ECO-Tours - The Skinny

When we first started, about a dozen and a half friends who understood that for us all to have a comfortable future, some sacrifice today was necessary. We were not brutal, coarse of brash, but rather compassionate, helpful and concerned for the well-being of all creatures. Humans tend to think from a species-centric place, affording the natural world no quarter in their world view. I do not want to paint with too broad a brush, but for those who are exceptions to this world view, you know who you are. Our founder, and author of most of what you read here at The Otherfish Wrap, continues to pump his own funds into these efforts. What began as a performance art project, completely funded with his own tax returns has grown into a regional force for good that has broken through all self-imposed ideas about what might constitute a success. Our efforts have crossed any limitations and boundaries we may have envisioned into a lifelong pursuit.

The past two autumns, we have been able to plant over one million trees per year. The resulting trees are favored by birds and we fully expect this to enhance the impact as birds become agents of further change over the years! The best thing about bird bombs is that each seed packet will land wrapped in a boost of fertilizer. When our first plant-ins took place, we would show up with a hundred or two small seedlings and within a few hours, they would all be planted and watered in, then we would retire to a campfire, or picnic table, share a mostly vegetarian pot luck and have time to share our insights, hopes and dreams with one another amongst the tiny trees that would one day transform the areas that we took under our wing. Today, many of those first trees we planted are towering giants, casting shade on fields, homes, paths and hillsides that had been dessicated and lifeless just twenty years ago. Some hug the banks of streams while others are shielding the brow of hills across Northeast Wisconsin.

At this point in  our development, we are seeking a more diversified and consistent donor group. We would like to begin to keep a regular office, rather than always meeting in our living room or kitchen. We want to have space to meet in larger groups increasing our effectiveness further. We are about to begin our plant-ins in the watershed of a second Great Lake, Superior and doubling our efforts will require double the time, money and human effort and further increasing our efficiency and effectiveness. Anyone interested in our work is encouraged to contact either Tony C. Saladino, our director, through facebook or donate through our link to Paypal. We always welcome in-kind donations, as well as any opportunities to share our knowledge, skills and attitudes with curious ecotourists and further our guests' understanding of sustainability issues, permaculture and efficient use (and re-use) of resources. This blog is beginning to reach a significant number of people and if each one who reads an entry would donate just a dollar, it would allow us to plant an additional tree each and every day! To put this in perspective, an acre of temperate forest, in climax condition provides home to between 300 and 320 mature trees. We continue to transform acreage, one tree at a time, one seed at a time. One thing we have seen proven out over the years is that a single acorn holds within it the miracle of a great oak. however, if it is not planted, there is no chance of it growing, ever.

If you are planning to be in either Northeast Wisconsin, or along the Lake Superior Shore, let us know ahead of time and we will prepare a unique ecotour for you. If you want to see energy efficient homes, plant trees, or just walk amongst beautiful wild rivers and waterfalls, we can show you them. If you would rather tour an organic farm, learning how to make your own lifestyle more sustainable and pare down your carbon footprint, we can share insights into ways of going about that too. We are continuing to provide living examples of bringing together folk wisdom and natural healing and food production with modern technologies that are appropriate and scaled to provide higher quality of life at less expense. This revolution is not being televised, although there are some sources of information on the internet, the best way to learn many of these important lessons is through seeing and doing them. We always welcome guests who are serious about finding their own path to sustainability.

Come, see what we are doing and revel in the abundance of life, in step with Mother Earth.

Communal Living: As Many Ways As People

I have lived in many communities (communes). Some folks I have lived with were closer, with relationships more defined. Other family groupings were less defined and some had even more loose associations, only sharing a philosophy, food, sex, a house, house parties or our cars, etc.
Being based on a Sicilian patriarch, our family had a communal meal every Sunday. Everyone was expected to help with whatever father (my grandfather) needed. When the garage became inadequate, all the sons fell in and worked togehter to move it and build the structure anew. When the bathroom needed to be modernized, the same thing went on. Everyone pitched in to help one another. Half a dozen men could be called on in a pinch, and their wives would fall in with their cooking cauldrons and rolling pins. Ravioli feeds entailed covering every flat surface in the entire home with little pillows of deliciousness. We ate to overfull and usually each family would receive a Tupperware container that would allow us a second meal at home. Work, food, blood and love bonded us together. Our rituals were established long before and were never questioned or revised.

It did not feel odd to move away into other communes, even when the ties were not familial, but rather social in nature. First we lived in a two family house where two divorced women and their four children lived. Whoever made it home first would be mom to all four kids. Meals were often shared, and we frequently divided the little that each mom could bring in. Even as children we would routinely play games that revolved around caring for our neighbor's children, learning first hand the concept of: mi casa es su casa. Even though we were broke, we never suffered from want.

Eventually spending time with my mother's family I found that mere familial relationships cannot guarantee success when living together. We shared homes, child care and food here as well, but not everyone gave of themselves willingly. I was suddenly aware of the "values" of power and control, but as I was unfamiliar with them, I always questioned the sanity of the whole situation. Even though I was loved in that setting, I could not help but feel like a chained dog. It confused me that people that I loved could be so childish. Sharing, to some of them, seemed to be a dirty word.

The hippy commune was weird but fun. We got a huge Victorian place and shared it by floors. Four families, one in the attic, one on the second level, a third on the ground floor and yet another in the basement. Food sharing went on a bit less, but entertainment sharing was almost constant. A house full of outsiders grows close in a hurry as a matter of self preservation. Luckily we had a mechanic among us, for everyone drove old cars. Several mom-like folks could handle whatever the children could create as far as chaos. Friends of friends and relatives from each of the families would come and go at will, taking or leaving children or groceries as needed. A couple
of arguments were worth mentioning. Once, as two of the residents were arguing loudly, one said, "I'm leaving...Wait a second, I can't leave I don't have any gas, you got gas?" Just as often, a fight would end up as a food fight across the kitchen table, however we were all so hungry, we didn't actually throw edible food, just the hard raisins from an old box of Raisin Bran.

When I got into Middle School and continuing through High School I began to see, and live in ashrams from different kinds of yogic disciplines. They were inevitably organized socially as communes. Shared resources allowed everyone to live a higher standard of living at lower cost and using less resources. One of the best things about larger groups is that everyone has distinct and varied expertise. More things are going on and rather than everyone doing everything there can be some specialization. The advertising guy makes the posters, the chef cooks, the teachers watch the children, etc. Splitting up the responsibilities are only limited by the creativity and commitment of those involved.

One of the coolest organizational things we did was at an ashram with thirty residents. Each day we would have two folks be responsible for our evening meal, and two people responsible for clean up. That required each individual to cook twice per month, once as lead, once as helper. By putting in two days per month on clean up crew, that left each of us free from cooking for three and a half weeks each month. The only problem that I saw was that you had to be willing to eat everyone else's food. One guy always made the same thing, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. His side dish was inevitably Green Beans with Campbell's cheese soup sauce. Some people really couldn't cook at all. We quickly made it a point to pair them with folks who actually could!

Another thing that we often did was to give families a little more privacy, having them share a room or suite. Single men slept in shared rooms with their own bathroom and similarly, the young ladies shared several larger rooms, again with their own bathrooms.

For a few years, our commune was made up of several houses, bound together by a band. Each of the heads of the households was a member of the same band. Economically, we all feasted together and experienced lean times together as well. All was not perfect, but there were carefully delineated rules of conduct and association that were in play. Spelling out details of such things as dating, spending limits and ownership of items purchased by the group saved much animosity when the inevitable end came. We all loved and helped one another, as much as we could. There was never a question that we all wanted one another to achieve success.

Throughout college I was always part of a commune. The art world, like hippies has a vested interest in sharing both liabilities and resources. Sticking together allows outsiders to find a bit of calm and security. I shared ideas, time, rooms, beds, girlfriends, boyfriends, liquor, cars, skills and green energy with many non-blood brothers and sisters as a matter of course. The few folks that I met along the way who decided to take unfair advantage of this openness were few. They confound me to this day. I still do not understand those who would screw over those they say that they care about. More often than not we would find ourselves sharing more intimately and fully than we thought ourselves capable of. It is often surprising how resilient and compassionate the human spirit can be. Sticking together through tough times seems to be part of our DNA.

I urge everyone to at least give living with others a try. Share as much as you feel comfortable sharing at first, then see what happens. I know that it isn't for everyone, but for those who can handle it, the rewards are great and the cost is only that you be willing to redefine your own limitations. We all know that there are people we couldn't stand for a minute. Don't try living with them! Make sure that if you want something out of the experience, let others know right away. No one likes to have things sprung on them after the fact. Be open honest and giving and it will pretty much take care of itself. We are a species that does best in community. Live like you mean it and others will be anxious to help. A long-time friend once said, "Do dishes, care for the kids and bake bread and you will always have a place to stay." As far as I know this rule is still in effect.