Thriving in the ‘Burbs blog was created as a way to share the newsletter that I wrote for my neighborhood to become sustainable. Every month there will be a free, downloadable version that you can share with your neighbors or community - however, you define your community. Your community could be a spiritual community, a birding group that you belong to or just a bunch of friends. The newsletter has tips on how to live more simply and thrive. It also has ways to organize your community to become more sustainable.

This month’s issue has articles on getting clotheslines back in backyards… or wherever you want to put them. In my neighborhood, I got a neighbor to act as the contact person for people interested in getting lines up. He and a couple of other neighbors have volunteered to help install them in other people’s yards as a community service. The other main article is about Earth victory gardens. I’m starting that process. We have a several neighbors that are distributing hard copies of the newsletter. As we go around, we are updating the contact information of the 50 households on our block (name, house number, telephone number, cell number & email - you may also want to get emergency contact information). We are also gathering information on who wants a clothesline, compost pile, fruit trees and a garden. From that survey, we’ll organize a collective purchase of trees, compost bins and dirt to save money. I’m creating the list on Microsoft Excel so that we can arrange the data easily depending on the focus.

There are two copies of the newsletter. One is for the San Francisco Bay Area (though fog belt communities may have to modify the garden options). The other is a global template that can be used regardless of where you live. Here are the newsletter versions:

August Thriving in the ‘Burbs San Francisco Bay Area Version

August Thriving in the ‘Burbs Global Version

Some words are highlighted and may need to be changed. For example, if you are sharing this with a school group you may want to write “community member” instead of “neighbor.” I’ve also highlighted where contact information needs to be placed and parts that need to be modified for different regions.

Please share this newsletter and blog with others so that we can all thrive in the ‘burbs. Also, please “Digg” this article or “Stumble Upon” it to make it easier for others to find.

Tags: community, customize, downloadable, free, global, green, neighborhood, neighbors, Newsletter, regions, Sustainable Living, thrive