By Dianne Miranda

If I were to be completely honest, it took me a while to adjust to the library’s values. There was much reflecting that needed to happen to try to truly understand how I needed to deconstruct old ideas of what it means to be a part of grassroots not-for-profit movements and reimagine new ways of being and doing.

In the past, I have been prone to burnout and even physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion because of my want to continuously be a part of the change that is happening around me. In some way, my actions within some of the groups I was a part of were driven by the idea that I do not deserve rest if I have not accomplished the goals I have set out. Social change and activism used to be the definition of what seemed and felt like a one-sided relationship where my commitment equated to the sacrifice of my health causing serious implications.

During my time at the seed library through my practicum made possible by Joe Kadi’s GSXS 405 class at the University of Calgary, the biggest feeling that stuck with me is that being a part of this group, one could really feel that everything they do is rooted in such a deep love, respect, and trust for one another and their want to really be connected in the community.

I thought about my second interaction with my supervisor, Julie at the first seed pod I had attended. Julie brought me green tomatoes she had grown in her garden. When the tomatoes ripened, my father cooked a Filipino dish called sarciado. It brought back memories back in the Philippines where if you needed something, you could knock on your neighbour’s door and they would pick up the freshest vegetable in their garden or grab you eggs from their hen.

In a conversation one night working towards our project to formalize the seed library’s values, policies and procedures, I felt so moved and in a way, transformed with a new hope for the future—as I can only now describe as healing and life-changing. I have never really given myself the time or space to be as imaginative as I was that night in terms of imagining what, for instance, future communities would look like and how we want to show up as authentically as possible in the world.

My time and experience at the library has been one that is incredibly positive, and transformative. Our world is one that is incredibly capitalistic; there are often certain expectations of productivity and our structures are hierarchical. I used to think that self-compassion was a hindrance to productivity and thus was selfish especially when juxtaposed with societal standards of success and achievement. My previous definition of remaining committed was having the desire to work every hour, every minute, and every second of my day.

Spending some time with the seed library has made me reflect and realize that the opposite of my past conceptions about what it means to be a part of social change movements is possible, and the seed library is very much the embodiment of this as reality.

The Calgary Seed Library embodies a true essence of being created and sustained by the community, for the community. The seed library is so committed to building a community that it shines through with all the work they do—this shared hope and dreams of the community and the seed library’s vision to make this happen is at the heart of the group.

The seed library’s values and policies can be seen clearly by being simply in the presence of the group because it is so fundamentally different. I truly hope people can experience even a taste of how they work since it is so healing. They work in such ways that are unlike other social groups and movements I have been a part of. There is a very conscious and deliberate acknowledgement of the need to be and do in an inclusive, intergenerational, non-capitalistic, and regenerative framework all while trying to reconnect with the land and honour it as an ancestor.

Pandemic project: Calgary gardeners set up seed library.

Early in July 2021 Global news featured our little library! Read it in the link below

The seed library is featured on Seeds of Diversity a group of seed savers from all over Canada. They are an amazing organization who protects Canada’s seed biodiversity through collecting and sharing seeds from coast to coast. Check out their blog post that features us and their website below.