themichellesmith

YouTube video by Dogwood Alliance Freedom Land Community Forest

A model of conservation grounded in justice. @dogwoodalliance youtube.com/shorts/0o4WD...

#Asheville sign this petition for zoning +dev policy: all new multi-family residential projects, like apartment complexes, townhome clusters, to include dedicated community garden spaces for residents.Grow Where You Live: Require community garden space in new #AVL developments. c.org/cdGy5TgX4b

Between 1971 and 1982, more than 600 students graduated from the free, democratic experiment housed in a converted garage in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

https://reasonstobecheerful.world/radical-school-alternative-education-the-group-school-harvard-mit/

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Asheville Mardi Gras parade today in South Slope! Steps off at 3:05 ⚜️💜💚💛⚜️

After 12 years working with communities, organizations, and businesses, we hear the same thing over and over:
"Once people experience working with respect for each other's consent, they don't want to go back."

This is the deeply humanizing work of overcoming politeness but not kindness; of giving and receiving feedback gracefully. Imagine working in a place where:
Your objections are treated as valuable data
Diversity is seen as strength, not complication
Everyone affected by decisions has real influence

We call it ‘consent-based' but in reality how we respond to objections defines whether or not we’re in a culture of consent.
In the section “Objections and Dissent” we share what we've learned about sensing, naming, and responding to objections when they show up. buff.ly/U8d43uH

This is the deeply humanizing work of overcoming politeness but not kindness; of giving and receiving feedback gracefully. Imagine working in a place where:
Your objections are treated as valuable data
Diversity is seen as strength, not complication
Everyone affected by decisions has real influence

We call it ‘consent-based' but in reality how we respond to objections defines whether or not we’re in a culture of consent.
In the section “Objections and Dissent” we share what we've learned about sensing, naming, and responding to objections when they show up. buff.ly/U8d43uH

we're all "us", including the more-than-human relations and Gaia as well.
And I know that #empire culture can only work when we're fearing each other, extracting from each other, and not cooperating with each other.
#walkforpeace #ecologicalcivilization #cooperative #solidarity

Monks dressed in dark orange robes walk in a single file line on an asphalt road. The monk in the front of the line wears a calm smile and holds a flower stem, the monk behind him wears black sunglasses and an orange blanket over his left shoulder.

"When we are alone we’re afraid. When we are together they fear us.”
I heard this Monday on the way to be with the monks who are walking for peace.
I don’t actually want anyone to fear us. Fear is what spawned all this, after all. And who do I consider as "them"? Who is "us"? I'm convinced...

I'm convinced we're all "us", including the more-than-human relations and Gaia as well.

And I know that #empire culture can only work when we're fearing each other, extracting from each other, and not cooperating with each other.

How soon will the City of @asheville.bsky.social begin Participatory Budgeting?

Consent is a Principle. A principle serves as a foundation for decisions, whatever processes you're using, This Protocol is a principled pattern that you can use in many different situations when things are uncertain, messy or complicated, always guided by the #consentprinciple.

After twelve years of researching, practicing, & accompanying #consent-based #decisionmaking across diverse teams and contexts, we're excited to our new e-book "Nothing About Us Without Us" is now available—and it's completely free! buff.ly/xo2VchN

Nourishing a Bioregional Economy In this live online event, Donna Morton (cofounder of Salmon Returns) and Michael Shuman (community economist) share their knowledge of investing locally and building bioregional institutions.

Nourishing a Bioregional Economy www.resilience.org/stories/2025...

What was he doing in Asheville? Do you live here?

Thanks for these illustrations of good news. One thing, though-The FAO’s definition of forest includes tree plantations which are not biodiverse systems, often highly chemically managed, release tons of carbon, grown for wood/paper products industry. Not my definition of forest.

A word on burnout & feeling strung out because "I can't save all the things that need saving."

Democracy is supposed to be a mosaic and a relay race. We never have to take care of the whole ourselves.

In fact if we do, it kinda stops being democracy.

Snark is always optional, and inversely related to engaging people to your point of view. Everyone is not going to have read every article. Most questions, like mine, are innocent and opportunity bring people into your cause.

Solutions to our problems are everywhere — and we’ve written about hundreds of them.

Our smart, bright, weekly newsletter is the uplift you’ve been looking for: ow.ly/jMLz50WUgk1

Are you assuming I’m from UK or that I know about this issue? Do you think snarky sarcasm is an effective education tactic? This is the first I’ve heard of this issue. Snarky superior comments don’t attract more people to your cause. And I was asking @irishrainforest.bsky.social , not you.

Yes, of course. Gotcha. Totally agree - you would never want them running wild outside their natural habit. God, no! What a menace!
But fenced for invasive species removal they work great!

No goats anywhere? No goats at all?

Is it really an either/or issue?

Or Helene. We’re still not fully recovered here after a year.

If they’re importing wood for fuel from anywhere they’re causing harm to people and place. And if they’re subsidizing this supply, they’re creating profit from that harm.

Most of those renewables are coming from the forests of the US South where forests are being clear cut, shipped to European subsidized wood pellet plants ground into wood pellets, shipped to Europe and burned for energy increasing carbon emissions and it’s harming local communities. #greenwashing

The Omni-Win Project | Duncan Autrey | Substack ...where you can learn about the people, tools, and ideas that already exist to solve the crisis of our democracy and heal our political divisions, so that together we can co-create a future where eve...

The Omni-Win Project
omniwin.substack.com?r=qlatl&utm_...