By Ron Rice
It's sometimes the smallest of gatherings where you hear the most. That's what I experienced when Phyllis Boyd from Groundworks Indy and DeAmon Harges from Reconnecting Our Waterways came to set up a Pop-up Porch Party in my front yard this month.
For the ingredients, gather some of the neighbors on your street. Talk about how the water we drink and the air we breathe may not be as healthy as you think it is. Then bring chairs, food, charts, samples, kits, transparency, and a lot of love for the environment, and a fascinating thing will happen.
People will listen.
Then they will question.
Then, they will talk about their experience.
Then, they will speak their mind.
Phyllis and others shared about the state of our water. The history of redlining and the effects it STILL has. Not only economically but environmentally, all causes for a small revolution.
However, what DeAmon talked about the most was getting organized. Making concerted efforts to protect ourselves. First, we would test our water and soil and then use our collective power to get our elected officials to hear us.
I watched as my neighbors, one by one, happily grab testing kits and even getting some for their non-resident family members on board. The discussion then moved to comparing results and gathering that info to create a larger narrative to use in our efforts. I was moved.
So, when do you want to be moved? Can you host a porch party that we can provide the resources for? Can you attend one in your area; so that you can learn about what you are drinking and breathing and tell someone else you care about to do the same?
Well, if so, then call Groundworks Indy at 317-737-2810 for more information.
Stay in the know!