Block By Block Cooperation

Neighborhood Inspiration on the Radio

ryan — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:49:39 +0000

Our neighbor, Lisa, has been broadcasting some great stories for our local NPR affiliate! Check it out:

Food and neighborhood DIY (do-it-yourself) projects go hand in hand for Lisa Bralts, who lives in an east Urbana neighborhood with her family and is surrounded by great neighbors and several gardens, including her own. She’s amazed at the possibilities and practices that exist just underneath the surface here in Central Illinois – you just have to poke around a little. Her blog is at majorprogression.wordpress.com.

3rd Annual Seed Swap

ryan — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:42:53 +0000

Our 3rd annual Seed Swap will be in the same location this year – Lincoln Square Mall, at the Common-Ground Food Co-op.
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm

Get the full poster (PNG graphic)

Getting Serious About Syrup

ryan — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:47:04 +0000

Check out the next saga in neighborhood syrup production: The Prairie Sugar Collective, comin’ at ya.

The Prairie Sugar Collective exists to: bring all people together through the fruits of their labor; provide members and the community with the experience of producing maple syrup; educate people about the sugaring process and transfer skills between members; provide resources for people interested in all things related to sugaring; and share the flavor of genuine maple syrup.

Bat Houses Are… Outside the House!

ryan — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:38:41 +0000

The Let’s Remake Crew (Bonnie & Brett) set up the test model of their Bat Houses public art initiative in Prehistoric East Urbana! They’ll be leading a workshop, where you can make your own bat accommodations and discuss bat conservation, on Friday, June 18 (2-4pm). See the Common Ground Coop website for more details.

We’re Not Kidding: Olympian Drive Is Lame.

ryan — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:33:30 +0000

I just visited Prairie Fruits Farm, located on the Northern edge of Champaign for their first “baby goat shower.” You may know of them because of their amazing goat cheeses. Currently, Prairie Fruits is one of a few farmers and other sustainable businesses and residents fighting the development of a $27 million road extension based on a 1970s urban planning vision. On our local news blog, Smile Politely’s Stuart Tarr has a recent 2-part post about the proposed Olympian Road extension. Starting from a cinematic analogy with Polanski’s 1974 Chinatown, Tarr points to the deeper ideological significance of the project:

Olympian Drive is important: it’s how the local powers see the future. At last week’s meeting, at which the Champaign City Council put its imprimatur on the project, City Manager Steve Carter was quoted as saying “this road is probably the most important economic development project in the county that we’ll see in the next 25 years.“

Tarr brings up the ideology of progress that posits farmland as a devalued form of land use – a belief system that leads to planners stating that it’s “just farmland.” He also points out the fact that Urbana’s Common Ground Co-Op has a surprisingly low percentage of local food – surprising given the abundance of fertile soil and water here. Something fairly limited in Southern California, where most of the nation’s organic produce originates.

While Tarr and others seem to conclude that the plan is pretty much a sure-thing, if you’re at all interested in stopping such outdated and shortsighted planning policies, see the list of resources on the Prairie Fruits Farm website.

Neighborhood Food Party

bonnie — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:26:55 +0000

Raw milk? Homemade yogurt? Homemade sauerkraut? These and more local treats were on the menu last night at the inaugural meeting of the 1000 year old food club. Brett and I went to this amazing event with friends, Micah and Rachel. More of a grazing/snacking party than a dinner party, guests were invited to bring along things they had made or grown themselves. The hosts were the community group Prairie Table. Prairie Table is picking back up again after a hiatus and are hoping to help start a community supported shared kitchen. They want to educate and inspire folks in Champaign County around local food issues. New Prairie Table member, Daniel Schreiber, welcomed guests and shared his homemade artisanal chocolate. You can read more about Schreiber’s chocolate here.
My favorite thing was the raw milk and the local “spun” honey, eating these delicious flavors was a very peaceful experience. Schreiber told us the milk had been grass only 3 hours prior. Wow!
Block Steady hopes to host a local foods feast with Prairie Table this spring, so stay tuned for yumminess.

Seed Swap Success!

sarah — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:05:33 +0000

Seed Swappers

2nd Annual Seed Swap!

sarah — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:35:13 +0000

It’s that time of the year to get your seeds and start growing!

Join us Feb. 7, from 1-3pm at the Common Ground Co-op in Urbana for a seed swap. Bring your seeds; we’ll have food, a seed starter set up and a special bee keeping demonstration by Robbie Nagel!

Respect Native Hosts Map

bonnie — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:03:09 +0000

I recently worked with Sharon Irish, Micah Bornstein, and Kerianne Quick to put as many Respect Native Hosts maps as I could find into a Google map so that we can see how far the project spread. It’s a great way to make solidarity with the Edgar Heap of Birds project visible within our community. This is a public map made for the closing reception of “Beyond the Chief” on the University of Illinois campus. If you have a sign in your front yard and you are not noted in this version, please contact us at Blocksteady and we will get you onto the map. To read more about “Beyond the Chief” and the “Respect Native Hosts” project click here and here. The closing reception for the art piece will be December 4th, 2:00pm at the University YMCA, Latzer Hall, 1001 Wright St. For more information click here.

View Respect Native Hosts in a larger map

Local Activist Maps Gardens in African-American Community

ryan — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:11:54 +0000

Local C-U activist (C-U Citizens for Peace & Justice) and gardner, Aaron Ammons is covered in a new community initiative’s blog (C-U Fit) for his efforts gardening for justice in Champaign-Urbana!