Get to know Jerry DeWitt of the National Center for Appropriate Technology.
What are you going to speak about at the MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR?
I will be speaking about opportunity, change and hope. As a photographer I have traveled the nation capturing images of men and women on the land and in small communities making differences locally by their choices, practices and vocations. I will share stories of small scale successes across the land where entrepreneurs have studied trends, started new enterprises, strengthened communities and forged new relationships.
What are you most looking forward to sharing with FAIR attendees?
Change is possible; small steps towards sustainability can make a difference. Others are doing it, why not you?
Tell us about your background with your particular topic.
I am the former national director of the USDA – SARE program in Washington D.C., the former Director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, and I have worked for Iowa Extension for 39 years.
Why should fairgoers attend your presentation?
To hear the unique stories and to become inspired by people just them who are making differences in small communities and farms.
How will you get to the FAIR, and how far do you have to travel?
I will drive to the fair and capture images along the way. It is 463 miles from Holly Springs, NC.
What are you most looking forward to at the FAIR?
To meet people, talk with vendors and see new products.
What advice do you have for attendees?
Bring a note book and a bag for materials.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only one thing, what would you choose?
Assuming that a satellite cell phone would not be available, I definitely would want plenty of paper and pencils – they would save me. They would give me a sense of being, an order of my daily life, a recorder of my journey, a planning tool, my hope and my companion. I would not be lonely.
Thanks, Jerry. We’ll see you at the FAIR!
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Please visit the FAIR website for more information about the Seven Springs, Pa. FAIR September 24-25, and upcoming FAIRs in other locations. Tickets are on sale now.
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Keep an eye out for Trivia Ticket Tuesdays and Trivia Ticket Thursdays for your chance to win two tickets to the FAIR!
