We Are Seeds: #6 of 10
Action Item 6: Volunteer!
Volunteering has tangible, positive effects on individuals and communities! There are many volunteer opportunities available in Dane County, including (but not limited to):
VolunteerMatch, through United Way, matches volunteers with local volunteer opportunities in various fields (such as advocacy, animal care, arts, working with children/seniors, etc). Includes virtual, covid-safe volunteer opportunities.
Dane County TimeBank is a collective of 2,500 individuals and organizations who can volunteer to provide and receive, hour-for-hour, services or skills within their community, such as rides to medical appointments, accounting, and house painting (there were 905 volunteer hours logged in 2020). They also offer Restorative Justice services, including a volunteer-staffed hotline for community members to call.
Rooted WI (a collaboration between Community Groundworks and Center for Resilient Cities) connects city residents to green space. Volunteers can maintain community gardens, assist with community dinners, educational seminars, and children’s programming, and participate in training programs related to urban agriculture.
Wisconsin State Park provide a list of available volunteer opportunities at one of our many beautiful state parks. This can be anything from trail maintenance to campground hosts!
Why is this sustainable?
Organizations committed to sustainability and community service often have limited resources, and can be helped immensely in their efforts both through monetary and time donations. Volunteering also strengthens community bonds and cultivates civic engagement.
Sustain Dane has more information about volunteerism in Dane County available here!
#weareseedshunt
Thank you so much for participating in We Are Seeds, the sustainability-conscious scavenger hunt by T.L. Luke here in Madison, WI! This event is part of Winter is Alive! a cooler world carnival (a city-wide, multi-disciplinary event fusing art and spectacle to revision climate change and activate a global relationship) in an effort to educate the community about local sustainable action items and to highlight 50 local small businesses who have gone above and beyond during this pandemic.
This event will be going on from February 12th - March 7th, 2021.
Business Locations
- The Fit - Vilas Neighborhood - "Strong means happy" at this health center where "everyone fits in."
- Hatch Art House - Marquette Neighborhood - Mixed media creations and up-and-coming creators are incubated here!
- Community Pharmacy - Downtown Neighborhood - Cooperatively bringing you bulky herb (not the kind you're thinking - yet) and helping you with wellness inside and out!
- Teddywedgers - Downtown Neighborhood - Reviving a dish that makes up 6% of the Cornish food economy!
- Graze - Downtown Neighborhood - There's many reasons to love outdoor Farmers Markets, and their weekly quiche special is just one of them!
- Plain Spoke - Downtown Neighborhood - "Hotdish optional" with their latest signature drink, flavored with "a touch of nostalgia"!
Heads up, some of these decals have been stolen off of storefronts throughout the hunt. You may have even guessed our clues accurately but still didn't find the decal, and that sucks! But, it's not the businesses' faults, so please still show them your support! Thank you!
Credits
Illustrator & We Are Seeds Organizer: T.L. Luke
We Are Seeds Collaborator: Madison's Central Business Improvement District and City of Madison
Winter is Alive! Organizers: Tamsie Ringler, Bethany Jurewicz, and Karin Wolf
Sustainability Wisdom: Sustain Dane
Decal Fabricator: Billy Goat Graphics (Madison, WI)
T.L.'s Executive Assistant & Researcher: Eli Watson
"They buried us, but they didn't know we were seeds." - Dinos Christianopoulos