What is the "Sustainability Collective"?

   In September of 2022, students from Southern Oregon University and the Ashland public gathered for a "craftivism" event in which we created "dream board" collages, envisioning the world we want to create. From that point forward, weekly roundtables were held which brought in community organizations to teach, guide crafting activities, connect and gather volunteers, and dream together. We had no idea how big this group would become and how it would impact the community until professors reached out, wanting to bring in classes, Ashland city council members joined meetings, and an art and activism magazine was created—highlighting art from Collective members, community events and resources, and motivational writings.

      Going into the summer, we realized that an important part of our advocacy was bringing in people from all backgrounds and working to bridge understanding gaps between social groups, so we organized a weekly potluck which served houseless and housed community members alike and encouraged participation, music and art-making, and mutual aid networking among attendees. This potluck has been happening weekly for 2 years.

      To further infuse hope and multi-generational connection, we organized two huge events called the "Underground Fashion Revolution" (highlighting alternatives to fast fashion such as clothes swapping, clothing repair, and decorating clothes with one's own style), and the Kaleidoscope Karnival, which was also a crafting concert held in a church that was converted into a community art space. There were 4 bands, 2 DJs, and 6 different crafting spaces (mural painting, cyanotyping, wheatpasting, screenprinting, a jam zone, and a clothing swap/decorating space).

     The Sustainability Collective is a prime example of a decentralized organization that cultivates joy and hope through art, food, and music as well as provides mutual aid and learning opportunities for every community member. All events were free, designed to be safe, accessible, and inclusive, and volunteering was encouraged. Events began and ended with mindfulness exercises, and care was taken throughout to bring every member's voice to the table.

One of the most important things to come out of this Collective was the realization that this community, and all communities frankly, need a central gathering space where bureaucracy and fee-free events of all varieties can be held, where food can be grown, processed, and cooked for the community, where disaster resources and education can be held, where mutual aid resources can be shared, where multigenerational and multicultural wisdom can be shared, and where people may gather in times of crisis. We crafted a beautiful presentation that was shared with Southern Oregon University for an abandoned space on their property and attended city council meetings to encourage spending to go towards a space like this. While these avenues were ultimately unsuccessful, several Collective members are working with a local business that is closing down to potentially create a co-op that follows a similar model as the "Collective Commons" that we developed.

        This vision goes to show that there is ample interest within communities to create shared spaces to navigate the challenges ahead together. The skills, passion, and knowledge of every individual are vital in this revolution of reconnection to each other and the land. We realized through time that no single entity can be solely responsible for solving a single issue, that all issues are connected, and that we need not reinvent the wheel amongst many different organizations. If we have the physical space and consistent gatherings, people can come to the table where discussions of radical change can occur and issues such as climate change, racial injustice, disability, houselessness, mental health and addiction, pollution, food insecurity, and many more can be addressed with care and creativity.

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