Transition Palo Alto‘s Spring Share Faire was a seedy event – build around seeds, that is.
An enthusiastic crowd gathered at Cubberley Community Center on a blustery spring day, happy to be inside and under cover, protected from the inclement weather.
We started the afternoon with the World Premiere of a new short film by Herb Moore made to Protect Community Seed Sharing. The maestro was there in person for the event. If you didn’t get to see the film live, you can watch it on-line – the effect isn’t quite the same, but you’ll enjoy it nonetheless:
Protect Community Seed Sharing from Herb Moore on Vimeo.
The film was followed by two sets of mini-classes. In the Garden Room, we continued the seed theme with Hillie Salo talking to us about Seed Exchanges, Seed Libraries and the CA Seed Exchange Democracy Act (AB 1810), which Transition Palo Alto has endorsed. Hillie was followed by Paul Higgins, manager of Common Ground Garden, who showed us how to propagate seedlings in flats and Peggy Prendergast, who led a very hands-on demonstration of worm composting, to the particular delight of the kids in attendance.
Next door, in the Food Room, things got really tasty. Diane Ruddle led off by showing how to make preserved lemons and what to do with them. She was followed by Margaret Szumilas, who taught us about sourdough bread and by Joyce Beattie, who taught us how to make compost soup (where you actually use things in order to keep them out of the compost!).
All the while, in the hall outside people were sharing goods – plants, books, kitchen gadgets and more – networking with their neighbors, registering to vote, and generally having a fun time.
Make sure to mark your calendars for June 10, when the next Share Faire will focus on Books and Media.
Here’s a slide show. Enjoy!
Transition Palo Alto 