ABRAH DRESDALE

Abrah’s hands-on lessons provide students with a solid grasp of theory and tangible skills, which can be put into meaningful, real-world practice. She is an incredible role model—Abrah is exactly the kind of teacher, and person, I aspire to be.                                                                                                  - Krystal Graybeal, college student                                                                             

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In the Regenerative Design for Change Maker's training, the social application of permaculture frameworks in a diverse, powerful community with space for ancestral cultures to weave in was most unique.

                                                              - Cedar Ranney, Sacred Witness Media & Kohenet

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

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• Edible Pathways, published in Con'text Magazine, Spring 2015

• Growing Permaculture at Greenfield Community College, published in the Ecological Landscape Assocation's Newsletter, Summer 2014

• Vision for Greenfield 2050, published in the Greenfield Recorder, Spring 2013

• Building a Toolbox for Social Permaculture, published in the Permaculture Activist, Autumn 2013

BLOGS

• ​Bird Fellowship in Tamil, Nadu India

SHORT DOCUMENTARIES

• Community Cultivation: The Greenfield Community

       College Permaculture Garden

• WILD Wesleyan: The Documentary

• Food Systems Jobs Interview Series with Abrah Dresdale

IN THE MEDIA

Food Justice Projects

• GCC Food and Farming Courses Open Doors for Jail Inmates, Greenfield Recorder

• Jail Sees Food and Farming as Track for Learning, Jobs, Nutrition--and Change, Greenfield Recorder

• Bicycle Powered Compost Co-operative, Greenfield Recorder

• Inmates to Learn Organic Gardening, Greenfield Recorder

• Garden of Possibility, Greenfield Recorder

• New Collaboration Opens Doors for Economic Security for Women, Greenfield Recorder

• Seeds of Empowerment: Women's GARDEN Project Aims to Grow Vegetables and Independence, Greenfield Recorder

• GCC to Host New CEO of Women's Fund of Western Mass, Greenfield Recorder

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Community Food Systems

• Jewish Practice of Periodic Rest for Farmland has Wider Social, Economic Resonance, Greenfield Recorder

• Learning How to Eat Again, Valley Advocate

• Eat Greenfield: New Food Study Recommends Maximizing Local Food Production to Meet Our Needs, Greenfield Recorder

• Taking in the Big Picture, Greenfield Recorder

• Region’s Farming Boom Provides Much to Chew On (Part I), Greenfield Recorder

• Harvest of Hidden Treasures (Part II), Greenfield Recorder

Permaculture

• Personal Growth Lessons from Permaculture, Omega Institute's on-line publication

• Permaculture Garden Taking Root at GCC: New Club at College Germinates Seeds for Plan, Greenfield Recorder

• Permaculture Effort Exploding in Western Massachusetts, Greenfield Recorder

• GCC to Create Outdoor Learning Lab, Greenfield Recorder

• Congressional Record, Vol. 160 No. 32, Mention of GCC Permaculture Garden by Congressman McGovern, pg. 2

Curriculum Development

• GCC’s Sustainable Food Initiative Plants Seeds for Growth, Greenfield Recorder

• Sustainability Grows As College Major in Valley, Hampshire Gazette

• Greenfield Community College Expanding its Agriculture and Green Energy Programs, Greenfield Recorder

• GCC to Add Farm Ed Courses for 2015, Greenfield Recorder​

David Bird Ecological Design Fellowship--India

• Conway School, Greenfield Recorder

• Abrah Dresdale’s Headed for India, Greenfield Recorder

• In India, GCC Prof's Conservation Lessons Hit Home, Greenfield Recorder 

Awards & National Recognition: Farm & Food Systems Program

• GCC Featured as One of 15 Colleges Fighting World Hunger, Best On-line Colleges.com

• Agriculture Sheds its Dated Image of Career Opportunities, Community College Daily 

• Sustainability Programs at Greenfield Community College, Green Energy Times

• GCC Wins Green Genome Award: Recognition for Outstanding College Sustainability and Workforce Efforts, American Association of Community Colleges

• Greenfield Community College: A Model for Comprehensive and Holistic Sustainability Education, American Association of Community College's SEED Center

• GCC Earns National Green Award, Greenfield Recorder

• Green Hero Award for Greening Greenfield, Greenfield Recorder

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Cultural Regeneration at Omega Institute                            here with TruthWorker Theater Company; related article here

Community Planting Day

Greenfield Community College Permaculture Garden

"Abrah Dresdale facilitated a public design charrette for the Feed Northampton plan. As an organizer it was invaluable to have Abrah's competent facilitation skills to help our group prioritize our goals. The community-engaged process she facilitated increased project publicity and brought together key stakeholders to make sure that the plan was relevant." 

   - Lisa Depiano, Mobile Design Lab & UMass-Amherst Faculty            

GRANTS OBTAINED

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• Thriving Resilient Communities Collaboratory Grant from the Threshold Foundation

        Tour Curator/Co-Facilitator, obtained for Regenerate Change to launch the 2018 Change Makers Tour, taking the Regenerative Design                        for Change Makers training and related concerts to Burlington, VT, Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA, and Millerton, NY

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• The Pollination Project Seed Grant

         Training Organizer/Co-Facilitator, obtained for Regenerate Change to launch pilot 2-day version of Regenerative Design for Change                           Makers Training in Oakland, CA

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• USDA Community Food Project Grant

Grant Partner, obtained for Greenfield Community College, with grant partners Just Roots, Franklin County Community Development Corporation, and Franklin-Hampshire Career Center

• UMASS Permaculture, Micro-grant

Project Coordinator, obtained for the Permaculture Club at Greenfield Community College to buy tools and plant stock

• Federal Perkins Grant

GCC Liaison, obtained for Franklin County House of Corrections, to offer GCC Farm and Food Systems classes as an Inside Out model in the jail; install an organic garden on jail grounds; develop for-credit internship opportunities at Greenfield Community Farm 

• National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technical Education Grant

Co-Principal, obtained for SAGE (Sustainable Agriculture and Green Energy) Education Center at Greenfield Community College

• USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture SPECA Grant

Project Coordinator, obtained for Farm and Food Systems Program at Greenfield Community College. The focus is strengthening the pipeline between secondary to post-secondary institutions for students studying sustainable agriculture

• Women’s Fund of Western Mass Grant 

Project Coordinator, obtained for New England Learning Center for Women in Transition, Montague Catholic Social Ministries, and Greenfield Community College. Grant supports women in transition with food security and economic independence

• American Association of Community College’s Green Genome Award & Grant

Program Contributor, obtained for Greenfield Community College from AACC’s SEED (Sustainability Education and Economic

Development) Center