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SCHOOL OF LIVING NEWS
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Welcome to our School of Living electronic newsletter where you can catch up on what is happening in our land trust communities and SOL committee work.
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Sculpture and photo courtesy of Rita Jane Kiefert
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Q1 QUARTERLY MEETING
OF THE SCHOOL OF LIVING BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Our winter meeting took place on Zoom. We began with check-ins, a moment of silence, conflict of interest review, and approval of the Q4 2021 minutes. Committee and Community reports were shared. Official minutes of the board meeting will be submitted by the Clerk to be approved next quarter. Here are some of the highlights:
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The authorized Credit Union signers were updated. Herb and Ann will be authorized signers as long as they are officers of SOL.
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The Board reviewed the SOL Strategic Plan Priorities. While the following points were enthusiastically discussed, it was decided that Committees will continue to identify priorities and seek opportunities to collaborate.
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Fulfilling our education mission by sharing knowledge in Zoomcast format on topics of ecological responsibility, personal sustainability, cultural competence, and SOL’s CLT model (all related to goals of the strategic plan).
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Continue the support for communities on SOL CLT land through the Land Committee.
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Increase membership through offering educational resources, creating community through online forums: social media and zoom.
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Integrate the work of different committees to increase the productivity in each committee’s efforts to fulfill the strategic plan.
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It was agreed that complimentary SOL membership for interns will not be automatic. Interns will be encouraged to become a School of Living member and join a working committee. Committee work may be integrated into the internship program.
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The Administration Committee had reworded the fiscal sponsorship agreements to match decisions regarding fees, made at the 2021 Q4 Board meeting. These changes were accepted. The Board decided to send the documents back to Administration Committee to review consistency in language regarding the relationship of SOL and the project of SOL. This will be on the Q2 2022 board meeting agenda.
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Future Board meeting dates:
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GETTING TO THE ROOT: HENRY GEORGE AND SCHOOL OF LIVING by Mike Curtis and Michaelann Velicky
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Mike Curtis is a long time friend of School of Living. He is also a strong advocate and teacher of the work of Henry George. In continuation of his educational work, he wrote a document titled, The Radish, which is intended to "go to the root" of the Georgist work. If you would like a copy of The Radish, send your request to Mike here.
Artie Yeatman (1928-2012), one of Mike's early students and a much loved member of SOL, introduced Mike to Mildred Loomis and the School of Living. Mike went down to Heathcote each week and taught the Progress & Poverty course. That is where he met Ralph Borsodi. Borsodi told Mike that he had suggested to Oscar Geiger that he start the Henry George School. And from 1932 to a few years ago, the Henry George School taught the thesis of Henry George. In the SOL Bylaws, (see Article XIII: Standing Committees: Land Committee) one can get a sense of the philosophical ties to the Georgist movement. The practical application of these ties is less clear. I've not been able to find any defined connection between School of Living and the Georgist movement. In my correspondence with Mike, he shared his understanding of connections between SOL and the Georgist movement as follows:
"I think the basic difference between the thesis of George and what Borsodi and Loomis advocated is that George was trying to change the system so that the market economy would benefit the worker as a worker and as a member of the community and society as a whole. He hoped to accomplish this by ending land speculation (hoarding for the increase in its selling value). Once people were paying rent for the land they held, and only holding the land they were using, a free-land opportunity would again offer high wages that increased with material progress, and all people would share the rent by way of social programs.
Whereas: I think Borsodi and Loomis in the 20th century were trying to help people protect themselves from the oppression of the landlords and monopolists, as well as the collapse of the economy as happened in 1929-1932. This they did by acquiring land, giving people access to it, and teaching self sufficiency and sustainability. I’m guessing the people on the SOL land trusts weathered the 2008 recession much better than the average worker. And I’m guessing that within the SOL land trusts the soil has not been degraded nor have the lessees contributed to pollution or global warming."
Thank you to Mike Curtis and to the Land Committee for sharing knowledge on this topic.
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RESOURCES: STARTING AND
LIVING IN AN INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY
In one of our recent Educational Committee meetings, we reflected on inquiries from the public regarding how to start an intentional community. We are sharing resources that we hope can help.
The Foundation for Intentional Community will be one of your greatest resources. They have publications and videos, searchable community lists, and courses about living in community. They are current, responsive, and have an active Facebook page.
Several of the School of Living communities have opportunities for inquiry and visits:
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WE LOVE VISITORS!
Image courtesy of StellaLou Farm
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February 6, 2022 4-6 pm
You're invited to Heathcote's (Maryland) monthly Visitor Day! Come see the community, share a vegetarian potluck meal, and socialize with community members. All are welcome.
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Stellar Roots, (Virginia) a collective of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people rooted in healing and in service of land based community living, is open to visitors and inquiries. You can contact them here.
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StellaLou Farm is a four generation homestead in Southeastern Pennsylvania. We welcome visitors and inquiries. You can contact them here.
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LAND COMMITTEE NEWS
An agreement was signed between Julian Woods Community and Bob Flatley and Kelle Kersten of Ahimsa Village regarding stewardship of 115 acres that is owned by School of Living and leased by Julian Woods. This land was formerly maintained by the Continuum Community Association (CCA) and taken on by Julian Woods upon the dissolution of CCA. In an upcoming article, we will learn more about how that parcel of land was purchased and protected by a group of passionate individuals and brought into School of Living.
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Image from a 2008 Continuum Community Association brochure
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FROM THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
Bob Flatley, chair of the publications committee, continues to upload historical issues of the Green Revolution to the Digital Commons repository. He plans to continue adding new content regularly.
Here are the links to those publications:
While on the subject of Ralph Borsodi, there is, also, a recent podcast with Bill Sharp speaking about Borsodi, Henry George, and more. Please, note that the referenced material from Bill Sharp are independent works and not projects of School of Living. We are appreciative of these wonderful resources.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT SCHOOL OF LIVING HAS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?
The Education Committee looks forward to building content on the channel. We invite members to submit their videos on such topics as community living, education, ecology, how-to's, and "self-sufficiency" skills. If you would like to have a video put on the channel or have any questions; please, contact mvelicky@schoolofliving.org. Consider subscribing to the channel!
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YOU CAN HELP
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Stellar Roots is a collective of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people rooted in healing and in service of land based community living. They have been operating as a partner of the School of Living Land Trust since 2018 and are working and living on the Itsodi land, a School of Living land trust property. Learn how you can support this project. Note that Stellar Roots is not a non-profit organization and your donation will not be tax deductible.
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The newsletter archive lives under the "Publications" tab in the primary menu of the School of Living website. From there, you will be able to access each newsletter and use its link for sharing. Contact mvelicky@schoolofliving.org if you need any assistance in retrieving these newsletters.
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