Wed, December 9th, 7-9pm/Santa Barbara Joel Salatin farmer

Joel Salatin, farmer, author, and food relocalization advocate, comes to Santa Barbara as part of the Carbon Economy Educational Series.

SANTA BARBARA, CA (12/01/2009) - "Imagine what it would be if, as a national policy, we had such nutritionally dense food that people actually felt better, had more energy, and weren't sick as much...now see, that's a noble goal." - Joel Salatin, Polyface Farms.

Joel Salatin, fulltime family farmer of the highly successful Polyface Farms, recipient of the Heinz Award for Environmental Leadership, and one of the world's leading advocates of farming and food relocalization, is coming to Santa Barbara December 9-11 as part of the Carbon Economy Educational Series.

"Meet the best, loudest (and only) Christian-libertarian-capitalist -environmentalist-lunatic farmer on the face of planet Earth.... a darling of the environmental left but with increasing cachet and respect from the religious right may make him the catalyst in bringing the two groups together," says the Christian Science Monitor of Joel Salatin in their recent article.

Featured in Michael Pollan's book, Omnivore's Dilemma, and in the films FRESH and FOOD, Inc., Joel himself is the author of six books including Family Friendly Farming, Salad Bar Beef, and his latest, Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal. His speaking and writing reflect dirt-under-the-fingernails experience punctuated with mischievous humor. Joel passionately defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm.

Joel Salatin will be providing a public talk on Wednesday, December 9th at the Faulkner Gallery at the Central Library in Santa Barbara, a lecture for anyone who eats! Salatin will inspire participants to engage in the relocalization movement through his direct and honest experience. Following, on December 10th and 11th, Salatin will provide a 2-day intensive training sharing his own successful farming and relationship marketing model at Polyface Farms, and opening up the discussion to relocalization opportunities and challenges for communities.

December 10-11, 2009 at Orella Ranch and El Capitan Canyon, north of Santa Barbara on the Gaviota Coast . Visit www.CarbonEconomySB.com to learn more or register.

Inspired by results driven science and applications, the Carbon Economy Educational Series brings speakers and educators to the Santa Barbara area to share leading edge technology and practices aimed at providing real world, applicable solutions to some of our most pressing environmental and social problems. The courses are convened and co-sponsored by Quail Springs Permaculture Farm and Orella Ranch, with in-kind support from El Capitan Canyon Resort, with a host of local, national, and international network partners involved in the series.

Educators in the series this fall have included: Elaine Ingham, PhD who taught a 3 day intensive on the Soil Food Web, Compost and Compost Tea Technologies; Darren Doherty and Kirk Gadzia who taught a 6 day training on Sustainable Land Management, including Holistic Resource Management, Broadacre Permaculture, and Keyline Design; and, Erin Sanborn standing in for Gunter Pauli for Zero Emissions Research Initiatives training. For more information, please visit www.CarbonEconomySB.com.