Blackberry Moon (August) RegenMidwest, Milwaukee and Friends, Lake Michigan
July and August yielded to me some vacation time in and near Lake Michigan, including tubing on the Muskegon River and biking around Mackinaw Island.
I was able to meet with students in the UW-Milwaukee Buildings-Landscapes-Cultures field school to talk about permaculture principles for storytelling and ethnography as they began their projects of interviewing stewards of community gardens throughout Milwaukee. It was a delight to learn with them and to see how they synthesized (composted? alchemized?) the stories into useful resources the garden stewards can now use to encourage neighbors to use the green spaces for gardening, rest, celebration and more. Here is part of their final project: bit.ly/45mgx8l
I attended the DeGrowth Institute's DeSchool and am still digesting idea nutrients from that meet-up. Some yielded ideas included reframing permaculture as engineering in right relationship, designing spaces with local materials harvested regeneratively. I provoked an engineer to consider that instead of relying on lithium batteries for our bike programs, for example, how can we fuel transit with sunlight, water, algae? Permaculture is engineering without relying on inputs from non-consenting Global South bioregions; "critical minerals, to whom?" provoked the keynote speaker. We were reminded that mined elements like lithium are often extracted in ways which leave polluted watersheds and other collateral damage to some anonymized other from elsewhere, rather than humans and animal life being driven extinct locally by those practices. We toured The Plant-Chicago which is designed for harvesting from the waste streams of food waste, construction materials and more. The host a monthly Mercado de intercambio/gear swap. The Plant was a meat packing plant complex featured in Upton Sinclair’s book “The Jungle” describing awful conditions which led to reforms and regulations of food production.
Departures
In the departures section, I share regional field schools/trips which might be of interest, some of which may charge a fee.
Extension Milwaukee County is partnering with NRCS to stand up the country's first urban USDA demonstration farm network and will be offering some exciting workshops, field days, and farm tours to demonstrate what on-farm conservation looks like in an urban context.
Our bioregional neighbors in Great Lake Erie Southern Shore are hosting permaculture and other events this fall:
https://www.legacyproject.org/GLESS.pdf
I'm cooking up some sort of Amtrak trip from Chicago/Milwaukee to Detroit Lakes/White Earth Nation in Minnesota to meet Winona LaDuke and tour the hemp operation with Milwaukee radio personality Carole Hale. Maybe early spring? If this appeals to you, make yourself known to me so we can co-conspire outcomes. RegenerateMKE @ g m ail . com
Arrivals
In the arrivals section, I share opportunities for outings based in Milwaukee
August 24; Somos Agua-We Are Water-Mni Wiconi eco art event at McKinley Park in Milwaukee:
The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, my sister Jennifer Lemke, and I are co-hosting an easy roll walk & talk just prior to the festivities at McKinley Park. Also Free. Follow this link to RSVP:
https://lwvmilwaukee.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=152606&item_id=2694064
There will be another regenerative stories easy roll, walk & talk September 28 during/prior to Sturgeonfest/HarborFest; we're working on the details.
October 16-19 will feature Regenerate MKE water and forest walks to hear stories about what's going right in our Milwaukee Rivershed/BioRegion. One of the places I'm planning to roll/walk/talk in is Lynden Hill Park, and here are some links to whet your appetite about this Urban Tree House:
http://www.neighborhoodsinmilwaukee.org/Midtown.pdf
https://www.wuwm.com/2023-10-10/milwaukee-lands-12-million-to-boost-urban-forest
https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccCouncil/2010PDF/04National_Public_Lands_Day.pdf
Staying Put:
In the staying put section I'm sharing things you can do from the comfort of your tech device.
Weekly Monday Writing Group/Study Hall/Office Hours: I'm co-hosting a writing group via zoom on Monday mornings. Let me know if you're interested. RegenerateMKE @ g m ail . com
Monthly "Indoor Recess" Deep Listening Practice/Play: During the 2020-21 timeframe I connected with awesome musicians who hosted a 30 minute zoom practice of deep listening in the style of Pauline Oliveros. We meet on Sunday afternoons via zoom once/month. Again, let me know if you're interested.
Sign up for CleanWisconsin's email updates about Enbridge Line 5 and more: https://www.cleanwisconsin.org/news/?org=825&lvl=100&ite=2737&lea=3291633&ctr=0&par=1&trk=
August 27, September 3: The Design School for Regenerating Earth Book Club is becoming more permeable--you do not have to join DSRE to access these book events (attend both, or whatever works for your schedule). Join me for two discussions with author Elyes Mkacher about his new book Decolonize Imagination for Planetary Regeneration: Unlearning Colonial Myths, Rewilding the Mind, and Seeding Radical Futures of Reciprocity. The pdf can be found here:https://media2-production.mightynetworks.com/asset/31143d56-7e1f-453d-9005-1c61a538bb99/Decolonize_Imagination_-_Elyes_M_-_2025.pdf#_gl=1*1a10rd1*_ga*MTUwNzQ1OTMxNy4xNzIxMDQzOTMx*_ga_T49FMYQ9FZ*MTc0NTY1OTIwNy4yMTIzLjEuMTc0NTY1OTgxMS4wLjAuMA..*_ga_NEGJ2SXNP7*MTc0NTY1OTIwNy4zNzk3LjEuMTc0NTY1OTgxMS42LjAuMA
Read up on what's going on with bioregional finance: https://www.biofi.earth/ An explanation of how to flow financing bio-regionally, getting resources into boots on the ground/hands in the soil projects which are actually regenerating our communities.
The networks and relationships are especially important to have been curated/mapped out ahead of time which organizations are truly relational and community centered, so that when disaster happens neighborhood-level groups are already activated pro-actively, to check on neighbors, to evacuate, rescue, recover as needed. Work out consent mechanisms so people can opt in.
Something I'm witnessing regarding storytelling about the flooding events in Milwaukee is that locally we are keeping the people who lost their homes in their humanity; they aren't dehumanized as others have been. They are our neighbors, and it's possible traditional flooding insurance supports or payments may not be forthcoming. I'm witnessing stories about mutual aid, neighbors helping pump out basements and rescue evacuees. I'm curious how the coming month will play out with supports locally.
I know a person who has lost their home in this event. I also know multiple people who are facing eviction due to loss of income in recent months. Big changes are underway, let's hold each other through these times. Check on your loved ones.
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