My thoughts go towards food, immediately. I grew up with a southern mother, so it’s ingrained into me that being a good host means feeding your guests. Offer drinks. No one who enters my home goes hungry. This goes for my community as well.
I’ve been enamored with the idea of food forests since I discovered the concept a few years ago. This idea of an intentionally planted garden, designed to feed those passing through or living nearby, captures this level of self-sufficiency and sustainability that I can’t shake. If I had the ability, I would take some of our greenspace areas and see how many local edible plants I can grow.
Sometimes, I dream about having a small day-camp in the summer time where I take kids and do ecological field research on the green spaces in their environment. Planting trees, removing invasive plants, surveying aquatic invertebrates in local rivers and streams. I think both of these ideas could go together — take the kids, improve our community. Everyone wins: there’s a public source of food, native plant biodiversity increases, and the next generation develops a fascination for the nature in their backyard.
The only things stopping me are how expensive permits are, honestly, and the regulations on where food can be grown. I’m just saying, if we start growing food wild the government is going to have a real bad time trying to tell people they can’t eat it.
Heaven forbid folks don’t go hungry.
from the pen of icarus blake 
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