Thursday November 16 at 7-9pm Rescuing Heirloom Garden Plants with
Kent and Diane Whealy
at Victoria Hall 33 West Victoria Street Santa Barbara CA
Santa Barbara Organic Garden Club, Pacifica Graduate Institute,
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network will co-and other sponsors
Kent Whealy is the director of the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE), a
nonprofit
organization that he and his wife Diane founded in 1975. SSE is a
grassroots network of 8,000 gardeners, orchardists and plant
collectors
who are maintaining heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits,
grains,
flowers and herbs, which they distribute through SSE’s annual
publications. In 1986 Kent began developing Heritage Farm, a unique
educational facility near Decorah, Iowa that maintains and displays
collections of 18,000 heirloom vegetables, 700 nineteenth century
apples,
200 hardy grapes and herds of Ancient White Park cattle. In 1990 Kent
was
awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for his efforts to conserve genetic
resources.
Seed Savers Exchange
www.seedsavers.org.
For more Info contact
Jenny Benjamin
Community Relations Coordinator Pacifica Graduate Institute
(805)969-3626 ext 172
jenny@pacifica.edu
Pacifica Graduate Institute Presents an
Evening with
Kent Whealy of Seed Savers Exchange
What is a seed? A seed planted each year is a living link to innumerable
generations of farmers and kitchen gardeners. We cannot wholly comprehend
the breadth of history and cultural array contained in the seed, nor
predict what may come after our brief stewardship and responsibility.
This small bit of dormant life nurtures the cultural memory of those
ancient and modern farmers and gardeners who consciously conserved this
lineage of seed for future generations. Whenever we begin to save our own
seeds, we also become part of this ancient tradition.
Marshall Chrostowski, Pacifica Graduate Institute’s organic land manager,
has been growing out heirloom and traditional seed varieties since 1991
on the campus organic farm. The farm and seed saving support Pacifica's
evolving model of local and global environmental
sustainability. Along with our academic studies, Pacifica hopes to
promote more ecological awareness and lifestyle among students, faculty,
staff, visitors and community members.
In honor of the ancestral seed, Pacifica Graduate Institute has invited
Kent Whealy, Executive Director of the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE), to
present "Rescuing Heirloom Garden Plants." Please join us
for a free public lecture on Thursday, November 16 at Victoria Hall, 33
West Victoria Street in downtown Santa Barbara from 7 to 9 PM. In
this era of rampant commercialism and genetically modified foods, the
work of Seed Savers Exchange becomes all the more significant. The Seed
Savers Exchange, a nonprofit organization that Kent and his wife Diane
founded in 1975, is a grassroots network of 8,000 gardeners, orchardists
and plant collectors who are maintaining heirloom varieties of
vegetables, fruits, grains, flowers, and herbs which they distribute
through the SSE annual publications.
The evening with Kent Whealy is co-sponsored by Pacifica Graduate
Institute and Community Environmental Council, Ending Destructive Genetic
Engineering/The EDGE Campaign, Growing Solutions: Restoration Education
Institute, Island Seed & Feed, KUSA Seed Research Foundation, La Casa
de Maria Retreat & Conference Center, Santa Barbara Organic Garden
Club, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, and Seed Savers Exchange.
Reservations are not required for this free public lecture. For more
information about Pacifica Graduate Institute and our public programs
please contact 805.969.3626 extension 103.
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Pacifica Graduate Institute is an
accredited institution of higher learning offering graduate degree
programs in the fields of psychology, humanities and culture. In
addition, Pacifica offers off-site lectures, seminars, and conferences
open to the general public. Pacifica is also the site of The Joseph
Campbell & Marija Gimbutas Library and The James Hillman
Collection.