Native Plant Installation

Here's a recent video documenting one of our native plant installations from this summer in North Camden!

Organic Mechanics donated over 10,000 pounds of organic soil for this project.

October 2011: The Center for Environmental Transformation

October 20, 2011*

Greetings from Waterfront South in Camden, NJ!

We have had lots of excitement here at Center and throughout our neighborhood.  On October 6^th, Judy Wicks, founder of the White Dog Café in Philadelphia, PA was our guest for the third annual Thomas Berry Lecture.  She weaved her story throughout the talk, how she gradually came to realize the importance of planting her entrepreneurial roots in the local soil of the greater Philadelphia region.  She challenged us to think differently about the way we satisfy the legitimate desires we have for food, for clothing, for energy, and for entertainment.  Rather than purchase our goods from multi-national corporations, she challenged us to support local craftspeople, local farmers and local restaurants.  The way in which we’ve been doing things on the economic front can no longer be tolerated by the planet on which we live and by the people whose lives are so negatively impacted by our way of doing things.  She challenged us, particularly in Camden, a loser in the global capitalistic way of doing things, to look around us, to discover what our resources are in the people of Camden, to support each other, to think creatively about how we can create a network in our region to keep our money in the region, rather than give it to a multinational corporation.  She challenged us to support the local farmer, to join a CSA, to find the farmers who are raising grass fed and to re-imagine the economic relations in our neighborhood, city and region.

A group of students from King’s College arrived at the Center soon after Judy Wicks’ talk. They arrived on the 12^th of October, ready to work and to learn and to build community. They did all three.  They cleared out a space in Eve’s Garden for a shed we hope to build soon, and created a relatively level floor with sand and bricks.  The bricks came from a building down the street from the garden that was destroyed by fire in June of this year.  One of the King’s students remarked that out of the destruction and despair of this crumbled building is coming the foundation for a new structure of hope and life in  Camden.  He is absolutely correct!  That is what we try to do here at the Center, find “places of resurrection in the rubble of it all,” as Fr. Michael Doyle likes to say.  But I take this to be what Judy challenged us to do, to find ways to revive our local communities and economies, by finding the resources that still exist, right in front of us, to “restore a broken city, soon.” 

Everything we do continues to exist because of your support, in time, talent and treasure.  It takes a village to re-imagine our world, and it certainly takes a village to engage in the work of environmental justice, remediation and sustainable living.  Thank you for your support, for your prayers, for your participation.  It has been 6 years since the synod at Sacred Heart Church which launched the idea that found its form in the Center for Environmental Transformation.  Judy Wicks was a recent guest and speaker, six college and high school groups have stayed overnight at the Center in the last year, we received recognition from the federal Environmental Protection Agency for our work and we continue to find partners for collaboration.  It is amazing!  Nothing is impossible for God and a determined group of people once they set their minds and hearts on a vision of peace and justice on this beautiful planet.

Thank you all, and blessings on this beautiful autumn day!

Mark Doorley

President, Board of Trustees

News and Notes

1.      HELP US!  Please forward the email addresses of people whom you think would be interested in our work.  Forward them to info@camdencenterfortransformation.org.  Their names will be added to this distribution list.

2.      FACEBOOK:  We are on Facebook.  Like our page!  Visit our page!  Join our page! 

3.      Kevin Riordan, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote a story on the work going on in our neighborhood.  It was published on  Thursday, October 13^th.  To read the story, follow this link. There is also some video.  Thank you, Kevin!

4.      First Saturday Work Day:  Join us on November 5^th from 9AM til Noon for a work day.  If you can make it, please contact Andrea Ferich at aferich@gmail.com to confirm.  You will need to bring work gloves and your own water to slake your thirst.

5.      JOIN US.  On Thursday, October 27^th the Regional and Urban Partnerships for Sustainability Taskforce of Sustainable Cherry Hill, along with several other groups dedicated to living more sustainably on this planet, is hosting a regional gathering of folks interested in this issue to network and exchange information.  Visit this site for more information.

6.      SAVE THE DATE:  Do you want to know what critters are wandering around in Waterfront South?  Come to the Center on Sunday, October 30^th.  This is for children, both in age and spirit.  We will have so much fun.  This is co-sponsored by CLUES (Communities of Learning for Urban Environments & Science, the Pennsylvania Institute for Conservation Education and the Center.  It begins at 2PM and goes til sunset.  Join us!!!  For more information, see the attached flyer.

7.      SAVE THE DATE:  Saturday, December 3^rd there will be a city wide peace walk, seeking to end violence in the streets of Camden, in our region and throughout the world.  See the attached flyer or visit this website http://www.camdendccb.org for more information.  The event begins at 11AM and ends at Noon.  Join us and walk with our Camden neighbors as we seek peace in our city.

8.      On September 24^th, 39 Villanova students, staff and faculty came to the Center to work on several projects in the neighborhood.  This was part of the St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service celebration at the university. On this day some 4,000 volunteers went out to over 130 sites throughout the Philadelphia region.  It was quite a day.  Some worked in the gardens and some worked on demolition in two ongoing renovation projects and some worked on painting and cleaning out spaces in the Center.  They were there for the entire day and we were blessed to have their energy and talent to get lots of work done in the neighborhood.  Thanks Villanova!

9.      On September 29^th, 20 students from Bishop Eustace High School in Pennsauken, NJ came to spend four days at the Center.  They worked hard the entire time they were with us.  They worked with children in the school, worked in the garden, did some demolition work in the soon-to-be Writer’s House, and helped to spruce up the Fellowship House garden.  They learned about sustainability, food production processes and environmental justice.  At the end of the retreat, they committed themselves to walk more tenderly on the planet.  We had loads of fun with them. Pictures from this retreat are on our Facebook page.  Mrs. Pat Arnold and Mr. Kyle Jaep were their chaperones, and they did a terrific job of guiding these young adults.

10.  The third annual Thomas Berry lecture on October 6^th was a wonderful success.  As noted above, Judy Wicks talked.  Prior to the event we had a meet & greet in the Center for about 40 people, with Judy.  We had several sponsors and friends of the Center who made this a magnificent event.  We had sponsorship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the John and Mary Louise Scanlan Family, Abbey and Jon Cofsky, Catholic Charities, the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association, the South Camden Theatre Company, Alice Sandmeyer, Ginny Wolfson, Robin Anne Palley and the White Dog Café.  Our friends were also quite supportive:  Nancy Weber, Susan Kohler Reed, Cathy and Ted Fox, Jose Troche, Jr., Rosemary and Jim Hally, Theresa Boyce, John Marmarou, Eileen and John Borland, Mark and Cathy Doorley, Kathleen D’zura, Joan Riley, Frances Cassidy, Debra Italiano, Robert Bingaman, Michael Devlin, Mary Costello, Bill and Jean Harden, Barbara Hopkins, Betty Musetto, Damien Capressecco, Susan Cedrone, Fr. Michael Doyle, Sean Dougherty, Ben Hill, Michael & Josephine Giacchino and Dom and Fran Cicali.  The biggest thank you of all goes to Andrea Ferich who coordinated the entire event.  Thank you Andrea.  You can visit our Facebook page for photographs of this event.

11.  From October 12-15^th, as noted above, King’s College spent time with us.  Pictures of this group are also on our Facebook page.  In addition to the work noted above, they did extensive weeding in the Eve’s Garden vegetable beds, in the Peace Garden, and in the community garden in the park. They also worked with children in the school and did some demolition work at the Firehouse, which will soon house artists of all kinds.  Many of the members of this group were impressed by the vibrant community they met in Waterfront South.  They did enough work to position us well as we move into the deep days of autumn. Thanks King’s!  We hope to see you again soon.

Community Based Greenmap

Here's some of the maps that I've been starting recently.


THE Pollinators Corridor - http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/native-plant-pollinators-corridor



And mapping out some of the videos on an asset mapping: http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/greenmap-camden


( not yet "open" yet) Community Food Assessment: http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/camden-food-assessment