Round the bend Farm A CENTER FOR RESTORATIVE COMMUNITY 1 LETTER FROM THE It’s been an AMAZING monarch year for us here at RTB. We even offered CO-VISIONARIES a monarch class in July Desa & Nia Van Laarhoven and we’ve been hatching & Geoff Kinder some at RTB to increase s fall descends on Round the Bend Farm their odds. (RTB), vivid colors mark the passage of time. Autumn’s return grounds us amid Aeach day’s frenetic news cycles. It reminds us of the deeper cycle that connects us all to the earth and to each other. And yet one news story, from late September, has done the same. More than 7.5 million people came together in cities and villages across the planet to call in unison for an environmentally just and sustainable world. This is a story that speaks to RTB’s mission and purpose and demonstrates the concept of Restorative Community that’s so central to our existence. You can see it in the image that juxtaposed September’s global crowds with the prior year’s solitary Swedish protester. You can hear it in the words spoken by an Indigenous Brazilian teen to 250,000 people lining the streets of New York City. Restorative Community is a force multiplier for our own personal commitments to justice, health and peace. It nurtures and supports us as individuals, unites and strengthens us as a movement and harnesses our differences in service of our common goals. In community, we respect, enjoy and learn from each other. As you page through this year’s annual report, we hope you experience the same! We’re This past year, we continued to expand our inspired and encouraged by what we’ve Restorative Community at RTB, more than accomplished this year and we’re honored to doubling the number of people who visited serve our community in ever new ways. As the farm. Among the activities you’ll read always, we are grateful for the support that about in this report are events like our first makes this possible. Garlic and Arts Festival, sustainable weddings, school field trips, workshops and more. One Thank you for being part of the RTB common thread that unites them all is the community. excitement we see in the eyes of visitors as they discover new paradigms of living and with love & positivity, working. RTB has a way of igniting their curiosity and engagement, creating new Desa Van Laarhoven & Geoff Kinder interests, passions, and possibilities. Co-Visionaries Benoit Laura 2 MISSION Azagoh-Kouadio Killingbeck Duncan Geoff We are a living laboratory that cultivates, educates, and & Ellen Kinder Nate Josh & Glenn Sander monica Bodhi Louro Shaun Van empowers people of all ages. We are devoted to the global Mcfarland Mejia Oliveira Laarhoven paradigm shift toward hope and abundance by valuing diversity, modeling nature and redefining wealth. VALUING DIVERSITY With diversity comes strength, resilience and vitality. Whether this be within a human community or a farm ecosystem, it is diversity that is the key to success. RTB strives to reflect diversity in all that we undertake. Nancy MODELING NATURE Desa & Nia Dempze As we do our human work, we seek to Van Laarhoven model the inherent wisdom of natural systems. Nothing stands alone on this earth; each tree and each person is interconnected. When we model nature, regeneration springs forth. REDEFINING WEALTH Prosperity is not constrained to material Brie goods or dollars. We see wealth as equitable access to all that makes life meaningful. Thus RTB seeks to cultivate shared abundance and communal well- ROUND THE BEND TEAM being through our efforts. Our team is an embodiment Molly Adams, Seasonal Intern Glenn Oliveira, Board Member of our mission. In our words Erik Andrade, Youth Environmental D’Andre Quinerly, Seasonal Intern Justice Team (YEJT) Leader and actions, we strive to value Wanda Rodriguez Matos, YEJT Member diversity, model nature, and Benoit Azagoh-Kouadio, A special thanks redefine wealth. Much like Resident Foodie & Gardener Nate Sander, Education Manager a natural ecosystem, each Cristy DeFusco, Social Entrepreneur Antonette Santana, YEJT Member To Carissa Wills-DeMello, for her amazing support in writing this report and individual fits a unique niche Nancy Dempze, Board Member Tyler See, Resident Builder & Agripreneur interpreting Desa, Geoff & the RTB Team! on the farm, weaving an Tyresha Downs, YEJT Member Danielle Smith, Seasonal Intern To our incredible writing and editing crew, including Debbie Kinder, Marcy Wintrub interdependent web of roles Nilsa Garcia-Rey, Agripreneur Lucy Tabit, Agripreneur and Heather Zine. that allows RTB to function and (most of the time) thrive. It is our Beth Harrop, Bookkeeper Desa Van Laarhoven, Executive Director & Co-Visionary To our pro-bono photographer Erik Kowalski for capturing the essence of RTB in his hope that this model of work-life Laura Killingbeck, Food Systems Leader beautiful photographs. In addition to Erik, many photographers donated their work balance and interdependence Shaun Van Laarhoven, Geoff Kinder, Co-Visionary & Agripreneur for our use, including: Dennis Durette, Laura Killingbeck, Molly Burns Photography, will serve as a blueprint for our Executive Chef & Kitchen Director John Robson, Desa, Hannah Wylie, and Henry & Mac Photography. extended community, as we all Joshua Louro, RTB East Deconstruction Hannah Wylie, Ellen & Duncan McFarland, Board Member Marketing Manager & Agripreneur To all of you for making this beautiful annual report come alive! shift towards a global paradigm of hope and abundance. Rachel Medeiros, Social Entrepreneur Heather Zine, Executive Assistant 4 FOODS: We live in a vibrant TRANSPORTATION: 5 GATHERING FOR A PURPOSE agricultural region, where minimizing While food and folks alike our carbon footprint and stimulating must travel to each RTB event, (Sustainable Events & Weddings) our local economy is as simple as more conscious options exist. buying local. Any given event supports Guests are often bussed to and over a dozen local farms and food from the farm (or carpool), to Every event held at RTB is a mission-based As a non-profit organization, diversity of funding artisans, creating a unique culinary minimize the gathering; an opportunity for cooperative learning is important to stability, and the financial aspect of experience with a purpose. shared carbon and to showcase restorative living. It is our goal events is significant. However, the central reason footprint. to provide beautiful, memorable events that we are choosing to host weddings is that events And trucks align with our vision to the very core. We work (especially weddings) are an enormous and often Every libation invests are skipped hard at every event to ensure that at least 75% wasteful industry, but that doesn’t have to be so! DRINKS: altogether by of food, drink, and flowers are sourced within a in our community; from fair trade coffee and tea to whiskey and beer, utilizing solid 60-mile radius. In doing so, we are reducing our From single-use plastics to flowers traveling wood oak tables collective carbon footprint, contributing to the across the world, celebrations too often contribute drinks can be sourced from small local businesses. This also nearly and chairs that local economy, providing more nutritious food and to environmental degradation. But what if this are available meaningful settings, and creating a sustainable industry could be turned on its head? What eliminates the use of throw-away drink containers, since over 90% right on site. experience that guests can imitate. if weddings and other events fueled social, WASTE: Not a single economic, and environmental regeneration? of today’s “recyclables” still end event item has only one up incinerated or trashed. At RTB we are exploring what a sustainable use (except for toilet DECORATIONS: Adorning a space is an celebration looks like. We are striving to show that paper- but even that is opportunity to utilize the a better way exists, where aesthetics and function post consumer recycled). ENERGY: Music, resources we have and do not suffer in the exchange. With each event we Much of the local food is lights and electricity intimately involves hosts “Round the Bend’s enthusiasm and passion for host, the ripples are affecting guests and our local transported in reusable are completely in the process, rather than economy. bins. Plates, cutlery, hand powered by the sun, outsourcing creativity. sustainability, teaching and minimal impact towels and napkins are thanks to our rooftop From bar menus to guest washed and reused on-site, panel system. books, RTB works with to nature is contagious! After our fully local over and over. This keeps event hosts to identify chemical-laden disposables regenerative decoration and vegan wedding, we knew we’d take that out of our options. For instance, landfills, and TEAM: Events napkins can be made of passion home with us. We’ve been trying to buy encourages spread the wealth to our upcycled curtains, and thoughtful community, paying RTB only local, joined a CSA farm share program, organic flowers in vintage use of teammates additional wages mason jars make unique products. for their involvement, and and always think of how our actions will giving them the choice to DIY centerpieces. affect nature. Round the Bend will always participate. This fosters a CAPACITY: In order positive environment for all WATER: With every have a place in our hearts!” to create a remarkable and involved, making the event flush of a standard toilet, 2-7 intimate venue, we choose restorative to its core. gallons of clean water literally - DANIELLE & JOE SPOSATO to host a limited number of go right down the drain. weddings each year. We do Our composting toilets save this as a way of honoring hundreds of gallons of water our community, and our own per event, reallocating it all carrying capacity to host love- to cooking, animals, and filled and sustainable events.