October 2019

Earlier this month, Guåhan Sustainable Culture was recognized in a Guam Legislature Resolution and a Proclamation of the Governor, which announced October as Farm to School Month.
The Farm to School Program partners with local farmers and non-profit organizations to introduce locally grown vegetables into the Guam Department of Education’s lunch programs. It is an initiative headed by the Governor of Guam Lou Leon Guerrero, Guam Economic Development Agency, and the Department of Agriculture to grow and support the agricultural industry on Guam, as well as increase nutrition in school lunches.

Alongside other non-profit organizations, GSC has been tapped to be a central distribution hub for farmers to deliver the produce for the Farm to School program. In the Proclamation of the Governor, it was announced that “the Farmers Cooperative Association of Guam, Farm to Table Guam, and Guåhan Sustainable worked with over 20 farmers to prepare for the upcoming school year by creating safety plans, growing schedules, and delivery timelines, and payment coordination so they would be equipped to meet the requirements of DOE in time for the first order in November 2019.” At this point, GSC will work with farmers who produce microgreens, but hopes to expand to other fresh vegetables and fruits as the program grows.

This Resolution and Proclamation represent GSC’s continuing progress in building partnerships in order to cultivate strategies of food security, food sovereignty, and environmental sustainability within our local community.

Dededo, Guam – As part of it’s Food Security and Sustainability outreach, Guåhan Sustainable Culture (GSC) and the Summer Town Estates organized a growers workshop for twenty four (24) residents at the Summer Town Estates for Seniors on Wednesday, August 28, 2019.

Healthy lifestyle opportunities and how to properly grow food in their provided raised garden beds were the focus of a very successful workshop.

The group enjoyed a very informative gardening session led by GSC Co-founders Michelle Crisostomo and Marlyn Oberiano, and was complemented with hands on activities and starter gardening kits with seedlings distributed by GSC Board Director, Denise Crisostomo. The organization plans to return to Summer Town Estates to continue their educational outreach, see the progress of the garden beds, and work on
establishing a community garden for the Seniors and other residents.

GSC is a non-profit organization that cultivates ideas and strategies of environmental sustainability within our local community through practical education, social engagement, and collaborative partnerships. Since January of this year GSC has hosted successful workshops in partnership with organizations such as the University of Guam, the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Farmers’ Cooperative Association of Guam. Food security workshop topics include Growing your own Microgreens, Aquaponics for
Beginners, Introduction to Hydroponics and Edible Gardens, to name a few.

Saturday July 27, 2019 – GSC was fortunate enough to have a team of experts stop in Guam to do a last-minute workshop. Michael Ogo, Bill Joseph, Rush Faimau, Augustine Maratita from Northern Marianas College CREES (Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services) gave a two (2) hour workshop at the Dededo Farmer’s Coop. The workshop, led by Maratita, involved a hands-on diy assembly of an Olomana Airlift Pumping Station.

This innovative design allows aquaponic farmers to water long distances by utilizing a single water pump/compressor and gravity. Like many other DIY systems, this design is completely customizable to accommodate the size or height of your target watering area. It requires little energy and is fairly simple to build.

We are currently in the process of putting together the video clips of the workshop along with some more examples. In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of the workshop.

Dededo, Guam – Twenty four (24) participants attended Guåhan Sustainable Culture’s (GSC) first Introduction to Aquaponics Workshop on Saturday, May 25, at the Farmers’ Cooperative Association of Guam in Dededo. This marks the third in a series of workshops created to promote food security, inspire new and existing farmers, and raise awareness about sustainable agricultural methods.

Aquaculture specialist Dave Crisostomo was the presenter for the workshop. Dave was the first to introduce recirculating aquaculture and aquaponics to the island of Guam. Since retired after 28 years as an Extension Agent at the University of Guam, he now specializes in system design of home and commercial aquaculture systems.

In the workshop he discussed aquaponics basics, system components, nutrient dynamics, water quality, and fish and plant selection and considerations for Guam.

More photos of the workshop can be viewed HERE.

Mangilao, Guam – Fifty-five attendees filled up the classroom at the College of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Guam to learn the process of hydroponic farming.  

Michelle Crisostomo, President of Guåhan Sustainable Culture, was thrilled to host such a workshop. “Our organization is extremely passionate about food security, and I have personally been wanting to put this together for a very long time. I’m extremely grateful to have expert horticulturist Frank Cruz willing to come back into the classroom to teach this workshop and share his knowledge. The support we received from him and from CNAS-UOG helped make this a huge success.”

The class was originally limited to thirty-five students but tickets sold out two weeks before the event. More seats were added in the last week to fill the entire classroom and tickets sold out again two days before the event.

Participants became familiar with the history of hydroponics, the reasons and benefits of growing hydroponically, and the different types of methods and systems that can be used. Nutrients, growing medium, and water quality were also explained. Attendees were able to view different systems and products provided by GU Hydro, and take home a hydroponic planter at the end of the event.

More photos can be viewed here!

“Many attendees were there because they wanted to learn how to grow their own healthy food in a limited space, using less natural resources. Some were interested in learning more about growing Cannabis,” says Michelle, who is also the owner of GU Hydro. Her company specializes in hydroponics and operates remotely, providing services for projects such as consulting, system installations for homes or businesses, and special ordering of equipment upon request. Michelle opened her business seven months ago and says that the biggest trend she sees is a more environmentally conscious, curious and knowledgeable consumer base. “Education is critical, and there is a big move towards understanding what’s in your food and how it’s grown,” she says.

Guåhan Sustainable Culture has an Aquaponics workshop coming up in May, and plans another Microgreens and Hydroponic workshop in the summer. For more information, you can email Marlyn Oberiano or Michelle Crisostomo at gusustainable@gmail.com or visit www.gusustainable.org.

On March 2, Guahan Sustainable Culture will conduct its first workshop –Grow Your Own Micro-Greens.   What does growing microgreens have to do with sustainability? It’s a “small” beginning to a much larger undertaking – growing our own food contributes to sustaining our environment for future generations. There are also other benefits to growing our own food – it is healthier, tastier, cheaper, and fun!

Have you ever wondered where your salad greens have been before they arrived at your dinner table?  When I thought about writing this article I decided to trace where my salad greens that I just had for dinner came from. I looked at the plastic package that they came in and the label was stamped Made in the USA/Mexico.  Salad greens had travelled almost 6,000 miles – from the West Coast to Guam. The package also indicated that the greens were harvested on 12th and I had purchased them on the 23^rd – the day after they arrived according to the employee at the produce section at the market.

Imported vegetables and fruits were harvested from the fields, triple washed, packaged, placed in a refrigerated truck for the airport, flown to Hawaii then to Guam, then again trucked to the local market.  It took at least 11 days from the fields to my dining table. Imagine the amount of resources expended for my dinner.

I propose a sustainable option – let’s grow our own food. By doing so, we can help conserve the earth’s non-renewable resources.  Fossil fuel such as coal, oil and natural gas, is needed for the equipment to plant, harvest, and package the greens in plastic containers.   Fossil fuel is also used to transport them in refrigerated trucks and airplanes.

When we grow our own food, we can harvest right from our garden.   They are at their freshest and retain most of their nutrients. Studies show that salad greens begin to lose their nutrients soon after they are harvested. There is no comparison in the amount of nutrients from greens harvested immediately compared to one that had travelled at least 11 days before being consumed.  They are also fuller in flavor because they are harvested at their peak as compared to being picked earlier to be able to make the long trip from the fields to the market.

Another benefit to growing our own food is that it costs significantly less to cultivate in a home garden.   This may be just the cost of the seeds or seedlings and can be only few dollars and will yield an abundant harvest throughout the growing season.   

Gardening to grow our own food can also be a form of exercise, relaxation and enjoyment.

Growing our own food promotes a healthier planet and a healthier lifestyle. If you have never grown your own food, why not start small with micro-greens and help sustain our environment?  Join us for our workshop- Grow Your Own Micro-Greens!

-Marlyn Oberiano, VP / Treasurer for Guahan Sustainable Culture