Stories Invincible: Your friendly neighborhood CfET needs you
Founded in 2007 and located right over on Ferry Avenue, Center for Environmental Transformation (CfET) is a community-based, youth-focused non-profit organization reconnecting the citizens of Camden to green spaces and knowledge of where food comes from. For them, the farm is a science lab for endless experiments and creating a lifestyle that ties food & health to community.
Through their years those experiments in urban agriculture include youth summer programming, pop-up produce stands, partnerships with Virtua Health, seed giveaways, and the growing/selling of small trees, among others.
Working against environmental dangers requires understanding the root causes of those dangers. CfET recognizes that Camden & other cities facing similar environmental injustices are often also home to citizens disconnected from their land and food. With the rise of long-distance freight, green development in cities nationwide fell.
In its place, industrial and housing developments rose with no real local way to feed the people within. CfEt’s urban farming efforts offer a return to the spirit of not-too-distant times when people lived more reliably off their land and cities were designed with agriculture in mind. With climate change looming ever closer, CfET is to survey Camden’s different neighborhoods in preparation for the threat of rising flood waters.
For this mission and more, the Center is calling out to its community to join them. CfET seeks to bridge environmental justice and social justice by bringing in cultural experts, as well as backend support, and hands for gardening come springtime.
A CfET future looks like a sustainable, nutritional Camden, with farmer’s markets and gardens and local businesses growing from both.
Joining CfET is an opportunity to contribute to a movement that prioritizes the well-being of our planet and communities. Through the organization’s efforts, Camden residents have access to fresh produce, educational programs, and a connection to their land. By joining forces with CfET, you can help to promote sustainable living practices and build a more equitable future.
There are plenty of ways to get involved with CfET, including volunteering your time and expertise, donating funds or resources, or simply spreading the word about their initiatives. Whether you are a seasoned gardener, an environmental enthusiast, or simply someone who cares about the well-being of their community, there is a place for you at CfET.
It is a future we all have a hand in planting.
Contact them at info@cfet.org for more information on how to get involved.
👋 Want to learn more about Stories Invincible? Visit the project homepage!
Reet Starwind is the Stories Invincible project coordinator for the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. He is an artist, educator, and organizer in the Camden area working with the Center to elevate restorative narratives about Camden’s residents and history. Contact Reet via email at reet@storiesinvincible.org or on Instagram at @mrstarwind.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Local News Lab (a partnership of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Community Foundation of New Jersey), and the Abrams Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
