What’s in the ground:

So it’s the first day of September and the second day of a five day heat wave. It’s a good testament to this season. But I’ve not let that stop me from getting some lettuce mix and spinach in the soil. I admit I sowed it when it was still 70 degrees outside, but I’m hoping that the soil temperature will allow germination and by the time the seedlings pop up, they will be enjoying some cooler temperatures. But I just couldn’t wait any longer, so the lettuce is in, spinach will be next week.

What’s going on in sustainability:

On Sept. 19th at the Programs Employing People Center in South Philadelphia, a great group of people will be hosting a dinner called STAKE. The dinner is modeled after the Brooklyn dinner called FEAST and their mission is for a stake in the Philadelphia community, a  stake in the arts and in creative thought, a  stake in local organic food, and a stake in local economy.

So when I was approached to help coordinate the local produce buying for the dinner, that mission statement was enough to get me to donate my time. The way it works is that organizations can submit proposals to the organization. A dinner is then organized and all of the proceeds from people paying for plates will go to the organization that is voted on by the people in attendance.

I love this model for a few reasons. The first is that it really empowers people to learn to vote and speak with their wallets and purses. Too often in this country people confuse complaining about where tax money goes with trying to eradicate tax money in general; this is why libertarians piss me off. Sure, some organizations can support themselves without grant money. But a group that teaches orphans to read can’t ask those orphans to foot the bill for the lesson. That’s why we as a community needs to pick up our less fortunate neighbors and give them a hand.

As I always say, you take your talents, divide them by your good fortune and use the remainder to help those in need. And that’s what this dinner will do. The second reason I love it is because it brings the arts and sustainability together. All people should be incorporating sustainable practices into their lives, from the mechanic who goes the extra mile to dispose of her oil properly, to the contractor who wants to use natural building materials. This dinner will bring a diaspora of cool projects under one roof and hopefully reward one group with some funds.

But that doesn’t mean the other groups won’t benefit. This is a great chance to expose many people to their projects. Plus, I’ll get to showcase all of the amazing produce being grown by the City Harvest Growers Alliance, who will be supplying a good portion of the food. So please, save the date and if you have any more questions, please comment on this blog.

Until next week, this is the note from the urban homestead.