February 2012: The Center for Environmental Transformation

Greetings from Camden!

A friend of mine told me a rather disturbing story the other day.  She was sharing her work on sustainability with some teachers who work in the public schools.  She was abruptly interrupted by one of the teachers who asked:  What is sustainability?  This was disturbing because it was a teacher who didn’t know what sustainability is.  If the teachers of our society don’t know what sustainability is, then is it any wonder that everyday persons on the street might have trouble getting their minds, and more importantly, their hearts, around the notion of sustainability.

So what is it?  I am not an expert.  If you want to hear the opinion of an expert you ought to touch base with my good friend Lori Braunstein of Sustainable Cherry Hill.  Or perhaps you could talk to Ed Cohen of the Green Team of Mt. Laurel, NJ.  However, I do have my understanding of sustainability that I hope might be helpful to someone.  Sustainability is essentially about living on this planet in a way that will insure some semblance of the planet for our children and grandchildren.  Why do we need to worry about this?  The fossil fuels that make possible the lifestyle that we now enjoy are non-renewable.  We are using them now at such a clip that we may well be out of fossil fuels (natural gas, petroleum, coal) long before the end of this 21^st century.  We are also using water at an incredible clip, and more and more places are finding it difficult to maintain adequate levels of potable water for their people.  Some think that our next major armed conflict may very well be focused on water supplies.  Amazingly enough, our atmosphere is under attack.  The CO₂ in our atmosphere is growing steadily, warming the atmosphere, which ironically makes more fresh water available via the melting of the polar ice caps.  Too bad that fresh water won’t get to the places where armed conflict over water is likely to occur!  The bottom line, demonstrated by many scientists, is that our natural world and its resources is not able to sustain the pressure that the demands of our lifestyle apply daily, around the world.  Sustainability is an concerted effort to impact the way in which we walk on this planet, make use of its resources, and respect its rhythms.

Sustainability initiatives include reducing our energy consumption and supporting alternative and renewable energy source production.  It includes thinking through the food production system which we support through our food dollars, realizing other ways in which to obtain our food that is both less draining on our limited fossil fuels but also much gentler to the soil and to the animals.  It includes realizing that violence is a fundamentally unsustainable solution to recurring problems. It includes attention to the distribution of the resources of our society. It is impossible to sustain a society when its resources are distributed in a way that leaves many struggling to meet the necessities of daily living and the few capable of ignoring the vast majority behind high walls and in private, exclusive schools and clubs.  I’ve just touched on some sustainability initiatives here; there are many more but I hope the direction of these initiatives is clear from these examples.

Sustainability rests on the idea that human beings, with all of our intellectual power and creative imagination, are members of the planet.  We are not the monarchs, the dictators, the masters.  We are embedded deeply in webs of interconnectedness, in webs of interdependence.  William Faulkner wrote  a short story entitled “Delta Autumn” in which he tells the story of a young boy who was taught to hunt by two older men when he was  a teen. Each autumn he returns to the scene of his first kill, to reconnect with nature, and with his identity.  What is clear from Faulkner’s telling is that the techniques the young man was taught enabled him to attend to nature in a very different way. He had to look at the world the way the deer or the bear looked at the world. Only by coming to a deep appreciation of the ways of the world, and of his place in it, could the young man be successful in his hunt.  And when he had shot the deer, and used his knife to quickly end its life, he took a bit of the blood of the deer and placed it on his face, to remember.  William E. May, in reflecting on this short story, identifies two insightful moments. First, the young man comes to realize his dependence on nature.  Second, he also came to see nature as not an enemy or something to be tamed or a tool for his own delight, but a living system of which he was a part, just as much as any other animal, or any other human being.  Sustainability seems to rest on some such set of insights.  We are dependent on nature and we are a part of nature.   Sustainability does not demand that we cease using the resources of nature to meet our needs.  What it does demand is that we assess our “needs” in light of the resources of nature.  It demands that we think about others’ needs before we think about our wants.  It demands that we attend to our whole way of life with a view to being members of the community of life, rather than as masters of it.

Those are some of my thoughts on this expansive topic.  I think we need to continue to discuss sustainability.  We need to educate ourselves about it, and others as well.  It is what the bible asks us to do in Genesis when, in the original Hebrew language, we are asked to “cultivate” the earth.  The long standing translation of the Hebrew as “dominate” is part of the problem that sustainability means to address.  I invite you to engage in the work of sustainability, and you can begin on  Sunday, February 26^th, in Camden from 2-5PM.  See the second announcement below for more details or visit this website.

I wish you a blessed winter, one and all.

Sincerely,

Mark Doorley, Ph.D.

President, The Center for Environmental Transformation

www.camdencenterfortransformation.org

NEWS and NOTES

1.       Monthly Work Day:  Spring is rushing upon us, believe it or not!  Join us on Saturday, March 3^rd, in Eve’s Garden where we are preparing the ground, as well as heirloom seedlings in the greenhouse.  Please contact Andrea at aferich@gmail.com if you intend to come. Bring work gloves, as well as your own drinking water.

2.      FEBRUARY 26^TH:   The Center for Environmental Transformation, as well as other regional organizations, is co-sponsoring an afternoon of conversation about the topic of diversity in the sustainability movement. A panel of presenters will share their insights on this topic, but the meat of the gathering will be the small group discussion that will follow.  The event lasts from 2-5PM.  It will be held at the Urban Promise Sanctuary, at 3700 Rudderow Street in Pennsauken.  YOU MUST REGISTER.  Visit this website for more information.

3.      On Friday, February 17^th, tomorrow, Sacred Heart Church, the source of our inspiration for this work, is hosting an evening of prayer and reflection for people in recovery and their families.  The event begins at 7PM.  This is on the corner of Ferry Ave. & S. Broadway in Camden.  It is not an event about the environment, but it is certainly about the hope of transformation, which is central to our work.  Please pass this on to your friends and family.  All are welcome!

4.      A HAIKU OPPORTUNITY:  The Nick Virgilio Haiku Association is hosting a world reknown haiku writer on March 3, 2012 in Waterfront South in Camden, NJ.  See the attached flier for information on this event.  Consider coming out for the opportunity to discover your haiku voice.

5.      Like us on Facebook, and join our group.  Invite your friends to join us as well.  Please use our Facebook page to let us know about interesting things you’ve read, great websites you’ve found, and activities that might interest the entire group.

6.      Help us spread the word about the Center by forwarding this email to those you think might be interested.  If they would like to be on this distribution list, they can email their contact information to info@camdencenterfortransformation.org

7.      The 2012 Capital Campaign is well under way.  We are still working to raise the funds to replace all the windows on the Center, to make it more energy efficient.  We also have plans for a beautiful new porch on the side of the building, as well as a new entrance on Ferry Ave.  We cannot do any of that without your generous support.  Consider making a contribution to our capital campaign. Send a check payable to “The Center for Transformation” to 1729 Ferry Ave., Camden, NJ 08104.

CSA Sign-ups! (Community Supported Agriculture)

The time has come... its time to sign-up for the CSA that we are hosting in collaboration with Greensgrow Farm here in Waterfront South at our Youth-led Farmers Market just off the corner of Broadway & Ferry in Camden.

Fridays 4-7pm, May-November

(please e-mail aferich@gmail.com for fliers, i'd also love to come share with your group)

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!!

sign-up here
Here's some more details, please be sure you read to know the details. 

If you'd like to know more about what a CSA is, and why it supports the local economy of Camden, and farmers from all over the region here's a little more info. Basically you pay money upfront to become a member of the community that comes to pick-up produce:

Greensgrow CSA in Camden

Community Supported Agriculture.

Did you know that the average American dinner has traveled 1,700 miles from the farm to the dinner table? Want to eat healthy fruits and vegetables from within a 150 mile radius? Then considering joining the Waterfront South CSA. What is CSA?- It stands for Community Supported Agriculture and has become an innovative model in sustainable agriculture. When a group of people join as members they come every week to the farmstand to pick up their share of what was grown by local farmers. The fruits, vegetables, and a protein are in your share every week. This helps the farmers to stay connected with you, the consumer, throughout the growing season. In the share each week, members, will receive a seasonal assortment of six to eight locally grown, fresh vegetables, and two types of fruits from a local orchard, a locally made cheese, and the choice of another dairy/protein option: yogurt, butter, one dozen eggs, seitan or tofu. In the share throughout the season, sometimes you’ll receive a variety of locally prepared foods like a loaf of fresh baked bread, apple cider, honey, fresh pasta, or dips and sauces all produced locally. Members can choose to receive a full share or a half share, which they pick once a week or every other week. Some smaller families have chosen to join with their neighbors, sharing a full or half share.

An example share of a week in August will include:

-12 dozen organic eggs

-one piece swiss

5 oz. organic spring mix

1 bunch parsley

-2 lbs. peaches

2 red bell peppers

2 lbs. tomatoes

2 lbs squash

2 lb. red potatoes

1 sugar baby watermelon

2 slicing cucumbers

for the weekly cost of $32.30/ week

Why in Camden?

The CSA will take place at the Center For Environmental Transformation at Broadway and Ferry every Friday from May- November at the Waterfront South Farmers Market. Through hosting the CSA the Center and Greensgrow will continue to be able to make healthy food accessible at an affordable cost to all Camden residents in 8 different neighborhoods. The Center’s Farmstand is youth lead, growing over 2,000 pounds of organic heirloom produce each year, in a city with only one grocery store. Your support of this CSA and Farmstand help to build the local economy in Camden as well supporting a wide variety of local farmers within a 150 mile radius.

The details:

CLick the LiNK!!

http://www.greensgrow.org/farm/modules/liaise/index.php?form_id=20

Camden Green Infrastructure Plan

Here's the Community-Based Infrastructure For the City of Camden

Feasibility Study

This is our detailed plan included rain garden locations for the city.

http://www.ccmua.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Green-Infrastructure-for-Camden-Feasibility-Study_Jan-20121.pdf

compressed:

http://is.gd/Z4Hawr

Food Assessment

NJ statewide food assessment

http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/nj-statewide-food-assessment

http://is.gd/YiP65B compressed

Upcoming Events

Waterfront South CSA Sign-ups: e-mail camdencfet@gmail.com

Saturday Feb. 4th (9-12noon)

Greenhouse preparation for planting, garden planning community mapping,

Tuesday Feb. 14th (all day e-mail aferich@gmail.com)

Begin planting brassicas in the greenhouse

Feb. 7th NYC Beekeepers Association

Feb. 16th

Rain Garden Training For Professional Landscaper register here

Feb. 17th UPENN

Urban Planning Community Food Assessment Training

Feb. 23 Camden Bees

Feb. 24-25 NJ Farm to School Network Conference Presenter

http://www.njfarmtoschool.org/

Saturday March 3rd (9-12noon)

Preparing the potato planting beds for St. Patrick's Day

Neuman University

Tuesday March 6th

Rainbarrel making workshop 6-8 pm PCIB

Orchard Training @Bartram's Gardens

Rutgers Retreat

March 17th

St. Patrick's Day Potato Planting Extravaganza

e-mail aferich@gmail.com

March 22 Raingarden installation

January 2012: The Center for Environmental Transformation

January 16, 2012

Greetings to all on this holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr!

One might wonder why I am sitting in front of my computer today, rather than engaged in community service in honor of Dr. King.  That’s a very good question, and my answer is probably not very good, but this newsletter is a service for those interested in the work of the Center, and so the time spent in preparing it, I hope, is on a par with the many hands that are extended in service throughout the country today.

Today in the Courier Post, the South Jersey newspaper, is the beginning of a four part series on water in the Garden State.  Forty years ago, state government challenged itself to clean up the waterways of the state so that we could boast of our commitment to the environment.  This series reports that only one waterway in the entire state passes all the tests set up to insure the safety of the water.  ONE WATERWAY in all of New Jersey!  Click here to read the first installment in this series.  As the article points out, many millions of dollars have been spent to clean up the waterways of NJ, and yet here we sit, 40 years later, with only one waterway safe for drinking directly.  It can become discouraging to think that so much effort can produce so little.  Indeed, it is discouraging.

We measure ourselves by our effectiveness in the effort to green business, or politics, or our lifestyles.  We want people to tread more softly on the earth, on its resources.  We want  to encourage new sources of energy, new food production processes, new purchasing patterns.  All of this is aimed to make human living more responsive to the environmental and social costs of that human living.  But this effort can become discouraging when we meet people for whom the environment is no more than a source of human satisfaction, when we meet people who consider environmental racism or the injustice of sighting polluting industry in poor neighborhoods as the blathering of weak kneed liberals who are trying to cover up for the inadequacies of those who are poor because of their choices.  It can be discouraging!

Into the darkness of that discouragement come the light of young voices, of fresh perspectives, of new enthusiasm.  This past week at the Center we hosted a group from Rutgers/New Brunswick.  They were a fantastic group; they worked hard in our neighborhood and at two agencies in Philadelphia. At the end of their week, they shared their insights and reflections on themselves and the work they did.  One young man noted that he became aware in a  new way of the disconnect between those who seek to satisfy their wants and those who struggle to meet their needs.  He remarked that we ought to be committed to a society where everyone’s basic needs for food, shelter, security, healthcare and education are met before any of us pursue the satisfaction of our wants!  Isn’t this the vision offered us in the Acts of the Apostles, where the early believers were described as sharing everything in common so that all would have enough to eat and shelter?

Another student realized that her success was not an individual accomplishment; there is an entire community of people who support her in the pursuit of excellence.  Indeed!  Where would any of us be without our families, our friends, our mentors, our heroes?  Where would we be if not for the social structures supported by our government?  Where would be if, indeed, we were left to our own devices, only our own devices, without the cooperation of hundreds, if not thousands, of people?  Be each of us doing our “bit,” this student said, we can help each other to be all that we can be.  But we have to do our “bit.”  No one else will do it for us, and it does not help if we look at what others are doing or not doing.  Our job, our role in creation, our task is to figure out what our bit is, and to do it, with enthusiasm and fidelity.

Is the work of justice, of building a better world, a frustrating experience at times?  Oh yes!  But then there are those moments when God reminds us of the power of human imagination, of human compassion.  We meet it in the words of young college students.  We meet it in the smile of a homeless man who thrills to tell his story.  We meet it in the marks of beauty throughout the struggling city of Camden which signals that the human spirit will not be defeated.  These are the signs of hope, the signs that our toil is valuable, that the world is changing, that peace and justice are a possibility for human beings, that walking more respectfully, more tenderly, more attentively on the earth is a possibility.

There is nothing like a young person naming hope to dispel the darkness of frustration and disappointment.  The future of our planet is in the hands of the generation coming of age as we speak.  What a gift it always is to witness the joy of young people!

In this season of resolutions, I challenge you to nourish your own joy, your own hope, your own commitment to be a more faithful steward of the gift of creation.  That is my resolution; this past week made it an easy one to live up to!

Sincerely,

Mark Doorley, Ph.D.

President, Board of Trustees

NEWS AND NOTES

1.       February Work Day:  As we rapidly approach the growing season, we need to get the greenhouse ready.  Come on Saturday, February 4^th, at 9AM.  Be sure to bring your own water and work gloves.  Please contact Andrea Ferich at aferich@gmail.com to let her know that you are coming.

2.      Tell your friends about us.  Send us their email addresses and we will add them to this distribution list.  Forward the email to those you think might be interested in our work.  Send email addresses to info@camdencenterfortransformation.org.

3.      RETREATS:  Rutgers/New Brunswick students spent a week with us, leaving on Sunday, the 14^th of January.  As indicated above, they worked in the school, in the Center, at the Writers’ House and the Firehouse, as well as at two sites in Philadelphia. They were an absolute joy!  Check out our Facebook page in the next week for a few photographs.  We will be hosting a group from Neumann University in March and another group from Rutgers/New Brunswick in April. If you’ve been here already for a retreat and/or learning experience, please consider scheduling your group again.  If you’ve never spent an overnight with us, please contact us for information.  We would love to work with your group to plan a wonderful experience in Camden.  Contact us at retreats@camdencenterfortransformation.org.

4.      Our work would not be possible without the support of foundations in the area that value our efforts.  In the last month we received two substantial grants.  The first is from the  Community Foundation of South Jersey in the amount of $5,275.00 to be used to further the mission of the Center. The second is from the Elmo Foundation, based in Virginia.  They gave us a grant of $1100 to support the Junior Farmer Program.    THANK YOU!

5.      CAPITAL CAMPAIGN:  On December 1, 2011 we began a capital campaign for the Center, aiming to renovate the old side porch on the building, redesign the front entrance, and finish the replacement of the old windows in the building.  Our goal is $50,000.  As of today, you have helped us reach 2% of our goal.  Thank you to all of you who have already contributed.  For those of you who haven’t gotten around to it, please remember to support these projects which will enable us to create an ever more inviting space in Waterfront South and be more efficient in our use of energy.  Send a contribution to 1729 Ferry Ave., Camden, NJ 08104.

6.      The Fair of the Heart:  Each year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Sacred Heart Church hosts a fair at which handmade items are available for sale.  This is the second year in which 75% of the proceeds go to the operations of the Center for Environmental Transformation.  We received $4,288 from the fair this year.  Thank you to the people of Sacred Heart Church for their generosity, and to Barbara Hopkins, Betty Musetto and all their helpers who make this event so special.

7.      January 20-22, 2012:  The next installment of the South Camden Theatre Company’s celebration of Tennessee Williams is set for this weekend.  Two Williams’ plays are featured.  The first, “The Case of the Crushed Pentunias,” directed by the theatre’s artistic director, Joseph Paprzycki, features young adults from Camden city.  The second play, “The Glass Menagerie,” will be read by an African-American cast, directed by Connie Norwood.  Make plans for this uniquely inspiring event!  For more information visit this site.

8.      January 26^th at 7PM:  At Haverford College, the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship is hosting a talk by Susan Gelber Cannon, teacher and author, committed to spreading peace.  Her recent book, “Think, Care, Act:  Teaching for a Peaceful Future,” will be the focus of the talk.  She is featured in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer today.  Read it here.

9.      Dynamic Sustainability:  The role of diversity in creating a sustainable world:  Sustainable Cherry Hill, The Center for Environmental Transformation, among other organizations are sponsoring an afternoon of conversation and reflection on the role of diversity in pursuing sustainable ways of living.  Sunday, February 26, 2012 from 2-5PM:  Join us at the Urban Promise campus on the border of Camden and Pennsauken. For more information, visit this site.

10.  A HAIKU OPPORTUNITY:  The Nick Virgilio Haiku Association is hosting a world reknown haiku writer on March 3, 2012 in Waterfront South in Camden, NJ.  See the attached flier for information on this event.  Consider coming out for the opportunity to discover your haiku voice.