By Selena Randall
This weekend a core group of us, sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of home grown mint tea, to come up with a summer program to interest our members.
As we sat there though, we wondered who our members are. Attendance at Green Drinks has dwindled to a handful each month, some of the same faces each week, and a few who make it when they can. The coffee is good, and the Lecoka team makes us welcome. The discussions are lively and the topics diverse. Someone usually has a question to raise, or wants to know if anyone has tried something, or to hear about someone’s latest project. Or else, we muse over something someone has heard or read or we share newsfeeds from social media. We all end up going home smiling and googling the latest idea we heard.
Attendance at our monthly events is similarly small – six regulars, one new person giving us a try, plus three friends of the speaker at the last one. Low numbers meant there was plenty of cake for those who came of course! We tried to make the excuse that perhaps the weather this winter had been particularly challenging, and that as the weather warms people will come out and learn, offer their opinion, and share ideas.
I know we are not alone - other groups are struggling for membership too – from sports clubs to special interest groups. But there really is a limit to what you can learn on the internet, and social media can’t totally replace face to face interactions with others, or being able to feel or even taste how to do something new surely?
So, what are we planning?
Well, we have volunteers willing to share their knowledge about urban gardening, herbal medicine, gardening for beneficial insects, hobby farming, and let us into their gardens to see how everything grew this year. So, you could say that the next few months will be about making the most of the space you have to grow things for yourselves.
We hope this will tempt people out. I know I have a lot to learn from others with more experience in this climate and I’m looking forward to some interesting discussions and meeting a few new people.
Have we got it totally wrong?
Can we tempt you to come out and learn, share, opinionate, or just come out and watch? Do we have the right balance of information, discussion and new skills? Do we need to video our evenings and post them on Youtube? Do we need to do more on social media? Can you help us help you live more sustainably? Do you have skills to share with others? We can promise you there will be no political speeches, and you won’t be pressured by any religious views.
The events, workshops, tea and cake, website, and articles are organized by a small group of enthusiastic volunteers. But that enthusiasm needs to be fuelled by feedback and interest, otherwise it will fizzle out.
What I am saying is, if you are interested in sustainable living, a healthy environment for your kids, or even if you want to save some money, we welcome you to join us sometime…