RECONNECT TO LOCAL FOOD

NATIVE PLANTS - CYCLES OF EARTH

& REGENERATE OUR COMMUNITY’S ECOSYSTEMS!

 

Learn how simple actions we take can heal the Earth through the way we eat, the farmers we support, and the way we garden. Program series includes:

• A screening of the award-winning film, Kiss the Ground

• Book groups on Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard

• Church services followed by discussions on the topic of the week

• And other activities!

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Sunday Services/Coffee & Discussion. Each week a church service will explore the spiritual relevance of the topic of the day. Immediately following the service, we will discuss the practical aspects of the topic as we enjoy coffee and snacks. 

• LOCATION: Amicable Congregational Church, 3736 Main Rd., Tiverton, RI

• TIME: Services 10 a.m. with discussions immediately following (approx. 11 a.m.)

• May 15—Connect to community and Earth through food. Most of us have become completely disconnected from the plants, animals, and environment that produce our food. This week we will explore the importance of supporting local farming, which emphasizes the natural interplay between plant and animal species, thereby regenerating local ecosystems. It can also be a spiritual practice that helps us find the joy of connecting more fully to our food and the community members who produce it. 

• May 22—Find awe and wonder in your yard. Many of us have experienced the restorative benefits of connecting to the natural world. Through it, we become part of something bigger than ourselves. We’ll explore how restoring the native species of the environment to our own yards fosters this spiritual experience right outside of our back door.

• May 29—Work with nature, not against it. With the industrial age came the idea that we can “improve” upon nature and control it through use of pesticides and other chemicals. Since then we have learned that these harm the environment by disrupting the balance of nature and leading to a vicious cycle of more chemical use. We’ll explore how restoring the natural balance of our own property enhances our spiritual connection to the environment while removing the struggle of trying to artificially control it.

• June 5—Eat in the rhythm of the planet. We’ve come to expect the same array of fresh foods at the corner grocery all year long without thinking about the considerable carbon produced to reach our stores. We are learning that by eating seasonally we reduce that carbon footprint and gain additional nutritional benefits. We can also use ancient processes like fermentation to preserve seasonal foods. This week, we will meet at Movement Ground Farm, where we’ll consider how eating locally and seasonally tunes us to the cycles of the planet and the community. (A potluck meal of locally-sourced, seasonal food will follow!)

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Film Screening & Discussion

• Featured film: Kiss the Ground (winner of 25 independent film awards!)

• 87-minute film followed by a discussion of community members, including local farmers

• Tiverton Public Library

•  Tuesday, May 17, 6:00-8:15 pm 

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Book Groups

• Featured Book: Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard, by Douglas W. Tallamy

• Tiverton Public Library

  • Union Public Library Book Group's May meeting to discuss the entire book, led by members of the Union Public Library Association

    • Thursday, May 19, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (presently meeting at Tiverton Public Library)

  • Tiverton Public Library Book Group's June meetings to discuss the entire book, led by a librarian

    • Friday, June 10, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

    • Wednesday, June 15, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

• Amicable Congregational Church 

  • Topical discussion on practical considerations about the book material led by experienced native plant gardeners

  • Tuesday, May 24, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

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Potluck Dinner (featuring locally-sourced ingredients)

• Sunday, June 5th, 12:00 p.m.

• Movement Ground Farm (592 Puncatest Neck Road, Tiverton, RI)

• Show how delicious it can be to support local farmers by bringing a dish made as much as possible from locally sourced produce, grains, meats, cheeses, etc.!

 

Native Plant Pollinator Picnic Garden Dedication

• Sunday, June 12, approx. 11:00 am (immediately following the church service)

• Amicable Congregational Church (off the north parking lot)

• This garden is a joint project between Amicable Church and the Junior Girl Scout Troop 540, funded by a grant from The Garden Foundation of RI.