<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">I think we have to try to stay focused on a solution and what it is we want to provide at the conference. Having tickets or not is a logistical question.<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Nobody said that gardeners are thieves and unruly, and I am so sorry if what I typed below inspired that thinking. I was not behind the scenes at past door prize tables, so I can’t speak to what Ellen meant by it bringing out ’the worst’ in people. I don’t think she meant gardeners, but was referring to the whole thing - planning it, procuring prizes, staffing it, and distributing prizes to attendees equitably. At the meeting we had at Whitney Young when she talked about it, my understanding was the biggest reason is that it was not sustainable. That decision has been made, and we have to move forward. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Feb 19, 2020, at 8:32 AM, Mamie Gray <<a href="mailto:mamiegray2012@gmail.com" class="">mamiegray2012@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div dir="auto" class="">Even though some of you appear to be hell bent on shelving the use of tickets, the bottom line is that CCGA has no obligation to explain their decisions to me. Yet I have heard any number of reasons including that (some?) gardeners are thieves and unruly. This particular reason is beyond the pale. I am finding it harder and harder to understand the true/real reason. Although sustainability comes close as more than reasonable, why is it necessary to exclude the use of tickets? Mamie</div></div></div><div class=""><div class=""><br class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Feb 19, 2020 at 12:03 AM Mamie Gray <<a href="mailto:mamiegray2012@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="">mamiegray2012@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br class=""></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class=""><div dir="auto" class="">BTW was there any negative comments in the surveys regarding door prizes? Mamie</div></div><div class=""><br class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 11:28 PM Mamie Gray <<a href="mailto:mamiegray2012@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="">mamiegray2012@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br class=""></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class=""><div dir="auto" class="">Hello Amy! As I indicated at a Resources meeting in January, the following were considerEd key to the conference: workshops, catering, door prizes, and networking. Simply organizing the “exchange” should not undermine or distract from the goal for sustainability. Because I have not participated in any of the previous door prizes, I am not aware that it brought out the worse in attendees. I only saw many people looking quite happy. So, other than the concern expressed about the children, I am really surprise to hear of any Black Friday-type of behavior. It is truly news to me. I see no need to spend money or ask businesses for donations if you are getting good feedback back from gardeners willing to bring an item or two (clean out my garage?). What exactly is problem other than the claim that some people were obnoxious. Maybe a selection of simple, humble ware will encourage them to be more civil and sustainable. Mamie</div></div><div class=""><br class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 10:57 PM Amy Olson <<a href="mailto:akeo@me.com" target="_blank" class="">akeo@me.com</a>> wrote:<br class=""></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div style="word-wrap:break-word;line-break:after-white-space" class="">Hi Mamie, <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I’m sorry this conversation became so difficult at the meeting. Speaking for myself, thanks for your email. It helps me understand a little better your perspective.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">When you say you’ve received emails about the past door prize events being fun - are you referring to emails from conference attendees?</div><div class="">Did they also say that they enjoyed other aspects of the conference, or just the door prizes?</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Because from ‘behind the scenes,’ people from the resources team, like Pat and Ellen, described how this idea of ‘prizes’ really brought out the worst in people.</div><div class="">Negotiating the purchase of the tools, soliciting donations, then monitoring attendees so people would not steal stuff.. this is what Pat and Ellen have described. </div><div class="">CCGA should not feel obligated to provide door prizes for conference attendees for eternity.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">So, I think that is why Angela and Cordia proposed the idea of a swap. A swap is about gardeners bringing things that they no longer use, or extra plants, etc. and exchanging them for something else. Or not! Perhaps they just want to donate something. It’s about giving and receiving. Not just taking. Cordia and Angela - please share your thoughts!</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The energy behind this idea was not to ‘get out of’ doing any of the work involved in a door prize/raffle. It’s to foster a more sustainable conference. To eliminate the need to solicit donations from companies for more ‘stuff.’ The Resources team already gives so much away on behalf of CCGA. They are giving tools away on March 7, in fact. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">My own opinion is that we don’t need to give door prizes away at the conference. I don’t think the majority of the attendees come to the conference to get a door prize. I think they attend for the workshops and also to meet with other gardeners. Ok, maybe they also love the seed table. But it was never all about the swag, that was just extra.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Putting my own opinion aside, I want what’s best for the conference, and what’s best for CCGA. We can figure this out:</div><div class=""><ul class=""><li class="">If we want to continue with giving away door prizes, we can conduct that as the Resources Team did, and allocate money to purchase new things, and ask for donations from companies. </li><li class="">If we want to host a swap on behalf of the gardeners who attend, we will not promote it as any sort of ‘door prize’ event at all. It would be a sharing event. We have to think of it as the opposite of a door prize. Think of reuse, sustainability, giving, repurposing…reducing stuff.</li></ul><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Hope this helps in some way,</div></div><div class="">Amy</div></div><div style="word-wrap:break-word;line-break:after-white-space" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(84,84,84);font-variant-ligatures:normal;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);height:20px" class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Feb 18, 2020, at 10:13 PM, Mamie Gray <<a href="mailto:mamiegray2012@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="">mamiegray2012@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class=""><div class=""><div style="font-family:AvenirNext-Regular;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none" class=""><div dir="auto" class="">Hello! I do not think that an honor code/system is appropriate for donated garden prizes. Yes, placing all items on a table would require minimum effort. I was under the impression that garden-type, related prizes would substitute for door prizes as done in the past. The emails that I have received on this subject are about how much “fun” it is to participate in the door prize event. If CCGA just don’t want to do the work required for a drawing, I will volunteer. Please advise. Mamie</div></div><div style="font-family:AvenirNext-Regular;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none" class=""><br class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 9:49 AM Lorraine Kells via Resources <<a href="mailto:resources@chicagocommunitygardens.org" target="_blank" class="">resources@chicagocommunitygardens.org</a>> wrote:<br class=""></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr" class="">Hello,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I'm submitting wording for FB and the website about the swap table, and would like to present this at the meeting tonight. We can add info@ccga for questions, comments.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">As Julie suggested no tickets are necessary, just a volunteer or two at the table which would best be among the vendor/exhibitor tables. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" class=""><b class="">CCGA steps into the ‘sharing economy’ with a Garden Goods Swap</b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" class="">Consumption trends are changing, and "gift exchange" – sharing items – is a way to live more economically. We think gardeners are experts at thrift exchange rather than trashing what they may no longer use. We know that in nature there is no concept of waste, simply something in the wrong place.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" class="">Bring your gently used, clean, garden related item – whether a pair of gloves, a hand tool, a rake or shovel, gardening book or unused journal, a small plaque, a potted herb, a clay pot – anything you’d like to swap at our conference. We’ll have a table set up for this garden goods swap. Anyone who brings something can take something in exchange. Swap as often as you see something put on the table, but always leave something. It's best to bring an item that can be carried easily, no lawnmowers or compost bins at the table. When you choose an item it must be taken from the table, our volunteers cannot hold items for you. </div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" class="">All items left at the end of the conference will be given to a charitable donation organizatio. Anything that is recyclable will be recycled. </div></div></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div>--<span class=""> </span><br class="">Resources mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:Resources@chicagocommunitygardens.org" target="_blank" class="">Resources@chicagocommunitygardens.org</a><br class=""><a href="http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/mailman/listinfo/resources_chicagocommunitygardens.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank" class="">http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/mailman/listinfo/resources_chicagocommunitygardens.org</a></blockquote></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></div></blockquote></div></div>
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