GREENFIELD — The 1960s seemed to appear in town packed in two multi-colored buses carrying about 20 passengers who looked like they’d just walked out of Woodstock.
Around 8 p.m. Wednesday, the group of men, women and children of all ages lounged on the grass at the public parking lot off Hope Street. Children played among the adults and a few dogs rested in shade beneath the buses, as laughter drifted up into the setting sun.
Nicholas Cardin, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Grateful 4 Grace along with his life and business partner, Gabrielle Heinlein, said the caravan is on an East Coast sustainability trip called a “revivalist tour.”
According to Grateful 4 Grace’s website, the charity was “inspired by the kindness of a stranger named Grace, who went out of her way to help a fellow being in need.” The organization tries to bring people together to educate the public about sustainability so that “all species can live (together) harmoniously.”
So far on the tour, the group has, among other activites, helped out in farming communities, constructed solar compost toilets, built sustainable houses, designed drip irrigation systems, raised school houses and cultivated gardens, they said.
“Basically, (we’re) building sustainable sanctuaries for people,” Cardin said. “We’re all about helping people live their dreams — getting away from the 9-to-5.”
The caravan stopped in town for a break on the way from a Rainbow Gathering near Danby, Vt., to “The People’s Project,” an event in Roger Williams Park in Providence, R.I., sponsored by the Grateful 4 Grace caravan that celebrates the earth through music, art, meditation and healing circles.
“We’re just going all over the East Coast, farm to farm, and having a good time along the way,” said Trey DeFauw, a “revivalist” with the group.
Since setting off from Florida on May 22, the tour has stopped at places such as Kelly’s Working Well Farm, a sustainable farm in Shagrin Falls, Ohio, the Gesundheit Institute holistic hospital in Urbana, Ill., Stone Garden Farm in Richfield, Ohio, and a sustainable community called Shut Up And Grow It in Lafayette, Tenn.
“We have people from France and South America,” said a woman who calls herself either “mamma butterfly” or “mamma buffalo” depending on her mood.
According to Cardin, members of the group were selected through an application process and make an average donation of $300 per month to the nonprofit to fund the tour.
You can reach Andy Castillo
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