Groundwork Blog

One of the most exciting and inspiring parts of being a seed grower is the understanding that our food and seed crops aren’t static relics of the past, and instead, living ecosystems that are constantly evolving and adapting to place. Therefore, the work of the seed grower isn’t only the maintenance of varieties from our past but as a co-evolutionary partner in the varieties of the future. For the past summers on our educational farm in Paonia, Colorado, we have been plagued by infestations of […]

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This new section of our newsletter (and blog!) will include the books, podcasts, and people that keep us inspired to continue our environmental work in the face of all the challenges facing our world. We see burnout, overwhelm, and hopelessness as some of the largest obstacles to climate and ecological action, so this is where we share tools to maintain a sense of stability in rough seas. Hooray! This month: an incredible interview with Christiana Figueres, one of the guiding figures for the UN’s work […]

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These seeds defied USSR government control to travel to the United States in the late 1980’s! One of our seed steward mentors, Bill McDorman, was visiting an agricultural research station in Siberia on a trip to find seeds that might grow well in the harsh conditions mountain west. He asked whether he could take samples of the seeds back to the US to grow and distribute, but the research director told him he would need permission from the Kremlin. As he was leaving, one of […]

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The beautiful Painted Mountain corn is a metaphor for our times, blending together different seeds to create something new and beautiful. Painted Mountain was bred by Dave Christensen in Montana over 20 years ago. He crossed a huge variety of native corns together, selecting traits that led to a short season, drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant corn variety. Typically, when heritage varieties of corn leave indigenous hands, the variety is re-named something generic, severing the ties between the seeds and their cultural stories and histories. All corn […]

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My family and I have now been in the United States for exactly two weeks. It took nearly all that time to completely get over jet lag. Some say it takes the body one day for every hour traveled to fully recover. I believe it. The past 14 days have felt like swimming through delirious dreams, like awkwardly waltzing within bardos. But today, for the first time since landing in Los Angeles, I feel finally as though I am fully here. Mind, body and spirit […]

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I applied to this fellowship because… I was desperate for a change. Prior to this experience I was living in ways that didn’t align with my vision of the future. It was unsustainable, so finding a program that explored ways of living firmly based on the land seemed like the opportunity I was waiting for. I have wanted to learn ways of being that are based on harmony and reverence for the place we call home. To get a chance to do exactly that while […]

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I applied for this fellowship because I am interested in approaching sustainable food systems from a different perspective. I have previously worked on organic farms and researched the social and environmental aspects of sustainable and organic agriculture. This fellowship posed an exciting opportunity to learn about the issues facing our food system, and world, from a community perspective. I have always loved food and cooking, and growing up with an awareness of climate change led me to focus on the environmental impacts of our food […]

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I applied for this fellowship because… I applied to this fellowship because I was drawn to the core values and mission of the organization, mainly those around divestment from capitalistic systems and returning to a land based lifestyle. I am interested in being a part of an intentional community space focused on exploring this lifestyle and learning together/from each other. I am also interested in learning more about food systems/production/sovereignty. Some life experiences that brought me to the point where I am are… Oh gosh! […]

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We’re excited to share a short video talking with participants on our Human & Natural Ecologies of Colorado courses on the Grand Mesa in Western Colorado. Participants built their connection with the landscapes of Colorado, from the high alpine down into the aspen groves, scrub oaks, and piñon/juniper forests. Leaving the course, participants walked away with knowledge of wild edible plants, wild edible mushrooms and how to go mushroom hunting, knowledge of ecosystems to help in their foraging, and knowledge of landscape-scale human interactions in […]

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Shannon first introduced me to the adage that “a river flows between banks” many years ago. She was describing the need for a clear container in transformational education experiences. But the adage extends beyond the watershed of education and into other streams of creativity, community, and culture. The constant current of a river requires clear banks. Many systems and processes likewise benefit from such boundaries. Creative writing requires a form and an intention. Music generally finds its aesthetic in the structures of rhythm and scales. […]

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