What it means to be a commons

Hello winter ones! 

This is our first multi-media blog post of a series based on “Community Resilience”. Each month we will be focusing on a Rhode Island based organization whose mission is rooted in supporting our community, the arts, and our environment. We hope that they make you bubble with all sorts of feelings! Revive the Roots will be kicking it off with the first post, talking about our home at Mowry commons and sharing a song to guide you through the  trails.

PT 1: Revive The Roots has been around for 10 years now and this year is a big one for us. We are in the process of securing a home and the adjacent 5 acres of land to be a resource for farmers, educators, environmentalists, artists, and seed stewards. Our goal is to make this land and house accessible to our growing community while continuing to steward the public land of Mowry Commons. 

So, what does it actually mean to be a commons? 
We are all a part of this abundant ecosystem and just like we cherish the biodiversity of the flora and fauna, we acknowledge that our efforts would fall short if we saw ourselves as separate. The more people in the community that care for and protect this space, the stronger our relationships will become. 

In 2022 our hopes are to expand our community’s voice and to increase access to knowledge and resources for environmental educators, land stewards, artists, and families who need a cooperative network to grow with. 

A commons is the community’s land to create with, build with, grow with, sit with, give to, and care for.



PT 2: 

During the winter, the land reflects the cycles of our body, with inward growth and resilience. The ground freezes and thaws, and time is measured by how thick the ice is or how long the golden hours last. 

This cold weather makes me want to flop down
face up on the ground
feeling all the sharp jagged edges of crusty snow
not really comfortable but realizing you have too many layers on to make the climb back up enticing. 
Beached on the jagged snow like a plump seal pup.

With that scene set, I wanted to end this post by sharing a song my friend Adam wrote. When he sent it to me, I felt like it had the cadence of the cold. I wanted to be outside. 

I ended up recording over Adams sounds with the windchimes outside of the Mary Mowry House and hard snow underfoot. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-915719726   

This idea was inspired by a couple groups doing similar tracks. (Thank you The Royal Frog Ballet and Haus of Glitter for the inspirations!) We hope you can take some time for yourself this winter and use this song as a score to your day to day.

Hope to see you all on the land. 

Lots of love,
Annie Elizabeth
Co-manager at Revive The Roots



Other organizations that are reimagining land access and some inspiration for winter walking to sonic creations!

Haus of Glitter: https://www.hausofglitter.org 
https://soundcloud.com/hausofglitter/sets/winter-walking-meditations

Royal Frog Ballet: https://www.theroyalfrogballet.com

The Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust - https://nefoclandtrust.org

“The Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust* (NEFOC LT) is a hybrid model land trust, bringing together a community land trust model and a conservation land trust model to reimagine land access as well as conservation and stewardship of communities and ecosystems with the goal of manifesting a community vision that uplifts global Indigenous, Black, and POC relationships with land, skills, and lifeways.”

The Agrarian Commons - https://agrariantrust.org

“Our land is the foundation of society, our economy, and all humanity, it is also home to all ecosystems and wild creatures. Our management and ownership regimes, our notions of private property and water rights do not override the laws of nature. We acknowledge the limits of fragile systems, and that we are land users in common with wetlands and wildlands that must be protected from damage.”






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