Building Community

Most of the snow that we received last week has melted. The remains lie there under sunny skies and act as a reminder of winters past and future. As we move into December, people are asking will Winter come, will we have a white Christmas? This is not an usual question here in Winter Wonderland, but this year all seems changed. I was able to get an extra layer of mulch, (cardboard, actually pizza boxes) down because the snow that briefly covered the garden, melted just enough. Cardboard is an excellent mulch, worms love it and we have the opportunity to put it to a positive, soil building use rather than sending it to the landfill.

There are a number of basic changes that we can make as we move towards an intentional community within our neighbourhoods. For example, we can consider what it might be like, if we lived in a community, that was part of a community food network. We, rather than growing food, just for ourselves, become part of a bigger plan and work to see that everyone has enought to to eat. Our garden could grow cabbages while another grows carrots. Each individual garden is part of a neighbourhood collective or cooperative. So that the food is shared and the herb growers get a share of the carrots, potatoes and cabbages the others grow.

We still have our individual properties and a part of that can be set aside to be used as we choose, the rest grows what the co-op requires. If new members are added to the co-op, then the group will determine what is needed and the new member will provide that. Some people may become beekeepers, other look after small livestock, such as chickens. Even the local schools can be included in the plan. A certain portion of the schoolyard can be set aside for food production.

The season, at least in cold weather climates, can be lengthened by the use of pit greenhouses and other season extending techniques. Several houses in the coop, could install pit greenhouses and provide fresh herbs, tomatoes and lettuce all year round, for example. Community root cellars would provide storage and enhance the community's food security.

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