Been Green

The green movement carries a stigma that it belongs only to the wealthy and middle class that have enough money to buy hybrid cars, solar panels, wind turbines, and can afford to eat whole wheat organic. Community members of the Mapelton Fall Creek community have been "going green" long before it was the cool thing to do. Due to the conditions in Mapelton Fall Creek: lack of resources, lack of job opportunity, a lot of garbage/broken glass, vacant lots, and high energy/heating bills, people are reacting sustainable out of the need to survive. In many ways this community is a breading ground for green initiatives that most people talk about doing but never get around to implementing. Here the need for green is not about saving the trees (which is a worthy cause) but is about making the best of your situation and creating opportunity out of the mess surrounding them.

Here are some examples of people who have been practicing a sustainable life long before it was going green.

Avis is a cook who uses the empty lots to throw parties and barbecues for the community.

Tyson is a neiborhood resident who knows more about green building than most everyone and constults on green construction.

Joe King runs an unbelievable non- for profit that allows youth in the neighborhood to experience hunting, fishing, and environmental protection. His group is responsible for cleaning the section of the White River that runs through Mapelton Fall Creek.

Mike Reese is a man who pulls all kinds of materials out of the trash fixes them and sells them. He fixes and refirburshes desks and dressers and often repairs washes and driers.

Shane and Trisha are a young couple that do an unbelievable amount of gardening by utilizing a vacant lot next to their home. They use a hoop house to garden all year round and are always willing to share the vast knowledge of gardening.

Boo is a gardener that plants his a garden in his own yard but also goes from neighbor to neighbor planting gardens for them.

Musa is also a gardener that has recently begun to sell his fruit/vegetables in the community. He is also implementing edible landscape.

Nancy Stenson recycles bikes.

Donald Walton is a muralist who beautifies the community and collects trash for scrap art.

and so much more...

Kindness Passed through the Generations

A story from Terri Coleman

While canvassing the 900 block of E. 34th street in the Mapleton Fall Creek neighborhood, Martha and I ran into a young man named Devin Davis. We were talking to Devin and his tow friends about their gifts, talents, and ideas when I discovered that Devin was the grandson of my late father's friend and coworker, Richard Davis. He was equally surprised to find out that I was Eddie Coleman's daughter. Devin then went on to tell me that my dad was responsible for cosigning for his dad's first car and helping his father get his first job. He also told me that my father gave his grandfather a ride to work for over 30 years until they retired from Chrysler in 1987.

I was clueless that my dad had cosigned for Devin's dad's first car or that he had been instrumental in getting his dad a job. Additionally, Devin's mom, who is a licensed tax preparer, did my parents taxes at no charge every year because of the love and kindness my dad showed her family.

After my dad passed in 2005, Devin's mom called my mother to tell her that she would still continue to do her taxes at no charge. I was blown away by Devin sharing his story with me and I was extremely honored that God chose Edison Coleman to be my dad. Apparently my father's generosity had a positive impact on the Davis family because this story has been passed down through their family.

Affirming the Efforts of the Beautifiers

As De'Amon was driving down Park to take Jeffery home they noticed a women gardening in her front yard. The landscape stuck out against the usual back drop of over grown weeds and grass that is chin deep. The yard was beautiful with flowers and other plants that someone had clearly been working hard on.

Jeffery mentioned that they should stop and talk to her sometime and before he knew it the car was in reverse and De'Amon was heading right back to make Jeffery’s wish come true.

The struck up a conversation with this women and her husband and began expressing how beautiful they thought her landscape was and telling her how appreciative they were for her efforts to beautify the neighborhood. Her husband kept asking what it is they wanted and was trying to discover the real reason for the visit. De'Amon and Jeffery kept reaffirming them that they only wanted to thank them for the efforts.

As they were leaving the husband told De'Amon and Jeffery that his wife had been praying that someone would notice her hard work in the yard.

Witness

One of my favorite scenes in a movie that I have found to be so relevant to matters of conflict and peace is from the Harrison Ford movieWitness.The premiss of the movie is that an Amish child has witnessed a murder and Harrison is assigned to go under cover and live with the Amish and protect the child from the murders who are after the witness.

The Amish are peaceful and choose to avoid violence. They don't have any physical training in fighting and they do not keep firearms in their community. Some would call them pacifists. For whatever reason that title has been given a negative connotation: Pacifists let the world pass them by and are to scared and weak to stand up to any one imposing violence. (something like that).

At the climax of the movie the "bad guys" have broke into the Amish community while most of the men are out in the fields doing manual labor. The boy is captured by the antagonist but just after he was able to ring the bell and single the men back from the fields. The scene is that the bad guy has the gun to the boys head while Harrison and a few others are standing there trying to talk him out of killing him. As the men appear over the hillside they approach the scene without a word, without force, and with really nothing other than their presence. They merely stand and witness the scene unfolding. The antagonist realizes that there is no way out of the situation. He has so many people watching him that he will easily be convicted for anyone he kills in an attempt to escape. Reality also strikes him that he only has a few bullets left in his gun, not nearly enough to kill all the witnesses. He lays down his gun and allows him self to be arrested, their presence was the power that disarmed him and brought about justice.

Yesterday, I was walking through the neighborhood with Josh Kupkee (neighborhood resident and also an intern at Broadway) and also Jeffery Perkins (neighborhood resident and staff member). On our way heading back to the church after a stroll through the neighborhood we heard screaming and yelling from the street over. We nearly walked on but it didn't stop and it became clear that a women was being hurt by someone else. I would have probably continued on minding my own business but Josh immediately turned and began to walk towards where the noise was coming from. As we walked by the scene it dissolved. We didn't say a word or act physically towards them in anyway, we merely were witnesses to the violence and our presence was enough to stop it.

Now is the conflict over? Is the women in this situation free of the physical abuse she may have received?

Heck no, but I do know that she knows that somebody cares enough to walk by and we dissolved the situation that was violent.

I was also reassured that peace is not only possible it is effective and a moral choice that has ten times better chance resulting in peace than using violence to resolve a situation does.