A Week of Awesome

Hey all,

This week has been a pretty packed and awesome one for me. Eating good local grub all week and playing lots of music with my friends have kept me in great spirits. Yesterday, I went to the Good Foods Co-Op down the street from my home for the grand re-opening. Two guys playing the fiddle made me grin from ear to ear for about 20 minutes. I then proceeded to sample everything free they could offer, making a small meal out of it. This was great considering the $9-$12 plate of food from the buffet, depending on the weight of the plate. I filled one up anyway even after the samples! After eating, I milled around the store some more, talking with people who had set up tables with their wares or organizations to represent. I stumbled upon one gentleman whom I swear was put there for me to meet by a higher power; I have decided to take a faith-based approach to my action project, and the man I spoke to has plenty of experience in that field! Jim Embry is the founder and director of the Sustainable Communities Network, a group that works with all kinds of organizations to build sustainable communities from the ground up. They specialize in "Sacred Earth" connections, environmental health, social justice, community empowerment and economic prosperity. I began talking with him about my ideas or the action project, and the church community I am part of. His eyes lit up: he not only knew my church, but someone in Calvary Baptist Church that was currently working on a degree in sustainability practices! I forget the exact title of the degree she was pursuing, but we exchanged contact information, and she plans on connecting me with others in the local community and resources that could help me along the way. As for Jim, we not only exchanged information, but he also suggested that I work on getting people from my church to join him at the Bluegrass Food Security Summit on March 18 and 19th, in which the Kentucky Council of Churches is a big part of. I think my action project could catapult me into some real long-term community action/organizing in the future beyond this semester and degree!

Needless to say, I am pumped. I did not know these venues existed, and I am finding that there is an entire network of people that could point me into the right direction for real action. I also plan on attending the Community Gardening Workshop meeting March 13th....

This could lead to some really cool stuff! Also, a book I would like to suggest to the class. I am sure that some of you ambitious fellows may have already heard of this book, but it is really neat; The Sustainable World Source Book is a clever and helpful guide to making steps towards a sustainable lifestyle, and what realistic solutions and action ordinary people can take everyday. Check it out, it is a good resource I think.....