Opportunity Details
TeamWorks: Life After Zombies! Sustainable Living in a Post-Disaster World (18+)
Imagine a world where the Zombies have been defeated and we are still alive... Let’s celebrate! But before we get too excited, there are a few details we’ll have to figure out living in a post-disaster world... How will we survive without all the infrastructure and systems of modern society? Where will we get our food and water, our energy? How will we transport ourselves? What will we do with our waste? Do we have the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to rebuild our community? Is it possible to create a community that is vastly different from the one we were once a part of? What does your vision for this new community and world look like?
Prospects of an impending Zombie Apocalypse (or any other disaster that might uproot the structures of our current society) provide us with a lens and give us an opportunity to recreate a more resilient and sustainable community and world. In this TeamWorks we'll explore people, places, things and skills that aid in the creation of a more resilient community and sustainable world. The goal is to build awareness and skills that better prepare us to co-create sufficient and efficient communities and live more sustainably. Gain a better sense of resourcefulness. Discover valuable local resources. Share your talents.
With Urban Gleaners we will collect edible, surplus food that will get redistributed to agencies that feed the hungry and think about life without large scale food systems such as grocery stores. At the Rebuilding Center, of Our United Villages, we will learn about the importance of deconstructing old buildings and reusing materials such as wood, hardware and furniture which would become more valuable in a post Zombie Apocalypse world. We'll meet with folks involved with Engineers Without Borders and learn about their community-driven development programs that design and implement sustainable engineering projects such as water storage and filtration, and think about how we might need to implement similar projects locally.
During our group skillshare, we'll share skills, that we either have or want to learn, that we deem crucial for a life after Zombies such as composting, solar cooking, knitting, bike mechanics, etc. At the Community Cycling Center we'll clean bikes for distribution to the community and talk about our transportation options post Zombies. The Learning Gardens Laboratory will help us learn about how to feed ourselves and our communities with locally grown produce - likely the most important system we'll need to rethink in a world without large-scale agriculture. And during our final project at ADX, we'll take part in Makin’ It with Destination DIY, a fun, crafty event in partnership with SCRAP which will help us critically think about our waste stream, the need to creatively reuse materials we have and how to work with the community to do so.
Please note: All TeamWorks members are asked to pay an administrative fee of $10 at the first project to confirm your participation on the team and help keep the TeamWorks program running. Scholarships are available upon request.
What is TeamWorks? TeamWorks teams consist of approximately 10-15 individuals, led by a Hands On trained volunteer leader, who commit to volunteering for every project in the series, so please carefully check the schedule below before signing up! Signing up for the FIRST session will sign you up for the entire TeamWorks. If you know in advance you'd have to miss one of the projects, let us know and you might still be eligible to join the team. Questions can be directed to Catherine Moore, TeamWorks Leader, by using the "Email Opportunity Leader" link in the grey box at the end of the page.
Team Schedule:
Session 1: Urban Gleaners at PSU Farmers Market /Group Get-to-Know-You
Saturday August 3rd, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Dowtown Portland
We’ll meet at the Urban Plaza on Portland State University’s Campus and get to know our team! After introductions, we’ll walk together to meet folks with the Urban Gleaners who will explain how they glean the market and coordinate amongst all the volunteers. There will be a fair amount of walking around the market and the potential for some heavy lifting (some of the bags of produce get up to 30 lbs). You may want to wear close-toed shoes, bring a water bottle and possibly a snack, although we’ll be at the PSU Farmers and there is plenty of delicious food there.
Session 2: Salvage Building Materials at the Rebuilding Center
Tuesday August 6th, 5:45pm-8:15pm, N Portland
Salvage is the name of the game at the Rebuilding Center, where we will help remove nails from timber from the deconstruction of old buildings. As we learn how to reuse old building supplies, we’ll be helping Our United Villages (the organization funded by the Rebuilding Center) to continue it’s work building community in Portland. Wear closed-toed shoes (work boots are great) and your grungiest old clothes. Plan on getting dirty.
Session 3: Team Skill Share!
Tuesday, August 13th, 6:00pm-8:30pm, SE
What skill do you know that is going to help you survive in a post zombie world? What would you like to learn? In this session we will meet in Colonel Sumners Park for a potluck picnic dinner and share skills that we have that will form the common knowledge base that we’ll use to rebuild the city when formal education systems will probably be down for the count.
Session 4: Urban Gleaners at the Market / Info session with Engineers Without Borders
Saturday, August 17th, 1:00pm-4:30pm, Downtown Portland
We’ll volunteer with the Urban Gleaners once more - we’ll be pros this time around! After our volunteer shift we’ll meet with someone from Engineers Without Borders who will tell us about local initiatives as well as work they're doing abroad in places like Nicaragua. Could it be that people living in less developed countries could be more adaptable to life after a disaster? We’ll learn about water and energy projects that EWB is doing and how we might support these initiatives.
Session 5: Clean Bikes for Kids at the Community Cycling Center
Tuesday, August 20th, 6:45-9:30pm, NE Portland
With no mechanical experience required, we'll get the chance to help the Community Cycling Center tear down and clean donated bikes before they are transformed into "new" bikes for kids. We’ll also hear a little bit about why bikes are going to be the transportation method of choice in a post-Zombie world.
Session 6: Food Security at Learning Gardens Laboratory
Thursday, August 22nd, 6:00pm-8:00pm, SE
Without grocery stores and large scale agriculture, would you know how to sustain yourself? Our friends at the Learning Garden Laboratory will help us learn about food security in our communities. We may be weeding, planting, harvesting or doing other garden-related tasks. Close toed shoes are encouraged as well as water bottles. Tools and gloves will be provided by the LGL staff.
Session 7: Destination DIY with ADX and SCRAP
Wednesday, August 28th, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, SE Portland
“Building a Community of Thinkers and Makers”, ADX is a wood and metal shop providing space and classes for folks to come in and learn how to make things! We’ll join them for Destination DIY, a fun night of creative reuse, as we puzzle out what we can make with things left after disaster strikes. Note: there is a suggested donation of $3-5 dollars to participate, but there is also free beer and pizza!
Project Requirements:
-
Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older to attend this project.
Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot on the team! Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.
Age Minimum (with Adult): 18+, Minimum Age:18+
Log in or Register
In order to register for this opportunity you must log in to an existing account or register to create a new account.
Sign up with a team
This link allows you to participate in this opportunity with a team. A team can be a family team, corporate team, or any kind of organized group. When you click on the link you will have the option to:
- Choose an existing team you're already a member or captain of, or
- Create a new team to sign up.
Signup Questions
Please respond to the following questions in order to signup for this opportunity:
FOLLOW US!