Surviving Capitalism (Not) : City dwellers use their green thumbs to strengthen neighborhood bonds in community gardens

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

City dwellers use their green thumbs to strengthen neighborhood bonds in community gardens

from Food Freedom.

Building local community is a necessary step toward localization of polity and economy that can save us from the ravages (climate change, depletion of energy, degradation of the environment, etc) of globalized capitalism.

The project had support from City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who heard from residents wanting to set up a community garden. Most live in rental and condominium properties without access to yards.

“These gardens have been so popular, we have been trying ways to make it happen,” said Sheehan, who provided $2,000 from her discretionary budget for the Festival Park and Colonialtown gardens. “For me it’s an educational tool. It’s a way to get people active, and it’s a way to build community …. It’s just nothing but positive.”