Livable Future Project

LIvable Future Project Newsletter

Apr 23, 2006

Livable Future Project News
April 19, 2006
Editor: Patricia Mikkelson livablefuture@yahoo.com 479-582-1681

Purpose: To create communities of trust, hope, and opportunity where people feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to manifest their vision for a sustainable world where every living creature can thrive.

All activities are sponsored by the Livable Future Project and coordinator Patricia Mikkelson (contact information above) is the contact unless otherwise noted. YOU are important! Any activity which is sponsored by LFP is structured in such a way that you are encouraged to offer your gifts and share your passion. Please join us as we co-create a sustainable world.

Earth Day Related Activities

Pray for our Planet: April 21, Earth Day eve, 7-8PM, Gulley Park, near the Pavillion. We will sing and pray, honoring many faiths. Bring instruments, prayers drums and a cup. 5:30 Potluck at picnic tables near play area. 6:30 Pick up trash.

Earth Day Art, Sat. Apr. 22 Fayetteville Farmer's Market Purpose: To celebrate and advertise for Earth Day. I will be bringing sidewalk chalk. If anyone else would like to bring other art supplies have an art free for all as well, I'd be happy for you to join in. Elizabeth Stewart edstew27@yahoo.com

Tanglewood Branch Clean Up: Sat. April 22 8-11Am Meet in Apartment parking lot at Center and Gregg between 8 and 9am or New Design Center Parking Lot on 6th and Government. Ends at Molloy's Park on Gregg. Vests and bags will be supplied. Refreshments at end. Sponsored by local neighborhood associations. All are welcome.

Earth Day Celebration: April 22, 10-1 World Peace Wetland Prairie. Help prepare the soil for a butterfly garden and world peace garden Open Mic picnic. Bring gloves, boots, shovels, rakes, hoes, hat, sunscreen. Put name on tools. Go S. on Hill from 6th St., turn right on 11th, Wetland is on the right. First come first serve on open mic, Still on the Hill will be there.Sponsored by OMNI, Sierra Club, and Audubon Arkansas. Jennifer Creel's yard will be available for children to play in. If you want to offer an earth-friendly activity for the kids, please just show up and we will be delighted!

Food for Thought: Sat. April 22 Evening: Omni (along with the Sierra Club) are hosting a wonderful, memorable evening event-- a dinner at the beautiful Terra Studios Restaurant combined with a lecture on the impact of War on the environment. We have gone to considerable expense to fly in the distinguished international writers/filmmakers, Alice and Lincoln Day. Ozark Natural Foods (ONF) is catering the dinner, Kelly and Donna (Still on the Hill) will sing a couple of songs. We have arranged for a bus to take you to and from Durham (from ONF) for just $5 extra. The dinner starts at 6:30 PM, the talk and film at 7:00, and $15 tickets must be purchased in advance at the ONF desk or by calling 582 2291.!)Dick Bennettjbennet@uark.edu

Livable Future Activities

Networking Meeting and Idea Party: Wed. May 3 6-7:30PM Fayetteville Library Walker Community Room Get support for your goals. Meet new friends, and deepen existing friendships.

Play! for Peace Sake: Wed. April 26, 5-7PM and Sat. May 27 12 noon to 8PM Gulley Park Pavillion area. Fayetteville, on Township between Old Wire Road and Crossover. Playing together can build bridges of understanding and reconciliation among people of different backgrounds and ages. Activists can connect in a different kind of way. Families, friends, and neighbors can strengthen bonds. A sense of community is deepened and enhanced. Cooperative games; creative movement; sports; drama; poetry; music; volleyball, soccor, art, story telling, drumming, laughing and more. Show up at any time to either facilitate a play activity or play. We can use help with publicity, set up, clean up, and encouraging park attenders to participate.

Sing for Life! Some Saturday evenings. 8-9:30PM (call to make sure we are doing it) at the Agape House (Patricia's home at the Brown Farm). We had a great time last week--Christopher is getting soooooo good on the base--it helps my little ol' guitar playing sound so much better! Bring some songs that you love that we can all sing along with. Extra song sheets with chords are really helpful if you want Christopher and I to play along, and so others can easily join in.

Updates and Announcements

Community Center at the Brown Farm: Update: I realized that because I now live at what I have envisioned to be the community center (I was renting an additional place, but found it too expensive to rent both places), it is not working for me to consider this a community space right now. The current situation is that it my home which I call the Agape House where gatherings can be held which I want to sponsor until further notice. (I noticed I kept feeling guilty about calling it the Community Center--when it wasn't really that at all!)

Success Team Update: A Success Team meets regularly to support committed members in achieving their goals. I am changing the name to Sustainable Lifestyle Support Teams. On hold for now. Mary Thornton has offered her home every other Friday-after she has her baby (due April. 22--prayers for her, Kaleb, and baby are appreciated). Let me know if you are interested and I will let you know when we are starting. We have had a few meetings, with great results.

H.O.P.E. Learning Center, now forming. HOPE stands for healing our planet and everyone. It will be a cooperative endeavor, where everyone of all ages from infant to elder can share their skills and practice their passions in the art of living sustainably. This will also be the beginning of a training center for neighborhood facilitators, who help neighborhoods become healthy, sustainable environments. We will practice at the Farm neighborhood. This will get started when there is a committed core group.

Work Co-op: We have a vision of a sustainable world, and want to exchange goods and services using a credit system in order to build a sense of community and use cash as little as possible. To join, you just need to attend one of Livable Future Project's activities. Coordinator: Mary Thornton marythornton0@lycos.com

Wanted: Partners in creating community and a sustainable world
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

After pouring a huge amount of energy into the Livable Future Project, I am left with two experiences. On one hand, I feel encouraged. Through the various activities I have participated in under the auspices of the LFP, or in my daily travels, I have met hundreds of people who are passionate about sustainable living, and over half of them wanted to be on my mailing list so they can keep in touch. Many people have helped with activities and offered their resources. I can see that many people want to be more involved than they are, but we are having difficulty in connecting because of all of our busy schedules.

On the other hand, I have felt overwhelmed at times. I have been doing most of the work because I was so excited about the possibilities and hoped that at least one person who could commit as much as I have committed would partner with me would come along...but that did not happen. I realize now that this is because I still was not clear enough in the vision. In the process I neglected my health, family, and paying my bills. So now I am getting my bills caught up and establishing my priorities in order, including my spiritual life, spending time with my family and getting back into raw food preparation. I am also doing research and introspection about the next step for the Livable Future Project.

I am looking for a small group of individuals who want to form a kind of sustainable church which would have the vision of co-creating with our creator a world where every living creature thrives. Eventually I would want them to live in community, in a co-housing style eco-village on our land near Kingston.

The qualities of such people would include:

1. Passionate, committed, kindred spirits who share a vision of looking at the big picture, and creating first a model of a sustainable Northwest Arkansas which can be duplicated. Neighborhood and community development will be a big part of that.

2. skills in community development to create the training program for community facilitators.

3. Ability to build bridges between individuals, churches, organizations, businesses, and government so we can all work together towards common goals including peace, justice, ecology, alleviating hunger, affordable housing, and livable wages.

4. A desire to share all aspects of living including: preparing food, helping with child raising; errands and chores, sharing a spiritual life which includes worship, singing, meditating, conflict resolution, planning, playing, emotional support and praying together.

5. Experience with responsible and compassionate communication especially the model taught by Marshall Rosenberg.

6. A deep desire to live in integrity and be accountable to others in doing that.

7. Willingness to temporarily (until we can get better housing built) camp out at the Brown Farm in Fayettevilleusing the Agape House as a common house. It is not absolutely essential, but would make things much easier.

8. Experience in living simply, making decisions consensually, using innovative methods for every becoming more loving, understanding, empathetic, and non-violent in thoughts, words and deeds.

Other ingredients: Music, laughter, play. Considering the needs of our families. Lots of energy available--because you want to serve, because you can hardly think of any thing else to do but to help create a sustainable world. We help each other be free of addictions if we have them (most of us do!). We encourage each other to use our gifts. We help bring out the best in each other. We pray for each other. We love each other. Contact Patricia Mikkelson if you are interested.