This document provides an overview of grassroots action and community organizing initiatives in New England. It lists programs like community-owned energy, energy raisers, deep energy retrofits and weatherization, comprehensive food plans, urban food forests, herb mobs, permablitzes, time banks, community revolving loan funds, local investment clubs, repair cafes, pop-up universities, pee-cycling, civic engagement, empowerment, inclusion, inspiration, and celebration. The document was created by Leigh Cameron of the New England Grassroots Environment Fund to share stories and resources for grassroots projects.
23. Thank You!
Leigh Cameron
New England Grassroots Environment Fund
Leigh@grassrootsfund.org
www.grassrootsfund.org
603-905-9915
Notes de l'éditeur
-Leigh Cameron with the New England Grassroots Environment Fund.
-The Grassroots Fund supports local sustainability initiatives throughout New England through small grants, trainings, resources, peer-to-peer story sharing.
-Opportunity to see the exciting local level action happening across the region and to work with groups that are addressing our environmental, economic, and social crises by experimenting with more sustainable ways of living.
-I want to share with you just a few of the ways that groups are making their communities more resilient.
Co-op Power (MA)
-Energy independence is key to resilience
-Not only are we seeing trends towards renewable energy but also community owned energy projects such as the model with Co-op Power, where local members control and reap the benefits from systems.
SUNREI
-SUNREI is using the new England tradition of barn-raising to install energy projects
-Neighbors helping neighbors, reducing installation costs while also empowering system owners with knowledge about how their systems work
Plainfield, NH
-Although solar and renewable energy is much more marketable and flashy, really incredible energy savings come from efficiency and weatherization work.
-The Town of Plainfield saw huge savings from their deep energy retrofit of the Plainfield Elementary School
-Several other groups doing weatherization work through Neighbor to Neighbor weatherization programs
Island Commons - RI
-Communities are also developing local food supplies, such as the Island Commons group on Aquidneck Island in RI
-They realized that their community would be extremely vulnerable in the event of natural so they are developing a comprehensive food plan to make their community more food secure.
Boston Food Forest Coalition
-We’re also seeing food forests popping up in urban areas like this one in Boston, increasing access to healthy local food in urban areas, using permaculture techniques such as food forest development
This group, Spoonful Herbals (Burlington, VT), is drawing connections between environmental and human health through herb mobs that increase the knowledge and use of local herbal medicine.
-Reducing the “drug miles” and environmental impact of pharmaceuticals while providing a local affordable sources of medicine to families and local clinics
-Permablitzes, gatherings where folks will come together to share skills related to permaculture and sustainable living
Brattleboro Time Trade (VT)
-During difficult financial times, folks are creating new economic systems and making ends meet by exchanging hours instead of dollars.
In Time Banks everyone’s time is valued equally-Rebuilding community connections, Capitalizing on local knowledge, skills, resources, Everyone’s time valued equally, Access to resources & services
-This farmer in Bowdoinham, ME was able to obtain a tractor through a community revolving loan fund that grew out a community meeting where residents were discussing peak oil and he stood up and said you know to grow more local food, I really just need a tractor. This conversation sparked the Bowdoinham Community Development Initiative to invest local dollars in local projects.
BALE – Local Investment Club (South Royalton, VT)
Repair Cafes (CT)
Bethel University (bethel, VT)
Rich Earth Institute
-Folks are tapping into resources that we never even think about as assets – such as the Rich Earth Institute, which is changing the way we understand human manure: to stop seeing it as a waste to be disposed of, and to start recognizing it as a resource to be reclaimed as they recycle into sanitized fertilizer that is then reused on farms.
Boston Climate Action Network
-This group is identifying and raising awareness about natural gas leaks in the Boston area and putting pressure on local government and utilities to address these issues.
-Garden Time provides garden training programs for incarcerated men and women, teaching inmates to grow their own food for economic and personal self-reliance; and helping them identify and connect with existing opportunities for permanent re-entry into society.
theMOVE -An important piece of the resiliency discussion is who is most vulnerable? Who is being left out? How do we make sure we’re reaching everyone and ensuring sure that everyone has the skills & resources they need.
-It’s also about reaching people in new ways, connecting with people at a deeper level, and tapping human creativity to inspire us to build a brighter future.
-Tem Blessed, an environmental hip-hop artist from New Bedford, MA raising awareness about climate and environmental justice issues through spoken word and music.
-Music and art incredibly powerful to build community and bring people together around a common cause.
-And music also gives us a way to celebrate & remember that a resilient future doesn’t have to be barren, but rather rich, beautiful and fun.
-This is a just a glimpse of the exciting and revolutionary work that is emerging at the grassroots level in New England and there are many many more examples (almost 2,000 groups on this map)
