I hear tell from our friends at Roots for Change, who are working towards a sustainable food system in California by 2030, that there’s a free screening at the Landmark Embarcadero in San Francisco of the documentary, Food, Inc., about the negative health and environmental health impacts of industrial agriculture. I’m going to check it out and hopefully further radicalize myself, if that’s possible. If that fails, I’m sure I’ll enjoy what appears to be a well made documentary.
Author Archive for Neal Gorenflo
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Social, food and culture adventurer Rachel Weidinger posted a recipe for a “happening,” for lack of a better term, she calls “Forty Margaritas on a taco safari.” I think this easily qualifies as grassroots social innovation. The video is such a tease, despite the weird angle (couldn’t fix it). I want to be there now!
Our April meeting brought gardeners and food lovers together to help each other. Olin Anderson spoke about native plants that work well in our climate. Tarka Sanchez spoke about the power of community gardening. And Jen Dalton shared 10 ways to support a sustainable urban food system. Read Jen’s excellent tips here:
10 Ways to Support a Sustainable Food System
Below are member announcements from the April meeting. Please lend a hand to those that ask for help. And be open to receiving help from those offering. Also included is a list of food and gardening resources created by meeting participants.
Our next meeting Thursday, May 21 features Eric Poettschacher of Shapeshifters.net. He’ll share his two year journey linking creatives from across the globe. This is a chance for SF artists of all stripes jack into a global network of creatives and patrons. Learn more about the meeting here:
Lessons from the Global Creative Community
Continue reading ‘SF April Meeting Notes’
In a time when we need to save money, reduce our ecological footprint, and band together to make change, Divvy may be just what the doctor ordered. Divvy.com helps people and communities to divide up use of various physical assets through a unique billing and asset scheduling system. So for instance, you can use Divvy to schedule the use of conference rooms, desks in a co-working space, a car, a snow blower, in fact, almost anything. And if you want to charge for use, there’s a built in payment system. The whole thing is pretty much self-service, so it doesn’t consume much time except at set up.
I had the good fortune to do some work for founder Aaron Freed on the launch of Divvy.com (disclosure: I earned a small number of options for my work). I got involved because I think that sharing our stuff will solve many problems at once. And I see a new economy and culture emerging based on sharing that can help us enjoy life more and avert societal collapse.
Here’s my perspective. And let me use the example of cars to illustrate. Continue reading ‘Divvy.com: Get the Most Out of Your Stuff’
This is your signal. Like Batman’s bat sign in the night sky, you’ve been called. But instead of a bat, you’re called by the silhouette of a SNAIL! It’s time to put seed in soil, so we’re gathering to share our gardening knowledge and inspire each other to create a sustainable urban food system. Not to mention that our deteriorating economy and environment give us ample reason to take control of our own food supply!
Three experts are kickstarting this month’s Abundance League discussion on gardening and local food. The discussion will be focused on practical gardening tips and how we can support a sustainable urban food system through politics and our participation in the food economy. Our panelist this month are:
-Tarka Sanchez: botanist, ethnobotanist, cook, sustainability consultant, and international cuisine and garden design entrepreneur. Learn more about Tarka here.
-Jen Dalton: food consultant, food journalist, Slow Food organizer, editor of the City Slicker Eats series on the groundbreaking food politics blog Civil Eats, cookbook collector, and gastronome. Learn more about Jen here.
-Olin Anderson: urban planner, habitat restorer, eco-landscape architect, designer of therapeutic and edible garden spaces, and recent prize winner at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show for a demonstration landscape entitled, “11:44AM, Friday.” You can learn more about Olin’s work here.
The combined experience of our panelists is truly dazzling. It includes communing with shamans in the Amazon rainforest to learn plant medicine, selling authentic distrito federale-styled Mexican food in a London market stall, helping launch the Slow Food movement in the US, designing a prize-winning therapeutic garden for disabled veterans, and decades of hands on gardening experience.
We hope you’ll bring your own experience to share. As well as some yummy local food for the potluck.
MEETING
When: Thursday, April 16th, 6:30-10:00pm
Where: Citizen Space , 425 Second St., #100, San Francisco
AGENDA
6:30 – 7:00 Arrive, mingle, nosh
7:00 – 7:45 Member announcements: come prepared to share your passions, needs, gifts & favorite food or gardening experience
7:45 – 8:15 Break – share knowledge, mingle, nosh
8:15 – 9:45 Panel discussion
9:45 – 10:00 Clean up, and as an option, take the discussion to the 21st Amendment, a nearby bar
Last night was filled with pleasant surprises. For starters, Josh (banjo) and Stereo Steve (acoustic guitar) improvised a bluegrass-tinged version of a deconstructed Led Zeppelin song. Serolynne spun poi to it, and really nailed it even though she’s never spun poi to banjo! That combination was definitely unexpected emergent phenomenon. Pure Delight.
Then Jen Anderson took us through an offbeat but radio-friendly alternative play list she created to help break her niece out of a suburban-imposed Top 40 prison. Pearl showed up with her music loving crew from Oakland – Eric, James, and Kimberley – and a free-flowing discussion about favorite songs, bands, and live shows ensued.
We touched on many genres – reggae, ska, gospel, old time, alternative, 70s, soul, and more. Folks connected to the past and to each other around the music they’ve made and experienced. Jen’s lively “niece prison break project” play list kept the conversation going jazz-like.
Then JX treated us to a couple songs on guitar. In between, we traded CDs, chatted, and noshed. I’m happy to report that I gave most of my CD collection away, plus I scored two compilation CDs courtesy of Stereo Steve – one of awesome Who covers and another featuring The Jam, Beth Orton, Billy Bragg, Squeeze, and the Arctic Monkeys. Thank you Steve!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
We’ll be at Citizen Space for the next 6 months on third Thursdays. Here’s the address: 425 2nd Street #100, San Francisco (2nd @ Harrison). Citizen Space is a vibrant, spacious co-working facility with all the amenities we need. Plus, you can enter the space through the ground floor loading dock! How industrial.
If you have any ideas for activities or speakers for upcoming meetings, please drop me a line. Feel free to suggest yourself. Here’s the schedule:
April 16
May 21
June 18
July 16
August 20
September 17
The next SF meeting is the first ever Abundance League Music Jam! So players, bring your instruments. Everyone gets to play a favorite song. Then if the chemistry is right, a jam might emerge. If you plan on coming, email gorenflo at gmail with what you’re planning to share (song, instrument, style). Any ability or style is welcome. Try a new song out on us. Abundance League is a place of becoming, not judgment.
We have two players signed up already. Josh Wilson is bringing his banjo. He’ll do a number showcasing a pre-bluegrass ‘frailing’ or ‘clawhammer’ banjo style from the 19th century rural South. And Don Steiny is joining the jam. He plays jazz, blues, and bluegrass on an acoustic guitar.
We’ll also share recorded music. Just bring any CDs you like to give or trade.
Note that the meeting starts 6:30pm instead of our regular time of 6:00pm in order to accommodate our wonderful hosts Citizen Space.
MEETING
When: Thursday, March 19th, 6:30-10:00pm, come and go anytime
Where: Citizen Space , 425 Second St., #100, San Francisco
AGENDA
6:00 – 7:00 Arrive, mingle, nosh, share CDs
7:00 – 7:45 Member announcements: share your passions, needs, gifts & favorite live music experience
7:45 – 8:15 Break – exchange support, mingle, nosh
8:15 – 10:00 Live music share
10:00 – Optional, take the jam to a nearby bar
BRING
-Yourself, friends
-Healthy finger food for the potluck
Wow. Thursday’s meeting was amazing. Having thirty world travelers in one room created a palpable sense of possibility. And the topic and timing seemed to resonate with some who see the unfolding economic crisis as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, their livelihoods, and the world.
The core theme of the meeting was just GO. Whether it’s a trip, a life change, or both, the hardest part is just taking that first step. Elizabeth and Todd urged us to take that first step, and do it even though we might not know where it’ll lead. And even if our friends and family are saying DON’T GO.
Why do this? The stories of transformation they shared demonstrated that the world conspires to help us when we take that first bold step toward manifesting our purpose. As Author M. Young might say, the universe is reflexive, it responds, and that everything unfolds in a similar pattern, and everything begins with a purpose. Elizabeth and Todd’s stories showed us that starting on an authentic path, one that originates in our own imagination, can bring us into a mythic narrative of our own making where, as Joseph Campbell said, “doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.” The universe becomes magical, alive, and we, perhaps for the first time, come into true conversation with it.
I’m convinced this timeless quest is absolutely essential to becoming fully human. It’s heartening to know that Elizabeth and Todd are enabling others to embark on it. Their stories couldn’t be more timely given that existing institutions are failing us so badly and we need a generation of heros to embark on bold, worldchanging projects. If there was ever a time for boldness, it’s now. Just GO.
Thanks to everyone for creating a great experience together. You can learn more about Elizabeth and Todd here.
Our next meeting is Thursday, March 19th. Mark your calendars. We haven’t settled on a featured speaker, artist, or activity yet. Got an idea? E-mail me: gorenflo [at] gmail dot com.
We hope to see you then.
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ABUNDANCE LEAGUE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Name:tabi musselwhite
Passion:knowledge
Needs:integrate travel and career
Gifts:creative, adventurous! positive
Name:kim
Passion:orginization
Needs:proposal/contract knowledge
Gifts:orginization to create time and space in your life
Name:simin
Passion:learning different things, meeting new people, doing new things, life-long student..
Needs:an excuse to get back to travelling (my excuse to move to SF was a graduate program at SF State..com’on give me some ideas..)
Gifts:event organizer, fundraising..etc, have local connections.
Name:Ali Wender
Passion:life, music, travel, laughing
Needs:more community/network/bouncing ideas
Gifts:helping people help themselves, sharing the gift of self awareness, humor
Name: Cherie Ve Ard, Technomad
Passion: Variety of experiences, travel
Needs: Balancing wanderlust with feeling connected to community.
Gifts: Helping you realize the reality of your visions.
Name: Nita Winter
Passion: life, photography, capturing the essence and spirit of living things
Needs: Finding clients, especially green businesses and non profits who value the power of photography and images to tell there story or create cherished keepsakes
Gifts: email me and I’ll send you an image that will make you smile. www.nitawinter.com. Here are some websites that help you travel inexpensively and get to know locals wherever you go:
www.Couchsurfing.org (note from Neal: Casey, the founder, came to the first Abundance League meetings)
www.globalfreeloaders.com
www.hospitalityclub.org
Name: Rob Badger
Passion:many, especially,beauty photography, widlflowers
Needs:connections to team to help get the message of how climate chaos is chnaging the planet, including wildflowers in alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems
Gifts: Many, (like all of us) especially Creativity in photograph.ySend me an email and I will send you a wildflower.
www.robbadger.com
Name: Chris Dunphy // www.technomadia.com
Passion: Travel, possibility, connection.
Needs: Inspiring people and projects.
Gifts: Mobile technology expertise, and more.
NAME: Evan Denbaum, copywriter (www.evandenbaum.com)
Passion: I love being a student of myself. I’m passionate about looking inward to uncover, examine and potentially change the deep-rooted beliefs that rule the feelings I experience and the behaviors I exhibit. I do this because it’s a blast, and because I’m continually striving to heal, be happier and be more full of love.
GIFT: My communication skills (as a writer and speaker). What I can best offer members of the group is a conversation where I’ll listen, ask precise questions based on what you say and reflect back your ideas with a twist that inspires or piques curiosity.
NEED: Time with people living from an abundant mindset and experiencing immense prosperity. It’s healing and inspiring to see how “easy” things can be.
FOUR-WORD TRANSFORMATIONAL TRAVEL: Tilden Botanic Garden Wedding
Eric Poettschacher is coming to Abundance League San Francisco from Vienna, Austria to share his learnings from a two-year odyssey through the global creative community to found Shapeshifters.net.
Eric’s Shapeshifters world tour put him in touch with hundreds of grassroots innovators on five continents and lead to one simple conclusion – we don´t know what we don´t know. There is an abundance of amazing ideas hidden in the cultural blindspots of our minds. As a result, some of the most powerful innovations on this planet remain invisible to those who really need them.
Shapeshifters is a new kind of innovation agency made to transform creative resources into practical opportunities. Eric´s talk and the discussion that follows will explore how Shapeshifters has been building bridges between different worlds of perception, why it pays to explore mindsets that exist beyond our own horizon of experience, what it takes to establish a working relationship between a Sri Lankan monk and a stage designer in L.A., and how you can use Eric’s learnings in your everyday work.
Eric will also explore his quest to make cultural exchange more sustainable and his vision of a new social hardware to take social software to the next level. This vision includes the concept of “Local Worlds” i.e. physical spaces where creative entrepreneurs in remote places like Tajikistan, Vietnam and Nepal can connect with each other and the wider world.
We hope you’ll bring your experience and something for the potluck to share as well.
MEETING
When: Thursday, May 21th 2009, 6:30-9:30pm
Where: Citizen Space , 425 Second St., #100, San Francisco
AGENDA
6:30 – 7:00 Arrive, mingle, nosh
7:00 – 7:30 Member announcements lightening round: share your passions, needs & gifts quickly
7:30 – 8:00 Break – exchange support, mingle, nosh
8:00 – 9:15 Panel discussion
9:15 – 9:30 Clean up, take the discussion to the 21st Amendment
Just heard from Elizabeth about the guest she’s bringing, and sent the below to the San Francisco list as an event update. Should be good!
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While travel may seem a luxury these days, it can be just what you need to find direction during turbulent times. This is not a new idea. Sabbaticals, walkabouts, pilgrimages, vision quests, and trips of all types are time-tested tools of personal transformation.
Our hosts this month, Elizabeth Becker and Todd Sotkiewicz, are well qualified to explore this with us. Elizabeth runs leadership adventure tours for this purpose. And Todd’s company, Lonely Planet, publishes books like “The Career Break Book” and “Volunteer: A Traveler’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World” that are gems for those in transition.
And while Traveling on Purpose requires creating distance from your everyday world, you don’t need to spend a lot of money or go long distances to do this. Two guests will be joining our discussion who’ll add richly to this dimension of our talk – Doug McConnell, host of OpenRoad.TV, and Anthony Sandberg, who regularly sails all over the bay in the course of running his company OCSC Sailing.
So for this discussion about travel, we’ll have you covered by land as well as sea, local as well as global.
