STRONG Salem is for everyone who wants to help and participate in getting Salem, Oregon, to quit chasing Growth Ponzi Scheme plans and instead become a resilient, fiscally responsible place that lives by the wisdom that "Communities exist for the health and enjoyment of those who live in them, not for the convenience of those who drive through them, fly over them, or exploit their real estate for profit."
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A Historic Opportunity to Reconnect with Salem's Past . . . and Future
Dear friends and community members,
A number of community residents recently attended a presentation about the Sustainable Cities Initiative plans that were presented by University of Oregon students for Minto Brown Park.
We were excited about many of the students' ideas. In particular, we would like Salem residents and park users to think about renovating the Cherry Orchard,and adding an organic community garden at that site.
We invite you to come see the orchard. The attached flyer has information on Cherry Blossom tours of the orchard planned for April, and work parties scheduled for March. The city has volunteered to provide some gloves and tools for the work.
This idea fits well into the existing Master Plan for the park, which calls for organic gardening at that site. City Council is considering designating $100,000 of the recent Federal payment to replant the historic Minto orchard with native habitat. We think that with all the farmland that is to be planted with natives, saving the orchard and providing for organic community gardening is a better use of that little corner of the park.
Communities exist for the health and enjoyment of those who live in them, not for the convenience of those who drive through them, fly over them, or exploit their real estate for profit.-- Ted Roszak, "Where the Wasteland Ends"
"Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us." (Henrik Tikkanen)
"Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends." (Lewis Mumford) Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay
If you are thinking a year ahead, plant seeds. If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people. Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say: This is my community, and it’s my responsibility to make it better. (Gov. Tom McCall)
Jan 19, 2008: LOVESalem reaches the web, bringing a vitally needed message to Oregon's capital city: We must Oregon-ize to put the needs of people before the needs of cars. This requires that we live our environmental values -- that we LOVE (Live Our Values Environmentally) Salem -- by working to stop the Sprawl Machine.
The Sprawl Machine is a ravenous beast that feeds on green space, close-in neighborhoods, and property taxes and that excretes monstrous, ugly road projects that pollute the air, increase mortality and morbidity, promote climate change, weaken families and neighborhoods, and help weaken the social fabric and civic participation.
The Sprawl Machine works by constantly luring its prey with promises that the problems created by cars can be addressed by doing more of the same -- building more lanes, more bridges, consuming ever more money. In other words, the Sprawl Machine promises that we can keep doing the same thing over and over, while expecting a different result this time.
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