The Power of Sharing Food - Workshop

"The Power of Sharing Food" Was presented at the Beehive by Sara and LT yesterday as part of a series of workshops by the Vancouver Collective House Network (VCHN). Sara also helped present a workshop on how to live Collectively, earlier that day at Cherry Tree Fort!

Highlights- Passing around dried apple & pear to share with the person beside you. Sara's rockin "Halva shortbread" cookies! Juicy discussions on how to provide more collective residences and extending the advocacy role of the VCHN.

We love sharing food so much, we like to share the systems and practices that work for us at the Beehive! We think eating together is the foundation of our strong community of six (and guests!). Having a meal together lets us hear about each others days - highlights, tough times, and learn about new different worlds. This probably feeds compassion towards eachother as internal conflicts are quite rare.

Sharing the cost of food also helps us buy Organic and local food for much less than if we purchased individually. We estimate $550 per month for the 6 of us for food per month.

And Waste is also way down because our food comes with Very little packaging. Now that we have started composting cat manure, we only have to put out our garbage every 4th week and even then it is less than half full:) On the path to Zero-Waste Baby!

Groups decide how they would like to share food.

Sharing dried pears - my favourite!

Hivers share collective living inspiration south of the border

Exciting things underway in Bellingham, Washington as they are forming a Network of their Collective Houses (known as Co-op Houses in the US).

Jeff from Sushi Tribe requested that someone from the Vancouver Collective House Network present about what we've done in Vancouver to build our network. El T and rSara took up the challenge and rode bikes to Bellingham one fine February day. Once on the road we certainly did not need our jackets in the warm sunshine.

We left at 10:15am and arrived at our destination at 4:45pm, after a skytrain ride, a bus, and a 50+km bike ride along country roads and river trails. What a way to go!

Once in Bellingham, Jeff gave us a tour of the Sushi Tribe House. Then about 50 people joined us from at least 10 different houses, and we gave a brief presentation about the VCHN: on the history, what are current roles are within the Network, projects that have brought us together, and why we continue to be inspired to spread the skills and inspiration of Collective Living!

Potluck dinner followed, with much local home made food and a long line up to get some, but with plenty enough deliciousness to go around, and for all to eat their fill.

Excited to see what Bellingham comes up with, and have no doubt the inspiration will continue to spread! Yay for collective living.

ONWARD! South to the border

bus to WhiteRock with bikes leading the way

bikes skip the 2 hour border wait

sun & sea south on the coast

fording streams

closer to Mount Baker

path along the Nooksack River

very narrow trail, without clear signs that other bikes use it. eee

muddy single-track

El T stops for a snack

Doug our guide, knowledgeable about erosion, birds, bikes and bike routes. We picked him up along the way and he escorted us on the back routes into Bellingham. Thanks Doug!

We Made It! El T and Jeff outside Sushi Tribe. They run a seriously inspiring Alternative Library, with neon sign and all. This is in addition to a collective house with 15+ people living together.

One of the two rooms of the Alternative Library

Into the foggy night to catch the Train home after a resplendent and nourishing community potluck. We have a tired meeting planning workshops on the train, and bicycle home (checking the dumpsters along the way of course!) and fall into bed by 11:30pm.