I’m hoping that this discussion board can become a venue for highlighting cool organizations within our communities that are aligned with Walden’s mission to Make Local Work, both as a discovery tool for our members, but also to highlight any events, volunteer opportunities, or other ways to foster collaboration and exchange.
I have a couple in my list, but I’ll start with Garbage to Garden because I’m super excited for the 40 gallons of rich soil that will be delivered for my home garden (one of the perks for pre-paying). Garbage to Garden collects food waste from urban areas, and composts it into healthy soils. On top of maintaining an active presence at farmer’s markets and a great service, Garbage to Garden also has some cool community outreach options, like providing service at local community events, and is piloting a community resilience program. They also take food products other composters won’t like meat, bones, dairy and fat!
Land’s Sake Farm is also great, they’re an organization that connects people to the land through education to build community and inspire lifelong stewardship. Walden is proud to have contributed our support for their new animal barn! Volunteers helped raise the structure which will (when complete) accommodate animals year-round and provide space for education programs during inclement weather!
I love Garbage to Garden! My community in Salem, MA is taking things one step further with free drop off for compost a local park. Salem Recycles highlights to a few ways that residents can compost. Compost - Green Salem
The compost drop off location is also next to another great initiative in Salem- the community gardens!
There are plots specifically maintained by volunteers that donate their harvest.
There is also a Repair Cafe every few months where volunteers will fix household items and electronics so reduce waste for the community
Gotta find something like a Repair Cafe in Somerville. Usually I can do it myself but sometimes I think I need some obscure tool or part that’s more trouble than it’s worth to find.
Another organization to flag! An old (non-Walden) co-worker of mine and @Ceilidh founded Cleenland in Cambridge. They have lots of great options for low-waste or refillable products to cut down on your carbon footprint. I used to see them at the Union Square farmer’s market, hopefully will see them again in a couple weeks!
