a week of community spirit

This week my faith in community spirit has been restored. Just when I thought that the connection between people was lost and that we would never get into a situation where helping each other was second nature, I was put firmly back in my place.

Scunthorpe would never advitise itself as an eco town and I often thought that I must be alone in my struggle for a greener world but when I contacted somebody though freecycle about gardening equipment I not only found that they lived just around the corner but that they had set up a scunthorpe freecycle website/forum, www.regive.org.uk, check blogroll. This was just what I was looking for a way to get to know people in the area.

As well as this site I found out that there is another scunthorpe based ecomoney network which help people get access to the internet, they have also opened an internet cafe fitted out with recycled computers.

Ecomoney Systems Ltd was born in November 2004 to provide high quality affordable community currency management systems. Currently its form is a Social Enterprise.It was started after research into Timebanks and LETS systems showed there to be a strong need for an online currency management application. The growth of the internet in general and Social Networking in particular has made online systems possible - with a whole raft of further benefits.

We carried on the community spirit at home too, a neighbours sister is moving into the street so we lent them our old post van to move all their furnature, in return we are getting so free electrics done as our neighbour is an electritian, community and barter economy all in one day.

The last surprise came from the internet community, I had posted a question on a forum asking for tree onion suppliers, the first responce I got was an offer to not only help but to send me some through the post, thanks again ‘oneforthepot’. They will make a great adition to my perrenial veg patch, which is a bit small at the moment.

This week I had to get down off my soap box with my tail between my legs. I have all to often blamed my circumstances and my town for the lack of community and a seeming uninterest in the environment but it’s simply just not true. There are loads of people out there with the same ideas, I’ve just have never spoke to them, I have learned my lesson and will try and keep my ranting to a minimum in future.