Dandelion Communitea Cafe

Art by Marabou * On Sale at Dandelion in March

Life is a journey, and being the ringleader of Dandelion has definitely been that. Chris & I started the cafe with big plans and dreams, not just for us, but for our entire community. So we’re dreamers, but we’re not the only ones – many of you have conspired, inspired and moved into action, and so many initiatives (Slow Food, OurLando, The Daily City, ELLA Music Festival, Audubon Park Community Market…to name a few) have taken hold to make our community more connected, fun, enlightened and informed. Orlando is the kind of place you are proud to call home. The kind of place you want to put down roots and make better for the next generation.

We started with an idea to bring people together around the table because we knew it was vital to fix our broken food system, like this guy explains so well. There’s a lot of momentum locally and nationally to start that process, thanks to good people like you who support philosophies like Sole Food and Slow Money. Even though our hopes and dreams have brought us to this place, it’s time to wake up.

The Spring Equinox marks our 4th birthday (you’re invited, of course) and we’ve committed the next four years to digging deeper into the reach America’s appetite for fuel (the kind we eat & drink + coal & crude oil) has on people & planet. Many people think the film Avatar is a fantasy, but billions of people in communities around our globe continue to be exploited, displaced and destroyed while their land is razed, their dignity & ability to sustain themselves stripped and entire cultures with rich histories and unique knowledge perish.

It’s happening right here in the United States to the people of West Virginia and Florida farmworkers. It’s happening to the people of the Amazon. We’re watching in horror to the last gasps of it in Haiti right now. As we take in environmental refugees from this long exploited people and land, I hope it serves as an urgent reminder that vibrant local economies and preservation of natural resources, including a strong regional food network are paramount to the security and, thus, sustainability, of life. If this earthquake were to have occurred in a Haiti that had not been deforested to the point of desertification, this would have been a disaster, but not one complicated by massive mudslides or non-existent access to food.

I don’t want to bum you out, and promise to continue to educate you by lifting the veils of illusion one by one in unique, artistic ways. Our featured artist in March shares his deep understanding of these issues so beautifully, you won’t even realize you are being schooled. We’ll continue to strengthen our own community and connection to food with lots of live music, poetry and opportunities to meetup while planting seeds for our garden & yours.

Thanks for being on this journey with us. It’s been up and down for everyone the last four years, and the next four are probably going to be about the same, but we’ve now had some practice at how we respond and how to prioritize when the going gets tough. We enter the next four years a bit wiser, with resilience and more appreciation for taking delight in simple pleasures because we are more empowered with each passing day to be the change we wish to see. After all, it’s become quiet obvious that WE are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Filed under: Event - Dandy, Update