Subject: Low cost community gardening

From: Andrew Erb <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 09:30:47 -0500 (CDT)

Great Advise (keeping the school/community garden project low cost),
thanks Arpil!  I had it set in my mind that I wanted to 
build raised beds, and still may in the future, the first site is at my 
childrens elementary school and is on a hill side with a moderate slope.  
	
I work as a secretary for a gerontologist and we just recently held a 
conference on Minority Aging here in Missouri.  Our keynote speaker 
talked about the desciple (I forget which one) who walked on water and 
used this as an analogy "you have to get out of the boat" (stay focused 
on I suppose God if you believe and/or your goal) to really help 
the needy, he was speaking to social workers and health care givers, 
telling them to ignore inhumane rules, like not touching the people they 
care for etc.  I met many caring people at our conference and am Inspired 
to try harder to get community gardening going.

Talking with another one of the conference workshop presenters who works in 
Washington DC on public housing gave me a good idea on raising money for 
the garden project(s) (I hope to expand to more sites in the future).  
He started taking flats of annual flowers around to the people who live 
in public housing and before he knew it people were lining up to buy 
flats, and people started calling him to preorder flats.  I'm going to 
try this, but will also keep in mind that I won't need whole lot of money 
since the gardens will be community gardens.  He also talked about 
sharing ideas and techniques, his very positive attitude was refreshing.  
We can accomplish more if we share this kind of wonderful knowledge and 
positive attitude with others, who knows, maybe in a couple of years 
permaculture will be mainstream :}

On Wed, 3 Sep 1997, April Sampson-Kelly wrote:

> Guess this won't give you much Joy,  but  in my little experience
> people are fascinated with what can be achieved WITH NO funding.
> I have found that people will copy your example because you
> don't have special access to funds,
> They are pleased to see it will not cost them much to do the same.
> We collect seed from our foods we buy, we collect compost
> and mulch materials from paper and lawn clippings that we and 
> are neighbors normally discard.
> Make this part of the project and it will grow in many unforeseen 
> and uncontrolled areas.
> Funding has to answer to the funder!! Your project will have to answer
> to no-one but those it aims to serve.
> April
> 
> ----------
> > From: Andrew Erb <[email-masked]>
> > To: [email-masked]
> > Cc: [email-masked]
> > Subject: permaculture in Missouri
> > Date: Saturday, August 30, 1997 9:46 PM
> > 
> > 
> > Does anyone know of any permaculture activities in the Mid-Missouri area?
> > 
> > I am currently trying to get a little money donated to start a 
> > 
> > school/community organic garden and outdoor classroom project going.
> > 
> > 	
> > 	Andrew Erb  [email-masked]   
>