Heirloom Harvest seeking to finance expansion with crowdfunding campaign
Heirloom Harvest is trying to take their sustainable agriculture operation to the next level. The small farmers’ organization has started a KickStarter campaign in order to buy a refrigerated truck, which the group calls “the missing piece to our infrastructure that will allow us to transport our farmer’s produce to market in a safe and timely manner.” With the motto “Food from down the road,” the group focuses on cutting down on the wasteful consumption of energy to transport food far across state and national boundaries. Heirloom Harvest’s strategy is to try to amplify small farmers’ reach by combining into one cooperative farming venture, and cut out distribution costs by taking the food directly to market. “Refrigeration systems are a necessary tool for Alabama farmers to sell their locally grown produce to schools, restaurants, cafeterias, and retails outlets. Local and small-scale farmers in our state have small profit margins and lack the additional funding to purchase entire refrigeration systems,” writes Heirloom Harvest founder and director William Dodd. “We have recently purchased a stationary refrigeration storage system where we will bring local farmers product before selling it to school cafeterias, restaurants, and small retail outlets.” “In order to build a fully-functioning refrigeration infrastructure, we need to purchase a refrigerated truck to transport produce from the farms to the customers. Keeping produce stored at a reduced temperature will extend its shelf life and increase food safety, allowing for greater possibility of profit for our farmers,” said Dodd in his appeal. The group is soliciting multiple levels of rewards in exchange for backing by supporters. For $100, for instance, a backer gets a handwritten thank you note and a membership to the Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network. In order to secure the funding, the group must raise $15,000 by July 13. At press time, the brand new page had garnered $660 from three contributors.
“Off-the-grid” veteran Tyler Truitt scorned by Huntsville, supported by many
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Tyler Truitt has met a few stumbling blocks in his quest to live, along with his girlfriend Soraya Hamar, more or less “off-the-grid.” None have been so decisive or seemingly final as the recent word that has come down from the city of Huntsville’s municipal code enforcers, who have condemned his single-wide trailer — complete with a functional generator powered by solar panels, composting toilet and 550-gallon tank full of reserve rain water — as dangerous and unlivable. The 27-year-old veteran says he is not harming his neighbors or anyone else by refraining from hooking up to municipal water and electric utilities. Truitt, who works at an Alabama military garrison at Redstone Arsenal, just wants to live a lifestyle free of debt that allows him to conserve natural resources and go back to school to finish his degree without incurring student loans. “They’re taking a big option away from families that can’t afford to build a fancy house,” Truitt told AL.com. “I have looked and didn’t see anything (in Huntsville’s Code of Ordinances) which says I’m not allowed to use off-grid utilities. They claim that it’s not sufficient to use off-grid utilities because it’s not a ‘permanent’ source of power.” The city, however, sees it differently. Huntsville is choosing to enforce requirements in city ordinance that “occupants of a residential dwelling have safe, potable, running water and electricity,” said Kelly Schrimsher, on behalf of Mayor Tommy Battle. The city said Truitt would be free to live as off-the-grid as he wants out on unincorporated land in surrounding Madison County, but that where Truitt runs afoul of the law is his failure — or in his phrase, a conscious act of “civil disobedience” — to secure the proper permits and comply with city-limits building code. “We encourage green environmental living, and we request interested citizens go through proper channels,” Schrimsher said. “Our departments stand ready and willing to guide them through the appropriate permitting process.” Others not just in Alabama but across the country are speaking out about Truitt’s experience and the rights they believe protect his choice. A Facebook page “Stand With Taylor For Liberty” has more than 1,000 likes and a GoFundMe account set up on his behalf. The story has been picked up by several national constitutional groups concerned about the apparent violation of Truitt’s property rights with one commenter on the Facebook page drawing similarities to this case and the showdown at the Bundy Ranch. Truitt’s first court appearance on the building code violations is set for July 29. As of now, Truitt said he intends to resist the city’s coercions. “Sometimes you have to take a stand for what you think is right,” Truitt said.
