Emma Clopton's Site

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, & Julie Wright 

1. Identify the 10 toughest questions from the 14-page list, and answer them in advance of your presentations. 

• What do your primary stakeholders do right now to address this issue? What options do your primary stakeholders currently have?
  • To address the concern of community and environmental well-being, our stakeholders invest their time, energy, and resources at the park and through their networking.  Lehigh faculty and students, local residents, locally-elected officials, and leaders of nonprofits engage in conversation to help us plan programming and implement events for education and further opportunities engage in interactive learning connected to the environment. 
• Why haven’t other organizations taken a similar approach?
  • There are not many defined “permaculture parks” that exist. People use the philosophy to practice regenerative agriculture within their personal garden spaces. However, the SSPP focuses on urban agriculture and being a collective community green space for people to eat, play, learn, and grow from. 
• Who will pay for your product/service? How much are they willing to pay? Why?
  • Through donations, grants, and crowdfunding, we seek financial capital from those with invested interested and shared goals of regenerative agricultural and sustainability practices.  Our finances are gained from Lehigh, alumni, and other environmental groups.
• What kind of qualitative and quantitative metrics can you provide to validate your assumptions? 
  • We want to validate our assumptions by quantitative metrics of people reached and long-term partnerships gained.  Qualitative metrics include increases in education of permaculture principles and ethics and generated interest resulting in community engagement through workshops and on-site activity at the park.
• What are your biggest gaps in your understanding of your customers / stakeholders?
  • Trust/reliability 
  • History of the land and Lehigh gentrifying the area, hurting southside residents
• What is your IP strategy?
  • Working with Risk Management to help define what our IP strategy is and should look like and how we can monitor the park operations that are in compliance with Lehigh policy. 
• What is your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)?
  • Our COGS include the expenses required to produce and host workshops at the park as well as at other sites of education like at MLK garden and Broughal Middle School.
• What is your Social Return on Investment (SROI)?
  • Our SROI includes providing an inviting green space for community gatherings, promoting healthy eating and sustainable living habits, and educating people about regenerative agriculture
• How will you build a sense of community and trust?
  • By showing up. We want to present ourselves and the park to be an anchor for the community, knowing familiar faces at meetings, events, etc. We are working diligently to build our credibility of the park. 

• What is your core innovation? What sets you apart? What is fundamentally novel about your approach / solution?
  • The concept of permaculture is to mimic natural functions within the ecosystem. By working with rather than against nature, we are able to successfully develop self-regulating systems that meet the needs of both people and the planet. The SSPP is unique by implementing these practices within an urban environment. By using permaculture, we are able to heal the soil and the land, improve local biodiversity, reduce effects of Bethlehem’s urban heat island, and reduce soil erosion. 

2. Write 3 elevator speeches about your project:

•   For a professor/advisor

The Southside Permaculture Park is a student-led initiative that works to implement permaculture principles and sustainable agricultural practices by growing high-yield crops in an urban, quarter-acre plot of land on campus.  Students manage the park to grow produce that can be given out locally: both to people affiliated with Lehigh but also with the wider Southside community.  We seek to bridge the gap between Lehigh and the local community by focusing on indigenous knowledge and listening to feedback from those that reside in Southside.  Working with the land instead of developing it, SSPP puts in action environmental ethics of ecocentrism, working as a member of an interconnected ecosystem, and general ethics of concern for the earth.  Financial, social, and natural capital are all leveraged to achieve our goals and execute tangible, sustainable impact. 

•  For an interviewer for a summer internship

The Southside Permaculture Park project is a student-led initiative run through Lehigh University’s Creative Inquiry Lehigh Valley Social Impact Fellow program. The park’s mission is focused on holistic health and well-being for people and the local Bethlehem community. Permaculture is a holistic design philosophy that mimics natural relationships and leverages indigenous knowledge that focuses on creating sustainable self-regulating systems. Permaculture integrates ecological principles, design strategies to create resilient and productive ecosystems that can thrive over the long term. By using these regenerative practices, The Southside Permaculture Park is working to address pressing macro challenges on a micro level, such as food insecurity, social inequality, and climate change all through working with the local environment. 

•   For a roommate asking about your project

The Southside Permaculture park is focused on prioritizing community and planetary health and well being. We are located right off of campus and encourage students, faculty, and community members to visit us and use our space. Our practices are centralized around permaculture philosophy which mimics natural relationships and leverages indigenous knowledge that focuses on creating sustainable self-regulating systems. We are currently growing higher-yielding foods all started from seed. We also use different growing techniques such as an herb spiral which determines the success of a plant’s growth by its placement and exposure to sun and water. We are working hard to restore the community’s relationship with the land. Prior to Lehigh’s ownership, the land was a park space for people to hang out, now it shuns the community away. The park encourages all students to come harvest and get their hands in the soil.

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, & Julie Wright

1. Develop pessimistic, optimistic, and realistic sales / reach projections for your venture over two years (at six month intervals).

SSPP Sales Projections & Income Statement – Sales Projections

2. Develop a detailed income statement for your venture for two years (at six month intervals). Explicitly state the assumptions that underlie your financial model.

SSPP Sales Projections & Income Statement – Income Statement

3. Develop a budget that captures all the non-recurring (one-time) expenses to get your venture up and running.

SEE INCOME STATEMENT LINK

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, and Julie Wright

1. Identify two SPECIFIC funding sources for the design phase of your project and two SPECIFIC funding sources for the dissemination (implementation / distribution / commercialization) phase of your project. For each funding source, explain why this is a good fit for your project, and what SPECIFIC aspect of your project might the funding source support.

• Grants 
  • Grants directed towards regenerative agriculture research/urban ag/ agriculture at large  
• Workshops
  • One-on-one specialized workshops, whether it be for a personal project or an urban design project. 

 

2. Identify five specific partnerships that you need to forge to advance your project forward with the ultimate goal of positively impacting at least one million people. Describe exactly how that partnership might help you achieve scale and why that entity might be willing to work with you.

1. The Rodale Institute:  
   1. If we develop a strategic partnership with the Rodale Institute, we will be able to expand the practices of permaculture. The Rodale Institute has done extensive research on regenerative agriculture and the connection between healthy soil & healthy people. Rodale exclaims that healthy soil is linked to the total health of our food systems. 
   2. A partnership with Rodale would allow us to learn how to best integrate regenerative agriculture practices into an urban setting. They could help us extend our mission further outwards across the Lehigh Valley and beyond. 
2. CADB (Community Action for Development Bethlehem)
   1. Community Action Development Bethlehem is a hub for environmental health and community engagement in Southside Bethlehem. CADB hosts a variety of meetings open to residents and employees at various community organizations to discuss different projects ranging from community cleanups to programs aimed at integrating the outdoors into treatment for those suffering with mental health issues. CADB not only provides an opportunity to engage with residents and better understand the specific struggles faced in Southside Bethlehem, but it also provides us with an opportunity to network with a variety of people involved in the environment in Southside Bethlehem to potentially partner and collaborate with.
3. The Kellyn Foundation:
   1. The Kellyn Foundation has several programs that are healthy food/ healthy choice related. The foundation’s Healthy Neighborhood Immersion Strategy program and its sub program “Food Access”  are great intersections for the permaculture park to be involved in. The HNIS is a collaborative community-based initiative that encourages communities to make health conscious decisions to encourage a healthier lifestyle. The Food Access program brings nutritious foods to Lehigh Valley’s food deserts, such as Bethlehem, for an affordable rate. 
   2. A partnership between Kellyn and the Southside Permaculture Park could assist us in community building with the Lehigh Valley. We would be able to harvest and provide nutritious food for people to buy or freely take from Kellyn’s mobile markets. This will allow us to expand our name and our mission throughout the LV and make a direct impact on the community. We could also promote the practices of permaculture to community members, as well as implement these practices within the community gardens that Kellyn works to develop. 
4. Sierra Club
   1. As a current partner, we plan to host more collaborative events with the Sierra Club and the greater community to educate residents about permaculture and sustainable living. The Sierra Club can also work with us to ensure that the park is being managed sustainably. Since the Sierra Club network is so large, a strategic partnership would boost publicity about the impacts of permaculture and urban agriculture. 
5. Natural Builders’ Guild 
   1. The Natural Builders’ Guild has already helped us with building our tool shed, and we have been able to maintain this connection over multiple teams of fellows. The people we have met from the Natural Builders’ Guild can also help us find more partners throughout the Lehigh Valley. 

 

3. Review the sample questions for your semester-end presentations:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RObgGrePBUjAYN9DRhPG9kg4DjGvstVnElCrYstlbF4/edit 

As a team, identify the top five questions that you don’t know how to answer. Your questions will serve as the nucleus for conversations during our final class next week.

• What kind of competition do you face?
• What is your monitoring and evaluation strategy?
• What knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) do your customers need to have to successfully use and benefit from your product?
• At what point will you go from being an informal project to some kind of a formal, legal entity?
• What kinds of actions might compromise your relationships?

 Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, Julie Wright

From the social enterprises we reviewed today, or others you have studied, identify ten extremely specific strategies that you can leverage for your project. The strategies can be about the technology, the business model, access to capital, customer education, messaging, thought leadership, etc.

2. Build social capital by attending community events and meetings in Southside Bethlehem to create a network of community leaders and contact points that we can learn from and collaborate with.
3. Build human capital through educating individuals about permaculture through general agricultural practices, on-site engagements (tours), etc. Eco-local human capital boosts cooperative business and networking skills that are necessary for the success of the park and community economy. 
4. Develop connections with signaling partners like UN civil society organizations.
5. Explore how to effectively engage the Southside Bethlehem community on the permaculture park land by meeting with the Office of Risk Management and articulating the need for allowing residents to access the space, and ways that we can accomplish this safely. 
6. Establish the SSPP as a thought leader – demonstrating our knowledge of permaculture through our experimental research and trial and error of implementing different permaculture concepts in an urban environment. 
7. Develop a business model structure to expand our revenue streams in order to support the financial capital of the park. That can be through donations and fundraiser programs, on-site community events, pop-up shop events, etc.
8. Use the “loss leader” by giving out free plants to entice people to learn more about the permaculture park and engage with our project. Unlike the traditional loss leader model, we are not employing this in order to draw in profits, but social capital and a network of partners. 
9. Task shifting by educating Lehigh students on permaculture principles and regenerative agricultural practices, so labor capital can be increased.
10. Delegating tasks to individuals and organizations that are more able and educated to complete certain projects. For example, inviting the Natural Builder’s Guild to assist in building an archway or community growers to plant crops. 
11. Expanding our network through social media and our website within and beyond the Lehigh Valley to connect with individuals and organizations that are interested in permaculture design philosophy.

 

Create a first draft of your business model using the business model canvas. Please be as specific as possible and explain why you picked those specific approaches for each of the building blocks.

Create a set of 2-4 slides to articulate your business model in a presentation. Come prepared to describe your business model in the next class.

Blog 11 Business Model Prompt

Blog 12 Business Model Prompt

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, and Julie Wright

1. Develop a slide deck (using the template provided on Coursesite) to describe the purpose, operations, and business model of the assigned social venture, which you presented in class.

Business: HelpUsGreen

Attached below is a link to the slide deck developed in class on 3/28/2023.

Copy of Social Enterprise Case Studies – slide deck.pptx

Blog #9 Team Prompts

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, and Julie Wright

1. What are the common personal goals within the members of your team, and how can you leverage those goals to build collaboration?

One common goal within the members is learning sustainable living practices that can be applied to concepts such as urban agriculture and community engagement, and we can collaborate within this goal by applying our shared knowledge about sustainability to the park and by sharing our vision with community partners. Many members of the team are interested in building professional skills and gaining research experience. As we develop these skills, we can use them to better shape how we approach building a network between Lehigh and Southside Bethlehem. 

1. Emma: Expand our network virtually and professionally, increase on-site engagement, learn how to close the connection gap between Lehigh and the South Bethlehem community, establish ourselves as a place for urban agriculture education and research. 
2. Julie: Learn effective research practices in social research, build connections between Lehigh University and Southside Bethlehem, learn sustainable living practices and how to apply them to different projects and opportunities. 
3. Isabelle: Build teamwork and collaboration skills, work in a leadership position, expand professional network, and gain research experience.
4. Cate: Expand business and professional knowledge, work towards making business more sustainable, further develop leadership/initiative and collaboration skills, gain experience in branding/expanding a project.
   

• What are the common project goals within the members of your team, and how can you leverage those goals to make progress?

Our team wants to create a regenerative backyard perennial whole systems design that can be mimicked in neighboring residents and communities to combat food insecurity and encourage living interconnectedly within our local ecosystems. We have the tools, the space, and the connections to effectively move our project goals along. We can leverage these goals to make progress by engaging with residents and learning more about the land we are working with in order to best understand how we can use this land to serve our community and use principles of permaculture and whole systems design. We can additionally engage other Lehigh students who are interested in learning about permaculture and working on permaculture to help spread the principles of permaculture and help Lehigh students understand how they can work with and for the Southside Bethlehem community.

• What are some biases that might become a barrier to your project goals?

1. 1. Projection Bias, False Consensus Effect, and Confirmation Bias: One of the goals of the park is to increase education about permaculture.  Although it is important to keep this goal in mind, it is also important to recognize that “permaculture” existed in practice long before the term was first coined in academia in the late 1970s.  Projection bias or the false consensus effect might occur if we fail to recognize local knowledge of the land and if residents perceive our efforts as a form of erasure.  Confirmation bias can occur if we only look to academic sources on permaculture from recent decades. 
   2. The Ikea or Sunk Cost Effect: This kind of bias may occur, for example, if we invest resources into improving the park (finishing the tool shed, growing plants, etc.) and run into problems that are difficult to pivot around.  We could get stuck in our initial way of executing a project and become blind to finding other solutions.
   3. The Planning Fallacy: The planning fallacy is easy to run into while gardening because we have to work within growing seasons.  Underestimating how much time we actually have to start growing plants while weather conditions are right (and planning for this) will inevitably happen, especially because we are a new team, who do not have experience growing things on this land.

1. What type of decision-making system will you use and why? 

There are several potentially strong decision-making systems we can implement at the permaculture park. However, the system is highly dependent on several factors including the size of our park, the overall goals and objectives, resources available, etc. We currently follow two decision-making systems that align with the values of permaculture: One decision-making system we already implement is holistic decision-making, in which we consider the long-term impacts of the decisions made on the park’s ecological, social, and economic structures. This is to encourage the concept of seeing everything we do as interconnected, aligning with the ethics and principles of permaculture. Secondly, we use systems thinking which involves the understanding of how all aspects of the park work in a whole systems design. A change in one part will linearly impact another feature of the park. Systems thinking is essential in analyzing the park as a whole and considering how our decisions impact the entire park’s system and functionality.

As our project goal is looking towards reclaiming civic agency, it is important that the SSPP team considers the use of participatory decision-making. This system involves our stakeholders, local Bethlehem community members and organizations, Lehigh University, etc. It is important that we learn about the controversial land we are working on and how to structure it to best serve the community as a safe and yielding green space. Participatory decision-making includes everyone’s ideas, concerns, and overarching opinions that are crucial in the growth of our project.

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, and Julie Wright

• Identify FIVE specific things in your slides that you could have done differently.

1. We could have started the project a few days sooner. It felt as though when the deadline got closer, we seemed to rush. Perhaps having a few extra days would have helped us confidence and preparation wise. 
2. We had a lot of strong talking points, however it would have been good to sit down together and make them perhaps more coherent. With the scores we received, we may have faulted with full descriptions of what our goals were. 
3. We could have included slide addressing potential challenges we anticipate.
4. We could have included pictures from specific partnership events.
5. We could have included more details of the work of past teams including pictures of the work on the tool shed and herb spiral.

• Identify FIVE specific ways in which you could have delivered your presentation better.

1. We could have delivered the presentation better by emphasizing the value of partnership and how both parties will genuinely benefit from our project. 
2. We could have spent more time discussing what our project actually is and what it will accomplish.
3. We could have provided more descriptive presentation screens. It seems as though the feedback indicates that there was still some questioning on what permaculture and civic agency is; perhaps it would have been better to provide better visuals and written descriptions for people to absorb what we were stating.
4. We could have further emphasized the connection between our project and the broader social situations it exists in, such as lack of civic agency and social power, in order to properly and effectively convey how our project can be useful to Southside Bethlehem and what we can do to ensure that it is.
5. We could have further explained our step-by-step process for meeting our goals throughout the year, as well as solutions as to how we can ensure the partnerships that will be made will stick and be passed down for years to come. It seems as though there was not a clear understanding of our intended plan and we may have come off more uncertain in going about our vision. 

• Identify FIVE specific ways you could have built your credibility further.

1. 1. We could have built our credibility further by elaborating more on the progress of past permaculture teams, further clarifying where we currently are in our own team’s progress. 
   2. We could have created a timeline for smaller, broken-down next steps for the project to show that we are sure about where our project is going to go next and how it is going to expand. 
   3. We could have built our credibility further by recognizing conferences, meetings, and connections previous teams had made in the past as well as what we are attending and engaging in. 
   4. We could have emphasized the impact Southside Permaculture Park has made thus far on the Bethlehem community and how we will improve and expand impact over the course of the next year. 
   5. We could have emphasized the partnerships that the park has built thus far more (Natural Builders Guild, etc.).

• Identify FIVE specific questions that you could have answered better.  What was the question, how did you respond, how should you have responded?​​

1. What sort of community engagement events are you planning within this space? 
   1. We definitely hesitated with this question at first. Our team has not fully come up with a definite or more fully planned idea for on-site community engagement. However, we did mention that past teams have held a booth at the Bethlehem Farmers’ Market, attended conferences and meetings. We have only dipped into community meetings, especially since it is still winter and it would be more difficult to get on-site activities together in the cold. 
   2. We should have just sat down and come up with several solutions to confidently explain ways we can immerse the park into the southside community better. 
2. How does the work of the SSPP lower levels of food insecurity? 
   1. In our response, we mentioned our engagement at the Bethlehem Farmers’ Market where we gave out food. Mostly just mentioned that it is a model permaculture park and that we will work with the community so they can learn from the ethics and practices of regenerative agriculture in a perennial backyard design system. We also mentioned that we are planning to grow more high-yield crops to be able to provide for the community more. 
   2. We should have emphasized our plans for events such as maybe considering pop-up shops or harvesting events on-site. We also could have mentioned the potential of conducting community research here, where we can learn what the community needs and truly the level of food insecurity that is occurring around the park. We could have mentioned expanding community engagement, making the website and social media page much more accessible, user-friendly, and educational. This is so we can educate the community how they can best grow their own regenerative gardens.
3. How much can actually be grown in the park?
   1. We were unsure exactly how much could be grown in the park, so we just provided an estimate.  We told the referees that only a limited amount could be grown in the park due to the small size of the plot of land.
   2. Although what we told the referees was true, we should have been prepared, so we could have provided a more specific answer.  We should have reviewed past year’s yields, so we could have more fully answered the question.
4. How does the SSPP differ from the community garden already established by Afros in Nature on the greenway where they also hold public performances?
   1. We definitely hesitated with this question since we were more unfamiliar with the community garden that the referee mentioned. We only really knew about our partnership with Afros in Nature from previous fellows. We mostly just tried to quickly move on from the question. 
   2. We think it is really important that we learn about our partners, what they are doing, their mission, and exactly what engagement occurred between SSPP and them. It is important to make sure we can confidently explain everything we present, even the minor details. 
5. Do you have channels set up to communicate with residents regularly or is it just whoever you see at these meetings? 
   1. We did a really good job confidently responding to this question. We mentioned that we intend on utilizing our website, social media, and other marketing outlets to communicate with community members, as well as people who are interested in permaculture practices as a whole. We mentioned that we intend to make brochures about the park as well as send them via mail or little flyers to make ourselves much more present in the community. 
   2. We could have expanded on our timeline for getting brochures out/ other forms of communication. We gave a lot of solutions, but did not mention the way we would really implement those ideas for a successful impact.

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, and Julie Wright 

FROM LAST WEEK:

What is the Total Available Market and Total Addressable Market for your product or service?

Our total available market are residents in urban settings that lack environmental and land agency, and as a byproduct, as lack food security.

The total addressable market the Southside Permaculture Park will reach are the Southside Bethlehem community members who are without environmental agency, land agency, and food security. 

THIS WEEK: 

1. Identify three different primary stakeholders on your project, and come up with a list of 10 distinct questions you would ask each of them. Remember the aspirational / emotional /functional categories of needs and desires and try to find a balance of questions that might give you information in each of those areas. 

Lehigh University 

1. How can we better serve the Southside Bethlehem community? 
2. How can we encourage more widespread campus sustainability and the integration of whole systems design throughout the urban area?
3. What risks are you concerned with or concerned with associating with while engaging with this project?
4. What are the goals and expectations you have for the park?
5. What is your role in the permaculture park project?
6. Why did Lehigh University first approve establishing the permaculture park?
7. How does the university imagine the park in ten years?
8. In what ways does the university see the park as beneficial?
9. How do you see the park meeting the needs of the university?
10. What are common goals the park shares with the university?

Southside Residents 

1. What types of purposes, if any, do you imagine a community garden could serve? 
2. What types of crops would you like to be seen grown that align with the cultures of the community? 
3. What are your goals and expectations for this project?
4. In 10 years, where do you envision this park being? How would you like it to best serve your community?
5. Who do you think would benefit the most from having an urban, regenerative green space?
6. How, if at all, has the park served you in the past? What changes to the park would you make?
7. What is one thing you want most out of a community park?
8. What does having green space in an urban setting mean to you?
9. What are the greatest sources of community engagement that you participate in?
10. What challenges do you see hindering community engagement with the park?

 Community Partnerships 

1. What is your role in this project?
2. What are important factors you envision would steer the success of this project?
3. Are you concerned about potential risks with this project?
4. Why do you think it is important to be engaged with the park?
5. How can we make our partnership mutually beneficial?
6. What does a successful partnership look like to you?
7. How can we make this partnership sustainable?
8. What does regenerative agriculture mean to you?
9. How did you discover the Southside Permaculture Park?
10. What would make you want to continue engagement with the park?

 

2. Identify all of the key customers for your product/service/creation/solution. List specific ways that you will ensure that your product will meet their aspirational, emotional, and functional needs and desires. 

The key customer for our project would be the Southside Bethlehem community. Currently, we are working to design a more interactive business model for the park, encouraging more involvement by really reaching out to the community. We have considered the demographics of the region and how what we grow can best support and nourish the array of cultures nestled throughout the city. By growing predominantly organic, self-regulating and high-yielding crops, we will be able to impact the community on a larger scale.

Another key customer of the Southside Permaculture Park is Lehigh University.  The park will meet Lehigh’s needs by pushing an environmental initiative and being an emblem of sustainability, both things Lehigh values as the university highlights sustainability in their strategic plan and their climate action strategy.  By practicing regenerative agriculture and implementing whole systems designs, the park works towards these goals.   

3. Articulate your value propositions for each of your customer segments (using the format presented in class).

For the Southside Bethlehem community who lack access to green space and fresh, nutritious food, the Southside Permaculture Park will grow organic, high-yield crops within its community garden space that will increase food security and environmental agency. 

For Lehigh University who seeks sustainability efforts as outlined in the university’s strategic plan, the Southside Permaculture Park utilizes a whole systems design while working towards zero-waste productivity that creates a sustainable park, and therefore, a sustainable university initiative.

Emma Clopton || The Southside Permaculture Park 

1) Give three examples of something very interesting you learned from a friend that was a completely alien concept to you

• Loving and Caring For Your Internal Ecosystem:  

My sister, Nadine, is someone who continuously inspires me everyday. She has taught me everything about connecting with nature and how to heal your body through natural routes. Her interests in homeopathic medicine has led her down a journey of healing through food and old traditional practices that have been overtaken by westernized medicine. Nadine has taught me that you have to be more intentional about what you feed your internal ecosystem. She has helped me develop a passion for nutrition and supporting microbiome health through organic foods. This concept of caring for your internal ecosystem has made me realize the importance of reciprocating that love and attention to the environment. Rather than treating the planet as a dumping ground and forgetting to recognize our ecosystems as our homes, we should hone in on the way our bodies feel after we provide it the care it needs and deserves. 

• “We Are The Architects of Our Lives” : 

Last year I took a trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. During the trip, I came across an artist’s gallery, Topher Straus, an impressionistic landscape artist. I was completely awestruck by the art he produced and had the opportunity to connect with him as he was sitting at a desk creating new content. He taught me how he creates his art and while interacting, I got to learn his story. I asked him if he had any piece of advice to share and he simply said that “we are the architects of our lives”. Whatever we wanna do in the future, to be change agents, to inspire and create impact whether it’s through an artistic outlet, political, or anything in between. 

• “How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything”: 

In my 6th grade, my teacher, Frank Murphy, was a huge advocate for teaching leadership lessons. His lessons would be interwoven with English lessons, learning the importance of being change agents through literature. One of the most valuable lessons I still hold myself to today is the idea of “how you do anything is how you do everything”. This quote by Martha Beck, emphasizes habits of handling certain situations. The way you manage challenges and experiences are most likely reciprocated in most other aspects of life. For example, if you find it challenging to make your bed in the morning, the attitude surrounding this self-care habit is most likely to be reciprocated in other self-care routine habits. By learning this quote at a young age, I continue to challenge myself and strive to improve the way I go about daily habits and experiences.

 2) List ten things that make you feel human

There are so many aspects to daily life that make me aware and appreciative of being human and present in this world. However, rarely do I ever reflect on the moments, especially the small ones, that make me abundantly grateful for being alive. Below is a list of the small and big moments that make me feel present, connected, and grounded:

1. Emotions… the good, the bad, & the ugly: I firmly believe that emotions are the #1 thing that makes you feel human. Being able to express and feel emotions allows you to create sincere connections with others. Feelings, whether happy or sad, draw people together to support and care for one another. Without emotions, I feel as though it would be near impossible to build impactful relationships with others, as well as for your planet. 
2.  Waking up energized: This is a very small part of the day that I rarely consider, but as I reflect on what makes me feel connected, this is one of the most important parts of my day. Waking up energized allows me to take on the day heads-on with confidence and filled with positive energy. 
3. Helping others: This may be cliche, but the overwhelming sense of gratification that overcomes you when you help someone is one of the most rewarding feelings. Knowing you can impact a person’s life for the better fuels me to continue to want to make a difference. 
4. Cooking: I use cooking as a meditative practice. Cooking is incredibly gratifying, knowing that I am providing myself nourishment through a creative outlet. With my interests in eating to support my gut health, I have loved finding ways to create and share colorful dishes that are packed with gut healthy foods and nutrients. Lastly, cooking is a way of expressing my appreciation for someone.
5. Creating & listening to music: Music has always been a creative outlet and an escape for me. I have been involved in vocal ensembles for over 10 years and have developed the most sincere connections with people. Music is expressive and a way to learn and appreciate different cultures. It also enriches our history, for music is our ancestor. Music is also a way to feel emotions and be moved/inspired. For me, I have always experienced musical frisson (when music is so impactful and melodic that my body physically reacts through chills/tears). Music lives within me and lives amongst us in all aspects of life. 
6. Being in nature: Every time I reconnect with mother nature, I tend to reflect on how the world has evolved to where I am grounded today. Seeing how different systems function harmoniously in nature makes me appreciate and remember how interconnected we all are.
7. Being with friends & family: Being surrounded by loved ones always makes me feel abundantly appreciative of being human. Even in the bad moments, I am still grateful that I am able to care deeply for others and experience the emotions of connection with others.
8. Traveling: I have always loved getting the opportunities to see and explore the world. Traveling for me is heavily routed around seeing nature and getting to learn about new cultures and traditions, whether it be through food, music, language, infrastructure, etc. Seeing the world also makes me so appreciative of life and how unique humans are.
9. Food: Food is one of the best ways to appreciate different cultures and to connect with others. Food is also a great way to connect with the past in addition to the present. Food is filled with memories, our favorite dishes are filled with feelings of nostalgia and will always have a way of bringing people together.
10. Work: As much as I oftentimes dread doing work, it is constantly a great reminder to be grateful for the opportunity to learn and study about different functions of society and of the world. Work is a way to dive into interests (or not) and become a more holistically-minded individual. I will always be thankful to have the opportunity to constantly learn and grow.

3) Articulate your philosophy of engagement as it pertains to your work with the Impact Fellowship… 

• Why should I engage? 

Being an Environmental Studies major who is heavily passionate about improving community spaces and health, I feel like so much needs to be acted upon within the Bethlehem community. Over the past 8 years, I have watched this community slowly become displaced due to rapid gentrification. Residents of Bethlehem also lack affordable healthy food access; with only one grocery store in town and a seasonal farmer’s market that really does not supply abundant healthy food options, it is difficult for residents of the Southside to make lifestyle changes affordably. Access to grocery stores is a social determinant of health that is a crucial component to the overall web of health. The Permaculture Park is a way for Lehigh University to assist the community by providing affordable access to regeneratively grown, nutrient-rich foods that do not disrupt the local ecosystem. The park also provides an inviting green space for community members to enjoy that removes them from urban chaos. Access to healthy food is a raging pandemic across the globe and it is important to seek out the opportunities to make positive change and improve the livelihoods of local communities to rebuild their health.

• How must I engage? 

There are many ways to engage with the community as an IF. For one, it is important to ensure that the permaculture park is an inviting open space for everyone to enjoy and take reasonably from. Communication, whether it be in-person or online, is essential to working towards the overall goal of providing a healthy food source to the Southside Bethlehem community. I must also engage within the institution, encouraging Lehigh to support projects like the SSPP that serve and give back to the community. Additionally, it is important to always invite and entertain questions about permaculture and continue to learn from one another and the community as to how we can best provide and make impactful change with minimal risk.

• With whom must I engage?

For my Impact Fellowship, I must engage with the Southside Bethlehem/ Lehigh Valley community, Lehigh University community, and with partners whether that may be local or not. I must engage with community members and work amongst them, listen to their stories and get to truly know what it is like growing up in this urban food desert. I must listen to their hopes and visions for the green future of the small city. I must also engage with Lehigh University, pushing the institution to open its arms more for the Bethlehem community. Lehigh is pushing the local community away, gentrifying the area and displacing individuals. A call to action is necessary, there must be internal institutional changes to encourage Lehigh to provide for the community, not extract from it. I firmly believe that the Permaculture Park is an extended arm that Lehigh offers (despite the never-ending conflicts) to the Bethlehem community to serve and improve the area. Lastly, I must engage with local organizations to stimulate the local economy, work with community members, provide education surrounding healthy and sustainable food options and the importance of green space.

• What kinds of challenges, opportunities, and approaches should I care about?

I believe that all challenges I may face over the next year are great opportunities to push for a healthier Southside Bethlehem community. Challenges will include resistance from Lehigh University and its’ lack of interest in getting involved with the local community. Challenges will also include advocating for urban green space, spreading the message and ethics about permaculture practices, encouraging healthy food options especially those that are locally grown. Additionally, challenges will also stem from environmental components, dealing with deer and pest management, uncertainties with weather, growing sufficient yields, etc. I believe that all of these obstacles are opportunities for learning and a way to emotionally connect even closer to the project. Lastly, I believe that no matter what obstacle is being faced, it should be dealt with patiently and proactively. It is important to not give up and to be patient, especially when dealing with trial and error with producing food.

• What might my epitaph read?

“Be Where Your Feet Are”. This means that you should be in the present and enjoy life, especially in the now. Time flies by, it is important to remain grounded in the now, build connections that will last a lifetime, make positive impact, and just simply feel. I myself will oftentimes feel sensations of disconnection from the present, losing myself in thoughts of the past (not necessarily healthy nostalgic memories). Being where your feet are allows you to remain anchored, focused, and appreciative of where you are now. This is a mantra I hold myself accountable to each day and will continue to improve on daily.

 

Blog #6: Team Prompt

Students: Cate Adams, Emma Clopton, Isabelle Spirk, Julie Wright

1. What are the technological, social, economic, and political trends that will impact (help or hurt) your ventures?

Technological:
Technologically, there are several outlets we can effectively use to boost our mission and community engagement at the Permaculture Park. For one, our website continues to be a strong outlet for educational information. Many people, across the globe, have referenced our information provided on our website. As we continue to expand on the project, we will work extensively on the website, improving and updating new information throughout the next year. As we plan to look into understanding the connection between soil health and human health as well as the impacts of green space within an urban area, we will publish blogs on our findings. We also hope to create an interactive platform on the website for people across the globe to ask questions and leave comments on our posts.

Secondly, social media has become a powerful tool for spreading influential and informational content. Our goal over the next year is to become more active on social platforms, increasing our following. We intend to share educational content about environmental practices that can be easily adopted into daily life rituals, and post updates about our journey. Social media is often an outlet for spreading a lot of misinformation and negative feed; we hope to combat this problem by providing meaningful and impactful content, expanding the practices and ethics of permaculture and caring for your local community.

Social:
Relationships between Lehigh University and Southside Bethlehem can both help and hurt our ventures. In the past, many student projects that have collaborated with Southside Bethlehem residents have often been dropped by students, leaving residents to deal with any burdens of the project or issues it may have caused. However, there are also many residents interested in Lehigh University projects and how these projects can benefit the community. There is also an uprising trend in community gardens and sustainable living, meaning more people may be interested in the park and learning about permaculture principles and ethics.

Economic:
Economics in our venture will depend partially on funding for our project that we can earn from grants and also possibly Lehigh to compensate for cost of implementation for the projects we want to pursue to enhance the Permaculture Park and achieve sustainable outcomes. In the past, bLUeprint Grants and the Sustainable Initiative Grant have been sources of financial capital for the Permaculture Park and have resulted in outputs such as planting an orchard and constructing a deer fence. The outcomes of these funded initiatives include making the Permaculture Park more sustainable and able to better serve not only the Lehigh community but also the greater Southside community at large. For instance, keeping the deer from eating produce grown in the park’s garden allows nutritious food to reach people who lack access to such healthy options in an urban area. In order to continue this work and begin other projects, our project must receive the necessary funding. Our team will have to apply for grants, meet deadlines, and work with both Lehigh and local partners. We will also honor the ethics and principles of permaculture by supporting local businesses and organizations to promote a circular economy.

Political Trends:
Political trends will expectedly affect our venture by creating a drive to protect the environment while potentially but potentially also causing political tensions to deepen. In recent years, the environment has become not just a political topic of debate, but a highly polarized one. Individuals who may have positively strong feelings towards the environment, will support the work our team focuses on, especially the holistic design-system approach we employ in our ecological efforts. Some may avidly support our goals while others oppose/deny them. In many cases, people may simply just feel indifferent. We will have to navigate these political trends; networking and recruiting interested parties, while educating those who are unaware of permaculture principles and ethics, and talking with people who hold conflicting views.