Alchemical E-News – June 2011

Almanac: Tuesday June 7, 2011 – Sunrise 5:26 A.M. – Sunset 8:41 P.M – Moon Rise 10:14 AM – Moon Set Next Day – Waxing 34%. Stop cutting asparagus when the yield decreases and the spears diminish in size. Top-dress the bed with compost or well-rotted manure.

1] The Work That Reconnects: Education & Release
2] Edible Forest Garden Work Group Update
3] New Intern Heather Helman
4] Quinta Essentia Fiscal Project Updates
5] Trash Transformer Project 2011

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1] The Work That Reconnects: Education & Release

Please plan to join us on Saturday June 11 from 1:00pm – 3:00 pm for “The Work That Reconnects” workshop as part of Alchemical’s Education & Release series. If interested, please RSVP to
info@alchemicalnursery.org or call 315-876-9771

The workshop will be held at Elmwood Park. Please visit the following link for info on the park and directions –http://www.syracuse.ny.us/ parks/elmwoodPark.html. The meeting spot will be at the Glenwood Avenue entrance to Elmwood Park. This workshop will be held outdoors so people should dress for the weather, bring water and portable seating if desired.

The Work That Reconnects (WTR) Workshop, with Cindy Squillace, will help affirm and empower people to move beyond our disconnected industrial growth society toward a life sustaining one. Based on the work of Joanna Macy, we will use practical, experiential exercises to share concerns, inspire each other and strengthen our commitment and connection to all life. The workshop will be organized into 4 segments 1) Gratitude 2) Owning and honoring pain for our world 3)Shifting our lens 4)Going forth with new eyes. Participants will receive a list of WTR resources. Cindy Squillace is a long time Syracuse activist, grief counselor and educator who has been studying The Work That Reconnects with Joanna Macy for the past 7 years, including a 30 day program in Australia.

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2] Edible Forest Garden Work Group Update

The EFG Working Group will meet again within the next two weeks (date is currently being confirmed) to continue planning and process for the installation at 3100 South Salina St. Work this summer will involve acquiring materials such as wood chips for sheet mulching, and thinned logs which we will used to lay out pathways. Year one of the project will eventually culminate in a full volunteer work day during the September 10/11 A-OK Acts Of Kindness weekend in Syracuse, and will kick off the inaugural Community Ecological Design Training course to be held in conjunction with the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute and the Onondaga Cornell Cooperative Extension office.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn Permaculture and forest garden design and construction skills through an experiential process. Please contact Frank with any questions at
frcetera@alchemicalnursery.org or 315-308-1372.

“Edible forest gardening is the art and science of putting plants together in woodlandlike patterns that forge mutually beneficial relationships, creating a garden ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts. You can grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and other useful plants, in a way that mimics natural ecosystems. You can create a beautiful, diverse, high-yield garden. If designed with care and deep understanding of ecosystem function, you can also design a garden that is largely self-maintaining.”

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3] New Intern Heather Helman

A heartfelt welcome to Heather Helman, Alchemical’s first official intern!! Heather will be entering her Senior Year at SUNY-ESF this Fall and has focused her coursework on Environmental Studies and Policy. This will translate into helping us further develop our operations manual, our internship program, and our volunteer policies to better integrate your needs and desires when getting involved with Alchemical.

Questions about interning with Alchemical? Contact Sasha at
Sasha.Batorsky@alchemicalnursery.org

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4] Quinta Essentia Fiscal Project Updates

The vessels of “Themselves Has Been A Gathering” by artist Tina Zagyva will be on display at Lipe Art Park through the summer in case you missed the opening last month. For more info visit the Facebook event page.

The Future Fund of Central New York has awarded a $5,000 grant to Syracuse Grows’ Urban Gardening Capacity Building Initiative at its annual grant awards celebration on Thursday, May 19 at the CNY Philanthropy Center. Each year, the Future Fund members vote on a focus area for its grant award. This year’s focus area was on nutrition and wellness. Read the full news item at the Community Foundation website.

To donate to any of the Alchemical Nursery fiscal projects, including Themselves Has Been A Gathering and Syracuse Grows, please visit our
projects page at: http://www.alchemicalnursery.org/component/content/article/128-static/94-sponsored-projects.html

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5] Trash Transformer Project 2011

The Syracuse Art Library is a system of lending and borrowing original, local artwork to community members for free. The first show of the Syracuse Art Library is at Petit Branch in the Westcott neighborhood from June 2 – June 29, and features three works of art from our Trash Transformer Project collection.

“People are invited to choose a piece of art that will then be delivered and hung in their homes for three months. It’s a system of trust that builds relationships within a community, breaks down traditional barriers between an art community and the wider community, and creates a home for local art. Artwork will be hung at Petit Library for the month of June. People are invited to select artwork throughout the month and artwork will then be delivered at the end of the show. This will be the Art Library’s first show. It will feature over 10 artists from around Syracuse working in a variety of mediums and styles. Everyone is invited to take art work home.”

For the Trash Transformer Project to continue in 2011, a volunteer coordinator / administrator is needed to curate the project, solicit artists, and acquire artworks. We have a $500 grant at our disposal for supporting costs and artist stipends as we were able to do in past years for adding to the collection and demonstrating the dreadfulness of over-consumption, rampant consumerism, and excessive waste. If interested contact Frank at frcetera@alchemicalnursery.org or 315-308-1372.

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[For more events, blog posts, and articles, visit http://www.alchemicalnursery.org] [** Get your very own alchemicalnursery.org domain email address by contacting info@alchemicalnursery.org]
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