21 Acres

Sustainable Farming at 21 Acres

By Annie Coleman

Background

21 Acres began in 2006 in the Human Links Foundation as an education center on climate change through food growth and production (21 Acres, 2021). The idea arose out of a need for land to host the Sammamish Valley farmer’s market located just east of Seattle but quickly evolved into more. 21 Acres consists of a farm and a LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The Platinum Certified center is equipped with a living roof, solar panels, geothermal heating, and composting toilets. The farm holds garden beds, a food forest, and the farmer’s market with all certified organic food. 21 Acres uses all these amenities and natural places on their campus to teach others and achieve the goal of using sustainable methods in the fight against climate change.

By demonstrating the life cycle of food, the organization leads visitors to sustainable ways of living. The first step in doing so is education on regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is farming that betters the earth and fosters healthy land through concentration on all aspects of food growth instead of solely feeding a supply chain (NRDC, 2021). These practices of focusing on soil and water health - and less on synthetic inputs like insecticides - reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and increase the amount of carbon taken in through the soil. This carbon sequestration helps keep carbon dioxide from getting into the atmosphere by keeping it in a carbon sink. 21 Acres demonstrates these strategies in many ways. Through the food forest, they foster a biodiverse environment that supports pollinators and the people consuming the wild foods on campus that thrive in the forests of Washington. All water is filtered before use in the gardens or after running through the storm water facility, returned to the earth cleaner than before, and all food waste is used as compost for new growth (Garth, 2020).

The next step in the food cycle is preparation. Not only are local foods sold at the farmer’s market each week for individuals to prepare at home, but classes are also consistently offered to demonstrate cooking in a sustainable manner. There are even classes like “gizzards and giblets,” showing guests how to use every part of the food in fun and low-stakes workshops (21 Acres, 2022).

Involvement is a key part of 21 Acres' strategy, invigorating visitors to take some of these practices into their daily life. For example, to learn about food waste, visitors can volunteer in the gardens and work hands-on with compost or read blogs like “Earthwise superheroes swap and save seeds” to learn the different ways seeds are used after a food has been consumed (King, 2022). These are easy ways for people to make a difference in their life and turn sustainability into a practiced part of life.

Other involvement opportunities include visiting hours, workshops, conversations, and specific volunteer opportunities beyond food cycles that include all interests in sustainable living. Visitors can tour the Center and ask about or attend classes on how to install solar panels, geothermal heating, or composting toilets in their own homes. Those with an artistic eye can volunteer as photographers. Others can volunteer as beekeepers or work in garden beds. Volunteers can even work in the library as curators of environmental books. All these opportunities are hosted, attended, and taught to promote regenerative agriculture and green technology to combat climate change.

21 Acres has a message for their community that is carried through these resources: small and local farmers can save the world. Providing a space to grow, clean, cook, and sell vastly different kinds of food supports local farmers in connecting to their environment and leads the public to do so as well (Jajczay, 2022). The organization also provides education to the broader public, demonstrating why small farmers are so important in the face of climate change through blog posts like “Extreme precipitation threatens food security and drives up local food costs,” which tells the story of industrial farms that are hugely affected by water crises and lifts local farmers who weather those storms while producing unique and delicious foods (Jordan, 2022).

Figure 1: The team at 21 Acres stands next to their LEED Platinum Certification plaque upon its arrival in 2013 https://21acres.org/our-story/

The team at 21 Acres also step out of the farm to participate in conversations on different proposed bills and policies in the Seattle area. This year, members spoke to US Representatives Kim Schrier and Stacy Plaskett about the 2023 Farm Bill, swaying the politicians and voters in the way that best promotes environmental protection (Jajczay, 2022). This involvement in politics seems different from other aspects of 21 Acres but is yet another way the staff leads their community through actions.

By involvement in soil, cooking, reading, photography, seeds, water science, local farming, food, green energy, composting through food or human waste, and even politics, 21 Acres creates a prosperous community knowledgeable in agricultural practices and technologies that lead to a more sustainable future.

Reason For Hope

21 Acres allows for firsthand involvement in climate mitigation that would otherwise not be available for rural and small communities. Education is one of the most influential strategies to better adapt to a climate-altered world. Small-scale educational opportunities foster individuals that are willing to act toward a better future.

Providing a springboard for people with a wide range of skills and interests, 21 Acres demonstrates that even local operations can have a huge impact. Through regenerative farming, people who visit could go on to improve the huge greenhouse gas producer that is the agriculture industry. Photographers who get their start at 21 Acres could go on to photograph the climate crisis or larger actions against climate change. Politicians who consult 21 Acres are better able to judge and create policies that affect the environment. Just in the past few months, around 600 people have attended the farmers' markets each week and around 50 people attend each scheduled event, such as the “Virtual Homesteading” or “Introducing Pollinator Pathway” events (21 Acres, 2022).

Through these fun and accessible events, 21 Acres cultivates a community that will sustain themselves and their environment in a climate-altered world. Through the integration of education and real-world examples, places like this will lead small communities to a more sustainable future. At 21 Acres, a public that not only knows how to handle the climate crisis but has a deep yearning to better the future is possible.

Figure 2: Volunteers for a Farm Stewardship event hosted at 21 Acres stand with a truck filled with waste soon to be turned into compost

Insights and Applications

21 Acres demonstrates many actions applicable to climate change that any community could adopt. Geothermal heating used at the Center could be used in towns where the environment cannot support solar or wind power. Their solar panels exemplify the economic benefits of installation on homes or other buildings. Regenerative agriculture in action at 21 Acres could be translated to a redesigning of global agricultural practices. It could inspire a family to move towards a garden or farm animals to replace mass produced food. All these resources provided in one space allow anyone to move towards sustainability.

The biggest insight provided by 21 Acres, however, is the importance of education. If future communities were made up of beekeepers, solar panel installers, forest growers, farmers, water scientists, journalists, or teachers themselves, climate change would not harm the living world the way it does now. It would be a world with climate justice, where no human or environmental rights are violated. Any of these people could start at a place like 21 Acres. The organization provides a blueprint business model that is proven successful and can be reproduced anywhere in the world. Educational centers that lead through action and integration of sustainable practices are a necessity for the future, and 21 Acres has started that important trend.

Figure 3. At the Plant Medicine 101 With Journey Home Healing class on the 21 Acres farm, different ages learn how to replace packaged and industrial produced medicines with natural remedies. https://21acres.org/classes-events/virtual-learning/

Date: Fall 2022

Location: Woodinville, WA

Tags: Community Action