Thank you to all the neighbors who joined us for Earth Day! Not only did we clean up our neighborhood in many places, thanks to our Block Captains who picked up trash with their neighbors, but also we came together around the Healing Power of Plants. 

Healers, elders, and plant-lovers from many cultures shared their recipes, stories, and knowledge around how we can make ourselves and our loved ones healthier. We tasted Sea Moss Gel, nettle tea, and Hmong chicken soup.  We learned about how to use the plants under our feet, like dandelions, plantain, and purslane. And we swapped seeds, books, and herbal teas with new friends! 

Thank you to all the groups who attended, including the Capitol View Communal Garden and Orchard, the WS Seed Library, the WS Farmer’s Market, OWL Environmental Club, La Clinica, the Garden of Good Hearts, the St. Paul Dept. of Forestry, and, of course, our GROWS volunteers!

Thanks, too, to Backstory for the donation of coffee, as well as to all of you who brought delicious potluck items. If you would like to contact any of our speakers, including Candace Lee, Cynthia Rico Mendoza, Susane Moua, Laurie Witzowski, and Tina Valtierra, feel free to reach out to Ellie at [email protected] for their contact information.

Above: left to right, Candace Lee, Giletté Kinon-Williams, Susane Moua, Kathleen Ganley, Jen Crea, and Kai Andersen