Urban Oasis Project

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Quote:

To forget how to dig
the earth and to tend
the soil is to forget ourselves.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
About us‎ > ‎

Who We Are

You! Join us!

Located in Miami, Florida, we were totally volunteer for over 2 years, and incorporated as a Florida not-for-profit in Feb. 2010. We are now a federal tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and all contributions made to us are tax-deductible.

We are a true grassroots, diverse organization for networking and supporting current gardeners, and teaching and inspiring new ones! Our e-mail list is over 400 strong, and our Facebook group has over 350 members!

We are an inclusive organization. We embrace all people who are interested in growing food plants, regardless of race, sex, creed, color, ethnicity, age, disability, economic status, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We do not promote on philosophy of gardening or farming, but experiment with all that do not harm our environment. We believe that good, clean, healthy food should be accessible and affordable to all.

Here's a bit about early and founding members: 

Melissa Contreras, creator of Urban Oasis Project:
 
Melissa's life has had many twists and turns, and the one constant has always been gardening. A few other details about her:
  • Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida International University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, Geography minor. The relationships between people, land, and food have been a major interest.
  • Served as a USAID volunteer on an organic farm in the cool, coffee-growing mountains of northern Nicaragua, where she was a consultant for its foray into eco-agritourism while in graduate school working toward a Master's degree in Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development. 
  • Attended "Community Food Systems from the Ground Up" workshops at Growing Power Inc. Favorite was Biological Systems (composting and vermiculture) taught by the lovable Will Allen. Promised Will she would do good work like his, in Miami.
  • Alumnus of The Center for Whole Communities
  • Studied organic gardening at Miami Dade College with organic farmer Andres Mejides, Miami's most experienced organic farmer (50 years in our tropical climate). 
  • Former employee of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, where she continues to teach teaches gardening classes in the Adult Education Dept. Past classes were Edible Landscaping and Make a Keyhole Garden. 
  • She is a Master Gardener volunteer, certified through University of Florida/ Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service.
  • Co-author of book on gardening organically with vegetables, to be published by University Press of Florida in 2012.
  • She takes care of her own beautiful and productive little urban homestead, with 6 vegetable beds, fruit trees, and lots of edible landscaping.
Art Friedrich, man of many talents, creator of 10/10 by 10/10 Campaign to push for our first10 food gardens in a food desert:
 
Art is an amazingly skilled and talented human being, a Master Gardener volunteer, always fun to be with. More about him:
  • Helps run a mostly organic farm with his family in New Hampshire, although now he spends most of his time in Miami.
  • Has been a member of and helped start numerous collective and grassroots community projects in St. Louis, such as a worker-owned bakery, a 9,000 sq. ft. community center, and a neighborhood garden. 
  • Alumnus of The Center for Whole Communities
  • Has biked most of the state of FL, and half of the Mississippi River, to promote sustainability and climate justice.
  • Moderates our listserv, as well as a more general listserv for the Miami Growing Green Network, a weekly newsletter with lots of information about sustainability food and garden events.
Antonio Guadamuz, Farmer at Verde Gardens Farm project, Monthly Potluck Coordinator and Boston University graduate. A local food enthusiast, he is from a long line of Nicaraguan foodcrafters and is fascinated by the relationship between food and culture. He also likes crisp-roasted chicken skin, and is not afraid to admit it! 
 
Yvrose Valdez, Certified Master Gardener, grows much of her own food, wants to end world hunger, starting in her native Haiti, and makes a mean Okinawa spinach and garlic.
Michael Scher, author of the Compost Treasure Map, compulsive networker, and semi-retired attorney with a heart of green.
Anthony Olivieri, working on a Master's Degree in Urban Planning; believes that community gardens and urban agriculture should be parts of cities' master plans.
Yuhfen Lin, Ph.D. our Campus Coordinator, who spends lots of time with the FIU student garden, married to
David Brookes, Ph.D., who is having a love affair with compost.
Nick Reese, started and ran a gardening day camp for at-risk youth in Louisville, Kentucky.


We have many other volunteers, all of whom are very much appreciated!

Current Board of Directors:

Steven D. Pearson, Esq.
Ron Mossman, Ph.D.
Nancy Maidique. M.P.H.
Yvrose Valdez
Yuhfen Lin, Ph.D.
Antonio Guadamuz, B.S.
Melissa Contreras, B.A.
Art Friedrich, B.A.