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News and Announcements: 2007-2008

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REGIONAL NEWS

The Orange Innovation Center reaches out to Local Farmers in Central Mass.

October 2008

Orange Innovation Center The founders of the Orange Innovation Center (OIC) want to hear from NOFA members on how to best configure food storage and processing facilities at their site.

The Town of Orange, where the OIC is located, is entering the green Sustainable Design Assessment process, an intense regional planning endeavor. As part of the effort, OIC is seeking input on ways to add a farmer-led component to their 130,000 square foot facility.

The site will be a nexus for social services, green businesses and artisans. The OIC is currently undergoing certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The OIC already has attracted social services and artisans to the Center, and is now turning their attention to finding ways to add value to the work of organic farmers, fair trade advocates, and green business start-ups.

Located near the Pan Am railway and Route 2A, the building has 35,000 clean square feet available to farmers. It has a 7,000 lb. freight elevator, elastic storage space, several loading docks and three phase electric. Plans are in the works for a processing kitchen to be used for pickling, bottling, and whatever else is needed. There is cold storage for root crops and quick set up space for dehydration, and room and mechanicals with the potential for everything else. The OIC is the vision of proprietor Noel Vincent and Jonathan Schwartz, an environmental filmmaker who has focused on international agro-forestry and appropriate agriculture. For more information visit www.orangeinnovation.org. Food producers interested in a tour or a round-table should contact Jonathan at Interlock Media at 617-577-0000 or jonathan.director@gmail.com.