Gardens Of Gratitude - Venice, CA.

I received an email earlier this week about a Garden Gratitude's, Garden Challenge taking place in VeniceIs it possible to transform an into an urban oasis in one weekend. The answer is yes! I had the fine opportunity to participate in an incredible community gardening event

This op arrives at the perfect time, as it seems, I am somehow genetically connected to my computer trying to create the Didi2.0 social media storm for the Murphy-Goode job.

I agree to participate knowing little about what I had en-listed myself for. I have an address, time, and date. All I know is it’s an opportunity to get out into the real world, away from my computer! In reality, what is really happening here, is a group of people, hoping to effect the way we eat, what we eat and its impact/connection to our environment through community works. Sustainability, if you will. “Gardens of Gratitude is an event created by the community for the community (http://gardensofgratitude.org/). Friends, neighbors & newcomers alike have all joined together in a common vision to create a more abundant world through Growing Gardens.” This event follows on the tails of the Venice Garden Show, residents here were asked to volunteer garden spaces; volunteers were assigned to a “site” (a volunteered space); and a coordinator from the project was assigned to each site, as a project guide. The email says something about bringing food or drinks for your project site.

My trustee companions, Jack, and Christine the Mini Cooper are some of the first’s to arrive at our site. I, am wearing flip flops (the ubiquitous gardening shoe), have no tools, or food to contribute. The kind of volunteer you dream of. Never mind the fact I have driven from Venice to Venice – they still stone people around here for things like that!

An awkward group of volunteers meanders around pulling weeds, the host is brewing ice tea in the kitchen and rousting garden tools for chumps like me, who have brought nothing. Our “community-nist” is called into action shortly, we form a chain to remove old cement pieces from the yard so that we can start prepping the garden space to lay soil and plant. A DJ sets up in the corner. An amazing tray of house brewed Ice Tea comes through the garden. Slowly we unite.

The cast is assembling. I ogle at the food spread. Old New Order is in the background. People are tapping their feet. Smiling. Laughing. We have an acupuncturist, two psychologist, two teachers, film people and more. Our host has a Dutch accent. She has beautiful cookbooks and random chatchkis displayed throughout the house. Our project coordinator, Leslie, is in the Master Gardening Program at the The Learning Garden(http://www.thelearninggarden.org/). She serves as our resident gardening Guru. There is a couple who has just returned from New Zealand. They worked on an organic farm through Willing Workers on Organic Farms (http://www.wwoof.org/).

Sean, an organic farmer, from Malibu, delivers soil and compost. Everything here has been donated. All of the work that has gone in to building this event has been done by volunteers. And, what has been created by us, volunteers, is incredible.

This is Venice at its finest. Phone numbers and emails are exchanged. We all leave satiated from hard work in the garden. A harvest dinner is planned to reap the rewards of our new community place.