Holiday Greetings to the Members of Sustainable Berea
The holidays often seem busier than the “regular” year, but occasionally they provide some quiet time for reflection on the year past. Our recent cold weather has reminded me of the January ice storm and the loss of electricity. With the grid down, there were a lot of cold houses, frozen pipes, bare shelves and closed stores, and uncomfortable people.
Fortunately, power was restored to most of Berea after a few days, and life resumed. However, the storm was a wake-up call. Berea is not set up to do well if the flow of energy or water or food or materials from “outside” is disrupted. It is only a matter of time until the next ice storm or other severe weather event. And we know that with peak oil, climate change, population growth and a very shaky global economy, it is only a matter of time until rising prices or reductions in supply test our resilience in other ways.
So it is with satisfaction that I look back on the work of Sustainable Berea and its members during the past year. Guided by the Re-skilling Berea 2009 calendar, we put on a workshop each month designed to provide knowledge and practical skills to increase the resilience of our households and community. Our January workshop focused – fittingly enough – on home energy conservation and simple actions that can create substantial savings in energy and money. It’s amazing what you can do with a caulk gun and a roll of plastic.
As the year progressed, we explored how to raise backyard chickens, capture and use rainwater, support the local economy, work with city government, stay healthy in a post-peak oil world, and other useful skills. Our 100-mile potluck included an auction this year with nearly 220 people in attendance. Items auctioned gave people a chance to learn more about canning and preserving, cooking, and planting gardens. Sustainable Berea partnered with other organizations to organize the 4th Annual Berea Solar Tour, which brought nearly 250 people to engage in workshops, presentations and the tour of homes featuring solar energy and energy saving features.
We sold nearly 160 fruit trees and berry bushes in our spring and fall sales this year, along with our 500th rain barrel. Mayor Connelly even proclaimed the date of our fall plant sale, November 14, as “Edible Landscape Day,” and assisted in the planting of two gooseberry shrubs at the Old Town Welcome Center.
A lot more went on, but now it’s time to look forward to new challenges, new opportunities, and a new year. The Re-skilling Berea 2010 Calendar – focusing on growing, storing, and cooking local food – is the perfect tool for keeping track of upcoming events. Please pay particular attention to Saturday February 13 – the Sustainable Berea annual membership meeting. Just as Sustainable Berea could not have achieved anything this past year without the time, talents and financial support of its members, we need your input on setting the goals and agenda for 2010.
I hope to see you in February. Meanwhile, I and the members of the Sustainable Berea Board of Directors wish you happy holidays and a hopeful new year.
Richard Olson
Chair, Sustainable Berea
