The Community Weaver platform has advanced to a 2.0 release, which means that our TTWRJ Time Bank just got a lot more functional! Please check it out, and start using it! Thanks!
http://whitetimebanks.timebanks.org/
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
WRJ Community Garden
Well August is here. The season is changing. Plants are in their fullest form right now and the harvest is abound. This year at the community garden we have had lots of good things happening and we've learned some important lessons about what makes a community garden work.
The garden was expanded this summer to include three additional new plots. Some neighborhood friends felt inspired to build and plant these plots so that the vegetables grown could be donated and available for the wider community. When the time finally came, they walked around town distributing their produce into the hands of many a people. We also hosted a cooking class with The Junction Teen Life Skills Center using a Jamaican recipe for Bok Choy. The result was coconut deliciousness that was served to class attendants at the garden. We also made kale chips with the youth. Karen Ganey from The Center for Sustainable Practice joined us as a teacher in this project. Building community partnerships was one of the goals for the garden this summer and it has been fun to share the riches that garden offers.
In the future, I think the notion of having "community plots" where all people are invited to have free produce is a great idea. People always have extra seeds and seedlings lying around in the spring time! In the community garden there will most likely be some extra space to plant so it should be taken advantage of in a way that brings people from ALL walks of life together. Keep in mind what you're planting. Cooking with some vegetables can feel foreign to some people. This is why we focused on holding classes. Also, have a plan for distribution. We found that inviting the towns people to pick up their free vegetables at the community garden, just walking distance from town, was not successful. Maybe having a central location once a week with signs all over town would create a stronger interest. In transition town it's all about metaphorically planting the seed and watching it grow. I think next year will be even better!
We also held FREE monthly classes in the garden taught be the infamous and generous Cat Buxton from Cedar Circle Farm. She voluntarily came and shared her knowledge. The farm also donated a whole bunch of seedlings in the beginning of the year to grow in the Haven Plots. The Junction also started some of these seedlings. Everything harvested from here was either donated to the Junction, the Haven or the Good Neighbor Health Clinic.
A medicinal garden was established this year in between the old box elder stumps. We have a variety of good, resilient medicinal plants. Yesterday we had our first FREE medicine making class. Women of all generations, from newborns to grandmothers, sat under the willow tree canopy and learned how to make echinacea tincture. This echinacea was harvested from the perennial garden. Everyone who attended the class will receive a vial of the tincture. Once the plants are all well established, after a winter of hardening, we hope to have many more classes.
In just a few months the gardens will be covered in snow again. Before winter we hope to have a class on making sauerkraut and the benefits of fermented foods and a few more work party's to get the garden to bed. All in a growing season, boy does it pass by fast. It will be nice to have the winter to spend some time planning events for next year. Stay tuned!
The garden was expanded this summer to include three additional new plots. Some neighborhood friends felt inspired to build and plant these plots so that the vegetables grown could be donated and available for the wider community. When the time finally came, they walked around town distributing their produce into the hands of many a people. We also hosted a cooking class with The Junction Teen Life Skills Center using a Jamaican recipe for Bok Choy. The result was coconut deliciousness that was served to class attendants at the garden. We also made kale chips with the youth. Karen Ganey from The Center for Sustainable Practice joined us as a teacher in this project. Building community partnerships was one of the goals for the garden this summer and it has been fun to share the riches that garden offers.
In the future, I think the notion of having "community plots" where all people are invited to have free produce is a great idea. People always have extra seeds and seedlings lying around in the spring time! In the community garden there will most likely be some extra space to plant so it should be taken advantage of in a way that brings people from ALL walks of life together. Keep in mind what you're planting. Cooking with some vegetables can feel foreign to some people. This is why we focused on holding classes. Also, have a plan for distribution. We found that inviting the towns people to pick up their free vegetables at the community garden, just walking distance from town, was not successful. Maybe having a central location once a week with signs all over town would create a stronger interest. In transition town it's all about metaphorically planting the seed and watching it grow. I think next year will be even better!
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| Harvest for the Haven |
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| Plant Medicine |
In just a few months the gardens will be covered in snow again. Before winter we hope to have a class on making sauerkraut and the benefits of fermented foods and a few more work party's to get the garden to bed. All in a growing season, boy does it pass by fast. It will be nice to have the winter to spend some time planning events for next year. Stay tuned!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Social Media
This site is now connected to social media moguls Facebook and Twitter. Any new posts on this site will be cross-posted on these sites, which makes it easier for you to keep up with transition!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Transition-Town-White-River-Junction/124493210932745
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ttwrj
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Transition-Town-White-River-Junction/124493210932745
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ttwrj
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Dandelion Juice
This year Transition Town joined dozens of other local farmers and restaurants in an event called Flavors of the Valley at Hartford High School. Hundreds of people came to get a taste of spring, literally. There were spring greens, mini quiches, I even saw little baby chicks! Flower starts were being sold and given away for free. With all of this cold weather it was a blessing to celebrate the warming gifts of April.
We shared a table with the Upper Valley Food Coop who kindly donated a large portion of the ingredients needed for our recipe which we called Spring Cleaning Juice. We used grated, frozen pear, switchel (maple syrup, H20, and vinegar), and dandelion greens. The most attractive part of our presentation seemed to be the bike blender, made by Karl Kemnitzer and a few other members of Transition Town Hartland. We used the bike to make our juice right there on the spot. The final product was green, perfectly sweet with just a touch of bitter and very refreshing! The public remarks ranged widely from "You can eat dandelions!" to "Oh my mother used to make me eat these, good nutrition ya know." Some of the old timers even called our switchel "Old time Gatorade." It felt magical to feel the connection between generations of people. You could sense that everybody was surprised; either to see these coming back into style or to learn that these weeds are useful and yummy!
Our intention was to draw on the intersection of sustainable technology, backyard edibles and preventative health. Dandelion greens are high in iron and minerals and help to cleanse the blood. With their bitter taste they stimulate bile production by the liver which is the primary organ responsible for detoxifying our bodies.
This is what Transition Town is all about: realizing the interdependent relationship between all living and non living aspects of a functioning society and bringing them together in a way that establishes community, encourages connection, and promotes health for people and the environment using resources that are already immediately available.
We shared a table with the Upper Valley Food Coop who kindly donated a large portion of the ingredients needed for our recipe which we called Spring Cleaning Juice. We used grated, frozen pear, switchel (maple syrup, H20, and vinegar), and dandelion greens. The most attractive part of our presentation seemed to be the bike blender, made by Karl Kemnitzer and a few other members of Transition Town Hartland. We used the bike to make our juice right there on the spot. The final product was green, perfectly sweet with just a touch of bitter and very refreshing! The public remarks ranged widely from "You can eat dandelions!" to "Oh my mother used to make me eat these, good nutrition ya know." Some of the old timers even called our switchel "Old time Gatorade." It felt magical to feel the connection between generations of people. You could sense that everybody was surprised; either to see these coming back into style or to learn that these weeds are useful and yummy!
Our intention was to draw on the intersection of sustainable technology, backyard edibles and preventative health. Dandelion greens are high in iron and minerals and help to cleanse the blood. With their bitter taste they stimulate bile production by the liver which is the primary organ responsible for detoxifying our bodies.
This is what Transition Town is all about: realizing the interdependent relationship between all living and non living aspects of a functioning society and bringing them together in a way that establishes community, encourages connection, and promotes health for people and the environment using resources that are already immediately available.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
What's going on with Time Bank?
Believe it or not, Spring is here! And we have been working quietly behind the scenes building the community through Time Bank. All systems are "go!" Let's get it jump-started!
Services so far offered include: kayak adventures; computer software support; child care; dance lessons; Reiki sessions; French lessons; political music; tutoring; songwriting; grunt-work; biking & hiking; respite services; pet-watching; errands; guitar lessons; Spanish lessons; shamanic healing; life coaching; transportation; help with cooking; manicures.....
Services requested include: how to work my sewing machine; help with yoga; x-country skis; help with painting a porch; help with insulating a modular home......
Remember that Time Bank stands for these 5 Core Values:
1. ASSETS - everyone has something to contribute.
2. REDEFINING WORK: All work is valuable and contributes to building community.
3. RECIPROCITY: How can we help each other?
4. SOCIAL NETWORKS: We need each other.
5. RESPECT: Respect demands accountability.
Let's be active in helping to promote these values by utilizing our Time Bank!
This month, we coordinators will be meeting with all the other Vermont Time Banks, so send your questions and suggestions for us to share with our network. If you have any questions specifically about our own database, please ask Lorraine or comment on this blog post. And don't forget the link: http://community.timebanks.
Thanks for your good faith and good energy, all! Use and enjoy our Time Bank!
Frederica Graham
Lorraine Sevigny
Services so far offered include: kayak adventures; computer software support; child care; dance lessons; Reiki sessions; French lessons; political music; tutoring; songwriting; grunt-work; biking & hiking; respite services; pet-watching; errands; guitar lessons; Spanish lessons; shamanic healing; life coaching; transportation; help with cooking; manicures.....
Services requested include: how to work my sewing machine; help with yoga; x-country skis; help with painting a porch; help with insulating a modular home......
Remember that Time Bank stands for these 5 Core Values:
1. ASSETS - everyone has something to contribute.
2. REDEFINING WORK: All work is valuable and contributes to building community.
3. RECIPROCITY: How can we help each other?
4. SOCIAL NETWORKS: We need each other.
5. RESPECT: Respect demands accountability.
Let's be active in helping to promote these values by utilizing our Time Bank!
This month, we coordinators will be meeting with all the other Vermont Time Banks, so send your questions and suggestions for us to share with our network. If you have any questions specifically about our own database, please ask Lorraine or comment on this blog post. And don't forget the link: http://community.timebanks.
Thanks for your good faith and good energy, all! Use and enjoy our Time Bank!
Frederica Graham
Lorraine Sevigny
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Interfaith Dialog 1/19/2011 Update
Here is a link to the edited (certain individuals' comments were removed) transcript from the last Interfaith Dialog.
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1tw_xb7ROMXlMy9xFIvjR3igeC5Gy0v6ZCp3pHBON0z8
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1tw_xb7ROMXlMy9xFIvjR3igeC5Gy0v6ZCp3pHBON0z8
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Peak moment television and Midwifery
I'm posting two links here:
Midwifery
I found the next link on this blog site. There is a 30 minute video which is pretty informal but offers a lot of good information on the nature of birth in our country. The video ties birth into peak oil... oooh lala, two of my favorite topics. Aside from the video, this blog really kicks butt if you know anybody who is interested in midwifery or is pregnant and needs to be empowered to have trust in her own body to give birth....
Peak Moment TV
This website has videos discussing all different subjects pertaining to societal change and peak oil. Just another resource to know about!
Midwifery
I found the next link on this blog site. There is a 30 minute video which is pretty informal but offers a lot of good information on the nature of birth in our country. The video ties birth into peak oil... oooh lala, two of my favorite topics. Aside from the video, this blog really kicks butt if you know anybody who is interested in midwifery or is pregnant and needs to be empowered to have trust in her own body to give birth....
Peak Moment TV
This website has videos discussing all different subjects pertaining to societal change and peak oil. Just another resource to know about!
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