Month 2 Wrap-Up!

          Julia Navaro, Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions | June 5, 2013

Another month at Community Solutions has passed already! This month has been filled with various events and happenings. Faith is finishing up the Passive House film, Trinica has been interviewing folks for the next ‘New Solutions Report’ issue, Pat has been working diligently on his film about electric vehicles, Faith and I have made much progress in the garden, and all of us have been contributing to the work that needs to be done in the office since Jeanna went on maternity leave. Time seems to go by so quickly here. It feels like yesterday I was digging out old garden fence posts with Jenny and John and talking to Jeanna about what she’s going to name her baby. Now there’s a precious little Zander Pacheco Breza in the world and a whole new set of fence posts in the ground! Oh, how things change beautifully.

Community Solutions continues to provide an ideal place for one such as me to work. I am able to have the opportunity to meet others who are passionate about the health of the environment and humanity; and to learn how they are creatively responding to climate change and an energy crisis in the ways they live their lives. I was able to join Trinica in an interview with a Yellow Springs local and Professor at University of Dayton, Bob Brecha, at his straw bale house. We learned about his philosophy and beliefs that inspire his low energy lifestyle. Through various articles I review for our Facebook and Twitter, sent to me, I also learn how communities across the country seek to remedy environmental and social injustice through the way they live together. And as always, I get to learn how Pat and Faith spread the word about viable solutions to climate change such as the Passive House.

Some of the highlights of this month for me include a meeting about the electric vehicle film Pat and I had with the managers at a local Toyota dealership, harvesting some of the first vegetables and herbs from the garden, and reading several interesting articles about energy and climate change (including this gem by Kurt Cobb at resilience.org). In the meantime, much of my time has gone into the office tasks Jeanna prepared us for before she had her baby—responding to emails and inquiries, getting orders and donations processed with Trinica, sending out updates, and managing our database.

I will close out this monthly update with news about the garden. I have an avid interest in gardening and it has been invaluable for me to garden with Faith, an expert gardener, who offers me gardening wisdom whenever she gets a chance. This past month, our main gardening project was putting up the deer fence—which was completed by some local friends. Other projects have included planting cauliflower, kale, collards, broccoli, and onions; weeding and mulching the beds, and harvesting some of the veggies and herbs.

I truly value what I am learning in the garden because I view gardening as one of the best things one can do for both your soul and for the environment. Not only is growing one’s own food a way to depart from unsustainable food practices, but it is also very empowering. I hope the garden we are building will be an inspiration for others to practice gardening, as well, and to see in it all the beauty that a garden can bestow.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

          Trinica Sampson, Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions | June 5, 2013

It’s that time again! The end of the month is upon us sooner than I expected. Yesterday, Julia, Faith, and I spent some time marveling at how fast the time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday that we were posting about our first completed month, and it seems that only a few days before that, I was walking into Community Solutions for my first day on the job. Time truly does fly when you’re having fun, and I will be incredibly sad to see this month come and go, marking the end of my co-op internship with the wonderful folks at 114 East Whiteman Street.

This past month has been all about settling into my stride. With Jeanna on maternity leave, Julia and I met to discuss which duties we would each be taking on in order to keep the office running as smoothly as possible. Having another person with which to share duties and ask questions has been wonderful. Working together, we have been able to keep track of orders and donations and manage the daily tasks that come with working at Community Solutions.

Spring is truly upon us now; albeit a much more humid and temperamental spring than I am used to in California! On the whole, the weather has been beautiful, allowing Julia and Faith to do more gardening without the oppressive rain getting in the way. They recently harvested a bushel of marjoram and ten pounds of rhubarb, which I bestowed upon the Antioch College kitchen last week, much to the excitement from students and chefs who saw me bringing the vegetables in. The inner office has undergone some spring cleaning in the past couple of weeks, with extraneous furniture moved out of the room and a file system implemented to help keep desktops clear. Other signs of spring include copious amounts of pollen-induced sneezing and the increased need for office fans and opened windows.

We have been working on a variety of tasks for the past couple of weeks, including creating flyers for Passive House: A Building Renovation film screenings, registering for conferences at which to show the film, proofreading the credits and subtitles for the film, researching and writing a newsletter to send CS members, and presenting the early stages of Pat’s upcoming film to various members of the community who have given invaluable comments. My main project at the moment is writing an upcoming New Solutions report, using information from interviews I have been conducting with Faith throughout this month. We have all definitely been keeping busy!

In this last month of working here, I am excited to finish the New Solutions report and begin the editing process with it. I am also excited to sit in on a Community Solutions Executive Board meeting on June 7th, as well as a meeting of the Yellow Springs Energy Board on June 11th. The longer I work here, the more connections I can see between Community Solutions, Yellow Springs, and the members of the Antioch College community. I am excited to see what opportunities these connections will bring in the future!