Getting Started
Actually making and posting a physical sign presented some interesting challenges. First, there was no model so I had to design one. Second, and more importantly I wondered what I really wanted to share, and how.
Thinking About Your Offerings
I decided to share my gardening skills primarily. I’d really like to live in a
community of gardeners and even though I live in a semi-rural suburban setting,
remarkably few people grow any food. I decided to create a new email address to
handle the correspondence and thus build a list of people who might want to
participate in various ways. For example, I could see having once-a-month tours of the garden throughout the growing season
with about 15 participants. I also might be willing to assemble work parties who are willing to help me turn the compost or other
large garden tasks in exchange for organic gardening instruction or free plants. Lastly, heaven knows I’ve spent a lot of time
with a shovel in my hands to earn money and I’m certainly not above that now, and the sign might generate that kind of business
as a side effect.
I have friends who are truly making a business or at least a sideline out of reskilling instruction for nominal fees. Others may be
happy to share skills for free. Of course if teaching for free starts to feel like a burden, you can always start charging tuition
later.
Whatever you decide to offer and however you filter and manage your respondees, remember that it’s up to you to determine
who you want to work with, how, when, and where, and for what reasons. Likewise as you look into Green Hands offerings of
other participants, it’s up to you to make sure that you are working with people who are knowledgeable and who operate with
integrity.
Anybody can put up a Green Hand sign—that’s the whole point. There’s no trademark on tracing your hand and painting it on a
sign, and there are no credential or background checks involved in this process. This is freeing, but it’s also daunting. Building
community takes trust and trust is earned and takes time. My suggestion is to start off small and build community through
pre-existing social networks such as friends, workplaces, schools, places of worship, and clubs and other organizations. And,
don’t forget to reach out to your neighbors!
Remember that you are creating a new social interface (see Philosophy page on this website) and that you’re on your own to devise it in the way that works best for you.
Making the Sign
I can’t wait to hear how participants deal with this issue. A physical sign is a real statement!
I certainly don’t envision a “standard” sign and that’s why I simply traced my own hand and painted it on a piece of scrap
plywood left over from a chicken coop construction. I used materials that I already had onsite: piece of wood, old can of
spray paint, paper, markers, pencil, and some artists’ acrylics and brushes. We’ll see how it holds up.
Looking at it out in the yard, i must say the white background makes it a bit garish, although it certainly helps visibility.
I’m not sure if there are any rules against posting such a sign in my yard but it might be worth checking in your area.
Thinking About Your Offerings
I decided to share my gardening skills primarily. I’d really like to live in a
community of gardeners and even though I live in a semi-rural suburban setting,
remarkably few people grow any food. I decided to create a new email address to
handle the correspondence and thus build a list of people who might want to
participate in various ways. For example, I could see having once-a-month tours of the garden throughout the growing season
with about 15 participants. I also might be willing to assemble work parties who are willing to help me turn the compost or other
large garden tasks in exchange for organic gardening instruction or free plants. Lastly, heaven knows I’ve spent a lot of time
with a shovel in my hands to earn money and I’m certainly not above that now, and the sign might generate that kind of business
as a side effect.
I have friends who are truly making a business or at least a sideline out of reskilling instruction for nominal fees. Others may be
happy to share skills for free. Of course if teaching for free starts to feel like a burden, you can always start charging tuition
later.
Whatever you decide to offer and however you filter and manage your respondees, remember that it’s up to you to determine
who you want to work with, how, when, and where, and for what reasons. Likewise as you look into Green Hands offerings of
other participants, it’s up to you to make sure that you are working with people who are knowledgeable and who operate with
integrity.
Anybody can put up a Green Hand sign—that’s the whole point. There’s no trademark on tracing your hand and painting it on a
sign, and there are no credential or background checks involved in this process. This is freeing, but it’s also daunting. Building
community takes trust and trust is earned and takes time. My suggestion is to start off small and build community through
pre-existing social networks such as friends, workplaces, schools, places of worship, and clubs and other organizations. And,
don’t forget to reach out to your neighbors!
Remember that you are creating a new social interface (see Philosophy page on this website) and that you’re on your own to devise it in the way that works best for you.
Making the Sign
I can’t wait to hear how participants deal with this issue. A physical sign is a real statement!
I certainly don’t envision a “standard” sign and that’s why I simply traced my own hand and painted it on a piece of scrap
plywood left over from a chicken coop construction. I used materials that I already had onsite: piece of wood, old can of
spray paint, paper, markers, pencil, and some artists’ acrylics and brushes. We’ll see how it holds up.
Looking at it out in the yard, i must say the white background makes it a bit garish, although it certainly helps visibility.
I’m not sure if there are any rules against posting such a sign in my yard but it might be worth checking in your area.