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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Maya Woman prepare traditional foods in the market place February 2016
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Greetings To All,
The CHEARS Flows project and the Three Sisters Gardens and Food Forest for 2016 has a special focus on learning about and appreciating the gifts of the Maya people to us all. Many of us have heard of the famous Mayan calendar, and the gifts of domestication of our most frequently eaten and loved foods---corn, beans, squashes, chocolate, and peppers but few of us know of the The Milpa Cycle model of sustainable forest gardening http://exploringsolutionspast.org/maya-forest-gardens/the-milpa-cycle-2/the-milpa-cycle-shaped-the-maya-forest/
On April 11 marchers with Democracy Spring will arrive in the nation's capital. It's expected to be the largest civil disobedience action in decades. The action starts on April 2 with participants marching from Philadelphia to Washington DC to demonstrate the critical need to reform to save our democracy. They arrive in our area on April 9th and as an act of solidarity, Lore R. is organizing folks to help cook a meal together for 150 of the marchers using simple foods such as the black beans brought to us by the culture of the Maya women pictured above cooking together (if you can help please email lore@simplicity-matters.org,) In a recent edition of Yes Magazine, Frances Moore Lappé known for her concern with food security explained why she is coming to engage in civil disobedience and why she thinks its so important:
" In the hardest book of my life, which is about world hunger, I said that hunger is not encouraged by the scarcity of food but by the scarcity of democracy. And I swore that I would just dive in and work to build a democracy movement because that was the root of it all."
Come join in cooking for the marchers for Democracy Spring on April 9th and also join us in the gardens and food forest this season, as we participate a little in the growing of our food, eating together, and co-learning together about regenerative and sustainable land care!
Thanks for all you do!
Maggie Cahalan, CHEARS Newsletter Editor,
and from the entire CHEARS Volunteer Board of Stewards.
The Chears Board of Stewards ( Convener, Carolyn Lambright-Davis, lambrightdavis@yahoo.com; Vice Convener, Bob Cahalan, Bob@chears.org; Treasurer, Kate Prager, kateprager@earthlink.net; Secretary, Joan Clement, joan@chears.org; Maggie Cahalan, Maggie@chears.org; Bill Davis, williamdavis52@hotmail.com; Mary Ellsworth,Marysellsworth@gmail.com; Marcia Freeman, marciaff@aol.com; Eugenia Kalnay, ekalnay@gmail.com; Bennie Smith, benniejdmba@hotmail.com; Chandra Taylor Smith, drctsmith@aol.com)
If you have questions about CHEARS or would like to volunteer, contact any of our board members!
To make a contribution, click the link http://chears.org/ 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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Active volcano visible from the city of Antigua Guatemala, February 2016.
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CHEARS Flows Project is partnering with Foundations For Education (FFE), www.foundations4education.org), and its founder Romelle Gonzales. FFE provides scholarships to Maya young people in Guatemala, who study at the university level, and helps rural communities with educational projects managed by the scholarship students in their communities.
Our CHEARS Earth Squad (featured in picture below in the Food Forest)- Mamy, Simone, Tanyiah, Sekou, Simone, Baboucarr, William, Ibrahim, Abdoulayeh, Jaydel, Maury, Salia, Daliyah, Maykala, and Gnama - have started pen pal letters and art work to share with the Maya students, and begun to discuss some of the reasons for migration, immigration and emigration, between the USA and other countries such as Guatemala. FFE has compiled a book documenting the experiences of 30 of the Maya women, entitled
Threads Breaking The Silence
This book tells the stories of the women of the CPR - Sierra from the 14 year civil war in Guatemala in the 1980s and 1990s - Historias sobre las mujeres de la CPR-Sierra de la guerra civil en Guatemala. The book includes original art works by the Maya women, and discussions of their life experiences, from interviews with the students in their Quiche' Maya language, translated to Spanish and English. We hope to digitize tapes of these interviews, to preserve and make available these stories of the Maya women.
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CHEARS Earth Squad and University of Maryland volunteers on fall 2015 workday in the Greenbelt Food Forest .
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Volunteering Around the Watershed! Thanks for All You Do and Will Do!
FOREST PRESERVE WOODS CLEAN UP,
Volunteer Opportunity! High School Students earn your community service hours.........we have forms or bring your own! Please come to one of the following sites:
1. Meet at BELLE POINT PRESERVE (at the playground), meet at the corner of Lakecrest Drive and Prince James Way, GPS co-ordinates 38.999733, -76.887605
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2. Meet at BOXWOOD VILLAGE PRESERVE (at the playground), meet at the corner of Ivy Lane and Hedgewood Drive, GPS co-ordinates 39.007654, -76.889930.
Gloves and bags will be provided.
For more info contact
Valerie Elliott 240-604-7604
or valandmabel@gmail.com.
Sponsored by Forest Preserve Advisory Board, CHEARS and Celebrate the Greenbelt Forest Preserve
REMINDER:
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High school students: Bring a copy of your own service learning form.*
April 16--Earth Day Plantings and Clean Up at Springhill Lake
May 21----Days of Spring at Springhill Lake
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Young and Old Volunteers Needed for Green Man Festival
The Festival is in great need of volunteers. If you can help with any tasks (Communications---writing for newspapers review, set up and take down on the days of the festival, Children's activities, and any other thing that will help make it a contributory community event--- contact Richard McMullin at
stonesoupchef@live.com Community Service Hours Credits Available --bring your own sheets
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Earth Squad and University of Maryland Students Celebrate the Art at Springhill Lake Dedication November 14 2015
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Article Headline
Article Subheading
K
Did You Know? Native plants sustain native pollinators and other beneficial wildlife, compared to non-native plants which often provide poor habitat. For instance, one native oak tree can provide habitat for over 500 butterfly and moth species! An exotic species like a Bradford pear, by contrast, might provide habitat for one or two species.
-Professor Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware Notably, 75 percent of food crops require fertilization by animal pollinators in order to produce fruit and seed.
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2016 ---Co-Learning from the Maya Forest Gardens
Greenbelt Three Sisters Demonstration Gardens and Food Forest Especially Needs Your Help in 2016!
Our Co-Learning theme for 2016 is Ecoscaping back to the Future with a special focus on growing and learning about Forest Gardening and common traditional foods of the Mayan peoples and also on foods of the forests as a way of providing food security in times of trouble
Three Sisters gardens and Food Forest Spring Schedule is as follows:
We'll be working in the gardens:
Center Garden:
Sunday April 3- 10-12
Sunday April 17-10-12
Sunday May 1: 10-12
Sunday May 8:2-4PM
Green Man Festival
Earth Squad (Wed afternoons-volunteers welcome)
April 16--10:30-12:00 (Earth Day celebration with City of Greenbelt)
May--21-Celebration of Spring
June 18-Food Forest Entrance
Schrom Hills Garden Sunday Morning April 10: 10-12
Sunday Morning April 24: 10-12
If you can lend a hand at any of these times or other times contact Carolyn Lambright-Davis, lambrightdavis@yahoo.com or Maggie Cahalan at maggie@chears.org
The Milpa Cycle Shaped the Maya Forest
Over thousands of years the Maya have used milpa cycle principles to sustainably manage native forests. Over many generations, Maya forest gardeners' keen understanding of their environment has allowed them to maximize agricultural productivity by mimicking nature's successional processes and taking advantage of the natural diversity at every stage. As a result of this ancient "select and grow strategy," more than 90% of the dominant tree species found in the Maya forest have utility for humans, creating the forest garden we are familiar with in the Maya area today.
http://exploringsolutionspast.org/maya-forest-gardens/the-milpa-cycle-2/the-milpa-cycle-shaped-the-maya-forest/
Support Conservation Landscaping and Organic Land Care
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Tree Lovers Rejoice!
Celebrate Arbor Day with
Dr. Joan Maloof
The Healthiest Forest
Biodiversity and Old-Growth
Reception and Talk
Friday, April 29: 7:00-8:30 pm
Greenbelt Community Center: Rm. 114
RSVP
A Walk in the Woods
Saturday, April 30: TBA
Greenbelt Forest Preserve
RSVP
How can we save the Earth? Specifically, how can we stop the downward spiral of the Earth's forests? Dr. Joan Maloof has considered this question from the viewpoint of a scientist, a teacher, an author, an activist, and most recently a nonprofit director. In this gathering for tree lovers she will share stories from her unique journey. She will also present recent scientific studies that show why unmanaged forests have more biodiversity than managed forests. Finally, she will discuss the Old-Growth Forest Network, a new organization that is quietly making a positive difference across America. Sponsors include Celebrate the Greenbelt Forest Preserve, along with CHEARS, Greenbelt's Pathways of Sustainability (a Green Team program) and the Forest Preserve Advisory Board. On April 29, a brief reception for Dr. Maloof will be held from 7-7:30pm. The talk will begin at 7:30pm. On April 30 join Dr. Joan Maloof as we tour the Greenbelt Forest Preserve to look for signs of a healthy future old-growth forest! Meeting place TBA. About Joan Maloof Joan Maloof is the Founder and Director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, a nonprofit organization creating a network of forests across the US that will remain forever unlogged and open to the public (www.OldGrowthForest.net ). She is the author of two forest related books: Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest, and Among the Ancients: Adventures in the Eastern Old-Growth Forests. Maloof is a Professor Emeritus at Salisbury University in Maryland, where she founded the Environmental Studies program. She has experienced many of this nation's old-growth forests firsthand.
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GCAN UPDATE
MEETINGS Our next GCAN Meeting is on Wed, April 6, 7:00-9:00 pm. The topic will be "Communicating about Climate Change" with Kristen Peterson.
Greenbelt Climate Action Network
COMMUNICATING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
7:00-9:00 pm
Greenbelt Community Center, Room 114
15 Crescent Rd, Greenbelt, MD
Do you struggle to get your point across on how important it is to take action around climate change? Learn from a communications professional about best practices on "talking the talk" of climate change. The presentation will include lessons on working on messaging that appeals to a majority of Maryland citizens-clean energy, strong economy and healthy people-as well as tips on speaking to various audiences about this critical issue.
Kristen Peterson brings close to 15 years of communications experience and works on environmental and state-based initiatives at The Hatcher Group. Prior to joining the firm, Kristen was the senior manager of strategic communications for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). While at DNR, Kristen was a member of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change.
As always, we will use the last portion of the evening for local announcements and updates on Greenbelt sustainability projects.
For more info, contact Lore Rosenthal, Greenbelt Climate Action Network,
GCAN is a project of Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society (CHEARS)
DISCUSSION CIRCLES Marj Donn just started a book discussion around Joanna Macy's book, Active Hope: How to Deal with the Mess We're In without Going Crazy, The group will discuss ways for us to move past our despair and fear over the climate crisis and stay hopeful and active. It will run for 8-9 sessions, dates and frequency of meetings to be decided by participants. The circle is FULL (with 17 people). If you would like info about the next time this topic will be offered, email marjory.donn@verizon.net or leave a message at 301-474-1353. GCAN "ACTIVISTS" We continue to have a broad-spectrum focus. CITY: On Feb 22, we asked the City Council to discuss county legislation (Ban on Fracking in PG County) and six pieces of state legislation. They took a positive position on all but one of the bills. Some of us are also lobbying the city council not to use mulched tire or crumb rubber in playgrounds or dog parks since it is toxic and carcinogenic. We also continue to support the city's Green Team Zero Waste Circle, headed up by Susan Barnett. If you would like to attend a City Council meeting to petition them on a particular issue, email lore@simplicity-matters.org. COUNTY: Several GCAN Members attended Todd Turner's "Listening Session" on March 10. The hottest environmental topic was the RFQ for a "Waste to Energy" Facility in Upper Marlboro. This fall/winter, we are working with CCAN, Food & Water Watch, and PG-Sierra Club on a Prince George's County Ban on Fracking. The bill was introduced into the County Council on Feb 2. It was voted out of the zoning committee (PZED) on Feb 17. It will be voted on by the full council on April 5th. We think we have sufficient votes to get it passed. GCAN members met with Council Member Todd Turner in Oct and he became a co-sponsor. Please email lore@simplicity-matters.org, if you would like to join our Advocacy Team. STATE: This legislative session, we are working with CCAN on the re-authorization of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act (GGRA) and the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Some GCAN members are also working on four additional Sierra Club bills: to "clean up" the RPS, a "Bottle Bill", a "Pollinator Protection Bill", and No Antibiotics for Livestock bill. http://www.sierraclub.org/maryland/legislation. We attended the CCAN Lobby Night on Feb 8 and the Sierra Club Lobby Night on Feb 29. All six bills are still working their way through the House and Senate. 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, and an Edible Landscaping Co-op. The Incubator Group has decided to host a "Meet & Greet" in early April, to network with 5 or 6 additional Worker Co-op "Wannabee" Groups. Contact greenbeltcoopincubator@gmail.com for more info.
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Chesapeake Education, Arts and Research Society
P.O. Box 1841 | Greenbelt, MD 20768
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