Earthlinking
'You cannot know who you are if you do not know where you are'

by Cathy Mueller

To become dwellers in the land, to come to know the Earth fully and honestly, the crucial and perhaps only and all-encompassing task is to understand place, the immediate specific place where we live.
-- Kirkpatrick Sale

For people who live on the margins of society, life is not always hospitable. Yet, amazingly, when people step into nature, everyone is equal. Almost five years ago, Bette Ann Jaster (a Dominican Sister of Hope) and I (a Sister of Loretto), wanted to find a way to share the Earth's invitation to belong to the land in this part of Colorado with people in Denver who often are pushed aside and isolated. Through the support of our religious communities, each of which has a deep commitment to work for justice for the poor and marginalized as well as for the Earth, we found a way: We founded EarthLinks, an experiential Earth education organization that links persons on the margins of society with the Earth and other people.

Early on, when hearing of the vision of EarthLinks, a man who was homeless said to us, "You want to link us with the Earth? We sleep on it every night!" But after joining us on some nature trips he invited us to network with another group that provides housing for the homeless. Through such invitations, EarthLinks has grown and evolved.

EarthLinks is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to enable persons of all ages to learn to see, appreciate, celebrate and integrate the great diversity inherent in the Earth, her inhabitants, her elements, her mystery. We begin very close to home, exploring the places where people live -- their local parks, favorite gardens, even the parades marching through their streets. EarthLinks gathers people who are homeless, living in transitional housing or living with physical or psychological challenges and then ventures out to a park with a creek, to the mountains, or to a wildlife refuge.

We walk, sometimes with a naturalist who will talk about the geological formations, or the edible plants, or the migrating and local wildlife. In cold weather, we go to museums to learn about earthquakes, atmospheric research, the dinosaur trail in our backyard, or about the lives of early pioneers. "We may be homeless," one group member said, "but we still want to learn." On these outings we share a meal and enjoy conversation. In the process, we create community.

"These trips help my mental health," one participant told us. Another said that upon returning from a one-day adventure with EarthLinks, he felt like he "just returned from a vacation." Time in nature can renew and revive us, better enabling us to face some of the chaos and difficult challenges of life.

From barren lots to blooming beauty

This last year, we began several garden projects. We used elements of horticulture therapy along with people's desire to vision healthy, beautiful gardens and work to create them. In the process, EarthLinks' participants and Kinfolk (volunteers) are transforming several litter-strewn lots into places of beauty and abundance.

In downtown Denver, across the street from the St. Francis Center, a day shelter for the homeless, EarthLinks worked with the Center's guests to dream the garden. Then, through many small steps of testing soil (which turned out to be highly contaminated), building raised beds from scraps found in dumpsters, bringing in soil shovel by shovel, planting donated seeds and plants, watering throughout the hot summer, the garden became a reality. The sunflowers, cosmos and roses grew and bloomed into vibrant colors. "Last summer was the only time a rose bloomed over there -- probably in all time!" one of the homeless guests remarked. Another said he liked bringing broccoli, tomatoes, chilis and squash that we grew ourselves on EarthLinks' trips.

From the wall bordering the garden grew a mural, reflecting the diversity of the people in the neighborhood and affirming that each has something to offer. The Spirit Eagle waters all of us, proclaiming that "Spirit returns to the land when people work together." The project involved homeless guests at St. Francis Center and many other volunteers, through the direction of local artist Emmanuel Martinez.

This year we are continuing the garden at St. Francis Center as well as working at several new sites: a boarding house directed by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, a residential setting for women living with mental health and addiction issues, and another housing situation for women at risk. Our goal is not simply to create gardens. But a garden speaks of our inner landscapes. What we plan for and nurture outside ourselves can profoundly affect what is happening inside us. As one homeless man who worked in the St. Francis Center garden commented, a person can find dignity working in the soil.

'Organic' programming

The programming at EarthLinks can be called "organic." We network with other nonprofit agencies to connect with people who are not in the mainstream. We listen to them, plan activities that reflect their deep desires, and then together enjoy these adventures. We also find ways to link people -- homeless participants helped with a Thanksgiving food drive for families; women in one residential program helped to clean up the yard and garden for a new program for women coming out of prison; folks who are economically secure work side-by-side in a garden with people who are poor and possibly homeless. In the ways of the Earth, we are all equal and very precious.

Our hope is to assist people of all ages in becoming grounded where they are. As Wendell Berry says: "You cannot know who you are if you do not know where you are." So we take steps together to develop a sense of place.

BioBox Project

Another EarthLinks' program is the BioBox Project. It is an experiential, Earth-education adventure for students and teachers alike as they explore their school grounds, neighborhood, bioregion, and local habitat. Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Denver are partnered with peers from other parts of Colorado. This partnership enables students to learn about their own area and then to teach their peers in Denver or in the mountains, plains or foothills of Colorado.

We promote using the school surroundings as "grounds for learning," creating gardens on site or pacing the block, measuring distances, watching for erosion, noticing plants and pets and trees, looking at everything with attention. Students fill their BioBoxes with artifacts, reports, experiment results -- whatever will enable their partners to come to know the diversity in their area. In this process, students often learn new facets of their own neighborhood, such as the efforts that have been made to reclaim a lake in a neighborhood park.

The partners exchange their BioBoxes twice during the year. The highlight is traveling to meet one another and explore each other's area first-hand. The city kids experience farms and farm animals, feed lots, mountain streams, life in a smaller community. The rural kids see urban wildlife and parts of Denver they usually don't get to visit -- inner-city neighborhoods, the 16th Street Mall, or a soup kitchen. One discovery is that it is the same South Platte River that flows through the city, where it is managed and controlled by the Water Department, that becomes free flowing on its way out to the eastern plains, where the banks are filled with trees, grasses and wildlife.

We are motivated by the reality that all life is connected and, as Shakespeare said, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." Through her seasons, elements, species and mystery, the Earth teaches us the importance of diversity, the depth of the inner life, the value of reciprocity and cooperation, the wonder of communion. We explore these realities as we walk a dirt path in the mountains, sit by a calm lake inhabited by geese and cormorants, marvel at the deer that cross our way, or plant a seed that is full of potential. What we do is very simple and very profound. Together, we are learning where we live, and in that process, we are coming home.

Cathy Mueller lives, works and learns in her native South Platte Bioregion. Contact EarthLinks at: 623 Fox St. Denver, CO 80204-4541; 303-389-0085; <www.earthlinks-colorado.org>.