The Gift of Time

Join us for a "leave no trace" gathering at the gazebo in downtown Brevard to celebrate each other and the kindness of our community!  Bring a covered dish to share and a non-disposable place setting.  We are gathering from Noon - 3 pm on December 15, 2018!

[et_pb_section bb_built="1" _builder_version="3.0.47"][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.0.48" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.12" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"] Hiking with unicorns Friday, seven volunteers came together at the Bracken Mountain Preserve parking lot in Brevard to take scholars from Rise and Shine hiking.  The van arrived with the students and after a very quick introduction and a few tips about hiking we took off. The scholars were fantastic.  The colors in the woods were stunning and several stopped to enjoy them and point them out.  The woods were magic with color, people, wildlife and nature.  A couple of the scholars wore unicorn costumes, which only added to the magic of the hike. We explained this trail was the gateway to many waterfalls, trails, stunning views and so much more.  I heard a lot of wonderful conversations between hike leaders and scholars and there is no doubt my day was enriched by being in the woods with all of them. Being connected and surrounded by the wonders of nature is the driving force [...]

As we move towards a household that does not create waste, we have had to evaluate our gift giving activities.  It is challenging to change from being a consumer to a conserver when your 8-year-old grand daughter's birthday is approaching and she wants stuff.  We decided to give her the gift of our time and take her camping, kayaking, and fishing.  She loves to fish.  We reserved a campsite at Devils Fork State Park in South Carolina and she and our grandson joined us for a weekend adventure. John and I have been boaters for a very long time.  Between the two of us, we have been on a lot of water.  I was stunned by Lake Jocassee.  It is crystal clear.  It is very very deep.  It can be very treacherous.  We set up camp on Wednesday and explored before the young explorers arrived.  The lake is breath-taking.  It is so large it shares a lot of characteristics you would see in the ocean.  I was very [...]

Awhile ago, we sent out a survey and asked folks to let us know if they were interested in participating in a "think tank" house party program.  Many responded that they were interested and some even supplied their contact information.  So we gathered and continue to gather.  Currently, we are using the Post Carbon Institute’s online video course Think Resilience as the basis of our study. You can view the first 6 videos of the course for free.  Introduction  Energy  Population & Consumption  Depletion  Pollution  Political & Economic Management We are about to wrap up that course and are moving forward to the next step.  What will that be?  We do not know but we have a lot of ideas.  Our discussions have been focused primarily on strengthening our local economy and building our resilience. Does that mean we start a series of co-ops in Brevard? Does that mean we invest in our local economy and stop sending our money to Wall Street? Does that mean we start [...]