One Civic Act

The Buy Nothing Somerville community has grown in leaps and bounds to over 3,000 members. Most Buy Nothing communities limit membership after they reach about 1,000 members, so we’re in uncharted territory here. It’s clear that the growth is putting some strain on one of our missions, which is to use the site to build community. Some un-neighborly behaviors are popping up more often. Today, I drafted a note to remind members of our community-building mission. I know it’ll be well received by most of the membership, but I can only hope that it’s seen and absorbed by all.

Today, I had one more shift as a herring monitor for the Mystic River Watershed Association . I spotted no fish heading up the ladder; it’s near the end of the season, so I’ll have only one more shift after this one.

Today, I attended a fundraiser for Family Reach , an organization that provides necessary financial support for the families of children going through cancer diagnosis and treatment.

There’s a presidential election in 17 months, so campaigning is in full force. Indeed, there are a remarkable 24 candidates for the Democratic party nomination. Today, I attended a watch party, hosted by Cambridge Area Stronger Together, for tonight’s debate, with 10 candidates taking party. (Ten others debated last night.) Not much will be accomplished so early, of course, and sure feels like the circus is in town.

Today, I became a member of the Somerville Media Center . The organization used to be known as the operator of the city’s community access television. But it has more recently taken a more active role in partnering with community organizations and promoting journalism in the city.

Today, I listened to another webinar, this time to get updates on the process of updating the international building code with more “pro-efficiency” requirements. This is a process that will culminate in engagement with city officials this fall.

Today, I hosted a webinar to help get the word out about the Least Developed Countries Fund initiative in Massachusetts. I made some introductions and helped to facilitate the whole talk. We had some initial audio problems but worked things out fairly smoothly. And I’m planning some follow-up work in the next few days.