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  Niles  C

ommun

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Call  for  Columnists    

As  Niles  Community  Gardens  moves  forward  as   an   organization,   our   newsletter   should  move   forward   as   well.     Over   the   past   year  Mark   Van   Til   and   myself   have   worked   to  publish   this   fledgling   newsletter   every  month   in   order   to   keep   the   public   updated  on   the   lasted  news  within  Niles  Community  Gardens.     I   do   sincerely   hope   that   each   of  you   has   found   useful   information   in   this  

Issue  13   January/February    2013  

Helping  others  produce  their  own  fruits  and  vegetables  while  learning  how  to  live  more  sustainably  in  Southwest  Michigan  

publication  and   that   you  would   like   to   see   it  continue.    I  recognize  a  lot  of  potential  in  this  endeavor   and   I   believe   it   is   time   to   take   the  next  step  in  this  new  year.      The   goal   is   to   have   a   self-­‐sustaining   bi-­‐monthly   (6   times   annually)   print   newsletter  by   the  end  of   the  year.    Until  we  are  able   to  fund   a   print   newsletter,   the   publication   will  continue  to  be  distributed  via  the  internet.  

NCG  Newsletter  looks  to  expand  

 

 

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Spring    is  sooner  

recognized  by  plants  than  by  

men.  Chinese  Proverb  

We   are   looking   for   bi-­‐monthly   columnists   to  write  in  these  areas:  -­‐food:  monthly  recipe,  canning/drying  tips  -­‐community  member/local  business  spotlight    -­‐sustainable  living    -­‐natural  household  tips  and  tricks  -­‐nutrition/health  -­‐community  events  reporting  -­‐photographer  

If   you   have   a   passion   about   one   of   these  topics  and  you  love  to  write,  please  contact  me.    Also,   if  you  have  an  idea  for  a  column  that   is   not   listed,   please   feel   free   to   email  me   with   your   idea   at                                                sarahnilescommunitygardens@gmail.com  

      Best  Wishes,  

      Sarah  Markley         Editor    

Niles  Community  Gardens  Website    

The  new  Niles  Community  Gardens  website  is  currently   under   construction   and   should   be  up   and   running   in   the   first   week   of   March.    The   official   NCG   website   will   be   located   at  www.nilescommunitygardens.org   and   will  feature  a   section   for   each  garden,   an  events  

page,   contact   information   for   garden  coordinators   and   more.     If   you   have   any  outstanding   photographs   of   your   garden,  then   feel   free   to   email  sarahnilescommunitygardens@gmail.com  to  have  the  images  included  in  the  gallery.  

Cohesive  website  will  feature  all  gardens    

 

 

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“It  is  our  collective  responsibility  to  protect  and  nurture  the  global  family,  to  support  its  

weaker  members  and  to  preserve  and  tend  to  the  environment  in  which  we  

all  live.”    

Dalai  Lama  

Permaculture   revolves   around   three   basic  ethics   and   then   twelve   design   principles.    The   ethics   create   the   solid   foundation   for    permaculture   and   the   principles   serve   as   a  guideline  for  creating  sustainable  systems  in  the  world  we  live  in.    

The  three  permaculture  ethics  are:    

1. Care  for  the  Earth  2. Care  for  People  3. Redistribute  Surplus  (Sharing)  

You   can   find   these   three   ethics   thriving   in  healthy   ecosystems   all   over   the   world.    Nature  has  the  three  ethics  down  perfectly,  but   what   about   us?     As   an   ‘advanced’  society,   do   we   care   about   the   Earth   or   its  people?     Do   we   as   a   species   share   as   we  

should?     I   think  we  can  all   agree   that  we  have  a   long  way  to   improve   in  regards   to  these  ethics.  

The   permaculture   ethics   drive   one   to  consider   whether   their   new   project,   life  choices   and   purchases   are   ecologically  and   socially   friendly.     For   example,  consider   buying   locally   grown   and   raised  food,   compost   your   trash   instead   of  putting   it   in   the   garbage,   or   share   the  surplus  from  your  garden  with  someone  in  need.   We   can   find   a   way   to   put   these  ethics  into  practice  every  single  day  of  our  lives.     Before   you   make   a   decision,   first  consider:  Am  I  caring  for  the  Earth?    Am  I  caring  for  people?  Am  I  sharing?  

Permaculture  Practices  by  Sarah  Markley  The  Permaculture  Ethics  

Holmgren  and  Temford’s  Ethics  Icon  

 

 

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 -­‐  Ipsum  

 

Find  Niles  Community  Gardens  on  Facebook!  Share  with  us!  

 If  you  have  any  stories,  jokes,  poems,  recipes  or  anecdotes  you  would  like  to  share  in  our  monthly  newsletter,  please  send  them  to  Sarah  Markley  via  email  

at  sarahnilescommunitygardens@gmail.com  or  via  U.S.P.S.  at  2625  Holland  St,  South  Bend,  IN  46619  

   

If  you  are  not  on  our  email  mailing  list  and  would  like  to  receive  our  newsletter,  please  send  your  email  address  to  Sarah  Markley  via  email  or  

U.S.P.S.  (address  above).  

 Garden  with  us!    

 If  you  would  like  to  volunteer  in  the  gardens  or  on  special  projects,  or  if  you  haven’t  gardened  with  us  but  would  like  to,  please  contact  David  Markel  at  

davidrmarkel@yahoo.com.      

Help  Support  us!    

To  make  a  monetary  donation,  please  make  checks  payable  to  Niles  Community  Gardens  and  mail  to:  

Niles  Community  Gardens  PO  Box  304  

Niles,  MI  49120