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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2007)
21.^ JUStjOUt APRIL ¿09! Continued from Page 23 (NOTHING BUT) FLOWERS Rodney Bender is a soil maven who knows a thing or two about community building. He is the garden programs manager at Growing Gardens, an organization that promotes home scale organic fixxl gardening to improve the nutrition, health and self-reliance of individuals and communities in Portland. As might be expected, Bender got his start as a sustainable fixxl and fixxl security activist in a garden. “I decided I wanted a garden, and it was a total disaster. I did it again the next year and read lots of fxxiks and talked to people—I was htxiked,” he says. Growing Gardens couldn’t have been a more perfect fit for Bender, who received the 2006 Skidmore Prize for Community from Willamette Week, which recognizes people 35 and younger who work to make the region a great place through nonprofit organizations. Through Lydia Doleman (left) and Carey Lien put their power into natural building. Growing Gardens (www.growing-gardens.org), he organizes THIS MUST BE THE PLACE the building of vegetable garden beds in people’s yards and provides them with the tixils and The cliche “If you build it, they will come" might find new life in the work of Lydia education they’ll need to continue gardening Doleman and Carey Lien. The two work with the City Repair Project, an organized successfully and affordably. Bender matches up an group action that educates and inspires communities to creatively transform the places experienced gardener with a new gardener in their where they live. They also work together at Doleman's Flying Hammer Pnxluctions, Rodney Bender teaches people to grow their own food. neighborhixxl. Support is provided for three years a natural building company focused on infusing the urban fabric with natural materi in addition to monthly workshops on gardening, compost them more directly, something that’s more tangible to ing, cixiking and fixxl preservation. their daily lives,” Bender explains. “During the civil rights “It’s about reclaiming the commons and educating people that they’re empowered “It offers the opportunity to people who otherwise movement, gay people had to fight for our basic right to be to do so,’’.says Doleman about City Repair, which was formed in 1996 by Portland won’t make the connections of land to our well-being. who we are. Then AIDS hit, which created an entire new activists who wanted a more community-oriented and ecologically sustainable society. Food security is a way of lixiking at hunger from a more group of gay activism, and today we’re still fighting for Volunteers work with neighborhixxl residents to reclaim urban spaces, such as inter holistic and preventative perspective,” he explains. “It basic rights such as marriage and domestic partner sections, and transform them into community gathering places. teaches people to he less reliant on emergency food benefits. It’s no wonder gay activists haven’t put the envi programs and grow the fixxl themselves to have access to ronment on the top of their priority of involvement.” fresh, local, organic prixluce.” als and empowering people to create their own healthy, natural and beautiful spaces. [driving around town, it is easy to spot the spaces this group has touched. “Sunnyside Piazza” in the Sunnyside neighborhixxl and “Share-It Square” in the Sellwood neighbor For queers who have the time, energy and resources to hixxl are examples of what is referred to as intersection repair. “Portland has more According to Bender, Growing Gardens is not only the fight for multiple causes, Bender suggests getting involved intersections than any other city because we have 200-foot blocks,” says Doleman, who solution to hunger, but it makes a positive impact in affect where your passions lie. “Get involved with Portland’s identifies as bisexual. “Through intersection repair, we have a place to actually intersect ing people’s diet and provides a great community-building numerous nonprofit organizations. Go plant fixxl plants in activity. “You get to know your neighbors more and share your yard,” he recommends. when you have a garden,” he explains. He says people could also join a co-op, shop at farmers TIP #4: BUY GREEN POWER TIP #5: BUY FUEL-EFFICIENT CARS Community is the main similarity Bender sees between markets and rely less on cars and fossil fuels to make a dif PLSIDEMTIAL AMD A GPOWIMG MUMBEP OF HYBRID AMD the sustainability and queer rights movements. “A cause can ference. “But it keeps going back to growing fixxl for your SMALLBUCIMECS OTHER HIGHLY EFFICIEMT VEHICLES bring together a community,” he says. “The tight-knit com self. The local organic movement is not always accessible CUSTOMERS OF BOTH APE MOW AVAILABLE, SOME OF WHICH munity (environmental activists) create is similar to the com to low-income people, and growing your own can help you POPTLAMD GEMEPAL GET MOPE THAM &O MILES PEP munities gay people create around civil rights issues." get around that,” he adds. ELECTRIC AMD PACIFIC GALLOM BEFORE YOU BUY A CAR, However, Bender says he finds the environmental No matter who you are, Bender sees one thing we can POWER CAM BUY COMPARE THE EFFICIEMCY OF movement to be largely straight-dominated. “I believe that all do to better our futures. “It’s important that we all ELECTRICITY GEMEPATED DIFFEREMT VEHICLES AMD CHOOSE for many gay people, if they are going to get involved in become more aware of where our fixxl comes from and FROM REMEWABLE THE MOST FUEL-EFFICIEMT VEHICLE an activist group, it’s going to be something that affects what we put into our Ixxlies.” RESOURCES. THAT MEETS YOUR MEEDS. Auto, Home, Life, Health & Business eph&b “Your Independent Insurance Agency " insurance Elliott. Powell, Baden Ac Baker. Inc. W estover H eidi its CLINIC Coventry Cycle (J Works Offering general internal medicine and excelling in sexual health care Prof egg ional Service Serving I be community for 22 yearo Com fortable Rikeo Recunibento a Specialty! 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