Growing Good

"How many of us crave for something and don't always know what or where it is? We sense something is missing, and are trained by society to search for specific things in particular places. But perhaps, what we actually yearn for, lies rooted underground in the vague and all-encompassing world of connections. Where "growing" means cultivating ourselves to naturally touch and relate. Where "good" is more about following our hearts and innate sensitivities than following rules and regulations. Growing Good: A Beginner's Guide to Creating Caring Communities reminds us of the oh-so-many simple ways we can come together with care and respect for each other and our spaces to create beauty and. And in that process, discover we are fully and wholeheartedly nourished."—Athena and Bill Steen, The Canelo Project, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting people, culture, and nature, The Canelo Project, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting people, culture, and nature

"Growing Good: A Beginner's Guide to Creating Caring Communities hits the nerve of the times. Amid the pandemic, the book addresses existential questions of the collective consciousness, "Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?" But that is not all: it offers concrete solutions and hope to societal ills such as food shortages, the refugee crises, abuse, and pollution in the region. While Growing Good rejects the notion of community in favor of social networks, it is a call for personal and political activism to improve lives."—Silvia Anna Rode, Chair of World Languages and Cultures, Interim Director of the Center for Communal Studies, University of Southern Indiana, Chair of World Languages and Cultures, Interim Director of the Center for Communal Studies, University of Southern Indiana

"Growing Good: A Beginner's Guide to Creating Caring Communities is a powerful, affirming guide to taking on today's problems – together. It is written by people whose experiences demonstrate how vision and collaboration can make a profound difference. For inspiration, turn to any chapter!"—Laura Grace Weldon, author of Portals and Blackbird, author of Portals and Blackbird

"Bill Hemminger has compiled a dozen stories of seeking, finding, experimenting, succeeding, sometimes losing momentum, all leading me to face his opening challenge, to truthfully answer: "Where Do We Come From"? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" . . . He sets the stage for the stories that show how clusters of caring communities are helping to bring positivity to challenges by opening opportunities for those facing small and huge challenges to become part of their own forward momentum."—Rita Kohn, NUVO