7/6/12: Summer Really Really Free Market at the Congo Square Market

July 6, 2012, 4-8pm
Southside Community Center
305 S. Plain St, Ithaca, NY 14850
RSVP on Facebook

Ready to share? Come on down to the Congo Square Market to get some food, check out local vendors, and share with your neighbors! In the Share Tompkins Really Really Free Market area, everything is free!

Event partners include Southside Community Center, Ithaca Freeskool, Local First Ithaca, and Ithaca Hours.

How it works: There will be tables set up where you can drop off your stuff. All are welcome to take whatever they want on a first-come, first-serve basis. This is an opportunity to help one another meet our needs while reducing waste and helping the environment!

What to bring:
– Clothing
– Food
– Toys
– Books
– Household Items
– Plants
– Anything you want to share!

All left over items will be donated, but it will help the organizers tremendously if you plan to take home any items you bring that aren’t picked up by others.

About the Congo Square Market:
CONGO SQUARE is an actual place in new Orleans. This sacred ground was first used by Houma Native Americans and later by slaves in the region, as a place to enjoy one day of freedom. African people used this as a place to maintain a connection to their true status as free people of Africa. Native Americans, as well as Europeans often joined in the celebration. Music, abolitionist organization, food, and dance were all intertwined to make this one day a week festival. Today, we recreate our own version of this splendor at Southside Community Center. We welcome our WHOLE COMMUNITY to come enjoy food, music and culture. The Market is a collaboration between Southside Community Center, Ithaca Youth Bureau’s Paul Scheurs Memorial Program, TC Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Whole Community Project, and the Youth Farm Project.

About Really Really Free Markets from Wikipedia:
“The Really, Really Free Market (RRFM) movement is a horizontally-organized collective of individuals who form a temporary market based on an alternative gift economy.[1] The RRFM movement aims to counteract capitalism in a proactive way. It holds as a major goal to build a community based on sharing resources, caring for one another and improving the collective lives of all. Markets often vary in character, but they generally offer both goods and services. Participants bring unneeded items and food, as well as skills and talents such as entertainment or haircuts. A RRFM usually takes place in an open community space such as a public park or community commons. In practice these are not free markets at all, as heavy restrictions are placed on the trade of goods designed to prevent a practical medium of exchange from arising.”

12/18: 3rd Annual Craft Swap and Really Really Free Market

Sunday, December 18, 2011, 2-4pm
The Space @ Greenstar
700 W Buffalo Street, Ithaca, NY

Mark your calendars, get out your knitting needles, brush off your art sets! Bring arts, crafts, food, and anything to swap or give away. Tell your friends, tell your families, tell your former enemies!

To get involved or for more information, contact Danny Bowers at dannybowers@gmail.com.

More details coming soon…

RSVP on Facebook

Press: Share Tompkins in Tompkins Weekly Article about Economics of Happiness Screening

On April 27th, we were invited to speak about Share Tompkins as part of the panel discussion following the community screening of the film The Economics of Happiness.

The event was featured in an article by Eric Banford in the May 2-8 issue of Tompkins Weekly. You can read the full article on the Sustainable Tompkins site and here are some key excerpts:

Share Tompkins has been hosting monthly swaps and “Really, Really Free Markets” and co-founder Shira Golding said they
have received email from all over the U.S. and as far away as the UK,
asking how to start similar ventures…

Shira Golding and McKenzie Jones-Rounds of Share Tompkins talked about real life swap examples fostered through swap meets. Jones-Round swapped for a cello that wasn’t being used for a year of
guitar lessons. She shared that, “It’s not just about the stuff we keep out of the waste stream or save money on, it’s also about instilling in the kids in the community the value of who they are and what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves. It’s good to be someplace where people aren’t just willing to share their things, but they share themselves too. We are building a resilient, self-reliant, non-monetary based economy through this.”

Photos: Share Tompkins 2nd Annual Holiday Swap & Crafting Jamboree – Dec ’10

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Dec 18: Holiday Swap and Crafting Jamboree at Southside

Saturday, December 18, Noon-3pm
Southside Community Center
305 S. Plain St, Ithaca, NY

Strapped for cash? Like working with your hands? Check off everyone on your list by swapping and making your own gifts this holiday season!

All are welcome to this FREE event. Barter for goodies with your neighbors or make one-of-a-kind gifts at the crafting station run by Ithaca Freeskool. As always, there will be a free area for people who want to give stuff away.

Hosted and co-sponsored by the Southside Community Center.

RSVP on Facebook

You can post haves/wants to the Wall of this event on Facebook or to the Share Tompkins email list.

What to bring:
– Materials for craft-making: decorative paper, markers, fabric,etc.
– Food: teas, baked goods, jams, chocolate, etc.
– Body Care: tinctures, soaps, creams, etc.
– Handmade Crafts: ceramics, candles, art, etc.
– Stuff: electronics, housewares, books, etc.
– Services: massage, yoga, music lessons, etc.
– Bags, boxes and carts to take stuff home in

Guidelines:
– Our goal is sustainability – please bring stuff that is locally-grown or made from local materials if possible, but anything is welcome!
– Be prepared to take back home with you whatever you don’t end up bartering or giving away. Left-over items will be donated appropriately.
– Please bring stuff that is in good condition or can be easily-repaired – no junk!

Please spread the word even if you can’t come!

How to Share an Education – Ithaca Freeskool Featured on Shareable.net

Ithaca Freeskool on the homepage of Shareable.net

“Shareable is a nonprofit online magazine that tells the story of sharing. We cover the people, places, and projects bringing a shareable world to life. And we share how-tos so you can make a shareable world real in your life.”

Freeskool organizer (and Share Tompkins regular) Lily Gershon wrote a great article about Ithaca Freeskool for the site called “How to Share an Education, ” featuring photos and a video by Shira Golding. You can read the whole article and here’s an excerpt:

You’re in the park surrounded by swaying willows, or maybe knee deep in goldenrod in someone’s backyard, or sunk into the couch in a small apartment on Cayuga Street.

Usually, one way or another, a circle is formed. What are you doing here with a professor from Maine, a few pink-haired chatty teenagers from town, a local diesel mechanic, and a retired couple who brought cookies? You’re here to learn how to weave baskets out of the long limbs of willow trees. You’re discussing how Thor got along with the giants in Norse Mythology. You are about to plant the first herb in your medicinal garden. You’ve been hearing about natural gas drilling, but want to get more information. Any one of these people might be your teacher today.

In Ithaca, New York, the Ithaca Freeskool offers you an alternative to traditional education. With classes like Mushroom Hunting, Bike Repair, Know Your Rights with Debtors, and D.I.Y. Movie Making, it’s a refreshing variety of completely free classes for people of all ages. Started only a few years ago and run entirely by volunteers, the Freeskool gives the community an opportunity to share their skills and knowledge.

Photos: Really Really Free Market at the Congo Square Market

On Friday, June 25th, we joined forces with the weekly Congo Square Market at Southside Community Center to offer our second Really Really Free Market to the community. There was a great turn-out, tons of stuff was given away and we all had a great time listening to live music and chowing down on the fresh fruit and yummy cooked food from the vendors at the market. We’re hoping to do more events at Southside in the future!

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Photos: Really Really Free Market #1

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Over 200 people showed up!

Photos from Swap Meet #4

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Pumpkin Cheesecake with the Vegan Cooking Skillshare – Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning

As part of D.I.Y. Movie-Making, we’re filming other Ithaca Freeskool classes and making them available online for anyone who wants to participate.

Sharon of the Dacha Project taught us how to make vegan pumpkin cheesecake at the “Thank You America” House in Ithaca on July 29th, 2009. Hang out with some Ithacans while they collaborate on a recipe, share vegan tips and chat about strategies for sustainable living. Join the Facebook group to find out about future Vegan Cooking Skillshares.

The Complete Recipe from Sharon:

New & Improved Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust (you can also buy a prepared graham cracker crust if you feel like lazing it a bit or are in a hurry!)
– 24 whole graham crackers
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 1 cup margarine, melted

Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to make fine crumbs.

Pour the crumbs into a bowl and add the sugar and melted margarine. Stir well. Note: We found that adding a few spoonfuls of tofutti cream cheese helped to add integrity to the crumb-consistency – it was a bit too dry given what the recipe called for.

Pour the mix into a pie pan and use your hands or the back of a large spoon to press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie pan. Makes enough for 3 pie crusts!

1st Layer
– 8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (look for the non-hydrogenated version in the yellow container)
– 12 ounces light firm silken tofu (or extra-firm)
– 1/2 cup agave nectar (or sugar)
– 2 tablespoons cornstarch
– 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the ingredients in a food processor and puree until completely smooth.It should be silky smooth – not chalky or lumpy. Spread mixture into the bottom of the crust.

2nd Layer
-12 oz. firm silken tofu, pureed
-8 oz. nondairy cream cheese (Tofutti or a tofu cream cheese from your local deli)
– 1 cup canned pumpkin
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 3 Tbsp. flour
– 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
– 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
– 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
– 1/8 tsp. salt
– 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Do the same as above – puree ingredients in the food processor & spread over the lemon layer. Bear in mind that the pie will rise during baking! Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, cover with plastic wrap or the top of the pie container.

This should make enough for around 3 pies!