The Mission was to inspire the community to think that they had a community after all, already here. Word of Mouth Inspiration. Like Minded people showing up at a place of belief.
The Objective was to build a barrier tire wall so that Jonny Hopkins of PhillyEarth could feel safe having his farm stands with the youth. You see, Jonnys work there is very vital for youth education, expression, and empowerment. Teaching the youth of North Philly to consciously live with the environment around them and then empowering them to be leaders in the community. PhillyEarth teaches Permaculture principles to youth.
With the collaboration of many people, the community was asked to show up at The Village of Arts and Humanities at 11:30-12 for there would be a tour by Jonny of The Village and its History.
About 12:15pm, a tour was given by Jonny to about 35 people in the sunshine. Jonny finished his tour on his farm he started with PhillyEarth, The Farm stands right in the Village and neighbors the future building site for an Earthship Education Center. A joint relationship in which classes and programs can be conducted by PhillyEarth, and showcase the marvelous design which is the Earthship herself through ongoing Academy training.
Around 1 o' clock, the "floor" was turned to me to explain an overview of Earthships and how they pertain to Philly.
I must of been looking at 45 people by that point, walked through the assembly line process of bucketing recycled concrete to the tires laid out where the wall was to be built. My brother, Eso, and Jeremy- a recent Earthship intern talked about pounding tires and some methods to think about and go about. By the time the word "GO" and the cornerstone was laid, 50 people started excavating land to level, tires were being laid, cardboard was being put into to tires, dirt transfered, and tires being pounded....
DJ Brother Onaci was spinning right inside the door, snacks were out, people took breaks and mingled....
Around 3:20pm, the "whistle" was blown for clean up, tools and buckets were neatly stacked along the fence. The once "inexperienced" group of strangers found best friends, built exactly what Jonny needed for PhillyEarth.
2 1/2 hrs.
50-60 people
35+ tires pounded
Wall Built.
People mingled around after the build and closed together with a drum circle around 4:20pm. The sun kissed the Village goodnight with children banging on drums and lids.
I would go on record to state the mission and objective were in fact completed.
What to do Now though?
We need to keep the momentum up. Workshops will be held every weekend starting this weekend at the Village doing a number of things....
-Building a conceptual Earthship Greenhouse/Chicken Coop on PhillyEarth's Farm in the Village.
-Tire Pounding
-Carpentry
- Litter cleanup
- Plastering
- and more....
-Plaster/Mosiacs on the Barrier wall built this past weekend.
-Building a Pallet Tool Shed.
-Clearing and prepping lot for Earthship Education Center.
Workshops will also be held in Arcadia Commons mid March,
-Tire Pounding
-Plastering
-Carpentry
-Vertical Gardening
-Stove making
-Brick work.
-Litter clean up
A gofundme page has been made to sustain the projects at the Village. http://www.gofundme.com/1tx4a8
A calendar has been created of workshops and Bonzai doings. Click here for the calendar. Please contact Bonzai Homes if interested in getting involved.
Immediate projects include:
-Tiny House detail
and
-Finishing a Greenhouse for an Urban Farm in Kensington, Philly.
Opportunities for accomadation could be arranged for those wanting to get involved out of town.
