Life that gives us life
Organic gardens just waiting for you!
Here on the Ridge, we’ve been blessed to see the gradual return of life all around us.
In a flash, the Camp Fire took everything it could; but even catastrophic fire cannot stop Life’s pattern of renewal; in fact, as we see every day, it is absorbed into it.
Although every one of our members lost their homes in the fire and have been displaced, many are living into a personal come-back and aim to join hands with others in Paradise to “be the community we want to live in.” Yes, laying new infrastructure will involve focus, planning, outside investment and will take years — and we will continue to play our role, as we have since the afternoon of November 8, 2018; but our vision is more about bringing daily delights to the journey of community building than the end result. We look for ways to improve quality of life on the Ridge now.
Come to our 2.53-acre campus at 5704 Chapel Drive and you’ll discover how Paradise Community Guilds is participating in the recovery:
Last October the Permaculture Action Network and Camp Fire Eco-Restoration Project joined hands to give us a great big boost, recruiting over 300 workers from all over the world to help bring in wood chips, begin the process of soil remediation, plant cover crop, build swales, drag burnt limbs into piles, mend fences, and build garden boxes.
Despite the pandemic, in April we were able to finish running water lines from the street to our garden, and made 12 garden boxes available to rent. We’ve brought in a port-a-potty for the comfort of our gardeners.
Separately, we’ve planted 25 fruit trees, squash, corn and other wonders, and can’t wait for the harvest!
Now we’re focused on bringing weeds and broom to heel. Our volunteers are putting in extra time to get the job done.
Stay tuned for an exciting announcement about an expansion aimed at raising the profile of our campus as a center for community life around “the wondrous power of growing things” — gardening and all things that build food resilience into the fabric of our town.
The week of August 22nd, we will sponsor the Butte County Local Food Network in a “Victory Garden Blitz” with the objective to build, equip and plant 50 garden boxes throughout the burn scar. Keep an eye out for more info.
If you’re interested in following our progress — or wish to be a part of making it! — send us an email and we’ll help you get dialed in.
All the Best,
David Leon Zink
President