Television Series

"Grow on, Girl!"

In this great eco TV show, join Amanda and her study group as they help remake their city and save community gardens. They mobilize others, including street youth, students, working renters, the homeless and even the powers that be, to help create a just and sustainable city that works for all.

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Meet the Grow On, Girl! Characters

Amanda Beauchamp - Ejected from Foster Care at age 18, Amanda must find ways to live on her own and attend college on the Scholarship she won at the State Science Fair. She plants gardens and great ideas and projects around her city and begins a process that finds homes for the homeless, jobs and careers for youth and more! She works with her Study Group and a Homeless Millionaire turned community activist.

Eli Brinker - Raised by his wealthy family but still allowed to grow things, Eli becomes a leader in Plant and Planet helping approaches to Agriculture. Once head of the Agriculture Department at Amanda’s College he is drunk on the steps of the Life Science building when Amanda first meets him. He knows her work and a lot more and becomes her study group tutor, helping them to establish an Urban Agriculture Program in their Neighborhoods as well as other projects like Plant the Homeless.

Amanda’s Study Group

Rod Pedersen is the son and heir to the AGROW Corporation and joins Amanda’s Study Group in Agriculture 101, beginning a lasting friendship and, if Rod has anything to say about it, a lasting romance with Amanda. He works on that and on his own football vs study group projects conflict, as helps Amanda with his powerful connections and unfailing loyalty.

Jerome – A South Indian nerd who never misses a thing, including jokes to crack and truths to tell about what is really happening in the college scene, USA society and his dismal love life. The study group would be a lot less fun without him.

Mary – The Asian science geek among them, Mary is quietly figuring out the best, next move and wants to expand her science skills beyond plant research to actually growing things. It is believed she actually touches real dirt, for the first time, in this series.

Amanda – Leader of the Pack who with the help of Eli and their Professor Phelps manages, among other things, to bring decent food to the Student Food Service and free its Food Service Chefs to actually cook again!

Other great characters emerge in this TV series, like EON, a street youth that champions home ownership and community owned jobs and industries to make sure everyone is housed well and working. Professor Phelps, who never met a Grant Proposal he didn’t love, especially when he gets his students to do the work! Emilio Estrella , Amanda’s contact and supporter at Estrella Growers and her go-between with the Grower’s Association. Emilio always has her back and is upfront on support with Unions and City officials who need a little incentive to support projects, for small business development that is the way to help people out of poverty and into productive, careers.

The Roving Forest Preserve - By Earth Neighbor

One wonders what form the mismanagement of our public lands will take next. Senator Sterlin Sommes, elected by voters of the Great State, is always coming up with new ideas that will allow big Bizz to pretty much do what they like, whenever. Many friends of his financing campaigns pay out millions for his re-election bids, knowing Sterlin is always good for the latest in the smoke screens and mirrors line of product. Even backers that know the Senator, and support him since way back beyond when, are surprised at the scope and possibility of his latest plan for our nation's forests. Sterlin admits he did not think of the plan, himself, but he did come up with the name that could make the scheme a reality; The Roving Forest Preserve. 

"The name makes the legislation sellable to the American Public. Leave it to Senator Sommes to come up with the title. The man is a genius." " Sterlin's Campaign Finance Manager, Pricely Aims, points out to timber and paper industry giant, Chuck Cheating.

"That's what we pay him for." the corporate raider mumbles, as he looks over the legislation that would make The Roving Forest Preserve reality.

"How much do we need to put out to get this one on the books?" Chuck asks.

"A pittance compared to what you'll make on the timber you'll cut. That's not even counting what you'd save on not assuming liability from the clear cuts once you move on to greener timber, so to speak."

"How so?" Cheating asks, hopeful that when his operations cause landslides and flooding he could not be held accountable. He would avoid all kinds of environment laws and regulations, not to mention the noise made by those pesky endangered species folks.

The Forest Preserve belongs to the government." Pricely explains. "You just log on it according to the Forest Preserve Environment Plan."

"Isn't that what we do now?" the Axeman executive asks.

"Kind of, but those tree-huggers are always going on and on about saving more forests. The Preserve will cover millions of acres not currently owned by Uncle Sam and should shut them up for a while."

"How do we cut there if the land isn't ours?" Cheating asks.

"That's the beauty of the roving part of this deal. Certain areas are designated off limits to logging, mainly the ones that have no trees on them. If trees should grow there, the Preserve part shifts to the areas you've just cut, leaving the new growth forest open to logging."

Chuck can see the benefit of such a plan over his previous schemes to own as much timberland as possible. It has him a little worried that he and a few others like him might get stuck with a lot of tree-covered real estate he currently own, when he could be cutting on lands that belong to the people of the US of A. He recalls a clear-cut parcel, recently logged, that once was the forest next to a Girl Scout summer camp. Those kids are going to be mighty unhappy, come summer, to find themselves next to 300 acres of stumps. He can hear their complaints, now.

Cheating realizes if he sells the land to the Roving Preserve, he could make bucks, deflect that bad publicity and, maybe, still have access to any trees that grow back on that land in the future. He has to hand it to the Senator; this is quite a deal for him and those like him.

"Would this Roving deal buy some of my land as part of the Preserve?" Cheating asks.

"I told you, the Preserve proposes to buy millions of acres of land from private owners, such as yourself. Of course, we will give you adequate compensation for it." Aims answers, with a smile that tells Cheating he will be paid top dollar for his timberland, whether it has timber on it or not.

"How you ever going to get this through Congress?" Chuck asks. "You know how the public is all hyped about the environment these days."

"Leave that to us, we're the experts." Pricely reminds the businessman. "We'll be selling this to the Public as the biggest conservation deal of the Century. Can you imagine the stink they'll get from the average voter if they vote against it?"

"What about those conservation folks? Won't they notice?"

"If we sell this right, they won't dare oppose it, either. It's what they've been asking for, for decades; vast, wild lands owned by the public. Now they'll get more than they ever dreamed possible."

"They are not the only ones." Cheating admits, wondering if he could possibly talk the Senator into making a run for the White House.

There is no such thing as the Roving Forest Preserve Plan, yet. This story is all in fun but does remind us to keep informed about the status of our National Lands and to insist they are fully protected by existing environment and endangered species laws. The Republican Controlled Congress may try to allow timber cutting, mining and oil exploration in wild lands, despite word from the US public that we want no such thing! Let your elected representative know what you think in an email to the White House and to the Secretary of the Interior.