Three XRPDX scientists had the honor and pleasure to meet author Robin Wall Kimmerer and two of her staff colleagues for over an hour in the Paramount lounge on March 24. Kimmerer has launched a new initiative called Plant Baby Plant (PBP) to “Raise a Garden and Raise a Ruckus” and so was keen to hear about XRPDX’s direct action work on the rail tracks of the Zenith facility! Ann Siqveland, the local PBP staffer, said, “We enjoyed the generative conversation and you left us full of many ideas that we will continue to ruminate on! We look forward to staying connected as we think about ways to turn those ideas into action.”
The same day, XRPDX braved the wind and rain at UP’s Student-Led Unity Garden (SLUG) for Portland’s first-ever PBP “Bloom” event, where Robin spoke and mingled with the attendees and tabling organizations, including Native Blooms and the Wapato Table UnSchool. Activities included gardening work, giving away free plants, painting pots, and book signing.
March 25 was the main event. Robin spoke to an overflow crowd of several hundred at the UP Buckley Center. Her talk was beautiful and inspiring, focusing on stories from “Braiding Sweetgrass”, and the importance of combating Indigenous erasure and practicing reciprocity in all our interactions with our more-than-human kin. If you haven’t yet read “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World,” we highly recommend it. And then join our well-being economy team to help bring these ideas to life!
