Whole Foods on board!

Whole Foods on board!05/04/2012   Back from my meeting at Whole Foods. Am brim-filled with excitement to share the story!                                           Adventures in Whole Foods I just got back home from my meeting with Melissa, the Marketing Team Leader at the Whole Foods Market in Capitola, Ca. The meeting was absolutely the establishment of an blossoming partnership between Dreem Reality and Whole Foods. But before I go into all of the exciting details, let me back up a bit. A week ago I wrote to Melissa to see if Whole Foods would be interested in donating food for our weekly DreemGarden events.  I talked to her of our blossoming non-profit and projects we are activating. My hopes were high, I felt confident that we would be able to get some food donated to us for our events since the Whole Foods in Berekely California was happy to do the same. My hopes, however, were unprepared for the amount of enthusiasm expressed back from my letter. Melissa wrote back the next day with a short and sweet message saying, “This looks very interesting! Do you have anytime to meet in person this week? Let me know, I would love to talk more about this.” Not what I was expecting! What I expected was the traditional “Well first you will need to fill out a donation request letter, give us your 501(c) 3 ID number and we will see what we can do.” No, this was different, this was an opening of doors and potentials. Let’s fast forward to the meeting with Melissa. We introduce ourselves to each other and share our excitement of meeting to communicate more. She asks of our organization and DreemGardens and I share with her the quick development that we have incurred since Earth Week April 16-21st. We move forward quickly throwing out ideas and potentials for growth with one another. She asks for a breakdown of our projects and budget, and lucky for me that I have a well organized Wife and Vice President of Dreem Reality, I had the paperwork for her immediately. She exclaimed, “Wow, look at you!”. After that she says we will need to fill out a donation request form, and I am also able to hand it over to her and receive another approving exclamation.  From there we talked about the big potentials together. Melissa says she thinks we would be great for their “Nickels for Non-profits” program that runs for 2 months at a time. This program gives a five-cent donation every time someone brings in a reusable bag, and for every bag that they bring. The customer then has a choice between two non-profit organizations to give their nickel(s) to. She recommended us funding our DreemTV project with this program. I asked about having an info card at the registers about DreemTV for the customers, she agreed that having some sort of pamphlet or card up there would be a good thing. She asked about our educational videos and if they would cost anything. It felt so good to resoundingly answer, “They will be absolutely free to the public”. She was very happy about that and thinks the project will progress forward well. I put out there that it would be great to set up a booth once a week at the Whole Foods site to talk to customers about us being there as a non-profit and what we are doing and providing for the public. We want to see about either making our own bike powered blender, or using People Powers blender to make some free smoothies for our patrons who stop by to say hi to our booth. I think this will be a hit. Then we talked about other Dreem ideas. We want to create a DreemCollective and establish our own currency of sorts amongst our Dreemers. We will be creating DreemCards for those who are working with our non-profit in different ways. These cards will have the Dreemers name and will say “I am a Dreemer”. They will then be able to go into a local business and receive a discount on goods. Whole Foods went a step further and put out there that they can give free coffee for our Dreemers with their cards! Yes!! Dreem Reality is currently in its first Spring FUNdraiser and I asked for reusable bags to be able to give to our donors for small donations.  We decided that 20 per week would be good and doable for them. Hooray for gifts for our donors! I shared more information on our DreemGardens project and inquired for the potentials of receiving food for our weekly events. She said that they could do snack type foods and goods for us. Yeah! While talking about DreemGardens we talked about the potential of creating an edible landscape outside of their building.  They are selling plant starts there now and we both thought it would be great to have some growing in their edible landscape to entice others to do the same. The only thing about this is that the landscape would need a daily up keep. This seemed initially as a problem, but on the way home I thought of how it could actually lead to many solutions! It would 1) Empower the community to create their own edible landscapes. 2) Which would lead them to purchasing some plant starts which are sold from Whole Foods. 3) It would help the economy by opening up a new job niche with them to hire a new Team Member for the upkeep of their edible garden. Perhaps even for one of our very own DreemGardeners! On that topic she mentioned in passing that they have to have their compost hauled away. I jumped on that thought and put out there that DreemGardens can come pick it up and disseminate it to our DreemGarden locations to proliferate the growing goods! Melissa shared with me a few schools who are starting gardens and that there is potentials there. One is Soquel Elementary and the other is Soquel High. This would be a great way for Dreem Reality to get into schools. She invited us to the Birthday Bash event on July 22nd. There will be lots of community and vendors there and she wants us to be one of them! We are very excited about this, as it will be another great way to get involved with our community and get more Dreemers on board for our growing projects. So, I am currently glowing with an overflowing energy of abundance and potential. Feeling very blessed to have been so well received by Melissa and Whole Foods, and am very much looking forward to the future collaboration and partnership that is rapidly blossoming. To cap off the event nicely, a man named Jon was sitting nearby as we were wrapping up the meeting and when I stayed behind to fill out the new paperwork for the “Nickels for Non-profits”. Jon told me that he said a prayer for me and our non-profits mission, that he feels that we will be successful. He recognized that I was wearing a turtle charm on my necklace and left me with a quote that his grandfather would share with him. “Like a turtle, you never get anywhere unless you stick your neck out.” Here’s to sticking my neck out, and getting somewhere filled with potential. Thanks Jon. Thanks Melissa. Thank you Whole Foods, and Thank You Life!! Dreems manifesting into Reality!

DreemGardens Inauguration!

DreemGardens Inauguration!04/23/2012

 

DreemGardens: First official gathering!

DreemGardens are officially kicked off! Because of the enthusiastic responses received for our project during Earth Week, we decided to gather that weekend to publically kick off the beginnings of DreemGardens. Lots of incredible ideas were churning around for the initial location and since we are wanting to include local businesses with our project, we decided to ask the Windmill Cafe if they wanted to join us. They were very excited about the opportunity! It is great because the Windmill Cafe is a historical Santa Cruz landmark that has been around since the early 1920’s. They originally were a bulb farm and flower shop and many different styles of Cafe’s. Now the Windmill is prospering greatly from their new owners, the best part is that that they have a blooming gardening space that they use for growing organic food for their customers.

Pre-meeting at the cafe we had to get a lot of organization in place for the event. Dani created some good release of liability waivers and a questioner for our volunteers of what they see their level of involvement being for our projects. We also developed an information pamphlet for our DreemGardens vision, which have been flying out the door. We both were riding an incredible wave of potential-filled energy that we had been constantly receiving for our developing project.

Just in the past week we had 60 new DreemGardeners sign up for our future projcts. We weren’t sure of how many would be showing up for this first event. It could have been 5-60 people, which is a huge margin! So we came prepared for many, with enough waivers and food to supply as many Dreemers as possible. 

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The morning of the gathering I went to Costco to get some gear for the day. I bought compostable silverware, paper plates and plastic cups (which we can wash and re-use). We really want to find plastic plates that we can use, and re-use--that to come soon. I made a bunch of hummus for our volunteers while our friend and fellow DreemGardener, Jonathan, creatively put our DreemGarden sign on a shovel for our meeting at the Farmers Market so Dreemers could find us there.

When we showed up at the Farmers Market, I was stopped a few times and asked about DreemGardens just because of my sign. A few more people gained interest and desire for our project.  We then headed over to the Windmill Cafe and meet with the owner, Mary, to see about what she wanted created in her garden. She informed us one bed needed to be filled in and the other dug up and set with a gopher wire. Also there was a plant called “naked ladies” to pull up and new plants to transplant from our Diggin’ In project.

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At this point there were 6 Dreemers present. Initially I was anxiously awaiting more to arrive, but soon felt the number of people and the type of people there were absolutely perfect. We had just the right amount of crew for the days work, and it was small enough of a group to intimately get to know one another. We held a circle to share names and our vision for this project. We made it clear that this is the very beginnings and we are all the seeds for this project and what it will grow into. It was absolutely thrilling to hear the different reasons of being there and the visions for the future. Jonathan expressed how he is very excited to develop a community of family to work, share and rely upon. This warmed my heart since its the same vision that we have for this project. 

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I would love to share a bit about our new and established Dreemers visions:

Jonathan has been a wonderful new addition to the team as he is a hard and skilled worker that is sharing the same vision we have for DreemGardens and what it will grow into. He is self propelled and a natural leader. We feel very blessed to have him as a part of our DreemTeam.  Jonathan expressed how he is very excited to develop a community of family to work, share and rely upon. This warmed my heart since its the same vision that we have for this project.

Billy expressed how he initially became interested in the project through our booth at Earth Week because of our poster with our D.r.e.e.m. accronym of “Manifest Reality”. He said he didn’t even need to see more to know he was in the right place. He expressed that he is a “do-er” and a “feeler” and that is what lead him to come. I feel blessed to have that sort of response for someone and look forward to creating more fulfilling projects for Billy, and others, that lead them to create within. Billy is also manifesting awareness that “everyone is going conscious”. He has a website dedicated to that vision and we are happy to create with him to manifest that common vision we share. Visit his vision here: http://www.worldpeaceisinevitable.org/

We also established a new Dreemer named Kyle, who had heard about our garden project through Mary, the owner of the Windmill Cafe. He was initially quite skeptical of our project and even joked around with us in our meeting circle when we expressed that this was the very beginning, saying “Ahh I see, well I’m gonna head out, why don’t you call me when you are all established”. He of course stuck around for the whole event and was such an important part of our day. He worked extremely hard and shared a lot of knowledge about what to do and how to do it. At the end of the day, when we were talking about our tool library we wish to grow, he donated to us a shovel! We were so thrilled and joy-filled that he said he would be right back. He came back with 2 more shovels and a rake!!! We are very grateful for these gifts. We offered him a letter of acknowledgement for his donations so he could write it off. He wasn’t interested in that and just wanted to give them to us. Our Tool Library is officially growing!

Our other Dreemer, Giovanna, expressed her desire to work with us just about every weekend! She has been with us as a Dreemer for over a month now, and will be going to the 5 week permaculture course in Oregon at Lost Valley that we have facilitated (we have been in communication with their program and have received a reduction in the course fees due to our non-profit and shared goals with Lost Valley). She is going into her Masters program for permaculture related things and so is very enthusiastic about working with us.

So, the day went by with our DreemGardeners very smoothy. I had a lot of fun getting to know like-minded souls and it is so fulfilling to create with others. My favorite part of the day was seeing the fruit of our labor in front of us, the beds all dug up and the new plants happily transplanted into their new homes. We all stood around and crossed off our completed ‘“to-do” list for the day and even got to do a “Dreeeeeeeeeem Onnnnn” spiraling handshake cheer! It feels so great to be doing good work, it absolutely heals the soul.

Very much looking forward to watching these new seeds grow. We will continue moving forward with this project as long as there is a desire and need for it in our community. At this point this desire seems insatiable, we are looking forward to fulfilling the satiation to the best of our capabilities- which are ever in blossom!

Tune in next time to watch DreemGardens bloom!


Yours truly,
Melinda

Comments

Billy

05/04/2012 13:47

Awww, that was sweet. I just read what you said about me. Thanks for promoting my site. Nice!

Diggin' In: Melinda's Vision

Diggin' In: Melinda's Vision03/07/2012   An assignment for Edible Landscaping!   My very own Garden Arising with the morning sun, I wrap myself in a warm robe and head downstairs to put on the teakettle. As the water heats and the steam sets to a whistle I pour warmth into a cup. As I open the door to the backyard I am filled with excitement to see the new growth in the garden for the day. I slowly walk to the potted plants, with my warm tea in hand, and say, “Good Morning!”. My housemates and I have created a growing wonderland in our very own backyard—an eclectic assortment of big ceramic pots and wood planting beds weaving in and out of the areas that get kissed most by the sun. As I look around at all of the new growth of vegetables that we have planted, I become excited by the thoughts of the upcoming seasons and what joy and change they will bring to the garden. The flowers on the plum tree fill the space with bright color, giving rise to the fruit that will soon be enjoyed by all varieties of life. The cherry tree waits patiently in the corner of the garden space, for it’s time in the nearing season-knowing that it too will be able to share all of its glory of pink blossoms and succulent fruit. The experimenter inside of me delights for the chance to prune these magnificent fruiting trees as soon as their fruiting season has paced—as to not take away any of the blossom growth that they are now going through. Soon I will be able to experiment with cutting the tree to aid in its fullest potential of fruiting. The soil I use is for now bought at a local soil shop- all organic. Although there are some spaces in the backyard to plant in-ground, the pesky gopher would sure get his fill before we do with our growing goods. So for now, and until we develop the proper knowledge and awareness to create nutrient rich soil from what we are now blessed with, and until we learn how to keep out the gopher from indulging in our fruits of labor, we will keep our plants safe in their potted homes. I look forward to the day where the grape trellises dance up the white arbor fence, and replace the ivy, which is slowly dominating the yard. I do love the ivy and the green wonderland that it provides, but I am looking forward to the beautiful green leaves and juicy fruit that grapes can provide in its place. I will continue to aid in the health of the berries, who grow in auspicious places around the yard, and find them a space of their own where they can grow abundantly. As my vision and plants grow around me so does my knowledge, confidence and love of creating my very own organic, edible landscape.

Article Review "What Makes a Building Product Green"

Article Review "What Makes a Building Product Green"03/06/2012

 

               What Makes a Building Product Green?

Recently my curiosity has been lit to learn more about what makes products “Green”. Information as come my way that you can put a “green” or “organic” stamp on something without having the legitimacy of really being green or organic. This article caught my attention, and discusses what makes a green building “green” and I was intrigued to discover more about what actually makes a product, or in this case building materials, green. This article is taken from Reed Construction Data under, “Market Intelligence, Green & Sustainable Construction”

A lot of these “green products” tend to be, in some cases, only nearly less toxic or more efficient than traditional building materials. These products range from cotton insulation, to recycled asphalt paving, to photovoltaic arrays. Even though they might only be slightly better than the traditional material, it seems to all add up in a big way with the larger picture of time and the positive effect in a global way. These green materials and processes fall into 6 categories; Green Process, Improved Sustainability, Recycled Content, Recyclable, Low Toxicity and Biodegradable.

The Green Process goes into what the impact is on the actual process of building something and who and what the affects are. There are considerations for the exposure of harmful chemicals to the workers. I find this to be extremely important, as there seems to be a vast amount of people who have developed illnesses from exposure to toxic materials. This exposure seems to have happened either in the building process, or in just being around the materials after they are built. This is a serious issue and begs more research to be done on materials that we are using and exposing people to. The green process of building demands looking at how much energy is used to create something, and opens up potential advancements to find and create new and more energy efficient ways in building. Because this falls under the category of using a green process, even a company distributing a harmful material into our environment, such as plastics, can receive a green building process stamp of approval, even though their end product is not at all very green.

The Improved Sustainability category calls for the use of the available and renewable products in the area. This is great because it opens up a new market of products and systems to build more sustainably.

The category of Recycled Content is wonderful because it addresses using recycled materials in the building process. There are so many materials out there that have been turned to waste, that have the potential to be reclaimed into a building project. The following category is Recyclability and is really an extension of this category and places in the need to look at the materials that you are using and if they can also be recycled for something else in the future.

Low Toxicity is the next section of how and what it means to “build green”. With the research now of the negative affects of toxic materials with people, all products are required to have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), which will list their materials and potential hazards. There is an issue with this rating system since most architects are not educated in how to interpret them. This is an issue since if you can’t read what the materials and hazards mean, then you wont be able to make the correct choices of using low toxic and hazard-less materials. It seems that reading these MSDS data should be a part of the education of builders and architects.

Biodegradability is another factor of building green and is the last step in the forward thinking of how to build green. Biodegradability addresses how well the material can decompose naturally back into the earth and environment under exposure from the elements. This is a incredible section to have to build green, as it forces the builder to look far into the future of the building and its contents uses, and how they will go back full circle to nature.

Reading these topics have helped me identify how to quantify the "green-ness" of the products used for building. There is, of course, a huge range of how something can be considered "green", however I now have more of an ability to address it and create my own opinion on how "green" something really is.

Melinda L. Phoenix


Review of article on site: http://www.reedconstructiondata.com/market-intelligence/green/green-building-products/

Article review for Green Building class.

Article review for Green Building class.02/28/2012

 

        “With 42 green buildings, city leads the pack”
                                     Reference to article by: Sharanya Gautam with TNN on Feb 13, 2012 

This article was found in “The Times of India”, and makes a focus on Channai but also on the world. I have a deep interest in what type of green building progression is going on in the world and how that affects us in the United States so I decided to use this article:

It excites me to see that other nations are taking giant steps to become the top in green, sustainable building techniques. The city of Channai, India is taking the lead in sustainable building and energy and environmental design in India by having 42 of the 212 green buildings. It is said in the article that the demand for green building is increasing, as well as the builders also becoming proactive about building green. Additionally to the materials changing there is also a shift towards joining agriculture and building development.

I feel it is a great movement to have an awareness to utilize all spaces to grow plants and edibles. There is an exorbitant amount of concrete ground and skyscrapers due to the nature of cities and population. In order to balance our need as humans for these city areas with large populations, and our need for oxygen, it seems brilliant to start shifting these urban areas into growing greenhouses within and on top of building structures. This will aid in empowerment for humans who can grow their own food, as well as open up a whole new work force for those in green building.

            Green certification is also aiding in creating a whole new niche for those in construction. It creates a specialization that many are now looking for. People are willing to pay more for a green building, since it will be saving nearly 50% on energy consumption. Building a green structure compared to a normal building adds on only a 3-5% expense, so the pay offs seem well worth the initial investment, not to mention the pat on the back your conscious will be giving you in making the switch.

            All in all it seems that the consciousness of the world is growing to understand that we don’t merely want, but absolutely need to make changes in the way in which we are building. We are starting to become aware of the materials that we are using, and the way in which we are consuming energy. We are also realizing that it can be just as affordable, and payoff in many more ways than just financially. With the whole world making these changes, it is inevitable that we all will be making the switch.

Melinda L. Phoenix