Last week was a big one for the GK Collective! We did the first feasibility study on the rooftop with Gabrielle the architect, so that we could make sure the rooftop met all the requirements for city permits, insurance along with the practical rooftop needs like making sure that we have access to water and drainage. So far things are looking good, but we are not announcing the rooftop yet, until everything is confirmed!
Later that same evening, we gathered intentionally for the first Green Kippah Collective meeting at Cai’s house so we could meet all you wonderful volunteers we have been corresponding with in person. What an awesome group of people you are!! Thank you all for coming: (Rivkah, Tamara, Deborah, Emily, Bev, Joel, Nadav, Aryeh, Emelia…we can’t wait to meet the rest of you soon!)
The evening began with local wine, cheeses and local bread from our favourite bakery Guillaume (because we know how important good food is to inspire our members!) We talked about how the Green Kippah Collective began and what our vision is:
To create a diverse, collaborative and productive community who can work together to build a sustainable food system. We will produce healthy food for disadvantaged members of the community, provide youth leadership and educational opportunities, while creating a space for inter-generational and inter-cultural exchange, all of which inspire others to impact their own lives and communities.
We went around in a circle introducing ourselves and talking about what path led each person to join the Green Kippah Collective. We were a lively and diverse group of people, excited to get to know one another.
We then moved on to the “brainstorming table” where we set up a large paper table cloth for members to doodle and draw on, while Cai led us on the chalk board in mapping out our individual interests and skills.
What a talented group of collective members we have! Some have design and construction experience; communication and funding experience; a passion for permaculture; a curiosity to learn about special projects like bee keeping or vermi-composting- while others are generally interested in how they can learn more about community organizing, are curious about exploring agriculture through a Jewish lens and how they can impact their community. Wherever it is you are coming from, know that there is a place for you in our Green Kippah community!
- What skills or strengths do you want to bring to this experience? What do you hope to take from this experience?
We reiterated how no one needed to be an expert nor a “Yid” to be part of the collective- in fact, the whole point in the collective is for us to grow and learn from one another. We will have bi-monthly field trips and workshops where you will have the opportunity to learn everything you ever wanted to know about urban agriculture, starting a rooftop garden and how it all connects to Jewish identity.
We celebrate our diverse membership, and have no “hidden agenda” for you in being involved. We only hope that you stretch yourselves outside of your comfort zones, ask questions and be open to learning from each member of the collective.
We took a break to eat some soup and salad, and before we dug in, we said a mindful prayer (because part of my work as a Holistic Food Coach is to create meaningful meals- and feel grateful for those who grew and prepared our food.) It went like this,
“We are thankful for the food on this table and for those whose efforts made it possible, and for the company we share it with. Let us enjoy this meal time together, may this food bring us strength, energy and health.” We also said Ha Motzi (the Jewish prayer for eating)
Lastly, we closed by going around the room and saying what was one thing we enjoyed about the meeting, and one thing we were each looking forward to.
People felt inspired, energized, and were excited to connect again!
Call out: For those GKC members who want to help out, the Green Kippah will be meeting again in late March and cooking a Sustainable Shabbat dinner for the Shefa Project on March 30th. (Aryeh Canter, a member of the GKP’s also founded the Shefa project)
Most of the cooking prep will be done on March 29th. Please email me at Greenkippah@gmail.com with the heading “Shabbat help”
Love and Greens,
Myrite
PS: if you weren’t able to be at our first meeting, don’t worry about it! We will have more opportunities to meet soon! Stay tuned!
Green Kippah Collective 