Been waiting to start growing your own food?
Start today! Track down some healthy soil, exchange some change for seeds at your grocery store, and find some old newspaper. Tony will show you were to take it from there.
Seedlings
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Tag Archives: Grand Aspirations
A Time of Transition
By Casey Wojtalewicz
My introduction to Summer of Solutions was in 2010, when I was a full-time participant in the Twin Cities program. As it has done for hundreds of other young people, the program and its model of cyclical empowerment transformed my self-identity from something akin to “just another student” to an organizer / agent of change / Solutionary.
Me reading goals as a participant in the 2010 Twin Cities Summer of Solutions program.
Fast forward two years: I’m sitting in a classroom at LA CAUSA (Los Angeles Communities Advocating Unity, Social Justice and Action) in East LA. I’m helping lead the LA CAUSA Summer of Solutions program. We’re at week two, having wrapped up our training launch last week. I’m sitting in on a meeting of our clean energy team as they lay out the groundwork to bring community-owned solar panels to this area. Several weeks ago, I knew none of these people. Now we operate together in well-constructed and organized teams. We’ve created shared visions, set goals to help us achieve our vision, and outlined steps to get there–literally.
Pam, Maite, Tony & Miguel during LA CAUSA SOS’s training week.
It’s a sunny day outside in this industrial part of town. A lot of trucks pass by on the roads. It’s busy. Everything’s moving. The crosswalks usually don’t give enough time for one to walk casually across the streets. Concrete is everywhere. But there’s a cool breeze. I can see the San Gabriel mountains in the distance, and large white clouds are slowly moving across the sky to the north. Inside LA CAUSA, we are laying out plans to create a healthy environment that works for everyone. Everything’s moving.
It feels to be a great time of transition for our planet. I recognize the conflicts and challenges we face today as profound opportunities for transformation. I can feel the potential and momentum building up for change across the city, the state, the country, the world; just like I can feel it building in this very room. And as a Summer of Solutions affiliate, I feel connected to people feeling and doing the same things across the United States right now.
Some LA Solutionaries
Surrounded by these other young people who are turning ideas and visions into reality, I feel the completion of a cycle. Two years ago, I was given the inspiration and skills to become an agent of change. Today, I have given them, and the cycle continues.
This is what the world changing looks like. There’s a feeling of transition, of momentous energy. Like clouds moving on a windy day. People are coming together, working to make changes in their lives and their immediate surroundings.
It feels wonderful to be a part of it.
A Beautiful Day in Portland
Last week our Portland Enrichment team divided into sub groups so we could have a few people focus on particular goals that we wanted to achieve by the end of the summer. At our meeting we brought out a large, white sheet of paper that we filled out from launch week. On the paper were certain job descriptions such as Media, Community Events, Data Management, and Contacting Partners.
Each category had a leader and one or two other people to help out the leader in that category as well. This structure allowed individuals to focus on what they want to do as well as maintain a balance of power between everybody.
At the meeting we also decided who will be facilitating the next meeting, who would be doing a confluence call with other programs nationwide, and discuss our shifts for working at the farmers market that Sunday.
Sunday was our group’s first time at the farmers market and we were able to have a tent and table set up for us. At our table, we had a poster size map of the Lents area and we asked people at the farmers market what their favorite place in the Lents area was. When people decided on a favorite place, they would write it on a sticky note and place it on the map wherever the place happened to be.
We got a lot of responses and our map became full of colorful sticky notes. People really took pride in where they live and what they like to do in the area. In fact, many people said their favorite place was the farmers market that we were currently at.
After asking residents what their favorite place was, we asked them if they would like to take our survey. Many people decided to take the survey because they were already talking about all the things they liked in the neighborhood. We received a lot of input from people at the farmers market and I’m excited to see/talk to more people the next time our group goes and maybe even see some of the people that we that were at the market last time.
At the end of the day, we accumulated about 15 surveys and had the pleasure of watching and talking to a variety of people. The farmers market offers something for people of all ages and is a great place to spend the day, especially in the summer, here in Portland.
Getting Started and Planning for the Future
On day two of launch week, our Summer of Solutions team met with representatives from partner organizations that we would be working with throughout the summer. When the meeting began there was about 15 of us and we all introduced ourselves. Our partners gave background about their organization and how they helped benefit the community.
Common areas of focus were energy efficiency, transportation and local food and farming. Some of our partners include Million Monarchs, Zenger Farm, Green Lents, Foster Green, Urban League and Mt. Scott Community Center. Our meeting was held at Mt Scott Community Center, which is in the neighborhood where we would be canvassing.
We then went on a walking tour throughout the town of Lents. Our leaders taught us the history of the city and our group had a chance to grow accustomed to the area that we would help to improve. It was interesting to see the diversity of people and the unique landscape of Lents.
The next day our group concentrated on identifying our goals for the summer. Our group filled out an asset map, which is a way for group members to identify what they and their co-workers can contribute to the team.
We also discussed what we would do if certain challenges were to arise such as if we were canvassing and some one who opens the door doesn’t speak English. We also put together a timeline so we will be able to keep track of our progress and estimate about how long certain projects may take.
A common goal of ours is improving the program from last year. Everyone from our group was able to contribute ideas and will be able to use their skills to benefit the group. We hope to gain more media attention, get more people to participate in the neighborhood challenge, and host an event at the end of the summer.
Iowa City making noise
It’s been an exciting week in Iowa City. One of our program leaders – Zach Wahls, maybe you’ve heard of him – has been fighting hard for marriage equality across the nation the past few months. He gave a speech a while back to the Iowa legislature, and it’s been blowing up the Internet (again). It recently hit 12 million views – woah.
It’s pretty easy to be proud of our friend. It’s also been pretty easy to get excited for this upcoming summer. We continue to work on projects from this past summer and have been planning away for new ones.
Update on 2011
IC is on the verge of something great. Our Solar Schools project – an initiative to install solar panels on two local schools in the Iowa City Community School District – has grown tremendously. After working with the school district, the project now includes at least 10 schools, and our team has been working tirelessly to get this passed. If the project is approved, it will be the largest solar project network hosted by a public school system in the nation.
Looking forward – 2012 projects
Our Power: Born in the Twin Cities, the Our Power program is a home weatherization initiative for low-income households in the Iowa City area. The program combines strong outreach and educational components focused on energy/environmental benefits of winterizing homes, the effect on residents’ energy bills and local resources for homeowners and renters. We recently received an $8k grant from Re-Amp, an alliance of foundations focused on clean energy issues, to get the project off the ground.
Iowa City Roots: Jumping on the local food bandwagon is easy to do in Iowa City, where our community’s educators, farmers, expert gardeners, parents and students all have a common goal: feed our kids with fresh, local and HEALTHY foods! We’re in the planning stages of this bloomin’ awesome project, which aims to construct and maintain 6 community gardens in public parks and schoolyards throughout the growing season of 2012. Partnering with the Parks and Recreation department of the City of Iowa City, the ICCSD, the Johnson County Local Food Alliance and dozens of community members, we have received a bounty of support thus far; the planning will continue through the dormant winter months as we secure land and funding–be on the lookout for things to start sprouting up come March!
Internship program: We working with the University of Iowa Career Center to create internship opportunities for U of I students interested in gardening, green economy work, clean energy issues and other community-based projects. Our team incorporates leadership development and youth empowerment in all aspects of our organization, making us aptly suited to be a Community Based Learning partner with the University. We are also working with professionals in local green businesses to match interested interns with sustainable companies in need of help and innovation.
White Roof and Neighborhood Compost Pilot projects: still in preliminary stages, these two projects aim to involve community members in simple intiatives that make a big impact. White roofs are perhaps the easiest way to engage businesses in sustainability, and with a lively downtown business community, we hope to provide white roofing services while partnering with local hardware and home improvement stores. The Neighborhood Compost Pilot is a branch of Iowa City roots, and hopes to bring composting intiatives to the community garden centers we’ll be working with.
Who we are
Our team is led by Zach Gruenhagen, Hadley Rapp, Zach Wahls, Tom Frakes, Eleanor Marshall and Kerri Sorrell. All of us are Iowa City natives or students at the University of Iowa. We’re committed to building a model of sustainability in Iowa City, one that can hopefully be replicated in other parts of our state. Iowa may be small, but we’ve got a lot of potential to do big things in this unique community.
Interested in keeping up with Iowa City Summer of Solutions? Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and at iowacitysos.org. We can’t wait for what promises to be an exciting, exhausting and exhilarating summer.
p.s. – Did you know Grand Aspirations is in the running to win $25K in the Pepsi Refresh Project? We’re working with the Progressive Slate to fund-raise towards our amazing programs and leaders. You can vote every day in December, so mark your calendars! Share this link: http://bit.ly/sWzLvl with your friends online and help us spread the word! Go team!
Growing Food and Sustainability-Middleton, WI
The team in Middleton, WI is so excited to be a part of this inspiring network of youth leaders!
Our Program
We are designing and running a sustainability and environmental education program primarily for middle and high school youth that focuses on gardening and food production but also incorporates art, people-powered transportation, and multi-age relationship building through teaching and mentorships. The program’s home base will be the garden and greenhouse, located on public school land in central Middleton, where we will hold the majority of the workshops and host open garden work hours. However, we will also expand our work into the greater Middleton community. Some of our ideas include running a kids activity table and possibly selling some of our produce at the Downtown Middleton Farmers’ Market, taking group bike trips to the nearby Bock Community Garden, and delivering (by bike trailer) a percentage of the produce we grow to the Middleton Outreach Ministry’s food pantry.
Workshops will incorporate a variety of sustainability topics and will often use the garden as a hands-on classroom. Students will learn basic gardening skills such as bed construction, seed starting in the greenhouse, composting, transplanting, caring for plants, maintaining the garden, harvesting, washing, and distributing produce. We will also discuss and put into practice topics such as nutrition, the nutrient cycle, alternative transportation, water conservation, energy efficiency, and we will host several cooking classes at the nearby Willy Street Co-op. All of this will help connect the garden to the larger issues of sustainability, health, and justice. Personal expression through art and writing will be a part of every workshop as well. We will incorporate garden-fresh snacks as often as possible, and participating students will have the opportunity to bring fresh produce home to their families on a regular basis.
During open garden work hours, students will be able to spend additional time at the garden based on their level of interest. The garden will be a safe, supervised space, where parents can feel comfortable leaving their kids and where kids will know they can interact with a supportive adult.
Gabrielle Hinahara
Gabrielle has extensive farming and gardening experience and has also worked with youth. In college, she was involved with F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture, where she helped to lead educational workshops for the student body in addition to volunteering in the garden. In the summer of 2010, she worked as the head counselor at the Frost Valley YMCA Farm Camp in New York, where she helped run garden-based outdoor education classes, counseled middle school-aged youth, and advised and evaluated the counseling staff. In the fall of 2010, she worked as an intern at Growing Power, an urban farm in Milwaukee, WI, where she learned about intensive growing systems such as vermiculture and aquaponics. She recently completed a full-season apprentice at Simple Gifts Farm in Amherst, MA, which runs a 300-member CSA and also sells at the local farmers market. This is where she gained most of her agricultural knowledge, including learning how to plan greenhouse and field planting schedules and how to grow and harvest almost every type of produce, from strawberries to squash to lettuce.
Natalie Hinahara
Natalie has significant experience organizing groups of peers and also in effectively communicating and partnering with adults. She was the student representative on the City of Middleton Sustainability Committee both her junior and senior year of high school and was president of the high school Ecology Club during her senior year. She also has experience working with youth in a garden setting, since she volunteered in Middleton’s Bock Children’s Garden in the summer of 2010. In college, she is currently a member of the UW-Madison chapter of Slow Food and is an intern in WISPIRG’s anti-big ag campaign, where she is learning community organizing skills. She is also majoring in art, so her talent in this area will contribute to the arts portion of our program.
Right now, we are working on securing land for garden space at both Middleton High School and Kromrey Middle School. We are excited to know how much land we will have so that we can design the gardens!
If you are interested in keeping updated on our progress, please join our facebook group!
Bioneers Inspires
By Jennice Rodriguez
Reno, NV
Posted by Casey Wojtalewicz
A few weeks back I was given the chance to attend environmental/peace conference, Bioneers, for the second time in Marin County California. The event, if you haven’t experienced it already, is something beyond the power of words could describe. A festival organized for enriching the mind and activating the activist deep inside the soul each attendee. It’s a place where some of the most powerful people are united in the same place to talk about their work, the work of others, and the work that we as a society need to start engaging in.
It’s a place where lifelong learners come to be taught and experience all the different ways our mother is trying to get us to listen. It’s a place where the hungry come to be fed the fruit of exposed dirty treason of the powerful forces in our country, but with as much information that is being shared, it is more enlightening than depressing, more electric than any festival I have ever experienced (besides Burning Man…which could totally be compared to this event, in another blog maybe).
Though it may sound quite terrifying–and it is!–Bioneers is a place where possibilities meet the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Bioneers has been the root of so many ideas I have to make this world, to save this world, our world, a place I want to live in.
I walked away this year with so many contacts, I don’t even know what to do with them all. I made friends that I already know better than people I’ve known for years. One idea that hasn’t stopped flickering in the glass window of my memory shop: I was told to find something I am passionate about, and start from there.
But what am I passionate about? I love my fruits and veggies, and I want everyone to be able to access only the purest food, sure. I think green energy is something that our government needs to get in check with and make it happen already, sure. I think marijuana should be legalized and the production of hemp products will save the land that has become ever so exhausted, sure. But what am I really passionate about?
I have been overwhelmed with the numbers in which one person can dedicate their power to, and I want to do it all, but I can’t do it alone. Until I find out what it is that I’m passionate about, I need your help, and she needs ours.
Bringing our aspirations within reach
Its the end of the summer, and I have a lot of reflecting to do. The Summer of Solutions (SoS) has been a wild learning experience for me from the moment I joined on in spring 2008. However, rather than share some of my reflections in this post, I’m gonna clue y’all in on how to build on your reflections
This program is at a huge turning point. Last summer, the first SoS gave us some insights on how to do local solutionary organizing (and how not to do it). This past summer gave us some ideas about how to do it on a national scale (and, well, how not to do it). As we begin to prepare for our third year, we can take all those lessons and figure out how to make solutions the next big thing – and we want you to be a part of it.
Apply to join a Grand Aspirations working group here by Monday, August 17.
Many folks involved in the Summer of Solutions have had national conversations about how to move forward into the fall while increasing our capabilities. The strategy we identified will be to create working groups of leaders to handle everything from organizational development to building SoS programs for next summer. This will be the temporary structure that will move us towards more formality, better communication, better funding, and better programs.
The work we are doing with Grand Aspirations is solutionary – at once revolutionary and, at the same time, just common sense. We’re building community development solutions that are sustainable, long-term and replicable. We are not shooting for one-time fixes – we are building the conditions for accelerating and ever-expanding change to occur. We can’t get the future we want without implementing local solutions that everyone, everywhere, can plug into. In order to get those built, we will need to rapidly coordinate in places across the country.
Our success in this stage will rely on the innovation and energy of volunteers who are willing to seriously build this – and we need that to include you. You can be a part of it all by joining a working group by August 17th
It has been an incredible experience this summer to work with young folks all over the country who strove to make their summer solutionary. I’m constantly blown away by all your capabilities and I am really hoping to work with many of you through the year. Keep blogging your successes and thoughts as the year continues!
Solutionaries 