Todd – US Hemp Co

5 May 2015

Oaksterdam University Presents Todd McCormicks Grow Medicine to provide marijuana education at the Rhode Island Convention Center in August

Oakland, CA (PRWEB) June 19, 2014

Oaksterdam University and Todd McCormick are offering three one-day presentations, best taken together. The event will be held in Todd’s hometown, at the Rhode Island Convention Center together August 15, 16 and 17.

Friday, August 15: Part 1 – Personal Cultivation Seminar

From Seed to Sale – An Overview of Cannabis and the Growing Opportunity

Saturday, August 16: Part 2 – Advanced and Commercial Cultivation Seminar

Dutch Method: Secrets of Cannabis Cultivation from Amsterdam to California

Sunday, August 17: Part 3 – Everything Extracts Seminar

Hashish: From Dry Sieve to Modern Gas Extraction & Terpenes

“People are seeking information they can trust from reliable sources with demonstrable backgrounds in the cannabis industry. Participants in professional cannabis education are quickly becoming the leaders in this emerging industry,” explained Todd McCormick, when asked why it was important to attend. Todd started growing marijuana in 1984 to combat the side effects of cancer treatments. Between the ages of two and ten, Todd underwent long-term chemotherapy & radiotherapy treatments, as well as nine major operations in his fight against a rare disease called Histiocytosis X. When his mother feared that he would not survive a new tumour in soft tissue next to his heart, she decided to give him some marijuana medicinally. Todd was nine years old at the time and his mother’s decision saved and changed his life.

Since 1994, Todd has been an activist, publicist and researcher of Cannabis. He collaborated with Jack Herer on the ground-breaking book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes”. In the mid-90s he lived in Amsterdam, where he became one of the first 10 patients in the Netherlands to receive a prescription for medicinal marijuana. Best-selling author Peter McWilliams brought McCormick back to California in 1997 in order to write his first book: How to Grow Medical Marijuana. That summer, the DEA raided Todd’s Bel Air home and destroyed all the legal plants on the premises; years of work and rare genetics were lost forever. After a three-year long legal battle, Todd would be denied a medical necessity defense in federal court and imprisoned for five years. His only crime was growing and studying the medicine that had saved his life.

In addition to being an uncommonly dedicated activist and expert on the Cannabis plant, Todd continues the fight to rehabilitate the image of the hemp plant as the owner of HEMP.xxx, an online magazine and community, and producer of the THC EXPO at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Todd was featured in the award winning Canadian documentary “THE UNION: The Business Behind Getting High” and is an executive producer on the currently in-production follow-up film: “THE CULTURE HIGH”. In 2012, along with Sir Richard Branson, Todd was awarded the Cannabis Culture Award for a lifetime of dedication to Cannabis legalization. His next book, titled “GrowMEDICINE” will be released this summer.

America’s first cannabis college was founded to provide students with the highest quality training. Oaksterdam University became the first institution to address the growing needs of the marijuana movement, from patients to regulators. The faculty is comprised professionals, academics and many of the most recognized names in the cannabis industry. Oaksterdam launched the Prop 19 campaign, the blueprint campaign for legalizing Cannabis for adult consumption. The Oakland campus is located across from the historic FOX Theater in revitalized downtown Oakland, California.

Since 2007,Oaksterdam University has provided quality training about Cannabis and marijuana policy reform for over 17,000 students at several campuses in the United States. “The institution offers the chance to learn about this controversial plant, and creates an interesting blend of individuals and opportunity,” said Dale Sky Jones, Executive Chancellor. “OU welcomes diverse students who are looking to change careers; some simply want to brush up on their horticulture skills. OU also attracts business owners who want to train their staff, folks who want to open their own business, and patients simply trying to understand the law and their rights. More and more baby boomers are discovering they would rather smoke pot than reach for pharmaceuticals.”

The Rhode Island Convention Center (RICC) is one of New England’s premier meeting and exhibition facilities. Located in the heart of downtown Providence, the RICC is within walking distance to restaurants, hotels, shops, art galleries, nightclubs, museums and a superb in-house catering team.

To schedule an interview with Todd McCormick or Dale Sky Jones, please contact (510) 251-1544 or email events(at)oaksterdamuniversity(dot)com.

1 May 2015

Oaksterdam University to Host Grow Medicine Marijuana Training Featuring Rhode Island Native, Medical Marijuana Expert and Activist Todd McCormick on August 15 to 17

posted in: How to Grow Cannabis | 0

Providence, Rhode Island (PRWEB) August 13, 2014

Rhode Island’s amended medical marijuana law takes effect September 1, 2014, opening up opportunities for caregivers new to the industry needing legal and medicinal quality marijuana education. To help fill the information gap for existing and prospective medical marijuana caregivers, Oaksterdam University (OU) is hosting a three-day seminar led by medical marijuana and industrial hemp expert, respected activist, and Rhode Island native Todd McCormick.

The event, called Grow Medicine, will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center on August 15, 16 and 17 going from 10 am to 6 pm each day, and will cover everything from seed to sale in three one-day presentations. Topics covered include an overview of cannabis sativa, advanced and commercial cultivation with a focus on the Dutch Method, and hashish extracts.

In response to why OU is hosting GrowMedicine, Executive Chancellor Dale Sky Jones said, “OU offers students the chance to learn about this controversial plant, and creates an interesting blend of individuals and opportunity. We welcome diverse students who want to change careers or simply brush up on their horticulture skills. OU also attracts business owners who want to train their staff, folks who want to open their own business, and patients trying to understand the law and their rights.”

About Todd McCormick: McCormick spent most of his young life in the children’s ward of Rhode Island Hospital battling Histiocytosis X, a rare form of cancer. He experienced multiple rounds of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. When he was nine, his mother chose to give him cannabis as anti-nausea to help with side-effect of his treatment, which had amazing results for him.

McCormick began cultivating his own medicine in 1984, which was the beginning of a new career in cannabis—-one that has taken him around the world advocating for its benefits. His first book, How to Grow Medical Marijuana was released in 1998. He was also the editor of the 12th edition of The Emperor Wears No Clothes by Jack Herer and produced the book PROTESTIVAL: A 20 Year Retrospective of Seattle Hempfest. He co-produced fundraisers for the Marijuana Policy Project at the Playboy Mansion in 2007, 2008 and 2009; then in 2009 he produced the THC EXPO at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

McCormick also appeared in the documentary, THE UNION: the business behind getting high and is executive producer of the follow-up documentary titled, THE CULTURE HIGH, which will be released this summer. His next book GrowMEDICINE will also be published this year. He maintains a community website called HEMP.xxx.

About Oaksterdam University: Since 2007, Oaksterdam University has provided quality training about cannabis and marijuana policy reform for over 18,000 students at several campuses in the United States. OU is America’s first cannabis college, a forerunner in providing the highest quality training to people interested in a career in the cannabis industry, and the first institution to address the growing needs of the marijuana movement, from patients to regulators. OU’s faculty is comprised of professionals, academics and many of the most recognized names in the cannabis industry.

To schedule an interview with Todd McCormick or Dale Sky Jones, please call (510) 251-1544 or email events(at)oaksterdamuniversity(dot)com. Onsite interviews in Rhode Island on the day before and the first day of the seminar are available.

Related How To Grow Hemp Press Releases

19 Apr 2015

Chef on a Mission: Chef Todd Villani of Terre

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Carlstadt, NJ (PRWEB) April 09, 2014

Today’s chefs are more than culinary wizards – they are food advocates, environmentalists, conservationists, farmers, and educators. As consumers demand to know more about the food they’re consuming – and to connect with the source of their food – Chef Todd Villani of Terre à Terre in Carlstadt is extending the restaurant’s commitment to sustainability and green practices beyond the cuisine.

‘This is more than the ‘local’ movement,” says Villani. “Chefs are forging stronger ties with farmers, growing their own, seeking to transform their operations so they are more environmentally responsible, and educating their guests about how and where their food is grown. Many chefs and restaurateurs around the state share a similar mission, making for a dynamic trend that is helping change how we think about ‘local.’ From 5-star restaurants to local pizzerias, New Jersey chefs are focusing on local ingredients in their cuisine and we’re pleased to be part of that movement.”

As Terre à Terre enters its sixth month of operation, its dedication to local is tested again and again. From the butter on the table, to the salt, the meat, fish and produce – to the very light fixtures that adorn the dining room, Chef Villani is working hard to push the movement. His commitment to sustainability is not only in the kitchen (and on the plate) but in his operation – the physical restaurant environment. The restaurant’s commitment to sustainability includes an eco-friendly environment through a dedicated effort to reduce of waste, to recycle, conserve water and generally pay more attention to its impact on the environment.

“We’re always looking for ideas on how to conserve from our guests who don’t hesitate to email us or call us with ways to be green,” says Villani. “Terre à Terre already also has eco-friendly practices in place that help create a more sustainable environment, but our hope is that over time we can adopt more green practices,” adds Villani who points to a few of the restaurant’s green initiatives.

The restaurant is decorated with down-to-earth materials that include terracotta, woven linen and burlap, wood, twigs, birch bark, and other natural fibers. Most of the decor was handcrafted by artisans, and some, like the mason jar track lighting made from wood salvaged after Hurricane Sandy, the pallet table in our chef’s room, and the seating in the entry area were made using upcycled wood.

The restaurant has a durable yet sustainable menu holder made from birch wood planks bordered by natural bark that is kiln dried and not chemically treated; the seasonally rotating menus is attached using natural jute string. Since the menu changes so frequently, the paper is made out of hemp – not wood. Converting trees into paper uses large amounts of water, energy, and chemicals and generates vast amounts of air and water pollution.

Specials of the day and featured farms are posted daily on chalkboards, saving paper.

The restaurant has its own water-filtration system, serving water in reusable glass carafes instead of plastic water bottles and only upon request.

A company collects and recycles used cooking oil to convert into renewable fuel instead of getting thrown out.

Many of the furniture pieces and accessories all over the restaurant are painted with Chalk Paint – an eco-friendly paint that contains extremely low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

About Terre à Terre

In creating Terre à Terre, translated as down to earth, Chef Villani brings many years of restaurant experience working for some of Manhattan’s top restaurants, including Marcus Samuelsson’s renowned Aquavit restaurant and at his subsidiary interest, World Yacht, combining simple fresh foods with a creative blend of exotic flavors and ingredients – his signature approach to preparing foods with an international flair.

With nearly 50 seats, the restaurant offers a private dining area, an outdoor garden courtyard which will open this spring, and the Chef’s Table, which offers a multi-course gourmand tasting menu, Terre à Terre provides dining from Wednesday through Saturday 5:30 – 10:00 and on Sunday for brunch 11:00 – 2:30 p.m. In addition to private parties, the restaurant also does catering.

Terre à Terre is located at 312 Hackensack Street. For more information, or to learn more about the farmers and artisans supplying Terre à Terre, visit http://www.terreaterre.biz. The restaurant takes reservations online at http://terreaterre.biz/reservations-2/ and by phone at 201.507.0500.