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Coming of Age ... The Good Earth Generation They grew up on opposite sides of the continent, but they share the same set of ideals, and are part of the activist vanguard of the global warming age. In their efforts to reduce their 'carbon footprint,' they've chosen work that conforms to their earth friendly philosophy. Jacky B., 22, and Antonia Palkovic, 27, are spending the summer as apprentices on Peacework Organic farm in Arcadia, to gains some hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture. Models for the chic, modern, corporate career oriented female, these young women are definitely not. They were not high school cheerleaders and have no desire to appear in Dove shampoo commercials. Their small talk is not about eye make-up or vacationing in Bermuda, but about whole food cooking recipes, bio-fuels, and crop rotation schedules. With their sun-bronzed complexions, work-strengthened bodies and clear eyes, they present a picture of rustic beauty as natural as the surroundings in which they work. Their dedication and progressive savvy is exactly what a stressed-out Mother Earth is calling for. The hours are long, the work demanding, and the pay a bit less than their education and backgrounds would command elsewhere. The absence of herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers on an organic farm requires less mechanization but more intensive human labor. Insect pests have to be plucked off their food plants, weeds have to be pulled from the ground by their roots, all with a finesse and thoroughness that, without environment-hostile chemicals, only the human hand can accomplish From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., six days a week, Jacky and Antonia work shoulder to shoulder with Peacework owners/farmers Ammie Chickering, Greg Palmer, and Liz Henderson. Both apprentices have cut their teeth on a recycling bin, and came of age in family and school settings that reiterate respect for the earth and the value of sustainable life styles. Jacky, a native Californian, was inspired early on by her first-grade teacher, who gave her pupil special recognition for her persistent efforts at practicing good environmentalism.
Understanding parents supplied her with the appropriate books; she took to gardening as soon as she was old enough to use a hoe; and composting and recycling were as part of the family routine as washing dishes and sweeping floors. As captain of her high school Envirothon team, the young 'green living' enthusiast received an additional boost for her budding career, and went on to acquire a bachelor of arts degree in environmental science at University of California at Santa Barbara. After Peacework, she plans to join an Israeli Kibbutz and becoming involved in their permaculture program, a type of agriculture that favors various perennial crops that blend more readily into the surrounding ecosystem with minimal depletion of soil and water resources. Much of permaculture lore is derived from native peoples, who have through the generations have passed along accumulated knowledge in wise land usage. Antonia is from Plattsburgh and shares her environment consciousness with her brother Matthew, who researched 'green' housing and sustainable economies for his master's thesis. She is a graduate of SUNY Purchase, and in the fall will attend University of California at Davis to do graduate work in international agriculture and sustainable development. As an undergraduate, she majored in political science. 'I was thinking of majoring in art,' she explains, 'but I didn't have the portfolio. So I studied something equally as useless.' But race relations and the status of developing countries piqued her interest as her academic career progressed, and with agriculture such an integral part of third world societies, she ended up at Peacework after an Internet search and subsequent interview with Liz. 'I'd like to farm,' Antonia muses as she works her way down a row of tomatoes to put in place a support line for the growing plants. 'But finding and purchasing the needed land is a problem. But my religion is 'digging in the dirt,' and I'd like to be involved in helping people realize self-respect by connecting them with the land. It's all part of my spirituality.' Peacework Farms, a community supported agricultural institution, is unique in its customer base, means of distribution, and labor practices. Subscribers purchase shares at the beginning of the harvest season; they are guaranteed periodical supplies of whatever produce is in season during bi-weekly pick-ups at the farm. They also contribute a few hours of labor on pick-up dates, and the Peacework policy enables farmer and consumer to share farming risks and to make the venture a real community effort. On specified dates in the summer, children accompany their parents and have the choice of working in the field or participating in a nature study program run by a volunteer senior citizen. The Peacework model dovetails nicely with the philosophies and future plans of its two young apprentices. They are the latest representatives of a Peacework internship tradition extending back to the year of the inception as a working farm. Peacework 'alumni' have gone on to practice the doctrine of sustainability on working farms in other parts of the country. Copyright
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