Inner Visions of Cleveland is the proud supporter of a 26-acre farm in Cleveland called Rid-All Green Partnership (RAGP). The farm is located off Kinsman in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The area was once referred to as the “Forgotten Triangle” because it was left to rot after a fire ravaged homes and destroyed the land. Cleveland childhood friends: Damien Forshe, Keymah Durden and Randy McSheppard, took it upon themselves to transform this land into an urban farm. They grow herbs, fruits and vegetables with rich soil they create from worm casting and organic compost. They grow fish; tilapia and prawns together with vegetables in a re-circulating system called aquaponics. The fish will generate income once they are full-grown and can be sold to local restaurants. These men have also built a green house and hoop houses where produce can be grown year-round and outreach and training can take place for the community.

When the three men were asked what they envision for the future, without hesitation they said, “We need more food waste so we can continue to make compost to heat our hoop houses. We also want to become even more sustainable by installing solar panels to power our lights and fans. “

Inner Visions provided Rid-All Green Partnerships with a grant to purchase their first solar panels. Then Inner Visions called the West Side Market, The Cleveland Food Bank and several Starbucks and asked if they would donate their outdated produce and discarded coffee grounds. They all agreed to give Rid-All, all that they were getting rid of, which meant that several tons of waste per week could be diverted from landfills and turned into rich compost. What was still needed however was someone to haul the waste. Inner Visions launched a pilot delivery project with two residents from the community: Brenda Taylor Risario and her husband Raymond. Inner Visions paid to fix the brakes on the couple’s truck and off they went to the markets to do the daily pick-ups. Rid-All Green Partnership was so pleased with the Risario’s work that they hired them to continue to do the transporting.

The farm is growing healthy organic food, hiring local people, teaching youth about the environment by sponsoring fieldtrips and doing workshops to train community members on how to compost and make rain barrels. What was once a forgotten triangle is now unforgettable due to the commitment and vision of these three men.