A Growing Band

 My family has been running through reruns of The West Wing and I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has,” spoken by Margaret Mead. I love it because it gives me strength that our little project can make a difference in this time of such cynicism and doubt.

I was listening to Michael Buble the other day on NPR and heard him say that feels that his music is a respite from the cynicism of our time, and that any little help he can do, he’s glad to.  While I’d never really been a Michael Buble fan, he gained my enthusiasm right then and there.

Listening to the coverage of bombings shift from affirmation and pride to blame and finger pointing, it’s hard to hold on to that positive energy that rose from the ashes of the Marathon that day.  But it is that strength and goodness that America was proud of, so I want to hold on to that, and trust that officials will do their job and find out all that they can.  Meanwhile, I think we need to do as much as we can.

Next week begins a long term of disability for me, where I’m not going to be as productive as I try to be. The Hearth project goes on while I recover from a hip replacement, and I try to regain the agility and strength that I once had.  While my pain is personal it’s not as important as that pain that is felt by thousands of parents who can’t feed their children, children who don’t know what direction they need to go in, soldiers returning from war to a country so laden in skepticism that they struggle to find their own hope.  Those injuries are more long-lasting than mine, and while I don’t look forward to rehab, without projects like The Hearth, they see no recourse for a rehab from their situations.

Last Saturday, on a beautiful sunny day, thirty-plus people and a happy dog, met at the site of The NCSC Hearth to show how much they value this idea and project. I wish more people could have joined us, but there were other important events going on, so I’m delighted that we had as many as we had. These people represent others who see the importance of addressing climate change on a regional level. They know that we need our children to understand the processes that go into obtaining their food. Some of them want to share their knowledge of sewing and building with those who need it. Others are prospective users who are looking for a cheesemake, a commercial kitchen, or a gallery and workspace that they can use to celebrate their artistic talents.

These are that “Small band,” only it’s a larger band that it used to be.  Word is getting out about us, which is wonderful.  We’ve received offers of donated equipment, potential lessees for facilities, user groups that need the facilities and others in the region who see the value of coming together to build a better region.  We’re trying to think sustainably in our fundraising, minimizing paper and printing, creating useful things like potholders, and lasting items like our banner and buttons.  NCSC is trying to change the way we raise money, making it possible for more money to go the work and less to the production of those “gifts.”  It’s not as flashy as a huge banner, but the beauty of sustainability is in proper proportions and appropriateness. I hope you’ll see that value and help us by supporting our buttons, banners,  and bumper stickers while we wait for grant results and our next BIG steps. 

Join our small group committed to significant change. Like all ecosystems we need to help each other succeed. That’s our whole goal for NCSC, but we need external support initially so that we can do more to help others down the road.  Follow us on Facebook, at our websites, or just give us a call.  I’ll be blogging and doing other work while I heal, but I need other people to use their fingers to spread the word, and feed to carry the load while I get my strength back.  Will you help?  Thanks.

Exciting Earth Day

        It’s Earth Day! and I’m finally doing something important.  Throughout my life the environment has always been important in my decision-making, but I’ve been frustrated that I met so few people who shared that dedication. I was looking through “green colored glasses,” and only recognized those who lived their life the same way I did. It wasn’t until I became more experienced and saw how truly difficult it is to “live green.”

                For some it is a life of pacifism, vegetarianism and humility.  For others it is very different. For them it’s buying green, setting up “green businesses,” and trying to create a new life that is less reliant upon carbon fuels and harmful ingredients. Still others live a militant lifestyle, making harsh distinctions between “green” and “not green.”   But for most, it’s doing little things that they may not even realize are environmental statements; buying local food because they want to support a friend, or making their own clothes because they can’t find clothes that fit, or just like to sew.  The new “green lifestyle,” is found in walkable cities where cars are not necessary, and they share a community with like minded individuals.  Each of these is an appropriate definition, but they are not my lifestyle.

                I live in the country where I am surrounded by the plants and animals that remind me that my actions have consequences.  My farm keeps me humble, and I live the life of a “steward,” that my Christian upbringing taught me.  I certainly don’t have dominion here. I have co-existence.  I can’t keep the coyotes out, or the wolves that come through occasionally, but I can take steps to keep my critters safe. It’s much the same for each of us on this planet. We can’t stop asteroids, or affect another nation’s choices. The best we can do is educate, illustrate and control our own families, and show others that they have other choices that they can make.  We can ask them, implore them, scare them, but finally it comes down to a realization on their part that they CAN make a difference, and that they NEED to.

                That’s why I’m so honored to be a part of this project at the NCSC Hearth.  I finally get to be a part of “walking the walk,” AND help others make that choice to do the same. Some may come just because it’s more affordable than a convention business venture, but in so doing they are contributing to a better future for the region.

                For anyone who has been active in the environment for any length of time there comes a time when it feels futile. No one seems to hear the cries for change.  Politicians drop the word “environment” and then go ahead with damaging practices that continue the status quo.  But here at the NCSC Hearth we are finally going to be able to take an existing building, refit it for a more sustainable use, create local businesses and demonstrate that community efforts, alternative energies and environmental improvement do not have to wipe society off the map.  To be associated with this project is an overwhelming honor.  On this Earth Day I am very thankful that I can finally help others in a more tangible way. Will you join this community of environmental “abettors?” I hope so.

The NCSC Lily Pad

I feel a little like a mouse in the middle of the pond. I jumped onto a lily pad, knowing in my heart that there would be more lily pads to help me make it to the other side, but when I jumped out on the first pad, there weren’t any.  Well, another lily pad just sprung up! I’m closer to the other side than I was before, but there need to be a lot more pads to land on before I reach my destination.

We’ve made it to our first pad; North Country Sustainability Center, Inc. found a building we could work with, and we made an offer. It took awhile, but the offer was accepted!  We sign the Purchase and Sale agreement soon, and that leaves us a lot of work ahead of us. It won’t all be easy, but being able to see
that “pond side,” makes it a lot more fun. 

Now we get to really work on laying out the kitchen, the creamery and the cannery.  When we look at reducing the community footprint, we can do it with a real building in mind, not just an image.  We’ve started reaching out to the area towns and will be having informational meetings to let them know what we’re working on. And through that networking, I am hoping that the connecting stems between lily pads will make that path to the other side of the pond a little more obvious.

With looming budget cuts and a government that seems to be forgetting its people, we need to remember each other.  We need to help each other. Now, with a building to visualize, it’s a lot easier to see how that works. But we will still need a lot of other networking to get to the other side of our pond, to actually own our building and let North Country Sustainability Center do its job. Like the lily pads that collect the energy of the sun, NCSC collects that energy and  those of our the people to make a stronger future for us all. Look what a lily pad does for pond and a mouse, and imagine what a big brick one called “The Hearth” can do for its region.

A Pause in the Music

“Our world faces many challenges, environmental to economical. People have expressed fear about their future.  If you think of sustainability as a song, folk life and history are the bass line.  Technology, the arts and education are part of the melody, but it is the community that provides the harmony and the volume.  But if there are no instruments, no singers, and no musical staff,  the music doesn’t come together, and the voices are silent. The NCSC Hearth project would reuse a prominent historical building to be that staff, the space to hold the instruments and a place for the voices to gather.”

This is the description of the Hearth Project at NCSC that I put into the Cultural Facilities Grant.  Dave thought it was good enough to let more people know about it.  Driving the grant into Boston was an interesting carousel of feelings. First off, venturing into Boston is reason for high blood pressure for me, due to traffic concerns. But add to that the excitement of what will happen IF we are successfully granted the funds. Then whiplash set in when I pictured the faces of those who believe so strongly in this project, in me, IF we don’t get the grant.

We were supposed to have heard by now on our offer for The Hearth buildings, but that has been delayed while negotiation happens.  We had hoped to have that answer before we sent the grant in, but no luck there.  So now we wait.

But we have plans up our sleeves to keep “The Buzz” going while we wait.  We’ve started educational programs at a local church hall. The Farmer’s market is getting organized, and we have a special program by tickets only, next month, but it’s just a teaser until we get some confirmations.

Part of the worry is that I am due for surgery in early May, which will keep me house/computer bound until probably July, or later.  I have to trust that people will continue to work while I heal, blog, write and dream of potential programs, and hope.  I’m so grateful that I have people like Audrey, Ann, Dave, ML and others who can take up the slack while my leg bone reconnects to my hip bone.

Stay tuned, help if you can, spread the word, and say a prayer while we sit in this “pause” as we await the decisions of others. Boy , is it hard!

A Flicker in the Hearth

The blogosphere and editorials are full of exasperation, doom saying, and sadness. I can’t read them anymore. Like it’s not depressing enough to think about the state of our government, our nation, and our planet, the sheer wallowing makes me angry beyond words.

I’ve been an environmentalist all my life. When other kids were reading comic books I was studying National Wildlife’s Environmental Quality issue, cover to cover. That’s how green-geeky I am. But I’ve never had the patience for those who felt that lecturing, finger pointing or blaming was the way to make progress.  I share the frustration of watching my parents, peers and subsequent generations squander our natural resources, and take our government for granted.  But no one likes a tattletale, nor a know it all.  I’ve met so many people along the way in my life who wanted to do the right thing, but didn’t know what that was.

I spent my career trying to get people to care about their food, their planet, their neighbors, through education and example.  Sometimes it has felt fruitless, but those little glimmers of hope kept  me going.
I now work with a giant glimmer of hope – the North Country Sustainability Center, also called The Hearth.  At the Hearth people can learn how to live with the planet, not just on it.  But they can also build their own businesses, teaching, or making, or sharing, or helping, others, by using a shared facility with a variety of purposes.

Finally there’s a place that truly integrates all aspects of humanity into this equation of sustainability. We have to live on the planet, but along with surviving we try to celebrate the wealth of our community, our natural resources and the spirit of tenacious creativity.  However, with this flicker of hope, we need a gentle breath of hope and support.  We’ve received lots of good wishes, “attaboys,” “likes” and “shares,” but those don’t buy the antique mill, or pay the bills. If people want to really show people there is a way to live on this finite planet, in this America, we need some capitalistic assistance.   I’m not asking for a fortune from anyone. I’m asking for a few dollars from a lot of people.  We’ve applied for some great grants, and we’ve got some ground game growing, but this is a very poor part of Massachusetts. It shares more with Iowa and Kentucky than it does with Boston .  Please spread the word about NCSC, send a little money our way and watch the flicker grow to a roaring fire in the Hearth. Thanks,

Ideas Need Resources

I wish I had the words to adequately communicate the feelings that I experience when I think about the work we’re trying to do.  It is so filled with potential good, for so many people, in such a simple way, but very few people know about it.  I have to admit a sense of satisfaction when I speak to doubters, and listen to their voices shift from polite indifference to a smiling realization that this “good idea,” is feasible.

Food safety, crime, autism, veterans returning with invisible and visible injuries, failing schools, hungry families,  money being horded by corporations and a government that’s more worried about winning an election, than running a country; these are just some of the issues that we face. Add to that the specter of a changing climate, with corporations more concerned with profits than breathing, and who wouldn’t want to dig a hole and pull the door shut?

But if we’re going to survive as a culture, country and individuals, we need to muster our voices and strengths to fight the issues together.  If we want our children to have healthier lives and futures, we need to foster non-competitive connections between them, patience, responsibility, and cooperation. One answer to that is 4H, but that open arena can be used by others for animal training, farmer education, therapy for autistic people or returning veterans.  Agriculture not only raises food, but it requires physical activity, encourages science exploration, and builds practical math skills. It inspires arts, provides tool for creative exploration and opportunities for shared exploration and individual pride.

That same creative energy used to create clothes, bedding, housing, furniture, even sculptures and pottery, takes the fine arts into practical skills. But if we’re going to cut down on our individual energy use, and make these explorations possible, we need to share resources, from buildings to tools, networking to education.

If people have a place to follow their passions, build their dreams into businesses, and a resource to answer the question, “How do I start?” then our personal and community economy grows.  Those with skills prosper from teaching and students have destinations for where to seek those answers.  Frustration is funneled into following dreams, and community security and safety grows.  Providing those spaces, from studios to community kitchens, meeting space to hiking trails, answers that most frustrating barrier to success, access to legal, appropriate spaces.

Usually the answer to these needs is to have several groups compete for funding.  We are asking people to come together, share the load of making the space possible, for ALL of us to SHARE.  Though not all individuals will want to participate in all aspects of our program, the fact that someone else can, helps everyone follow their own passions. Though not all dog trainers will want to participate in animal assisted therapy, but they may want access to fresh ingredients for their pet’s diet, or for their own.  They may meet new friends and expand their own interests, or just find more people who share their own devotion to their dogs. Like an ecosystem, there are benefits for everyone, and costs to everyone, if this is to happen.

But because we are in a place that has been forgotten for more than a half a century, we don’t have big businesses, and a great deal of benefactors. We are trying everything we can think of to raise the funds to make this happen, but we need people to know about us, and help us.  We know that this is possible elsewhere, but not everyone wants to be that “test subject.” We do. And we are open to suggestions, and involvement from outside.  I’m tired of saying it, but there’s no other way. Can you help us with a few dollars? a few “shares” of the information? a call to a friend who might want to use our model?
Check us out at www.ncschearth.org or www.northcountrysustain.org.  Find us on YouTube at the hamesfarmer channel. We are an open book. Got a question? just ask.   Thanks. This is a chance to build a great future, with simple skills and existing resources. Can we include you in that toolkit for the future?

Sustainability is not a Sound Bite

Calling all visionaries!  Attention holistic thinkers! In a world that seems so dark and foreboding, NCSC “Hearth,” is a campfire that can unite people. But we need your energy, fuel for the funding fires and protection for the negative winds. I have spent the last few days on the phone with several well respected professionals in the field of sustainability, only to feel that somehow I am speaking a different language.

I love asking people to define sustainability.  Here are links to just a few, if you want to see what I’ve found:   Merriam – Webster.com, United Nations  , Environmental Protection Agency. These are the most concise definitions I’ve seen, other than the one that we use.  When I ask people in “the field,” either I’ve met prolonged silences or long, drawn out definitions, often revolving around the particular issue that they serve.  That got me wondering, and honestly, fuming. Do people go into “sustainability work,” because they have a pet issue, or do they go into for a more holistic reason? I don’t have an answer for that question, but I think it’s something worth asking.  

When I got involved in the environment, back when I was nine or ten, I could never answer the question, “Which issue matters most to you?”  To me that was like asking “Which parent do you love better?”  Now as an adult, though I have only one child, so that answer is easy. But when people ask me which is my favorite goat, I really can’t name one that is consistently “my favorite.” Some are in more urgent need than others. But I have also learned through farming, that sometimes in order to make life better for the herd down the road, that heartier, more resilient goats also need to be attended to.  The same goes with sustainability.

It is human to choose issues that are particularly dearer than others, but like nature in general, each issue is connected to the others. Sustainability can’t succeed if we chop it up into little pieces.  Global warming can’t be solved unless we look at how we use fossil fuels, AND how we adapt to the reality that we are currently facing.  The oceans can’t be healed unless we look at the way we raise our food AND dispose of our goods.  We can’t prepare for the future unless we factor in growing health issues, challenges such as Traumatic Brain Disorder, PTSD or autistic adults. These are realities that are part of building a sustainable future for the planet.

Thank God there are people who are dedicated to particular issues, but without an integrated approach to sustainability we won’t have a cohesive plan for our future.  We need to look at how issues overlap, and use our resources wisely.  In the wake of Newtown and Aurora, and countless other day to day shootings, we need to address societal violence.  Children are born with an innate curiosity and optimism, which somehow they are losing. If sustainability is going to work, we need to nurture that hope in our youth, and restore it in our adults, or the world will be an even scarier place.

When people ask me how dogs connect to local food, it is usually with skepticism.  I’ve been told that we need to have a “quick definition,” and stop trying to be “everything to everyone.” But I disagree that NCSC is a Pollyannish windmill that we are tilting at.  When I think about how our system works, and granted there will be stumbling blocks, like in all worthwhile endeavors, I am reminded of a neighborhood bully. You know the one.  He’s the one standing under the basketball hoop refusing  to move so you can’t use the court. He needs it, in a little while.  The space we are looking to buy has plenty of room to let many small businesses grow, providing services to community members who might otherwise not have access to them.  If we can provide a space that 4H kids can use, why not make it available to others when 4H isn’t using it?  Since 4H struggles with finding physical and financial resources like all non-profits, why not let others use it, such as dog trainers and animal-assisted therapists use it?  If they can use it to assist autistic people and disabled vets, what else can we make available to those populations, since they are going to be here anyway?

But this is a big idea is more than a sound bite. If we are to be a stronger, wiser society, we have to stop demanding that all issues fit in a commercial.  We need to stop protecting funds and resources for single issues, and see how we can share those resources.  In many ways we’ve become a nation of specialists, where generalists are sometimes needed.  There will always be a need for specialists, but if they are going to be doing their best work, they need to focus where that specialty is needed.  It is the general practitioner, whether a physician or a neighbor, that can make life function more smoothly, and integrate many factors into their solutions.

Our program is not going to grow if we have to rely on corporate or philanthropic forces. It needs individuals with a few dollars, and lots of connections.  Just like our preferred old building, it will be constructed of thousands of individual bricks, not a goliath cement mold from a major donor. There’s certainly room for that concrete, but that mill has held up since 1860 because the bricks worked together to keep it in place, just like sustainability.  Please visit our donation page and give what you can. Tell others about this blog, this project, and help us get more attention.  We mean it when we say we want to help others duplicate our efforts, but let us get up and going so you have a proven model to point to. If you want to see how our project grew, visit our youtube site at the hamesfarmer channel and see our video story there.

Our definition of sustainability is the perfect sound bite, one that leaves you thinking about the answer. What do you need to keep living where you live?  How long is your list?  I doubt it would make a great tag line, but it’s nonetheless, vital.  Thanks.