Urban Green plants seeds of change
Lauren Whaley | 8-23-2010 | Comments |
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Rickey Smith has found his life’s work.
He wants to open little kiosks all over Los Angeles that sell food that is grown on site. He wants one day a week to be devoted to feeding the hungry. He wants his cafés and gardens to empower "city dwellers" to take control of their food source. And he wants to do this in a zero waste, environmentally friendly way.
In this audio slideshow, Smith talks about his vision for Urban Green, a company he started in 2001 with the motto “Waste Not, Want Not.” From his flagship kiosk in downtown Los Angeles, Smith describes his dream of splattering Los Angeles with self-sustaining storefronts that will serve the community, educate and inspire.“We hope that urban green will be there as a voice of reason and as an urban oasis in the chaos,” Smith said.
To fund the nonprofit side, Smith also caters and sells homegrown food to grocery stores. While the sustainability of the flagship project (which began in June) is yet unknown, he has started planting seeds – literally and figuratively - and he’s hoping to watch them grow.
Over the next couple weekends, Smith will host events on subjects ranging from food to music to yoga at the flagship store on Spring Street.
Tags: environment food green space south los angeles urban green