2020 Philosophy

EVEN BEFORE THE PRESENT EMERGENCY, we had renamed our 2020 event the Community Seed Swap & Share to stress that everyone can and should enjoy the adventure of planting even a few seeds. By placing a viable seed in moistened dirt, we share what is perhaps the basic miracle of life on Earth: photosynthesis -- a process that's still not fully appreciated -- lets a seed mix sunlight. moisture, and the nutrients in enriched stone dust to create a food supply that supports the planet's entire web of life. And, along the way, these plants perform additional miracles to benefit humankind. Since plants need carbon to create the sugars that nourish them and us, they pull carbon into the rhizosphere or root zone of plants -- thereby reducing carbon pollution. Another good thing.

It's a complex process that benefits us all, as we discover anew every day. The world and the creatures in it are evolving. There's great news in learning how forests work together to care for their community, how plants have learned to create chemicals that can attract, repel, and heal. New techniques of sustainability and restorative agriculture are being promoted to encourage pollinators on our own property, how to work with our neighbors to build larger wildlife habitats, how to understand that the pesticides used in the past may have unintended consequences. Most of all, we are learning it takes entire village, even a nation of villages working together, to repay the planet for its largesse. Ultimately, agriculture is providing a model to show how diverse communities can work together to create an environment that serves them all. ​

THIS YEAR we're encouraging the Carlisle Community to grow at least a few foods, herbs,  or pollinator-friendly flowers -- perhaps enough to share with neighbors. Above all, we urge you to slow down and leverage the miraculous natural resources of planet Earth.