Ever had discouragement, with a huge dollop of excitement, all rolled up into a tight ball making chaos of your stomach? That’s about as close as I can get to describing what I’m feeling at the moment. Definitely exciting. Definitely worrisome. But overall, I do have to say what will be, will be. No one will die. But we could seize an opportunity to make a world of change or let it slip through our fingers….
It’s been a while since I put up a posting. Just haven’t felt like it recently. I found out about 2 weeks ago that Fertile Roots Miami has a strong possibility of ending at the end of this month, three months short of when it should be ending. The reason? Money. Silly reason, really. We live in one of the richest places on the planet, a measly $30k is what I’ve seen some people drop on a night out in this town. Not that $30k is insignificant, I’m just pointing out that it’s out there. (If it was insignificant, I guess I wouldn’t be writing a blog about this right now!)
I was expecting this project to last at least until the end of March with the funding through the South Dade Soil and Water Conservation District’s EPA grant. Unfortunately, I was not aware that a 1/3 of the money was gone before the pilot even started. Not that I can blame them, they are allowed to do what they want and yes, if someone will pay for your time to attend meetings to get a project off the ground, then why not get paid? It would have been nice to have the head’s up before, but well, there’s no point in dwelling on it. <<>
What I do find interesting is this inter-generational gap. I find myself dealing with retirees on one hand and kids just out of college on the other. It’s exciting to think that there aren’t that many things that seem to bring those two generations together, but this field (composting, agriculture, sustainability) is doing it. I was at the US Composting Council conference a couple of weeks ago, and was having lunch with some people from the other side of the pond (i.e. the west coast of Florida) and they pointed out how happy they were to see younger people finally involved….That they may be able to ‘pass the torch’ to the younger generation. (I also think that they thought I was much younger than I am – gotta thank those Sobel genes for that). It’s a theme that I saw repeated throughout the conference. Those that have been in this industry for the long haul are finally seeing interest from that new generation and they’re excited to pass on their knowledge. I would think (and hope) that that would be repeated down here in Miami where we have so much to do, but it’s unfortunate that I haven’t seen that enthusiasm quite yet. Never lose hope, however!
Regardless, we will do with what we have. And we will do what we can to see this pilot project through to the end. And I have no doubt that with a little help from our friends, we can and will continue to create gardens and not landfills. J
If you haven’t done it yet, please consider supporting our little project. Buy a ticket to our fundraising dinner, for yourself or give it to a friend. Hell, give it back to us and we’ll treat a local leader to a well-deserved night out! Make a donation, just because you can. Large or small, absolutely anything is appreciated. (Plus it’s tax deductible). If you just can’t, consider volunteering at the event. We promise that everything that we do is entertaining, and we’ll make sure you have a damn good time making a difference. Go here for more info.
In closing, whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. You’ll have to thank Henry Ford for that little piece of wisdom. Until next time.