I had a weird end to my day yesterday. I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that our sustainable living group is floundering due to lack of interest. I know it is not so, but sometimes I wonder……
Last night we had our normal scheduled meeting, well advertised in advance, managed to get a room in the local community hall, and would you believe that only four other dedicated members turned up. We have eleven registered members and at least 15 interested people that regulary turn up on and off. I know, I know, early days yet and I really appreciate the effort of those how did attend. Thanks folks.
I gave a pretty cool presentation (well I thought it was) about “Saving Money with Energy Efficiency” and one member even brought along their energy bills so that we could study them. However, it was mostly preaching to the converted and my audience mostly gave suggestions for improvements more than anything else. That took up the first hour.
The second hour was spent discussing small projects given dwindling numbers. We decided to approach all the local kinders, primary, and secondary schools to see if any of them would like our mini permablitz service and build some garden beds for the kids to grow vegetables in. The other idea was to approach our local council to see if we could plant a mini orchard on some unused land for the public well-being.
We also talked about the stall we intend on having at our towns local festival in November. I have organised the application, and we will be giving away information and selling vegetable seedlings. There are certainly enough gardeners to get this off the ground. It was a good session to end the meeting and we ended 20 minutes early. Finally a bit of action for the team!
I went home with mixed feelings, but Kim soon cheered me up, gave me a big hug, and said that if it wasn’t for me, even those four people would still be out there wondering if there was anyone else who thought or cared about sustainable living. She said that everyone in the group were passionate, yet busy individuals who really care about the environment and our place in it. Kim said that you only have to look at the proud way that they show you the eco-improvements they have made around their homes, all for the better, to see how committed they were. I know she is right, they are my good friends, and sometimes I have to give myself a reality check.
Back out of the dumps now and I am very happy to be doing what I am doing. Onwards and upwards as they say and looking to get stuck into the projects!
