For those of you in urban and suburban settings in the USA - I just wanted to point out a new social media platform called "
Nextdoor". I've been using Nextdoor since June 2013 in my 'hood and have seen a surprising amount of community being built. Some things that have happened in the last 5 months thanks to Nextdoor:
--a small neighborhood economy has been thriving with people selling backyard produce, eggs and skills
--skill sharing - people posting that they need help with something and neighbors offering to help
--a home for previously homeless vets in the 'hood is getting way more donations and
volunteer help because the 'hood now knows what they need
--a neighborhood-wide cleanup was organized and was a huge success. We filled two large roll-away dumpsters to overflowing.
--I posted about a small grant I got to do a
water harvesting
project. The interest was so intense that I arranged for a free 90 minute water harvesting presentation to be held in my neighborhood. So far over 40 people have signed up. Several of them will be coming to the hands-on
workshop the following Saturday. I plan to have a sign-up sheet for a free tour of my place at the water harvesting talk to pique interest in desert
permaculture. I’ve already had people ask me to put them on my email list (and I don’t even have one yet!) I’ve also had people literally beg me to teach a
gardening class. I’m in the process of working on that – so a possible new income stream is headed my way!
Right now, if you are invited to start a Nextdoor Neighborhood through a special link, both you and the person that referred you get a $50 Amazon Gift Card if you start a Nextdoor Neighborhood. I recommended a couple of folks before when they were giving away $50 Starbucks cards – I then turned around and used those cards to supply all the coffee for the Neighborhood Cleanup. It was pretty awesome.
If you're interested in starting a Nextdoor Neighborhood and don’t know anyone in your area who can invite you with the Amazon link,
PM me with your email address and I’ll invite you. I’m building out materials on desert
permaculture and
gardening to lend to my ‘hood. Having said that – know that I am a big fan of keeping it
LOCAL – so check to see if someone you know belongs to Nextdoor and ask them to invite you through the Amazon link (
the only way you get the gift card).
Nextdoor is FREE and it's easy. And it has the capacity to build an amazing amount of community. My neighborhood is really enjoying it. Just today, a quiet neighbor reached out and asked if someone would like to join her for evening bike rides. Another neighbor found a replacement door for his historic home. And I agreed to chicken-sit a brood of rambunctious young girls!
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