Pinkberry teams up with BASICS to raise funds for music education

CRANSTON, R.I., Feb. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ --  Pinkberry, in Garden City Center Cranston, will be swirling goodness on Thursday, February 23rd from 10am to 10pm, and will donate 100 percent of its sales to the BASICS (Benefiting All Students in Cranston Schools) Music Is Instrumental program.

The BASICS after-school program is completely volunteer-run, and was created last spring to make up for cuts to elementary school music programs.  They offer strings, band, glee, and guitar to elementary students in grades 3 through 6.  Last semester, over 225 students participated in this city-wide program.

"We started this program to support the students in Cranston schools who otherwise wouldn't have access to a high quality music program," said Kerri Kelleher, President.  "Without this program, students wouldn't be able to experience the joy of music or the increase in overall learning that comes with learning to play an instrument."

Pinkberry's local franchise partner, Brian Galvin, is thrilled to partner with BASICS. "Pinkberry is as committed to the communities we serve as we are to delivering the freshest, highest quality premium yogurt," says Galvin. "We are honored to support Cranston students through this amazing organization."

Pinkberry's donation of 100 percent of its daily sales will go toward program costs, including scholarships for families of Cranston students that are unable to afford the cost of music classes on their own. 

As an added treat, the Pinkberry location at Garden City Center will also showcase student musical performances throughout the day and evening.

About BASICS

BASICS is a non-partisan organization that is dedicated to finding practical solutions to the City of Cranston's educational financial crisis.  Their goal is to bring attention to the issues that are facing children today, and to encourage all parents to get involved and advocate for their children's future.

Together, they believe Cranston can be a better place to learn and live.  Please join the discussion on Facebook, or visit their website, www.BASICS-RI.com.

About Pinkberry

Pinkberry reinvented the frozen yogurt category when it launched in West Hollywood, CA, in 2005. Today, with more than 150 stores worldwide, it remains the world's most talked about premium frozen yogurt.  Pinkberry's distinctive flavors and fresh-cut-daily fruit and premium toppings offer an irresistibly tangy, incomparably clean and refreshing taste.   From store design to exceptional customer service to irresistible yogurt flavors and toppings, Pinkberry provides an experience to refresh.  Pinkberry is certified by the National Yogurt Association and carries the Live & Active Cultures Seal. Get a taste of Swirly Goodness by visiting http://www.pinkberry.com and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pinkberry) and Twitter (@pinkberry).

Media Contact: Kerri Kelleher BASICS, 401-241-1561, kamkelleher@msn.com

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SOURCE BASICS

RELATED LINKS
http://www.BASICS-RI.com
http://www.pinkberry.com

POULTNEY, Vt., Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At heart, Fred Kirschenmann is a farmer—he still runs a 2600-acre family farm in North Dakota. Ever since the 1970s, when he converted the farm to a certified organic operation, he began thinking deeply about sustainability of agriculture as it is practiced today.

His inquiry led to several decades of research, study and experimentation, and today Kirschenmann is an internationally-known advocate for land ethics and sustainable agriculture. He is the first scholar in residence for Green Mountain College's new Master's of Sustainable Food Systems program and will speak at the Gorge (Withey Hall) at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 13. The title of his talk is "Two Food Stories: Which Path Will We Take?" The event is free and open to the public. Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross will be present to welcome Dr. Kirschenmann and the new students in the MSFS program.

"We now have essentially two proposals in our culture," Kirschenmann says. "The first is the 'industrial story,' which suggests what we need to do to meet the challenges ahead is to further intensify the path we have taken for the past half-century—essentially 'greening up' the green revolution."

The other story, according to Kirschenmann, is that the industrial farm model is now bankrupt, and we need to fundamentally redesign our food systems using ecological principles.

Kirschenmann points out that much of what made modern agriculture possible is based on mild, stable climate conditions and cheap oil. "Neither of these prerequisites now exist," he says. Most energy economists expect that oil prices will continue to rise dramatically in future decades. Meanwhile, freshwater resources are declining—Kirschenmann says much of the food grown worldwide is dependent on irrigation instead of direct rainfall.

"Eighty percent of China's grain is dependent on irrigation. The Chinese are drawing down their groundwater resources at a rate of about 10 feet per year," he said. 

Ultimately, Kirschenmann's message is a hopeful one. Renewable energy technologies and thoughtful water management policies can lead to a new age of mid-to large-scale farming that can provide a healthy and sustainable food systems.

Kirschenmann is a Distinguished Fellow in philosophy and religious studies in the Leopold Center at Iowa State University department of religion and philosophy. He was a member of the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production operated by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and funded by Pew Charitable Trusts. Kirschenmann was one of the first ten recipients of the James F. Beard Foundation Leadership awards in 2011. He earned degrees from Yankton College in South Dakota, Hartford Theological Seminary in Connecticut, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago, where he earned numerous awards including a Rockefeller Fellowship.

Green Mountain College's new master's degree in sustainable food systems prepares future leaders in the burgeoning food movement with a graduate level interdisciplinary understanding of sustainable agricultural production and a deep knowledge of the economic, ecological, and social forces driving food systems. The degree program is accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges and is designed to provide students with the skills to conduct in-depth interdisciplinary investigations into the complex arena of their own bioregional food systems. The first cohort meets for a five-day residency this month.  The second cohort for the MSFS program will commence in September 2012.

SOURCE Green Mountain College

RELATED LINKS
http://www.greenmtn.edu