September 2012: The Center for Environmental Transformation

September 16, 2012

The need for a new vision of the universe

The human community is facing an increasingly complex and threatening situation.  Our use of the earth as a resource for meeting our human needs and wants has brought us to a point where it is clear that the earth will not be such a fruitful resource for our children and grandchildren.  We must begin to re-think our relationship to the earth and to its life-supporting resources. We need to reimagine our place in the universe.  We have for so long thought of ourselves as somehow different from, and superior to, all of creation.  As rational creatures, with a free will, we were somehow exceptional in the universe, leading us to value our own needs and/or wants over the needs and interests of all other dimensions of creation.  This has led us to a cultural and technological approach to nature which denies the value of the bio-systems that surround us.  Value is rooted in human choice.

But the Hebrew Scriptures make clear that from the very beginning God found all of creation to be good, indeed very good.  Indeed, human beings, according to the Genesis account, were created last, as the final touch on the magnificent work of creation.  God commanded that human beings care for creation, and with human reason and human free will, such a responsibility was a reasonable demand by the Creator God.  But what does care mean? This has been a question side stepped or simply ignored in our drive to exploit the resources of creation to meet every human desire.

For a long time, the Passionist priest, cultural historian and self-proclaimed eco-theologian Thomas Berry has been calling for a re-imagining of our place in the universe.  Nature is not primarily a resource to be exploited; it is the home for many living and dynamic systems of life.  The dynamic flaring forth of the universe from its beginning until now is the flaring forth of humanity as part and parcel of the dynamics that constitute the universe.  The universe is not “other” to us, but is mother to us!

Seven years ago, at Sacred Heart Church in the Waterfront South neighborhood of Camden, NJ, the parishioners gathered to talk about the future of their ministry.  300 people gathered, and one of the emphases in ministry that the group adopted for the parish was the environment.  What was clear to those gathered, given their physical location in, arguably, one of the most environmentally devastated places on planet earth, was that we must address issues of environmental justice.  We must address them not only because the lives of our children and grandchildren will depend upon it, but in response to the call of God in Genesis, that humanity care for the earth and all its abundance. 

Out of that communal affirmation, the Center for Environmental Transformation was born.  It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate people on issues related to environmental justice, to caring for the earth and all its inhabitants.  The Center is home to a 24 bed retreat space which opened in 2009 and has hosted two dozen groups from universities and high schools in the region. We also have a fully functioning greenhouse, where 13,000 organic heirloom seedlings are grown each year.  We maintain a native plant nursery, two vegetable gardens, a fruit orchard and a tree nursery.  Young people work in the garden as Junior Farmers, learning everything about food, from seed to table.  We host a Farmer’s Market every Friday from 4-7PM at 1729 Ferry Ave., with our partners from Philadelphia’s Greens Grow. 

In June of 2009 one of our sources of inspiration and guidance, Thomas Berry, died. In his honor we began the Thomas Berry lecture, held each October.  Our first speaker was Professor Mark Graham, a member of the Theology & Religious Studies Department at Villanova University.  The second speaker was Miriam MacGillis, founder of Genesis Farm in northern New Jersey.  Last year we had Judy Wicks, founder of the White Dog Café in Philadelphia, and founder of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia.

On October 7th at 3PM at Sacred Heart Church  the fourth Annual Thomas Berry lecture will take place.  The speaker is Mary Evelyn Tucker, Ph.D., professor in the School of Divinity at Yale University, also with an appointment in the School of Forestry and Environmental Science.  She was a close colleague and collaborator with Thomas Berry, and has established herself as a foremost scholar in thinking through a “new cosmology,” equal to the challenges of our time.  She co-produced, with physicist and cosmologist Brian Swimme, the documentary film “The Journey of the Universe.”  Earning a regional Emmy for documentary film in the Northern California region earlier this year, the film walks us through the story of the universe from its original flaring forth to the present.  The goal is to provide avenues for reimagining our place in creation.  It the great work to which our generation is called.

These lectures, the gardens and orchards and the retreat facility are the realization of that communally-generated dream in October 2005.  For all of us at the Center, the grace of God has been at work in this effort since the beginning.  The 21st Century will be the context for a great struggle about how we are to understand our relationship to the bounty of creation.  The Center has positioned itself to do its “bit” in steering that struggle toward a more reverent and grateful celebration of God’s gift to all of us.

Join us on October 7^th!  Tickets are $20.  Email us at info@camdencenterfortransformation.org.

Peace to you and yours!

Mark Doorley, Ph.D.

President,  Board of Trustees

www.camdencenterfortransformation.org

NEWS & NOTES

1.      WORK DAY:  October 6^th 9AM – Noon.  Join us for a morning of work in the gardens.   There is plenty to do.  Please contact Andrea Ferich aferich@gmail.com to let her know you are coming.  Bring your own work gloves and drinking water!

2.      WELCOME TO THE CENTER!  The Board of Trustees is very happy to welcome Michael Zier to the Center as our new retreat coordinator.  Michael’s responsibilities include marketing the retreat facility, scheduling and coordinating retreats, creating evaluation processes and managing a volunteer database.  Michael is coming off a two year Peace Corp commitment in Armenia.  Our decision to hire Michael came after a months-long process which began with eliciting applications.  We received 19 applications, from very talented people.  After much discernment and two rounds of interviews, we settled on Michael and he accepted.  How he came to our attention is a story worth telling.  Fifteen minutes before I was going to send the job announcement out on the internet, I received an email from Michael.  He was preparing to return to the States from Armenia and was reaching out to institutions in Camden where he had spent considerable time in the past.  He was wondering if there might be a possibility of a job!  I sent him the job announcement and he applied.  While his selection is a result of our due diligence in the hiring process, we believe God was also working.  Michael is getting himself settled at the Center.  Next month he will have something to contribute to this newsletter, to introduce himself.

3.      THOMAS BERRY LECTURE:  Again, join us for this wonderful event and fundraiser for the Center.  Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 3PM at Sacred Heart Church.  Tickets are $20.  Contact info@camdencenterfortransformation.org to secure yourself a ticket.  See attached flyer!  Click here to hear our guest speak about the issues she’ll explore with us.

4.      Saturday, October 27, 2012:  Awakening the Dreamer Symposium.  This is a great follow up to the Thomas Berry lecture.  This symposium will guide participants through a series of exercises that will enable them to come to see that an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet is an achievable dream for our future.  See attached file.

5.      We are very excited to welcome the following groups to the Center during the next month:

a.      September 20-23:  Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Pennsauken, NJ

b.      September 29:  Villanova University Environmental Justice Learning Community, Villanova, PA

c.       October 5-6:  St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Ardmore, PA

d.      October 10-13:  King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA

e.      October 13-20:  Villanova University, Villanova, PA

6.      Ways in which to support the Center (for each, unless otherwise noted, contact us at info@camdencenterfortransformation.org

a.      Contribute to the General Operating Fund

b.      Contribute to the 2012 Capital Campaign (replacing old windows in Center, rebuilding side porch, redesigning front entrance)

c.       Purchase Fr. Michael’s book, “It’s A Terrible Day, Thanks Be To God” or the DVD “The Poet of Poverty.” 

d.      Purchase native plants and a rain barrel. (It’s a great time to plant these perennials).  Contact Andrea at aferich@gmail.com.

USDA Visits

Last Friday two fabulous women from the USDA paid us a visit at our Farmer's Market. 

We had a really great time showing them our harvest and the farm where the crops are grown.

Here you can read Joani Walsh's write-up on the USDA blog:  

here

Our youth were all invited down to D.C. to visit with Joani. Our youth were quite impressive, articulate, expressive, well informed on the matters of sustainability, community, and the arts. A few of our older youth were offered internships by Joani herself, Deputy under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

Make sure you check out their new Know Your Farmer Know Your Food Compass:  

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_COMPASS

Camden FARMS Native plant nursery availability

CAMDEN FARMS Native Plant Nursery Availability

Achillea Fireland
Common yarrow is a carefree garden plant that spreads easily to fill available space. 'Fireland' is a vigorous grower with brick red flowers that fade to deep orange throughout the summer. Named for Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire. Introduced by Ernst Pagels. An excellent cut flower!

Height 2-3 Feet

Spread 2-4 Feet

This species was cultivated in Europe before 1440, used as a remedy for toothache, and mixed in ale in place of hops to increase the inebriating quality of the drink. It was thought to have a magical quality similar to our "apple a day keeps the doctor away," and was said to grow in churchyards as a reproach to the dead, "who need never have come there if they had taken their yarrow broth faithfully every day while living." The main use, however, was that of an herb to heal wounds. The genus was named after Achilles, who is said to have used A. millefollium to staunch the wounds of his soldiers. Soldier's Woundweed and Carpenter's Weed are other old English names. Allan Armitage

Growing and Maintenance Tips

Full sun to light shade in sandy dry or average soils. Very easy to grow and drought tolerant once established.Go easy on the fertilizer - too much leads to lanky, floppy plants.

Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia

Eastern bluestar

This long-lived, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial features three to four weeks of light blue, star-shaped flowers in spring. Terminal flower clusters are succeeded by ornamental seed pods. Narrow, willow-shaped foliage transitions from green into attractive shades of yellow in fall. An easy to grow, no fuss native perfectly suited for the perennial border. Beautiful when used en masse along the perennial border or in a fresh cut arrangement.  

Height

2-3 Feet

Asclepias tuberosa
A tough, drought-tolerant native with intense orange flowers in mid to late summer. Attracts many varieties of butterfly and is especially attractive to Monarchs. A beautiful solution for a dry sunny slope! Occurs in dry fields and roadsides in most of the US.

Height 18-24 Inches

Spread 24 Inches

Butterfly weed is a 2' tall herbaceous perennial that dies back in winter and re-sprouts from its underground tuber each spring. The brilliant orange or red flower clusters appear in midsummer. These are followed by attractive green pods that open to release silky "parachutes" to drift away on autumn winds. Butterfly weed is unique among milkweeds in that the sap is not milky and the leaves are not opposite. Many flowers have an inner whorl of petals, called the corolla, and an outer whorl of sepals, called the calyx. These are the showy, colorful parts of a typical flower. The milkweeds are special: they have a third whorl above the corolla called the corona. Butterfly weed is a trouble-free perennial that will come up year after year in the same place without crowding its neighbors. Plant butterfly weed in mixed borders, meadows and natural areas. Butterfly weed is slow to emerge in spring, so you may want to mark where they are. Floridata tuberosa = tuberous, having fleshy underground stems bearing minute scale leaves, each of which bears a bud in its axil and is potentially able to produce a new plant Dictionary of Botanical Epithets

Aster lat. Lady in Black
Who can resist plants with great names? Aster 'Lady in Black' is an elegant 3-4' mound of purplish- black strappy leaves smothered in red-centered tiny white daisies in late summer and early fall. A stronger, more statuesque sister of Aster 'Prince' that will thrive in average soil in sun or part shade, but shows best foliage coloration in full sun. Thousands of flowers per plant - a butterfly's dream!

Height 2-3 Feet

Spread 3 Feet

Aster lateriflorus grows best in full sun in average moist or dry soil. 'Lady in Black' is drought tolerant and adaptable to many soil types. Pinching is not necessary to control habit, but a June cut back to 4-6" results in a shorter plant and more flowers in Fall.

Aster nova 'vibrant dome'
Vibrant, hot-pink, star-shaped flowers with yellow center accents adorn lance-shaped green foliage through autumn. The compact, mounding habit of this sport of Aster 'Purple Dome' has proven mildew resistance. Reaching between 15 and 20 inches, A. 'Vibrant Dome' performs best in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. A beautiful performer for late season color.

Height 15-20 Inches

Spread 30 Inches

Coreopsis Sienna Sunset
tickseed

Sienna Sunset' parades its attention-grabbing flower color while still sharing all the same terrific qualities as its parent, Coreopsis 'Crème Brulee'. It is outstanding when planted in masses, displaying a long bloom time and large burnt sienna colored flowers. The flowers lighten as they age to a deep orange. This cultivar is well utilized in the front or middle of a perennial border or in mixed containers.

Gaillardia Burgandy
blanketflower
Deep burgundy blooms are 3" across with a button-like center which emerges bright yellow and then slowly changes to velvety red. Flowers bloom coming continuously from early summer into the fall, gracing gardens and containers alike with fresh vibrant blanket flowers. Once established Burgundy is very easy, proving its heat tolerance and best garden performance when grown in poorer soils.

Helenium 'mardi gras'

Helenium 'Mardi Gras' produces a festival of multicolored blooms jazzes up the garden for six to eight weeks in mid to late summer. Yellow petals are lavishly edged with bright orange red, aging to clear red edged in gold, all surrounding deep chestnut cones. Gorgeous in a pot! Great as a cut flower, its long stems are sturdy and vase life is long. Heleniums are naturally resistant, even toxic, to deer and rabbits. An early pinch back helps promote branching. Blooms of Bressingham variety.

Height 36-40 Inches

Spread 24-36 Inches

Helenium 'Mardi Gras' is easily grown in rich moist soils in the full sun. Soil needs to be kept watered. Propagate by seed or division every 2-3 years. Fertilize sparingly to reduce risk of weak stems. Plants may benefit from being cut back in early spring to encourage more branching and floriferous growth. Foliage should be cut back after flowering




Heuchera 'miracle'

It introduces the colors of Coleus to the perennial market! Foliage emerges chartreuse in spring and develops deep red color as it ages, but retains a bright edge throughout the season. Like Caramel, Miracle has H. villosa genes and is tolerant of heat and humidity and overwinters reliably. It is a strong grower and fills a gallon quickly. It's a Miracle!

Height 12-18 Inches

Spread 18-24 Inches

Lobelia cardinalis
Cardinal Flower

Clump forming brilliant red spikes set against green and purple bronze colored foliage. Each individual spike of scarlet flowers open from bottom to top and stays in bloom for several weeks. A favorite of hummingbirds. Makes an excellent cut flower. A real show stopper! 

Height 2-4 Feet

Spread 2 Feet

Needs constant moisture so mulching would be quite beneficial. Propagate by seed or cuttings. May self seed. Best used as a border, wild, hummingbird, butterfly and water gardens. Also to add color to woodland gardens.

Lobelia siphilitica

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Penstemon 'Huskers Red'

Phlox paniculata

Sedum ternatum 'Larinem Park'

Solidago rugosa 'fireworks'

Stokesia 'Peachie's Pink' 

Wisteria 'Blue Moon' 

baptisia  twillite prairieblues: deep violet (May June)

Features an elegant, vase-shaped habit and a profusion of deep violet-blue flowers on 24-inch-long racemes. Secondary stems extend the bloom season to 3-4 weeks! Fine textured foliage remains an attractive green all season. Vase-shaped habit primary stems are strongly erect; flowers are held well above the foliage.Height48 Inches Spread48-54 Inches

echinacea rubystar purpurea (July and August)

Introduced by the Jelitto, who gave us 'Magnus', Echinacea 'Rubinstern' is a slightly shorter plant with large flat topped flowers that are a deeper purple pink, almost ruby red, than most others. An easy to grow native plant with large, dark green leaves and a large, 3-4" flower with broad deep pink, ruby to purple petals that surround a brown/bronze cone. Plants are tough and heat and drought tolerant once established. Their roots have famous medicinal qualities, they make great, long lasting, cut flowers and attract numerous butterflies and small birds. Height2-3 Feet Spread18-24 InchesBloom ColorPurple Hardiness Zone 4-8

rudbeckia goldstrum July-September Bold texture and upright habit. Bright gold petals with a deep brown cone highlight the garden in late summer. Each flower may last up to two weeks! Disease and pest resistant perennial awarded 1999 PPA plant of the year. Wonderful and long lasting cut flower. Provides seeds in the winter for birds and nectar for butterflies. Beautiful and versatile, outstanding in mass plantings as a border perennial, meadow and prairie gardens as well as a noninvasive groundcover. Height

2-3 FeetSpread18-24 InchesBloom ColorGolden Yellow

USDA Hardiness Zone 5-7

solidago sempervierens late summer into fall

Delightful, golden-yellow flowers are borne in axillary clusters along reflexing stems from late summer into fall. Reliable, deep green, glossy foliage remains clean throughout the growing seasons. Not an aggressive runner, 'Solar Cascade' is a clump forming perennial reaching knee height, maxing out somewhere between the taller 'Fireworks' and more compact 'Golden Fleece'. Performs best in moist to average garden soil under full sun or partial shade; extremely drought tolerant once established. This great garden plant is easy to propagate and proved to be a standout in The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden perennial trails. Plant en masse for a dramatic effect or incorporate into seasonal arrangements.Height24-30 InchesSpread12-24 InchesBloom ColorYellow Hardiness Zone 3-8

asclepias verticillata white flowers in mid-summer, gold coloring into fall. 

"A widely adaptable and tough native is a deer-resistant food for larval butterflies. The fine-textured foliage provides a dark green backdrop for the clusters of white flowers that appear in June and July.  Many are the oohs and ahhs when my drifts are in full bloom. This petite enchanter has 1-2' stems densely hung with long needle-like leaves so they look something like a cartoon cat's tail after an electric shock. The sweet-scented white flowers open in midsummer, and side branches keep them coming for several weeks. In autumn the leaves turn yellow to orange, and the pencil thin seed capsules are very decorative once they split open. Clumps increase rapidly by runners, but it's easy to keep unwanted stems pulled or dug up. Prairies, meadows, and open woods of the eastern and central United States are it's wild haunts. ~ Cole Burell, American Horticulturist - July/August 1998Height1-3 FeetSpread1-2 FeetBloom Color The milkweed family name (Asclepiadaceae) is dedicated to the Greek god of medicine, Asklepios. Most of the 2400 species in this family are tropical. The specific epithet verticillata means "whorled" in botanical Latin. Whorled milkweed was first described for science by the great Swedish naturalist and father of modern plant taxonomy Carl von Linne (Linnaeus) in 1753."

foxglove beardtonue

Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue) matures to 4' in height and has white to pink flowers. Foxglove Beardtongue prefers medium to dry medium soils but can adapt to all light conditions: full sun to full shade.  It blooms approximately June to July.  It is very easy to grow from seed.

The tubular flowers of this plant attract long-tongued bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, Miner bees, Mason bees, and hummingbirds.  Penstemons are called 'Beard Tongues' because the sterile stamen has a tuft of small hairs.

rudbeckia triloba

The preference is full to partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and fertile loamy soil, although soil with some gravel or clay is tolerated. This plant has moderate drought-tolerance; it may drop some of its lower leaves or wilt should this occur. After the blooming season is over, Brown-Eyed Susan can appear rather untidy.

aster novae-angliae

A naturally compact form with deep purple flowers in August and September.  Eye-popping with Solidago 'Golden Fleece'.  One of the most garden-worthy native selections out there.  A fine introduction from the Mt. Cuba Center.Height1-2 FeetSpread1-2 FeetBloom Color Purple

blue lobelia siphilitica

The spikes of brilliant true blue flowers on this wetland native attract butterflies, hummingbirds and neighbors to your garden! Lobelia siphilitica provides outstanding color for the border, wet meadow or pond edge. Naturalizes easily in moist soils, but tolerates periods of drought.Height2-3 FeetSpread12-18 InchesBloom ColorBlueHardiness Zone 4-8Great Lobelia, the blue counterpart of the Cardinal Flower, can be found in open, moist places and blooms at the same time as Cardinal Flower. The Latin species name indicates that it was once thought that Great Lobelia was a cure for syphilis. The Native Americans of this region used Lobelia as an analgesic and as a treatment for many other common ailments.Lobelia prefers moist, organically rich soil in shady to sunny areas. Tolerates drier locations than L. cardinalis, but insists on some afternoon shade in warmer zones. May self seed if happy.

lobelia cardinalis

Description: This native perennial plant is usually unbranched and 2–3½' tall. The central stem is ridged and rather hairy. The alternate leaves are up 6" long and 1½" across; they have a rough texture, a lanceolate shape, coarsely serrated margins, and a tendency to curl upward from their central veins. The lower leaves have short petioles, while the upper ones are smaller and sessile. The undersides of the leaves usually have fine hairs. The central stem terminates in a spike-like raceme of showy red flowers. This raceme is about ½–1½' long. Each flower has a narrow tubular structure that is upright and terminates in greyish white reproductive organs; these organs nod downward. Beneath this are 2 narrow side lobes and a lower lip that is 3-lobed. The green calyx is divided into 5 linear lobes that spread outward. The flowers are held at an upward angle in relation to the stem; they are about 1–1½" long and ¾–1" across. The blooming period occurs from late summer to early fall, and lasts about 1–1½ months. There is no floral scent. The small seeds can be carried aloft by the wind. The root system consists of a taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to full sun, and wet to moist. 

blue flag iris This native perennial plant is 2-3' tall. It produces clumps of vertical leaves that are sword-shaped and up to 2½' tall. These leaves are pale bluish green to green and hairless. An individual leaf is up to 1" across near the base, with smooth margins and parallel veins, and tapering to a point. 

Cultivation: The preference is wet to moist conditions, partial to full sun, and a rich organic soil. In light shade, this plant often fails to flower, and it tends to decline in abundance if conditions become too dry. The foliage is rarely bothered by disease or insects. To maintain the viability of the seeds, they should not be allowed to dry out – store them with some moist sand.

monarda fistulosa has lovely lavender flowers atop aromatic foliage. Easy to grow in a perennial border, wildflower garden or meadow. Wild bergamot is a great naturalizing wildflower and a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds. Monarda fistulosa is more tolerant of drought and resistant to powdery mildew than M. didyma.Height2-5 FeetSpread3 FeetBloom ColorPurple and red. sun or part sun. 

Heliopsis helianthoides

Smooth oxeye or false sunflower

This local native sunflower happily naturalizes in moist or dry conditions. Upright and clump forming with bright, 2", single, medium gold flowers for eight weeks, peaking in July. Imagine, a self sowing butterfly magnet, that also doubles as a birdfeeder in the fall. Excellent cut flower!Height4-6 FeetSpread3-5 FeetBloom ColorGolden YellowZone 4-9Oxeye is somewhere in between Helianthus and Rudbeckia in effect. It has a shrubby habit and yellow discs and rays of some sunflowers, but the blooms are produced in great quantities on this stems above the foliage, much like Rudbeckia. It is one of the finest large summer bloomers for the garden, growing in a range of soils and forming thick, nonspreading clumps of braching stems, with toothed, opposite leaves that are clean, medium green.
(W. Cullina, Growing and Propagating Wildflowers)

August 2012

The Center for Environmental Transformation

August 17, 2012

Hello everyone on this beautiful August day!

This has been a difficult summer for many farmers throughout our country, particularly in the mid-West, the proverbially bread basket of the US.  The drought conditions, high temperatures and wild storms of this summer of 2012 have created havoc for the farmers and ranchers who supply the food for so many of us.  We will certainly see higher prices for many food products, since so much of what we eat, particularly meat and processed foods, depend on corn and soybean, the very crops that have been damaged so severely this summer.  We have all experienced the weather-related challenges of this summer, to some degree.  But I wager that few of us, other than potentially higher food prices, have any idea what this kind of weather does to the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers. 

One of the benefits of community-supported agriculture (CSA) is that members share in the risks and benefits that farmers and ranchers normally must shoulder on their own.  As a member of a CSA, one must pay the full price of his or her share in February of the given year.  The money generated from membership fees enables the farmers to purchase seed, any fertilizers they need, and other capital equipment.  Each week a member comes to the farm or to the designated pick up spot to receive his or share of the bounty of the farm.  Often CSAs are strictly vegetables and fruits, though there are CSAs that include dairy, eggs, and meat products.  This year the Center, in partnership with Greensgrow Farm of Philadelphia, hosted a CSA pick up spot (Fridays between 4-7PM).  There are 50 members in this CSA, which we hope to grow by 50% next year.  Our CSA includes some dairy, but it is mostly fresh vegetables and fruits.  The produce is grown on locally owned farms in the Greater Philadelphia region.  To date, Greensgrow-related farmers are from Pennsylvania, though inroads are being made to bring South Jersey farmers into the circle.  If you’d like to get information on the CSA for next year, please send an email to info@camdencenterfortransformation.org. We have become disconnected from the source of the food we eat each day.  A CSA connects us to farmers, whether directly or indirectly, so that more people can more directly share the burdens of the fickleness of mother nature.

Another way that we can connect with the work that farmers do is to join in that work.  On the first Saturdays of each month the Center hosts a work day to which are all invited.  We begin at 9AM and end around Noon.  We meet at 412 Jasper Street.  We advise people to bring their own water and a pair of work gloves.  I thought it might be helpful if I shared with you what we did on Saturday, August 4^th, so that you have a sense of what might be involved.  There were seven adults who showed up to work with Andrea, our director of sustainability initiatives.  There were also 15 young people who came as part of Camden’s Day of Service.  We worked in the garden located on Emerald Street.  It has been there for over twenty years.  Some of us call it the Emerald Street Garden, others call it Eve’s Garden after a local woman of the street who loved to spend time there.  In any event, it is a place with history and hope intertwined.  It has vegetable and flower plants, as well as a fully functioning greenhouse.

There were several jobs that we were able to accomplish.

1.      The Emerald Street side of Eve’s Garden had become “hostage” to some ferociously fertile weeds.  We cleared out all the weeds, putting them into our compost pile.

2.      The compost pile was quite large and unwieldy at the start of the morning.  However, one of us worked on the pile, tidying it up, and was able to “harvest” several large containers of unbelievably beautiful compost that will be used in freshly planted garden beds.

3.      Eve’s Garden has lots of tomatoes growing.  When these plants were first put in the ground, a wooden stake was placed next to them.  By August 4^th, these plants were enormous, and flopping left and right, so a group of us worked to gather the individual tomato plants, and using strips of cloth, tying them more closely to their stakes.  This will increase the air flow to the entire plant, and insure that the fruit will be off the ground.

4.      One of our group used the lawnmower and weed whacker to cut the grass on the paths throughout the Emerald Street Garden.  This task is a regular one, both to keep the grass down, as well as to keep the garden beds clear of grass that hungers for the rich nutrients in the garden bed soil.

5.      The group from Camden’s Day of Service helped to create a brand new garden bed near the Emerald Street side of the greenhouse.  This area was filled with weeds. The group straightened up the many pots and such leftover from the spring/early summer planting.  They then pulled the weeds and plowed them under, making a raised bed, which they then filled with native plants grown in our native plant nursery.    It looks beautiful there, added to the native plant beds that have been put into on the edges of the Emerald Street garden.

6.      The group also began to clean up the greenhouse from its intensive spring/early summer production.  There were many starter containers that need to be emptied of their soil, emptied into the compost pile, and then piled up, ready for use next February.

This is the work we accomplished in the three hours we spent at the garden with Andrea on August 4^th.  Gardens demand a lot of attention, particularly the ones at the Center which are chock full of produce-bearing plants as well as native flowering plants.  Ours are organic gardens, so we do not use commercial pesticides or herbicides.  We do use some organic pesticides and plant foods, but there is a constant need to weed, tie up towering tomato plants, clean out a harvested bed, and prepare it for a new planting.  This work is not limited to the first Saturday, but it is the first Saturday when we invite our friends and neighbors to join us.

As we were pulling out the weeds along Emerald Street garden,  several neighbors, at different times, thanked us for working on the garden. They want to see the beauty of the garden, and its bounty!  So do we.  It takes a whole community, whether through a CSA or through volunteering with us at Eve’s Garden, to make something beautiful and bountiful.  We look forward to pulling on work gloves with you, taking up a trowel and working with the soil, the sun and water to transform this patch of Camden and to enjoy the wonders of Mother Earth!

Peace,

Mark Doorley, Ph.D.

President, Board of Trustees

www.camdencenterfortransformation.org

NEWS & NOTES

1.      September Work Day:  Join us on Saturday, September 1, 2012 from 9AM til Noon.  Meet at 9AM at 412 Jasper Street. Bring your own water and work gloves.  If you can join us, please contact Andrea Ferich at aferich@gmail.com.  It is Labor Day Weekend, but if you plan to stick around the area, what better way to celebrate than to get your hands dirty in Waterfront South!

2.      Thomas Berry Lecture:  Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 3PM we are hosting a lecture by a wonderful woman named Mary Evelyn Tucker.  She co-produced the film “The Journey of the Universe,” which tells the story of the universe from its beginning so many millions of years ago to today. She is a professor in the Divinity School at Yale University and she also hs an appointment in Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Science.  She is a dynamic speaker, and has dedicated her writing and speaking to helping us reimagine and retell our own story as part of the story of the universe.  The title of the talk is “An Integrating Story for the Earth Community.”  It will be at Sacred Heart Church at the corner of Ferry Ave. & South Broadway.  This is a major fundraiser for us, so tickets are $20 each.  We are in need of ticket sellers and ticket buyers.  Join us on that day, and invite a friend or friends.  Contact Susan Cedrone at smecedrone@aol.com to get tickets.  A flyer is attached. Please send it to your friends.

3.      WATERFRONT SOUTH FARMERS MARKET:  Every Friday, from 4-7PM, at 1729 Ferry Avenue, Greensgrow and the Center collaborate to bring all who come an amazing assortment of vegetables, storytelling, laughter, perhaps even a treat to take the edge off after a long work week.  The Greensgrow/CFET CSA is going strong!  By all accounts, our members are quite happy with what they’ve received so far, including the fantastic recipes.  Come out and pick up some fresh herbs and other early summer produce.  There may even be some peaches.  Yummy!

4.      We have several groups coming to the Center in the next few months.  A group of first year students from Villanova University who have chosen to focus on environmental issues this coming academic year will spend an overnight with us in September.  Also in September a group of students from Bishop Eustace Preparatory School will spent three nights with us on retreat.  Then in October, for their fall break, a group from Villanova University will spend the week with us.  These retreat/service experiences provide opportunities for people to work in the community, with our neighbors, in the gardens, planting trees, tutoring children, etc.  There is time to reflect on this experience, to get some insight into issues related to environmental injustice and to the systems that give rise, in part, to the challenges we face as a people.   Those who spend time with us leave with a different understanding of their world and their role in transforming it.  If you or your group is interested in coming to the Center for a weekend or week, please email us at info@camdencenterfortransformation.org.

5.      In the past month we received several significant grants from area foundations/corporations.  We received a $5,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation, to support the Jr. Farmer Program.  We also received a $5,000 grant from the Danellie Foundation or Marlton, NJ, to support the ongoing operations of Eve’s Garden.  We are proud to be collaborators with these two organizations.  We have partnered with Danellie for the last four years, and have found them generous and committed partners. We thank them for their continued faith in our efforts.  With the Citizens Bank Foundation, we enter into a new partnership about which we are very excited, and look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration.

6.      Today, August 17, 2012, Marty Moss-Coane, on her morning show on WHYY had a conversation on the universe with an astronomer named Chris Impey.  Listen to the podcast.  This is the kind of conversation that we need to have, and which Mary Evelyn Tucker will invite us into a the Thomas Berry lecture on October 7^th.

7.      Is the banning of plastic bags really necessary?  Click here to read what David Suzuki has to say about this question.  It is worth the click!

8.      Remember us in your prayers.  The generosity of your financial support is vital to our continued work.  Thank you for partnering with us.