All Things Sharing

Money Masters - Will Still

2012-03-07T22:13:00.001-08:00

This video was made in 1996 by Will Still. Much of it has been said other places (Zeitgeist etc) but we've not seen such a comprehensive/non-hyped documentary outlining so clearly how the 1% got to be in their positions of financial power. Well worth getting comfortable with a bowl of popcorn (or two...it's over three hours long!) and informing yourself.

Love, Llyn and Chris

Watch here:

Or follow this link to see it on YouTube.

Also by Will Still - a more succinct and professionally produced documentary but not as thorough...The Secret of Oz

Designing For Generosity

2012-03-04T22:13:00.001-08:00

We came across this video recently and are excited to share it. In this Tedx Talk, Nipun Mehta speaks simply and eloquently about the inherent goodness in people and the joyous feelings of satisfaction that come through giving generously without thought of receiving. Chris and I, through the Sharing Gardens, are offering the opportunity for this same kind of experience to our neighbors in Alpine and Monroe (and others, vicariously, around the world!) it just plain feels good to give! When you watch this video, it is not so difficult to imagine a world transformed through simple acts of kindness. Pass it on! Love, Llyn

What would the world look like if we designed for generosity? Instead of assuming that people want to simply maximize self-interest, what if our institutions and organizations catered to our deeper motivations? This compelling TEDx talk explores this question and introduces the concept of Giftivism: the practice of radically generous acts that change the world. The video is charged with stories of such acts, ranging from: the largest peaceful transfer of land in human history, to a pay-it-forward restaurant, to a 10-year-old's unconventional birthday celebration, and the stunning interaction between a victim and his teenage mugger. With clarity and insight, it details the common threads that runs through all these gift manifestations, and invites us to participate through everyday acts of kindness -- in an uplifting global movement.

Thanks so much for the folks at KarmaTube and Nipun Mehta (the speaker in this video) for cultivating generosity and kindness in the world.

Sharing Gardens - Overview and Benefits

2012-02-27T17:27:00.000-08:00

Here in Monroe and Alpine, Oregon, we have created a solution that is helping people learn about gardening, grow their own food and lift the burden on our local food-bank to provide for its ever increasing customers. We call it a “Sharing Garden”.

How it Works: Most people are familiar with the typical model of community gardening: multiple, separate plots, rented by the gardeners in which each person grows and harvests their own produce. In a Sharing Garden, the crops are grown collectively. The funds, materials, water and use of the lands have been donated, and participants come together one to three times a week to grow the food. Everyone shares in theharvest, the joys of learning to grow food together, and a genuinesense of community through joining in this meaningful activity. The extensive surplus is donated to people in need (through food banks and other charities.) No one is evercharged money for the food that is grown. This model is easily replicated anywhere there are vacant lots and people with enough gardening experience to oversee the project and does not require a large input of money to make it work.

Harvest Totals: In 2010 we were able to grow and give away over 3,500 pounds of food at a market-value of about $9,950. In 2011 we grew over 4,600 pounds at a local market-value of about $14,500. All of the harvest was shared amongst volunteers, our local food bank, the senior lunch program in Monroe and a local gleaner's group.

As of spring 2012, we have two garden-sites in cultivation. The original garden, in Alpine, Oregon is 100 feet x 110 feet. It was started in 2009. Our second site is in Monroe, Oregon, It is 110 feet x 170 feet and was started in 2010. The two gardens total approximately 2/3 of an acre.

Benefits of a “Sharing Garden”

There are many benefits to growing food in the sharing model. You can:

Grow the maximum amount of food: Sharing Gardens use the garden space more efficiently. There are fewer pathways between garden rows and all of the same kind of plants can be grown together.

Water more efficiently: Plants can be grouped together with similar watering requirements.

Manage weeds and pests more easily: In a typical community garden setting, herbicide or pesticide applications in one plot can lead to a mass exodus of the offending bugs or weeds into adjacent plots. This can lead to a mini “arms race” between garden plots to bolster plants against pests. In a Sharing Garden, if pests/weeds appear, they can be managed selectively without the need for ever-accelerating methods of eradication.

Save pure seeds: Many plants will cross with their neighbors, or hybridize. This means that, in a typical community garden neighboring gardeners would need to coordinate so their seed-stock doesn't cross with neighbors. In a Sharing Garden, you can plan your crops to keep strains from crossing and save enough seed to last for a few years till you get around to growing that particular variety again.

Build community: Though some community gardens have regular work parties and social gatherings, the emphasis is on each gardener doing his own thing. In a Sharing Garden, the focus is on cooperation and sharing a common goal. Having a meaningful shared purpose builds great camaraderie.

Share knowledge: Sharing Gardens become a place where gardeners can share their experience with each other. We garden organically, using no chemical pesticides or herbicides. We rely on heavy mulching and fertilizer derived from compost and other natural, local materials. We also have an extensive seed-saving program. Participants are also learning about food preservation, gleaning and other ways of increasing local food security.

Live more lightly on the planet: An additional benefit of this style of gardening is that we use salvaged material whenever possible. This keeps these materials out of burn-piles and the land-fill while providing new life for tools, leaves, grass clippings and building supplies. By encouraging people to share their surplus we build a tangible sense of community and networks of relationship that can be drawn from in times of crisis.

Help local wildlife: Each of our gardens is designed to create habitat for local beneficial wildlife as we believe it is important to "share" the earth beyond our human family.

To learn more about Alpine and Monroe's Sharing Gardens go to: Link

To see our site with extensive info on organic gardening, seed-saving and starting your own Sharing Garden, go to: Link

To learn more about our vision for community based on the principles of radical sharing, go to: Link

To watch a video interview with the founders of the the Sharing Gardens, go to: Link

Heaven's Treasures

2012-01-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

There was a man who died and found himself in a beautiful place, surrounded by every conceivable comfort. A white-jacketed man came to him and said, "You may have anything you choose--any food--any pleasure--any kind of entertainment."
The man was delighted, and for days he sampled all the delicacies and experiences of which he had dreamed on earth. But one day he grew bored of it, and calling the attendant to him, he said, "I'm tired of all this. I need something to do. What kind of work can you give me?"
The attendant sadly shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry, sir. That's the one thing we can't do for you. There is no work here for you."
To which the man answered, "That's a fine thing. I might as well be in hell."
The attendant said softly, "Where do you think you are?"

From Prosperity is God's Idea by Margaret M. Stevens

A Love Like That!

2012-01-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

Even after all this time

the sun never says to the earth,

"You owe me."

Look what happens

with a love like that,

it lights up the whole sky.

-Hafiz (a Persian poet of the 1300's)

Video: Transformed Medieval Spanish Town

2011-10-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here's an inspiring video about a group of people who transformed a medieval, Spanish town into a fully functional communal village.
Link