The Power of Community

Mélanie Ayotte, Transition Cornwall+ Volunteer

Hope is a precious commodity in our lives. It sparks ideas, powers action, and sustains our willingness to persist in the face of adversity. It’s an antidote to despair, a cure for paralysis. It’s what keeps me and countless others going despite the onslaught of environmental crises threatening ecosystems near and distant. The situation is dire: biodiversity is shrinking at a rate of thousands of species per year, and climate change is altering Earth’s systems in profound ways, wreaking destruction, and causing widespread human suffering. The future appears bleak for my kids, for all the world’s kids. The news is heavy, and hope is fragile. Some people obstructing action on climate change in search of short-term gain are actively banking on this fragility, on our slow collective descent into despair and inaction.

Maintaining hope in difficult circumstances requires a concerted effort, compelling us to find ways to cultivate and preserve it. My secret weapon these days? Community. I plan and seek out opportunities to meet fellow environmentalists, people in the area who care about conservation and sustainability, and who are themselves on a mission to cultivate hope. We talk about our work, our common interests, our victories big and small, our visions for the future, and our shared aspiration to see nature and community involvement flourish where we live. They educate and inspire me, shore up my personal resilience, motivate me to give, and most importantly to act. To me, building community and nurturing hope in this way feels a bit like an act of rebellion, a refusal to accept the status quo, a sharp U-turn on the easy road to complacency. If community does all this for me, imagine what it can do on a larger scale!

In this spirit, I have been working behind the scenes with Transition Cornwall +, helping to plan Transition into Spring, a community event focused on springtime, seeds, gardening, sustainability, and community-building. It brings together local food and seed producers, gardeners, artists, craftspeople, community representatives, non-profit organizations, volunteers, individuals, and families for a free day of fun, discovery, learning, inspiration, and resilience-building. Whether you’re looking for gardening inspiration, a place to make connections, a forum to learn about the good work happening in your neighborhood, or an opportunity to teach yourself and your kids about nature and sustainability, Transition into Spring is a great place to get started! The event is free to attend and runs from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday March 16that the Benson Centre in Cornwall. You are cordially invited to come discover what community can do for you!

For more details about Transition into Spring and other upcoming Transition Cornwall + events, visit www.transitioncornwall.com or follow us on Facebook @ TransitionCornwall. Interested in volunteering or registering as a vendor or exhibitor at Transition into Spring? Please contact [email protected]