Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society
Restoring and promoting the health of all life in the Chesapeake Watershed
through education and action projects organized by volunteers
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Happy Early Summer 2015,
We Can All Contribute in Diverse Ways to the Global--Local--Urban-Suburban-Rural Land Care and Food Revolution!!!
Across the map from villages in India and Africa to Washington DC there is a growing awareness that to avoid ecological disaster and to support our own health we must fundamentally transform the way we care for the land and produce food for the planet's 7 billion persons http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/05/20/women-and-biodiversity-feed-world-not-corporations-and-gmos. Citizens are empowering each other to move away from a wasteful and polluting model of industrial monoculture model of food production that is destroying biodiversity and is one of the largest contributors to climate change. A small but critical thing that we can do is to change the way we care for the space, however, small and brief the time--- that is given to us to steward--right in our own front and back yards, porches, balconies, parks and rooftops! We also know that we can't do it alone and that building inclusive diverse community is critical. Pictured above are the young Earth Stewards (aka the Earth Squad) from Franklin Park doing their part planting their seedlings, learning about foods and food security issues from around the globe---and learning about a new vertical growing demonstration living wall and large cistern collecting run-off from the roof of the Center. The first parts of this project were installed just in time for the May 16 Celebration of Spring at Springhill Lake Recreation Center. When completed it will provide water for the Three Sisters Garden and the Greenbelt Food Forest using a solar pump to distribute the water. Many thanks to all from the University of Maryland, City of Greenbelt, CHEARS, Tap Roots and Maker Space who are partnering on the project!
In this edition of the newsletter, we invite households interested in working in a co-operative way with their neighbors and friends to participate in a HEYCO pilot study focused on the feasibility of starting and sustaining a co-op specifically focused on promoting best land care practices using permaculture and organic land care principles and standards. We also announce that CHEARS is transitioning to an all volunteer organization and issue a call for volunteers interested in working on the many administrative and communication tasks of a 501c3 collective impact organization. See the articles below for more information on both these opportunities to contribute and co-learn new skills.
Thanks for all you do,
Maggie Cahalan, CHEARS Vounteer Newsletter Editor
If you have questions about CHEARS or would like to volunteer, contact anyone of our board members!
The Chears Board of Stewards ( Convener, Carolyn Lambright-Davis, [email protected]; Vice Convener, Bob Cahalan, [email protected]; Treasurer, Kate Prager, [email protected]; Secretary, Joan Clement, [email protected]; Doron Antrim, [email protected]; Maggie Cahalan, [email protected]; Bill Davis, [email protected]; Mary Ellsworth, [email protected]; Marcia Freeman, [email protected]; Eugenia Kalnay, [email protected]; Bennie Smith, [email protected]; Chandra Taylor Smith, [email protected])
CHEARS is always in need of donations to support our projects . To make a monetary contribution, Click Here to go to the CHEARS website and then Click on the donate button in the lower left corner to make an online donation or send a Check to:
CHEARS
PO Box 1841
Greenbelt, MD 20768
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Visit the calendar for a full listing of our events.
Did you know...you can update your contact information and CHEARS eNews preferences? Click here!
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...or text CHEARS to 22828
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CHEARS Transitioning to an All-Volunteer Organization Thank You For You Do and Will Do!
When CHEARS was co-founded in 2006, almost 10 years ago, we envisioned having less money and more time to devote to CHEARS when we retired. Well, ten years later, retirement is now in the picture, or happening for some of us. So, starting in October, 2015, CHEARS will be transitioning to an all-volunteer organization with no paid part time executive director. We appreciate the many contributions made this past year by our current executive director, Jeannie Bellina, and want to thank her for all that she has done and will continue to do until September 30th, to help CHEARS operations and projects function smoothly. Two projects she has really pitched in on are the Greenbelt Green Man Festival and the Three Sisters Gardens Public Art and Signage Project. Thank you, Jeannie! To make this transition, we are looking for an administrative services organization to manage our financial records. We are also looking for volunteers to help with administrative tasks, social media and website updates, communications and fundraising tasks; to provide extra help for projects since there will be no paid executive director to help out; and to serve as CHEARS liaison with the Greenbelt Department of Public Works by helping to recruit volunteers for the joint projects taking place on Greenbelt's public lands. So this is a good time for you to think about stepping up to help with CHEARS projects and administrative tasks. If you'd like to help with the CHEARS newsletter or serve on the CHEARS Communications Committee, contact [email protected]. If you're interested in helping with social media and volunteer recruitment, contact Erin Josephitis at [email protected]. If you'd like to help with other administrative tasks or serve on the CHEARS Operations Committee, contact Joan Clement at [email protected]. If you have ideas for fundraising and would like to join the CHEARS Fundraising Committee, contact Carolyn Lambright-Davis at [email protected]. If you have experience with web development and would like to help with the CHEARS website - contact Bob Cahalan at [email protected]. If you are interested in event planning, and want to help CHEARS celebrate its upcoming 10th anniversary or organize other events, contact Carolyn Lambright-Davis at [email protected]. If you want to volunteer for CHEARS projects, contact the project coordinators as follows: GCAN - Lore Rosenthal at [email protected], Stone Soup/Harvest Festival/9 Lives Yard Sales/Green Man Festival - [email protected], CHESTORY/CHEL - [email protected], Dynamic Governance - Aileen Kroll at [email protected], Three Sisters Gardens,/HEYCO - Maggie Cahalan at [email protected]. If have suggestions or feedback, contact anyone mentioned above or Jeannie Bellina at [email protected]. If you email one of us, but don't get a response right away, call the CHEARS voicemail #: 301-454-0241. CHEARS is here to serve the community, and we look forward tapping the many resources our community has to offer and getting to know more volunteers over the coming year!
Volunteer Maryland Project
Many thanks to the 40 + volunteers for the Earth Day Watershed Cleanup sponsored by the City of Greenbelt in partnership with (CHEARS) and the Alice Ferguson Foundation! We collected 25 large bags of recyclable materials, 23 bags of trash, and 759 pounds of bulk trash. Several shopping carts, tires, and a bicycle were also collected during the cleanup.
Thanks also to all the volunteers for the Green Man Festival 2015--- and all those who have worked over the years since the first festival was held in 2005. Together we have made it a growing success dedicated to increasing our love for and stewardship of our beautiful earth. Special shout out to Richard for co-ordinating the festival for 11 years and to Jeannie Bellina for her hard work on the 2015 festival. Thanks also to the many folk who worked on making this a zero waste event and especially to Susan Barnett who mobilized us all in this effort. Check out the pictures on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chearsorg
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Forested---An Urban Area Treasure---in Bowie MD
Come see, a 10-acre forest garden just outside Washington, DC. They offer workshops on everything from forest garden design to pastured ducks, grafting to vertical gardening, and much more! Click the link to visit the Forested website. http://forested.us/
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Click above to see clip from Lincoln's presentation to the PA Energy Fest
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CHEARS knows Lincoln Smith as the designer of the Greenbelt Food Forest at Springhill Lake Recreation Center and as the co-teacher of our popular CHEARS Cheasapeake Forest Gardens Permaculture Courses that he co-taught with Kim Wash of CHEARS.
Below are some of his thoughts on his work.
" People can work with ecology in the 21st century, and we'll show you how. A new kind of forest sustainably provides things for people because depleting the environment to get what we need no longer works.
Forest gardening is for anyone who wants to get back in the flow of ecology on their piece of land, no matter how large or small. Have you ever wished there was a way for people to benefit the environment by living their lives, instead of just damaging it to some degree?
We're working on the ecosystems of the future, with people as positive participants. We're confident our classes and design work will be of great value to you, and we're committed to helping you succeed. Come explore the bounty of a forest garden."
Lincoln Smith
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CHEARS Permaculture and Organic Land Care Projects
Using the NOFA organic land care standards http://www.organiclandcare.net/accreditation/standards as guides and inspired by permacuture ethics and principles http://permacultureprinciples.com/ --- The Three Sisters Demonstration Gardens and Food Forests were begun in 2010-12 by CHEARS volunteers in partnership with the City of Greenbelt. The gardens, located on three sites that are part of the public commons, have a linked goal to co-learn and build community about how to better care for our Chesapeake Watershed lands especially given the realities of climate change and the environmental stress on the watershed. Recognizing our global links we also wish to be a small part of the search for finding better ways to feed ourselves and our global community. The gardens are always in need of volunteers--- to plant and re-plant, to mulch and weed and re-mulch and re-weed and especially to water the growing plants over our hot summer. We usually work with buddies of at least 2 persons...some garden buddies meet up very early in the morning before work--others in the early evening. If you have an interest and would like to volunteer contact our garden coordinators listed below to get on the summer care schedule.
Please contact one of the following Garden Volunteer Project Coordinators to arrange times to have fun and help in the gardens.
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Permaculture Principles and Ethics
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Volunteer Households Needed to Participate in Chears Healthy Eco-Yards Co-op (HEYCO) Project Feasibility Study
For the past year and a half, the Healthy Eco-yards Co-op (HEYCO) has been one of 6 potential new co-op's participating in an incubator group that has been meeting monthly to co-learn and give support to each other in starting new co-op's in the Greenbelt area. Utilizing a grant from the Greenbelt Community Foundation, workshops have been held on how to start a co-op. One of the recommendations is to conduct a feasibility pilot as part is of the start up process. Our feasibility study is looking for 6 to 8 volunteer households to participate in the year long pilot study set to begin in late summer. We re looking for a diverse group of folks who have a desire to work co-operatively to increase their own health and that of the watershed by exploring edible landscapes and implementing best organic land care and permaculture practices. Our goal is to co-operate to measurably reduce the polluted run off into the Chesapeake Bay, reduce our carbon footprint, build healthy soil in our own yards and local commons--and to increase our own health and well being by growing a small portion of our food, spending more time outdoors and in community building. It is not necessary that you have a yard to participate or are able to do physical activity, but participants must be willing to spend some time outside even if its just sitting and reflecting---we need that too! Those interested in participating in the feasibility pilot contact [email protected].
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GCAN UPDATE
MEETINGS
Our next GCAN Meeting is on Wed, June 3, 7-9:15 pm. The topic is "Prince George's County Sustainability Update with Adam Ortiz". You will receive a separate email with more details in late-May.
SWITCH TO WIND ENERGY BY MAY 22nd. Greenbelt is again participating in an educational campaign, to encourage folks to switch to 100% wind energy. This program is through the non-profit, Groundswell. Jane Young is again heading up the "Greenbelt Wind Group". For more information, visit www.groundswell.org/energy (and be sure to choose "Greenbelt Wind Group" from the drop down menu). Groundswell announced the winning supplier (WGL Energy) and the negotiated group rates (9.7 cents per kWh for one year; 9.6 cents per kWh for two years). The deadline to enroll is May 22nd. DISCUSSION CIRCLES We plan to start a new discussion circle in June. For more info, visit http://chears.org/gcan/discussion-circles/. The topic will be "Sustainability and Resilience for Greenbelt Newcomers". If you are interested, please let Lore know what nights of the week work best for you. GCAN "ACTIVISTS" We continue to have a broad-spectrum focus. CITY: We are not monitoring any City Council issues at the moment. In May, we supported the work of the Green Team Zero Waste initiative at the Greenbelt Green Man Festival. We also continue to monitor the process of the Homes Improvement Project, which had a major vote at the GHI Annual Meeting. GHI Members approved a loan of $3M for the crawlspace remediation and $7M for optional measures (such as attic insulation, programmable thermostats, mini-split heat pumps, etc.). COUNTY: We have been working with Susan Ungar of PG-OFA to lobby our representatives on the state level. Mark you calendars, May 21-29 for more actions being planned in Washington, DC, to oppose the Cove Point Facility (in Lusby, MD, Calvert County). http://beyondextremeenergy.org/ SPECIAL PROJECTS The Greenbelt Cooperative "Incubator" Group continues to meet. Current coop ideas are an Early Learning Center in Franklin Park, a Composting Co-op to make organic soil, A Worker Co-op for the Old Greenbelt Theater, A Kids Co-op to do printing and copying, a Thrift Store, and an Edible Landscaping Co-op. The Incubator received a $5,000 grant from the Greenbelt Community Foundation to learn about writing bylaws, articles of incorporation, and how to register as a coop. Our final workshop will take place on Sunday, June 14, 2- 4 pm. Contact [email protected] for more info. Re-Skilling Workshop Committee - Greenbelt Makerspace (formerly Club 125) is now "the place to go" to learn to make your own household cleaners, fermented foods, repair household items, etc.. See their full calendar at http://makerspace125.org/ Salon Night - Judy Hamburg has been showing monthly movies at her house in Seabrook. We believe this salon is on hiatus while Judy relocates to Greenbelt! Please contact Judy at 301-794-8221 or [email protected] for details.
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Trees for Sacred Places
offers FREE trees and environmental/ spiritual education for faith communities/ schools/ retreat centers! The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is partnering with the Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake to encourage houses of worship to plant trees on their property. https://allianceforthebay.org/our-work/healing-the-land/chesapeake-forests-program/trees-for-sacred-places/
This ambitious program offers houses of worship the following:
- Educational workshops on the importance of tree planting in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
- Hands-on training for tree planting and maintenance
- Spiritual workshops to explore the faith teachings on stewardship along with the spiritual meaning of trees and water in faith traditions
- Crew leaders to guide the houses of worship volunteers on the planting day
- And, of course, FREE trees!
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay received funding from Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. For more information contact:
Kolya Braun-Greiner, M.Div. [email protected]Trees for Sacred Places Program Manager Trees are Earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven. - Rabindranath Tagore Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake
501 6th Street, Annapolis, MD 21403 www.interfaithchesapeake.org
Home office: 301-920-0226, Cell: 301-909-8943
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Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society
P.O. Box 1841 | Greenbelt, MD 20768
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