“Let us put our minds together to see what kind of future we can make for our children.”
Sitting Bull
Talk about going back to the roots this weekend! NOFA VT’s conference brought the foodies, rewilders, biodiversity nuts, biochar bakers — charvangelists, campaigners, water protectors, insatiable students, diggers, plant nerds, organic farmers, pollinator pros, mycelium networkers, seed swappers, energy wonks, composters, preppers, green real estaters, funders, Chelsea Green readers, farm-to-platers, chefs, ag school professors, community organizers, impact investors, weavers, sustainable textile millers, ruminant stewards, fintechers, grassroots campaigners, brewers, artists, musicians… — ie our people under one roof! What a conference!!!
Now, for those of you who don't know, NOFA VT stands for the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. And let me tell you, these folks know how to nourish us in all ways!
Kicking-off the event with good eats and Winona’s wisdom and great survival humor — even if we must strap ourselves into our lawn chairs to protect our waterways there’s always Depends (!!) — set the tone for the weekend! And that's just scratching the surface, which we don’t do now as we reWILD our lands ; ) As reWILDERS we tamp down and stop tilling and breaking-up our fungal connective tissue, which offers so much more to our soil health than we give it credit.
This conference is a celebration of all things wet and green and good for the planet. We really got into the seed swapping, beekeeping, greenhouses, farm-to-plate discussions, and even talks about community banking and solar energy. In my kid’s language: this weekend was soooooooo Singing Bridge!
Yes, it’s true Winona Laduke gave me some of her seeds and a big badass grandmother hug (!!!). And you are correct I am not worth it and will definitely be doing a blog piece on her as soon as I untangle all the inputs that are flooding me from meeting one of my favorite wise women — if you ever have a chance to meet her and listen to her Make America Great Again pitch for the time when the buffalo roamed and we could drink out of every stream and lake in the country — it is well worth the trip.
And if you're like me, and you're a big fan of books about sustainable living, then you'll be thrilled to know that Chelsea Green Publishing offered a generous discount and even brought some of their key authors to sign books at this shindig. Yes, I got to hang out with the coolest forest gardener, (a fellow River Rat) and yes I got my book signed and I will share, especially if you help us with our hedgerows. Confession: I have a full Chelsea Green library so no most of these ideas you will hear about on this blog are not original — they simply keep surfacing again and again and again in all the great books and lectures I have read and attended about how we multi-solve the various challenges that are killing us ==> WE MUST relearn to live more generously together!!! The good news this it is not rocket science and we will have a blast doing it together!
“We live in epic times…. We happen to be the ones that are here. Look around you, this is your team. This is your point in history when you can do something great!” Winona Laduke
And let's not forget about the real stars of the show - the farmers! These farmers are the backbone of our food system, and they're doing incredible work on the ground beneath our feet to support biodiversity and make sure there is still air to breathe and water to drink …. They're the reason we have access to all the fresh, organic produce we love so much. So let's give our farmers a big round of applause and remember it is essential where the farmers farm and the eaters eat — we each need to do our part.
And if you're lucky enough to live near a food co-op or farmers market, then you know how important it is to support these local businesses. They're the ones who bring us the delicious, sustainably-grown food full of nutrients that our bodies crave.
As many of you know I LOVE good food! So let’s be clear about something: this redesigning community thing is driven by my stomach — I don’t want to have to sacrifice good food as layers of ash fall onto the Salinas Valley (no not the Celinas Valley — another bad high-school nickname) or worse it burns-up and turns our most productive valleys into scorched earth — yup the seventh prophecy is all about fires and the ash is coming soon so water women it is time to help protect the watersheds — again none of this is a big brain stretch!
This is called the time of the Seventh Fire. This is a time when our people will have two roads ahead of us - one miikina, or path, which is well-worn - but scorched - and another path which is green. It will be our choice upon which path to embark. That is where we are.
Winona Laduke, Honor the Earth
So, my friends, if you care about clean air, water and the right to roam — the greatest luxuries on the planet and if you care about our food system, and if you care about supporting local businesses, then I urge you to support your local farmers and NOFA VT. It's awesome organization and offers many opportunities to connect with resources, learn, grow, and network with like-minded individuals who want to make a positive impact on the world.
And… as always, “Keep it Wet and Green” or in family speak: “Stay Moore Green”!