, 2011

Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

"EARTH FEST 2011" @ Crandon Park

The single largest celebration of Earth & sustainability in South Florida. Interactive educational exhibits, tram tours, nature walks, "green" vendors, vegetarian & vegan food, music and earth-friendly activities for kids.

When: Sunday, April 17, 2011

Time: Noon - Sundown

November, 2010

"Celebrate America Recycles Day" - Informational booths, free giveaways, recycling collections, workshops and presentations.

Stop by the FEF booth and charge your iphone or blackberry, while riding a stationary bike.

Take part in our Composting Workshop @ 12:30 pm

Sunday, November 21st from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm on Lincoln Road at the Euclid Circle

"Ramble Garden Festival" - Join us at South Florida's most loved garden party. Stop by our booth and experience "black gold" worm's gift to our earth.

Friday, November 12th - Sunday, November 14th from 9:30 am till 4:30 pm at Fairchild Tropical Garden

October, 2010

"The Edible Garden Festival" - Participate in our workshop "Growing Great Soil with Compost and Amendments" at the gardening demonstrations, next to the butterfly garden at 12:30 pm on the 23rd. We will have worms, worm casting and worm tea available for purchase.

Saturday October 23rd & 24th @ Fairchild Tropical Garden

April, 2010

"Food & Garden Festival at Fairchild" - The kids will enjoy making compost bins with worms. We will have worm, worm castings and worm tea available for purchase.

Saturday April 24th & 25th @ Fairchild Tropical Garden from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

"Earthfest 2010" - Join us for the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day an annual festival promoting all things ecologically sustainable

Sunday, April 18th @ 6767 Crandon Park

Free event featuring live performances, vegan & vegeterian food, vendors with earth friendly products, workshops and more

March, 2010

"Feast on the Farm" Fundraising Dinner Party & Silent Auction at Paradise Farms, March 7, 2010 from 5pm til 8:30pm.

Menu co-created and prepared by:

Amarylis Guindin, Chef/Owner of Galerie Gourmet
Lynn Moulton, Area 31/Epic Hotel
Micah Edelstein, Grass Restaurant & Lounge
Dionette Kalkhofer, Om Garden Restaurant

February, 2010

City of Plantation Green Day

GREEN Day! Is a Free & Fun....

Saturday, February 27th, 9 am - 3 pm, Liberty Tree Park, 7421 NW 5th Street

Master the art of producing nutritious soil from food scraps, taught by Lanette Sobel

February 24th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Fairchild Tropic Botanical Gardens

Beer Making Class - "Seed to Suds!"

When the apocalypse comes, you'll want to be prepared. Taught by Zach Krochina.

February 21th, 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Fertile Earth NING

Greening the Hospitality Industry

Learn how to reduce expenses and boost revenues all by going green, taught by Lanette Sobel

February 6, 9am - 1 pm

Green Urban Living Center, Miami Dade Community College North Campus

Fertile Earth booth & Educational Workshop

February 6, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Coral Gables Museum Green Market Day

Merrick Park in front of City Hall at LeJeune and Biltmore Way

Greening Your Home Class

Learn ways to green your home that promote good health & save money, taught by Lanette Sobel

Feb 3rd, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm

Fairchild Tropic Botanical Gardens

January, 2010

Traditional Composting Class

Learn to compost in your own backyard, taught by Lanette Sobel

January 19, 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Fairchild Tropic Botanical Gardens

Greening the Hospitality Industry

Learn how to reduce expenses and boost revenues all by going green, taught by Lanette Sobel

January 15, 1 - 5 pm

Green Urban Living Center, Miami Dade Community College North Campus

September, 2009

Future Classic Festival is a revolutionary event experience combing music, art, dancing, actions sports, video gaming, and much, much more.

See Fertile Earth Foundation photos and learn how participants made this year's event something to remember.

Composting With Worms Class

Current Projects

"Food Re-distribution Project"

Each year millions of pounds of food with an estimated value of $43 billion dollars goes to waste. Over 40% of the food the US produces actually never makes it onto the plate. And of what makes it to our plates, a good portion of that is thrown away as well. A CNN study discovered that just 5% of our leftovers could feed 4 million people each day. Yet, millions of people go hungry every day.

This project fills a much needed gap in our community. We will pick up food edible for human consumption and donate it to food banks in Homestead, Florida. If food is not suitable for humans, that food will be donated to feed animals. A win-win situation as establishments can actually save on waste disposal costs while doing something good for our environment and community.

Food donors are protected from liability by the federal "Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act" and Florida's "Jack Davis Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act".

"Fertile Earth Worm Farm"

In partnership with the Urban Oasis Project and Ecosante Consulting, Fertile Earth Worm Farm is South Florida's only composting earthworm farm. Located in Homestead, Florida, the farm raises earthworms and grows organic vegetables and medicinal herbs. Volunteer opportunities are available! Contact us for more information.

Past Projects

"Recycling for Charity"

Recyclables are a resouce; a resouce some companies are willing to pay for. To assist hotels and restaurants in their recycling efforts, Fertile Earth has decided to do most of the work for them. We provide cardboard recycling containers and pick up at no cost. Participants must provide a 2' x 2' covered area for portable recycling bin and inform staff to place aluminum cans and plastic bottles in the bin. In exchange, Fertile Earth will sell the recyclables to fundraise for our projects.

If desired, Fertile Earth will provide a short 20 minute educational training on the benefits of recycling and why it is important for all of us to do so. We have seen that it is very difficult to change behaviors if there is no understanding as to why a behavior needs to change. With education, we have seen the recycling rates dramatically improve.

"Fertile Roots Miami" - "Closing the Food Loop"

History

The rising concern over food safety, combined with an increase in food prices during a gloomy recession has sparked a "local food" movement across the nation, with even First Lady Michelle Obama carving up the White House lawn just weeks after moving in to create an organic garden.

In addition, local hotels and businesses are currently discarding their food waste into landfills, when the valuable nutrients could be recycled into compost that could help provide valuable soil for a growing number of community vegetable gardens. Creation of gardens has been stifled due to lack of financial resources, mainly needed to

Use of natural compost also decreases the need, and therefore the expense, of chemical pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers, thereby further reducing our carbon footprint and the degradation of surrounding wetlands, lakes and oceans.

Opportunity

Restaurants generate massive quantities of food that is thrown away, resulting not only in an unproductive use of a great resource, but also a large disposal cost. As part of the "Fertile Roots Miami" project, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Epic Hotel and Perricone's purchase good soil, for without good soil; one cannot have a good garden. Organic residuals in landfills are also largely responsible for two nasty events: the creation of leachate (a highly toxic liquid), and methane gas, a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than CO2.

Restaurant will send organic residuals to the City of Miami composting facility in Virginia Key, where what was once waste will be turned into a rich soil amendment with the help of in-vessel composting machinery provided by an EPA Grant through the South Dade Soil & Water Conservation District. Roots in the City, a local urban garden in underserved Overtown, will provide transportation, and return the soil amendment to the garden for its own personal use as well for use by other local urban gardening projects. The gardens will in turn grow fruits, vegetables and herbs in demand by participating restaurants to feed the local population and sell to restaurants, thus closing the local food and waste production loop.

With the increased media attention on global warming and sustainability initiatives, this project is well poised to receive nationwide media attention. The Metro Zoo's composting efforts landed on the front page of the Miami Herald in July 2009, and the "Zero Waste Zone" in Atlanta, which launched in February 2009, has received 60 million media impressions within five months.

If ever there was a time to promote urban gardening, with the added benefit of recycling food waste - the time is now, when Americans are looking to their communities and backyards as a source of food.

Goal

It is our goal to reduce our carbon footprint, facilitate the production of locally produced, healthy food for our community, reduce waste, promote environmentally responsible companies and create a more sustainable future which is environmentally, socially and financially viable.

How You Can Help?

Donate!

Any and all donations, large or small, can help us get there and realize our goals of sustainability. To donate, please click here. Your tax deductible donation is greatly appreciated!!

Become a Sponsor!

Sponsors can benefit by showing their commitment to sustainability and our local community. Tap into some great PR by working with us to make history! Contact Lanette Sobel, at lanette@fertileearth.org or 786.253.2222 for more information.

Media:

PDF: Organic Compost Announcement

Check us out on WLRN: http://media.miamiherald.com

For more information about this project, please contact:

Lanette Sobel, lanette@fertileearth.org, project manager