Category: Community Building

Seeding Community Spirit

It’s almost a year since the concept of a local Seed Library was introduced at the original Blue Sky Festival. Inspired by the one Swan Shire launched early in 2018, a small bunch of MiT people (who hang out at Cafe Mojo’s Wednesday mornings) decided to give the idea a go in the Hills (great coffee makes you bold).

Our fabulous local Librarian Helen (and wonderful staff) got right behind the idea, so we could publicly launch at the festival. All we had then were the printed donation bags and a whole lot of faith that our community would get behind such a worthwhile project. And you haven’t let us down. People in the Mundaring Shire rock!! In fact, we are apparently one of the few libraries that have done this ENTIRELY with seeds donated from the community.

We’re doing an audit at the moment to report back some interesting loan data, but so far we know that over 128 varieties of seeds were offered and 1000s of packets were delivered for the opening. A modest, but very proud beginning wouldn’t you say! Happily, the donations are still arriving at the Albert Facey Library, so our goal of a sustainable collection is looking promising. To extend our donation base into the future, the Seed Library group are also really interested in liaising with local schools …. where our future growers are.

We invite you all to get involved too. There are currently a small, but growing, bunch of volunteers who are helping to process donated seed. Thankyou so much Ralph & Lynne, Gina, Cheryl & Laurence, Julie, Liz, Jenny, Sarah and Lori. And very grateful also to Mundaring Sharing for allowing us to use the backroom for the latest seed saving morning. A real community effort.

Join Us! We’re recruiting.

Not every group has a whole book written about them, but that’s what’s happening with the worldwide Transition movement. Even here in WA. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the wonderful Dr. Drew Hubbell for including MiT in this free eBook. If you feel you’d like to be more than a spectator and join our Steering Group … we’re recruiting. Drew’s book will give you an excellent overview of our very diverse, local Transition groups.

Seed Library is LIVE!!

All the hard work and contributions by our community of local seed savers, the Library staff and the Seed Group volunteers has paid off, the Seed Library is open for borrowing. Our embryonic collection is small, so borrowing must initially be limited, but all you’ll need is your usual Library membership. Then you can borrow, grow, save and share. Of course, you also get to eat the produce or enjoy the flowers. Then, we hope you’ll be inspired to save some seed to return. The whole purpose is to steadily increase the collection of open pollinated, locally adapted seeds to share among our community. Stay tuned for Seed Saving Info talks.

If you’d like to join the seed saving conversation on Facebook CLICK HERE 

Exciting possibilities for schools 

If your school can see the potential benefits of linking plant/food production from soil, to seed, to plate, then on to a perennial social purpose, contact the Seed Group to discuss how we can work together. 

Bacon & sausages (like they used to make)

How much fun did we have at this Makin’ Bacon & Sausages workshop on Saturday! (Booked out in a day from the “first dibs” offering on the newsletter) Thank you so much Jo Thierfelder for this AMAZING video.

We share your passion to make real, good, food more accessible locally and build some great social capital into the bargain. Think it worked! Of course, not everybody in MiT (or the Climate Change scene) agrees with the meat bit, but there’s a whole other argument developing about the sustainability of Regenerative Ag that definitely includes animals

Bags to Go!

Here’s our #1 Pop-up Mini Sewing Bee set up outside our longtime supporters, Leaf & Bean Cafe. Thanks to Jody, Ben & Gerard for the kickass coffees But we will soon be Joy-less! One of our most prolific Boomerang Bag organisers is leaving us, so we decided to fulfil one of her big dreams: taking the bags to the shoppers. Joy’s been a dynamo for the cause, enlisting a whole tribe of wonderful sewers from Mundaring Sharing and setting up some great connections in the community. We’re very, very grateful and she will be missed! Our mini sewing pop-up sewing bee – with Wendy, Joy, Jenny & Lori was a great success. Really worthwhile conversations & connections … so we’ll be doing another on Tuesday 10 July at Cafe Mojo.

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