Alchemical Blog
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May 2012 Newsletter and Upcoming events!
andrewgreco2 in Member Posts on May 15, 2012
Tagged in: Newsletter, Forest Garden, Community, Communications, Comm.UNITY, Arts & Culture1] Rahma Forest Garden Work Day on Saturday May 19
2] Growing Urban Sustainability on Tuesday May 22
3] Food Forest Workshop on Sunday June 24
4] Onondaga Environmental Institute Grant Awarded to Alchemical
1] Rahma Forest Garden Work Day on Saturday May 19 Now that the Rahma Garden has been successfully funded via the IndieGoGo platform and all of your donations, it's time to keep getting soiled at one of the work days. We'll next be on-site this coming Saturday May 19, from 12 noon - 4:00 pm. Tasks to be undertaken include sheet mulching (I think we'll finally finish this task over what's left to be done on the full 1/5 acre), planting the annuals raised bed and perhaps some perennials (fingers crossed that the order arrives in time), weeding grasses (stopping them from recolonizing the top side of our
sheet mulch), watering of existing plants, maintenance of protective cages and painting/installation of decorative plant signs, and trash pick-up (always!). Come join us at anytime between noon and 4 pm at 3100 South Salina Street here in Syracuse. If you have them, bring cardboard boxes for the sheet mulching, shovels and rakes and wheelbarrows for moving the mulch, plants you might want to donate. Most of the site is now leafed out and it is a joy to behold, let's keep the forward progress happening! Contact Frank for questions or more details at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 315.308.1372.
To see pictures from our previous two work days this spring go to our Facebook Albums page at: http://www.facebook.com/AlchemicalNursery/photos
2] Growing Urban Sustainability on Tuesday May 22 We're taking a moment to promote the upcoming "Growing Urban Sustainability" event being hosted and organized by the Women's Info Center. Jessica Maxwell of Bread & Roses Collective & Urban Gardener Mable Wilson will share in a discussion/salon format about responsible management of urban resources: gardens, ethical food consumption, systems, cooperatives & more. Women's Info Center is at 601 Allen St, and a $5-$10 sliding donation is requested.
More info through 478.4636 or www.womensinfo.org.
3] Food Forest Workshop on Sunday June 24 Join us for a Food Forest Workshop with guest Jonathan Bates of Food Forest Farm on Sunday, June 24 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm, at Sunday 6/24 at the Rahma Free Clinic Forest Garden, A Project of the
Alchemical Nursery. Want to see
permaculture plantings that work? Would you like to create a thriving edible forest garden that produces loads of fruits, roots, shoots, greens, seeds, flowers, mulch, eggs, knowledge and fun? Come learn how to select, plant, and care for permaculture perennial plants. Learn guiding principles to plant your own food forest. This is a great chance to special order plants from the Food Forest Farm Nursery with free delivery to the event. Choose from a selection of plants (Pre-Order only) that human food and medicinal needs and provide ecosystem services such as attracting beneficial insects and accumulating nutrients. Available plants include: Paw Paw, New Jersey Tea, Hazelbert, Goumi, Currants, Ground Nut, Sunchoke, Good King Henry, Mint Root, Sea Kale, Perennial Arugula, and many more! Use this URL for free delivery to the events: http://PermacultureNursery.com/SpecialOrder/ Register at: http://FingerLakesPermaculture.org Tuition: Sliding Scale $10 - 20 For more information visit: http://www.alchemicalnursery.org/calendar/icalrepeat.detail/2012/06/24/848/-/food-forest-workshop-with-jonathan-bates-of-food-forest-farm.html
4] Onondaga Environmental Institute Grant Awarded to Alchemical We're very happy to announce that the Onondaga Environmental Institute has recognized our forest garden and permaculture work by awarding Alchemical an Onondaga Lake Partnership Mini-Grant. These funds will help with the implementation and installation, as well as first season maintenance, of the Rahma Edible Forest Snack Garden. Part of the funds will also be used to develop educational signage for the site. Combined with our successful IndieGoGo campaign, we have enough funds to start considering a second food forest site. Know of any good health and wellness related offices, clinics, or organizations nearby that own their land and would be interested in a healthy perennial food forest makeover? The purpose of this minigrant program is to support locally based projects designed to increase the knowledge and involvement of the public in Onondaga Lake and its watershed and strengthen the link between communities and the Partnership. Read about all the 2012 awardees at http://www.onlakepartners.org/ppdf/minigrantpressreleasefinal.pdf -
Trees, Prisons & Art
Lesson
Here Ecologist Nalini Nadkarni encourages us to consider "this lesson of trees to consider other entities that are also static and stuck but which cry for change and dynamicism".
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Questions
Does the presence of prisons in our society point to a deep desire-need for stillness?
What if we lived in a world that understood violence and abuse as actions stemming from deep rooted insecurity, confusion or pain?
What if we lived in a society that gathered around these individuals and created a space for them to feel seen and heard, nurtured?
What if those individuals labeled "criminals" were admitted into retreats for meditation, yoga or other methods of restoration? What knowledge could they then contribute to our society?
What kind of security could we create, what kind of wisdom could we acquire if we engaged daily in the caretaking of our land?
The Earth Being our teacher for justice, resilience, diversity, adaptability, symbiosis, identity and strength.
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Take Action
The Syracuse Police Department recently presented a plan to install 9 surveillance cameras in The Near Westside. You can read our response paper here
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Alchemical Nursery is sponsoring a protest of this plan on Wednesday November 10, 2010 at 5:15 pm in front of City Hall. Your presence will serve as a declaration of your commitment to the creation of a stronger, healthier Syracuse.
- Join the United As One Coalition Phone Tree
By contacting councilman Bill Ryan, Chair of Public Safety
Call: 315-446-8466
Tell him:
Who you are (individual, organization, "concerned citizen")
Where you are (North, East, South, West Side?)
Why you are opposed to cameras (They don't solve the problem, they further it.)Your voice is necessary.
Every call counts. -
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Open House at Alchemical Spaces CoWorking Studio
Open House at Alchemical Spaces CoWorking Studio
Come join us from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm on Tuesday Nov 9, just stop in at any point during that time, to say hi and see the CoWorking studio, and to meet each other from this group. There are desks currently available for rent. We'll have some coffee brewed, and a variety of hot teas for your pleasure. Find out more about CoWorking, The
Alchemical Nursery, The Gear Factory; contribute to our community sketch pad!Full Details at: http://www.meetup.com/Permaculture-and-Urban-Homesteading/calendar/15204457/
Shared desk and work space is now available at the Alchemical Spaces CoWorking Studio within the Gear Factory studio warehouse at 200 South Geddes St on the Near Westside of Syracuse, NY. This is a great opportunity for artists, freelancers, or social entrepreneurs. CoWorking enables the sharing of resources and expenses that benefits the bottom line of the workers involved. Individual desks are located in a shared room, with shared office equipment such as a printer/copier, wi-fi connection, and shredder.Monthly rent is on a sliding scale of $50-$75, and includes the following:
Desk provided (or bring your own desk or work table)
Printer/Copier
All utilities included (electric, heat, AND Internet)
Full kitchen and bath
Conference room
24/7 secure access
Free off-street parking
indoor bicycle parking
Tax deduction for travel from primary home office
Filing cabinet and loft space for storage
Reading and reference library on-site
Adjacent to Lipe Art Park
CENTRO bus stop only one block awayCo-Working is the gathering of a group of people, who are working independently while sharing values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space. Many times, co-workers are from the world of the self-employed; freelancers who have taken to working from home or the coffee shop, and would like more of the social interaction that a working office provides.
In the case of "Alchemical Spaces" our goal is to bring together people in need of this type of working situation, and to focus on those that are developing social entrepreneurial projects, using business knowledge and acumen for the betterment of the social good. In addition, developing resources specific to social entrepreneurs and advancing knowledge of this working movement within Syracuse.
For more information and to apply to the space, please contact Alchemical at 315.308.1372 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it -
The Role of Community in Sustainability
From the Syracuse EcoHouse blog at: http://syrecohouse.blogspot.com/2010/10/role-of-community-in-sustainability.html
In trying to create a community of students with the common goal of incorporating sustainable lifestyle habits into college living is a learning process. Faced with daunting obstacles like student's schedules and modest to non-existent incomes, completing even small projects is often a semester long task. Of course, I think the goal is worthwhile and plays an important role in the community at large, but, some days I just feel like nothing is getting done.
Due to the nature of my self, I tend to compensate for that feeling by taking on more projects myself. However, today I was reminded of an invaluable lesson: You can't do everything alone.
I attended Alchemical Nursery's film screening: Vision's of Utopia at the Wescott Bulb Festival. After the movie we had a panel discussion featuring a number of representatives from local community living establishments that included AntHill in Rochester, the Bread and Roses House in Syracuse, Common Place Land Trust, and theNew Environment Association in Syracuse. It reminded me that other people are in a similar boat, facing similar problems, and creating really cool solutions. It is important take the time to get together and discuss. Its important to be aware of the resources already available in the community and the infrastructure in place.
I think community plays an important role in furthering the movement towards a more sustainable lifestyle and we're lucky to have many local communities already so active. I hope this year we prioritize involvement with the existing community to richen our smaller student community.- Elizabeth
