Join the Kenton County Conservation District on Sat., Aug. 14, 2010 between 10 a.m. and noon to tour Red Sunflower Farm, Kenton County’s self-sustaining homestead in-the-making. Learn how to use permaculture principles and the three pillars of sustainability – reduce, reuse and recycle – to design, create, and steward Earth-friendly indoor and outdoor living spaces. Allow about an hour for your visit, with tours led by owners Mackey McNeill and Barry Schlimme. You will see the Energy Star-rated home, the gardens and the recreational area along beautiful Banklick Creek. Children are welcome. The farm is located on Webster Road. Visit www.redsunflowerfarm.com for directions (directions provided by internet map searches are not accurate). Sponsored by the Kenton Co. Conservation District. Please pre-register by contacting the Kenton County Conservation District at 859-586-7903.
Kentucky Conservation Districts are governmental subdivisions of the state, organized under Kentucky Revised Statute 262. Conservation Districts are responsible for protecting our soil, water and other natural resources. The Kenton County Conservation District was established in 1942 following a referendum of the citizens of the county. Seven locally elected officials, who serve a four-year term without pay, govern the Conservation District. The Conservation District makes technical and financial help available to reduce soil erosion, prevent water pollution, and maintain and improve the quality and productivity of our farmlands, forests, and other natural resources. Assistance is available to everyone in dealing with natural resources issues, including farmers, homeowners, businesses, schools, organizations, agencies, cities and local governments.
For information about this news release, contact Mary Kathryn Dickerson, District Coordinator for the Boone, Campbell and Kenton County Conservation Districts at 859-586-7903 or 859-635-9587 or e-mail: mary.dickerson@ky.nacdnet.net.
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Monday, August 2, 2010
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Creating Community
Yesterday we created history. We elected the first African American President of the United States. I grew up in the segregated south in a time that now seems light years away. Thankfully so. Things needed to change then. And they need to change now.
The headlines today are filled with the challenges facing our new President. Certainly there are many, healthcare, financial reform, widening federal deficits, the Iraq war, just to name a few. And yet, to me the most important change we need is to recognize we are all in this together. We need to create community.
I am not talking about the kind of community where you notice who is living next door. I am talking about creating the kind of community where we begin to understand that we are interdependent organisms. Community, where there is an appreciation and respect for the common good. Where every action isn’t just about my personal welfare and my pocketbook.
We have been living in a time of tremendous me-ish. What is in it for me? How much money will I make? How does this affect my pocketbook?
For if we understood, deep down in our bones, that we are interdependent, how would we behave differently?
Would you volunteer at the local soup kitchen? Stop by to see your neighbor when they are sick? Become a big brother or big sister? Reach out to our co-worker when they are having a bad day? Be willing to ride the bus to work one day a week or once a month?
I remember when Jimmy Carter was President. In an address to the nation he laid out his concern for our national security given our dependence on foreign oil. The fastest path to short term energy reduction was conservation. To that end, we were asked to drive 55mph on the highway, and turn our thermostats down. The idea was that we would all sacrifice for the common good.
Here is the clip of that address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tPePpMxJaA
Sadly, the next President, Ronald Reagan, reversed all of the conservation efforts President Carter had implemented. More importantly gone was the idea that we the people would individually inconvenience ourselves for the greater good.
All good things come home to roost. Let’s renew the idea of community. Let’s renew the idea of the common good.
Perhaps John F. Kennedy said it best, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
The headlines today are filled with the challenges facing our new President. Certainly there are many, healthcare, financial reform, widening federal deficits, the Iraq war, just to name a few. And yet, to me the most important change we need is to recognize we are all in this together. We need to create community.
I am not talking about the kind of community where you notice who is living next door. I am talking about creating the kind of community where we begin to understand that we are interdependent organisms. Community, where there is an appreciation and respect for the common good. Where every action isn’t just about my personal welfare and my pocketbook.
We have been living in a time of tremendous me-ish. What is in it for me? How much money will I make? How does this affect my pocketbook?
For if we understood, deep down in our bones, that we are interdependent, how would we behave differently?
Would you volunteer at the local soup kitchen? Stop by to see your neighbor when they are sick? Become a big brother or big sister? Reach out to our co-worker when they are having a bad day? Be willing to ride the bus to work one day a week or once a month?
I remember when Jimmy Carter was President. In an address to the nation he laid out his concern for our national security given our dependence on foreign oil. The fastest path to short term energy reduction was conservation. To that end, we were asked to drive 55mph on the highway, and turn our thermostats down. The idea was that we would all sacrifice for the common good.
Here is the clip of that address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tPePpMxJaA
Sadly, the next President, Ronald Reagan, reversed all of the conservation efforts President Carter had implemented. More importantly gone was the idea that we the people would individually inconvenience ourselves for the greater good.
All good things come home to roost. Let’s renew the idea of community. Let’s renew the idea of the common good.
Perhaps John F. Kennedy said it best, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
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