It’s “…our garden. I’m just the maintenance man, I just keep it up,” insists DeWayne Barton, the humble visionary behind the Burton Street Community Peace Gardens in West Asheville.

The first wave of solar at the peace gardens went up back in August. Two hundred donors came together to fund the project. AIRE developed, coordinated and creatively procured the equipment. All along though, Barton set the vision. He may be “just” the maintenance man but he’s the sower of seeds.

The seeds? Yes, they’ve been planted. More solar is about to sprout at Burton Street. It’ll help feed people, help nurture solidarity and bolster the work of the gardeners of good. Details on these projects are forthcoming. I also wanted to give a shout-out to Scott Hardin-Nieri of Creation Care Alliance and Sarah Ogletree of NC Interfaith Power & Light for helping spread the word about these worthy projects. When Barton says “our” garden, he’s the first to acknowledge good deeds. Now, thanks to Jay Hill who filmed and produced a short video, we can all visually share in “our” collective effort.