For decades, the typical model of the suburban home included crowded housing, water and chemical hungry lawns, and maybe even a sprawling golf course. Today there is a new vision that is sweeping the country. Today’s communities are trading in those golf greens for something more sustainable, salad greens. We’ll tour one of the countries first and most successful conservation communities built around a working farm.
Prairie Crossing, a community outside of Chicago, is anything but typical in comparison to the normal suburban community. It’s surrounded by over 3000 acres of protected prairie, pasture, and wetland areas. It has a 100-acre working organic farm as the center of the community. George and Vicky Ranney started Prairie Crossing over 25 years ago, with the intent to be a community but to also conserve the best there is of the land and surrounding area.
Additional Information:
Youth Development at the Prairie Crossing Farm
Conservation Communities – Book
Agricultural Urbanism Handbook – Book
About GGWTV
Growing A Greener World is a national gardening series on Public Television that features organic gardening, green living and farm to table cooking. Each episode focuses on compelling and inspirational people making a difference through gardening. This gardening series covers everything from edible gardening and sustainable agriculture to seasonal cooking and preserving the harvest.
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This was an episode that was so inspiring. If only this would be implemented in all new communities what a different country this would become. Thank you for airing this.
There is a typo in the first paragraph. It says, “successful conversation” and should say “conservation”. It is a common transposition.
Thanks Nan. I fixed it. 🙂