LEAF was created in response to the need for community gardens and local food production in Fremont. It is the child of a global market society where our fruit is from Chile, our garlic comes from China, and nothing tastes as it should. Food comes to our markets with a huge expenditure of fossil fuel used both in production and in transportation. We are living in the era where the last tracts of open space are soon to be paved with asphalt and local food production will become impossible. LEAF members have envisioned a future where excellent quality food can be harvested from local soils, where local and planetary communities interface to develop a land ethic.

The mission of LEAF is to promote ecological literacy and sustainable practices, by creating community gardens throughout the city and offering educational programs on earth friendly living. Our local population includes people from many nations, each with their own unique agricultural, cultural, and gastronomic traditions. LEAF supports all the cultural communities of Fremont interested in starting community gardens. Our vision is to hold festivals, cooking demonstrations, and other educational events to promote cross-cultural awareness.

Leaf educational programs will include classes on local sustainability, including permaculture, organic agriculture, and green building. Other topics may also include water conservation, the sequestering of carbon and waste reduction. Leaf supports the creation of green jobs and job training programs. Our goals include developing local community food production that supports farmers markets and in turn provide jobs to youth.

LEAF Values
Building community
We would provide places for members of the community to meet each other, relax and enjoy the outdoors. LEAF will promote the support of our local economy through the growth of food for local consumption. Community pride can be enhanced through promotion of resource conservation, support of local entrepreneurs, and teaching skills to local residents. Our vision of community extends beyond the local area to our human relationship with planet Earth.

Connection with Earth Rhythms
We strive to help urban humans recognize and balance our lives with the earth’s cycles. We endeavor to restore the link between human culture and the orbital seasons of the sun and the moon. This connection was lost as we moved into the industrial revolution and away from agrarian life. Through community supported agricultural we have the opportunity to connect with planetary rhythms and the human interdependence with plant life.

Respect for our Ancestry
Industrial age technology, media and materials are extremely powerful forces. The technological cocoon of the 21st century can leave us with the illusion that this is the only time frame worthy of our attention. In reality with out the lessons and wisdom of our ancestors we are in danger of repeating past mistakes and losing the value of human experience. We strive to honor the ancestry of our land, and the wisdom of people who came before us.

Permaculture A set of ethics that suggests we think and act responsibly in relation to each other and the earth. This action is in concert with the global community and the environment, rather than individualism and indifference. Permaculture cares for the Earth as it cares for people by setting limits on population and consumption.

Honor Radical thinking The world moves forward and evolves on the minds of people who see life from a different perspective than the masses. The present leaves us with problems that will require unique solutions in order to solve them. The future belongs to those who can think outside the box of ordinary tried and true solutions. Great ideas have always seemed radical in their own time.