Mushroom Chamber Site Location - Seeds to Soil/Just Food/Cornell Cooperative Extension

I was thinking we’d get rid of the huge sofa and move the 2 seater into the collaboratory.

Patrick, thanks for creating space for this discussion. I think you are right to push for more engagement and transparency -- more participation from members of the co-op is vital to our success.

My feelings on the particular issue of the second floor (and space usage more broadly) might be summed up simply: it is my hope that can we can be creative, bold, and experimental with changes to and developments of the guild space.

So, if there is momentum behind getting the couch and standing desk off the ground floor, and there are ideas and potentials for them to be used in valuable ways on the 2nd floor, what if we treat that as an opportunity for creative exploration and value generation? If this needs to happen along with the mushroom chamber, how might we approach the challenge with ingenuity and flexibility?

If the current situation on 2 is prohibitive, can the pending arrival of the three big items be a spur to deal with the clutter and try a new iteration of the spatial arrangement?

My view of the mushroom chamber is that it is a great example of the sort of project Prime Produce is in a uniquely good position to support. It is a community-oriented, sustainable urban agriculture experiment. Its success in part depends on the host community's ability to adapt to its pressures and demands--and that is a key part of the value it brings. Can we come together as a community to bear the burden of the space it takes, and be responsible and accountable for its generative potential? What kind of value can it produce and extend? How do we build community around this practice of urban gardening?

To me, those potentials are the first priority; is this a project I want to support as a member of this community? Absolutely. Are there technical, spatial, social, collective, aesthetic, and whatever other challenges it will generate? Of course. These are much part of the value as the mushrooms themselves. The challenges and successes we encounter will be vital feedback for the team; it will also be profoundly valuable for us in resolving conflict and opening communication for more productive action (as this thread is hopefully doing!)

Anyway, this project and the process around it, even with attendant challenges, is the kind of inspiration I'm always seeking and receiving from PP. I'm hopeful that people will weigh in so we can best understand how to support it, while growing ourselves.

Hi David, thank you for your engagement on this issue. I agree with everything you've written, which captures the values of the guild quite well. I hope that others agree with you too. I consider this Loomio discussion to be an instance of the community coming together to work out the challenges. So, moving from the abstract to the concrete, may I press you to articulate what you think makes the most sense? Have both the 2-seater and the mushroom chamber on the 2nd floor hallway, and move the cushions/pillows into the meditation room? Have the 2-seater in the collaboratory, the mushroom chamber in the hallway, and then, as Saks suggests, remove the large couch or, as Michelle suggests, move out some of the tables/milk crates? These are the kinds of suggestions I'd like to see worked out in advance of agreeing with the proposal, precisely so that these kinds of challenges are handled collectively, and not on an ad hoc basis (i.e., at the moment the chamber is about to be installed).

Thanks @michellejackson for the clarifying info. I was in yesterday and took a look at the current set-up in the hallway. I'm fine with the mushroom chamber being there, and if the chairs and the milk crates are moved, as well as the meditation cushions and pillows moved into the meditation room, there should be space for both. When the two-seater and standing desk are moved upstairs, we'll need to spend some time to see if in fact they both work there, or if the two-seater should go in the collaboratory. @saksafridi makes a good point about the hallway's lack of lighting, which might make hanging out in the two-seater less desirable. I believe @jerone was going to weigh in as well, but my questions have been answered, and I appreciate the effort you and others have taken to respond.