April 2008
Los Angeles Permaculture Guild Newsletter
now on the web 24/7 wow !
taylorist.googlepages.com/permaculturelosangeles
Spring Salutations,
Feel free to repost this newsletter wherever appropriate and submit related needs, surplus, events and articles, videos, pictures and announcements. Community input is always encouraged and appreciated . . .
Thanks,
Taylor Arneson
taylorist@gmail.com
taylorist.googlepages.com
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
-- backyard solution to the energy crisis
http://tinyurl.com/2fnjpb
-- urban harvests' bob randall retires
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/gardening/features/5578965.html
-- ancient solutions
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/mar/25/ancient-solutions/
-- the life organic
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Op290308the_life.asp
-- sierra club and clorox: sustainabullshit
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_11150.cfm
(NEW) VIDEOS
-- Keyline Design with Darren Doherty
http://www.youtube.com/user/zymurgydashjive
-- David Holmgren, beyond sustainability
http://tinyurl.com/yq83xp
-- In Grave Danger of Falling Food
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3162503821561656641
-- Ancient Futures Learning from Ladakh
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5314168278683386338
-- Ecovideo, collection of short permaculture related videos
http://www.ecovideo.blogspot.com
NEEDS AND REQUESTS
The Watt's Family Garden Club
(http://www.wattsgardenclub.org/)
and
"The Seed Lady" aka Anna Marie Carter
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=576
are looking for................
Primarily we are looking for CASH and volunteers.
We need self motivated, self initiating, responsible people to help with various aspects of several different projects. People who have experience or skills as grant writers, researchers, marketers and community organizers would be most desirable. Please contact: Camille Cimino
camcim@yahoo.com
(213) 924-5238
-- Swan Song for the Lawn -Volunteers Needed -Ongoing starting in February '08
Help convert resource consuming lawns in and around Los Angeles into productive Fruit, Fuel, Food, Fiber and Medicine Producing Home Ecosystems! No experience necessary.
Contact us at info@earthflow.com
-- Accommodations Needed -Los Angeles -Ongoing
Larry Santoyo, Permaculture Designer, Teacher seeks private studio/guesthouse accommodations for frequent visits in and around downtown Los Angeles, Silverlake and Santa Monica Areas -Will trade for permaculture consulting, design and/or workshops.
-- I am always looking for people, M-F, who would like to volunteer working on permaculture projects at a home in Malibu. Projects involve pruning, planting, mulching, propagation, water harvesting techniques, compost making, caring for chickens, light straw claw and earthen plaster, herb spirals, and more. Anyone interested can contact me at swjennings@gmail.com Also, looking to build up the LAPCGuild wiki with profiles of people doing permaculture related activities in this city, so please submit anything you got, pictures, stories, to swjennings@gmail.com
-- Eco Home needs help with promoting their tours - The number of visitors has decreased recently and they are exploring new opportunities to spread the word. Contact Dianne Carter at dcarterpr@earthlink.net. More about Eco Home /www.ecohome.org/pages/index.html
-- I am looking for a few books that are expensive and not locally available . . .
1. Food from Dryland Gardens: An Ecological, Nutritional and Social Approach to Small-Scale Household Food Production by David Arthur Cleveland
2. Permaculture Guide to Fermentation and Human Nutrition by Bill Mollison
If you have any of these titles, let me know if willing to loan them out or temporary exchange
contact . . . . . . . taylorist@gmail.com
-- EMANATE needs monetary and material donations for their installations. All donations are tax-deductible. Contact jenna@emanate.org or 323.913.0915. www.emanate.org
SURPLUS
-- Be part of every permaculture function there is in our newly acquired land in Venice, CA. We have a 55'x300' space a few minutes from the ocean in a very good growing zone with space available to rent or build your own natural space. We are needing strictly permaculture people to build a living modelthat will provide answers for our cities many problems. We need your skills and enthusiasm to be part of something very special.
contact: Bobby 310-466-9600
Must see!!
-- Earthflow Design Works offers the following products, services and skills: Permaculture Land Planning and Design -Training and Services; Jewelry Designs; Clothing Designs. Graphic Design & Photography. See www.earthflow.com for more info
-- We have Potted (1 to 5 gal) Garden Plants -Will trade for Avocados, Bamboo and/or ???
-Achira, edible canna
-Opuntia, spineless fruiting cactus
-Yacon, sweet, crunchy tubers
Contact: Larry & Kathryn Santoyo <info@earthflow.com> 805.459.0452
-- Available for pre-purchase! Quail Springs, An Experiment in Permaculture by Joss Jaffe, is an important research and development tool supporting permaculture design and the long term vision of Quail Springs. Pre-purchase the book by contacting info@quailsprings.org. $30 includes CD, or $10 for CD only, plus $5 shipping.
-- Hopedance offer: For $250 Hopedance Magazine will give you a full page to do what you want (listings, calendars, ads, articles, art, etc.) plus you get 1,000 copies of hopedance to do what you want. The page would be inside the regular issue of HopeDance. The next issue is on Relocalization. Bob Banner 805 544 9663 www.hopedance.org
-- Path to Freedom's Peddlers Wagon http://pathtofreedom.com/peddlerswagon/ - Practical goods for your home and garden, including ollas, solar ovens, bike trailers and more. From the wonderful Dervaes family homestead.
-- Ergonomic Weed Twister by Ergonica - If you wish to remove a misplaced plant or weed and minimally till the soil, try the Ergonica Weed Twister. This surgically precise tool is made in So. Cal. by people who may be your neighbors. The Weed Twister comes in three sizes to accommodate different situations and people. Ray Cruz
www.weedtwister.com
-- Compost - Tim Dundon 626-794-1351 theroyalsoil@2doo.com www.2doo.com Tim is the King of Compost. He will deliver a huge dumptruck of horse manure and sawdust for 80.00 to your hungry soil. He might offer you some sage philosophy for free while he's at it.
-- Cob-a-nation with Ray Cirino! Ray is THE guy for cob in Los Angeles. His beautiful ovens, benches and other structures can be seen at LA Eco-Village, Path to Freedom and many private residences around the city. Check out his new cob playhouses! He also builds rocket stoves and welds amazing trellises. Hire him to lead a workshop or build something for you. email cobanation@yahoo.com
ACTIVISM / ACTIONISM
-- Help Save the L.A. Eco-Village from the L.A. Unified School District
After a heated battle at the community meetings, LAUSD has chosen another site close by, but they still intend to put a large parking lot where the elementary school used to be, right in the heart of the LA Ecovillage
See the following websites for details:
http://laecovillage.org/
-- Save the Whittier Narrows Natural Area!
The Discovery Center Authority development is the first project to remake the 419 acre Whittier Narrows Natural area into a synthetic one. Visit naturalareafriends.net for more info. Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area. 626 286 3850 info@naturalareafriends.net
-- California Cannabis Hemp & Health Initiative 2008 needs help in signature gathering: <www.jackherer.com> & <www.calhemp08.org>.
-- Petition Agri Fuel Incentives for Monsanto and other GMO corporations
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=895
WORKPARTIES, POTLUCKS, CLASSES AND EVENTS
-- Saturday, march 29th at 11 am, Topanga
first of four Workshops on Organic Gardening and Natural Building. Saturday we'll be developing the garden beds with soil supplementation and begin planting.
We'll also have a demonstration of Gabion foundation walls and Straw bale
construction, all as a hands on workshop for those who want to know how to
build with these inexpensive principles of Reuse and Earthen Architecture.
If you can work for a few hours the workshop is free, otherwise we ask for a $20 donation to support the farm. A $60 fee for all 4 classes is also an available option.
Please call 310 455 1341 for more information and to reserve a spot. We'll
get back to you with directions and details. We're walking distance from
the Inn of the Seventh Ray. Campng on Saturday is encouraged if you want to make a weekend out of it, to help with the work. For those that wish to stay all day we'll be going to Abuelita's restaurant Saturday night for dinner @ 7:30 PM and to see Ilan play music.
-- Fri-Sat-Sun, March 28-30, 2008 Koreatown
Ray Cirino will lead a unique Urban Cob Building Work Party that will prove to be fun and stimulating for all skill levels. Build with Cob, a traditional mixture of earth, water, sand and straw and an additional new secret ingredient. Reduce labor using innovative mixing techniques. Design using nutrient and water flow concepts
Select building materials and determine the best mixture for a given soil. Properly mix and properly apply plaster. Mosaic using favorite broken dishes and coffee mugs. Sculpt a raised bed with built-in seating areas. $60 Fee includes up to 2 days of instruction, intensive hands-on learning. (Discounted rate of $40 for advanced reservation) Reserve your spot via email or phone. L.A@earthlink.net 323-463- 4541 Location: 133 south gramercy place, Los Angeles, 90004
-- March 30, 10 AM to 3 PM Boyle Heights
Caracol Marketplace takes place at Proyecto Jardin Community Garden in Boyle Heights every last Sunday of the month from 10am to 3pm. The marketplace is a place for creating a sustainable economy through conscious creative expression. · Hand crafted and fine art Natural products and body care · Medicinal herbs · Kombucha Healthy food · Creative organic energy · Indie fashion designers · Jewelry Books · Photography · Live music · Workshops snd more.
1718 Bridge Street, Boyle Heights For information, booking, vending, gardening, volunteering, contact: caracolmarketplace@yahoo.com www.myspace.com/caracolmarketplace
-- April 5th, Saturday, 9am-5:30pm at the Unitarian Society, Santa Barbara
Free of charge with online registration, $25 at the door
To register or to learn more http://regenerativedesign.org/courses-events/leadership. The program offers a project and community-based leadership development journey which blends inquiry and skill development, as well as connection to self and the natural world, with principles of systems thinking and Permaculture. What emerges is a unique and regenerative model of leadership that supports those seeking to make a difference in their lives and their communities in stepping more fully into their gifts and passions, and onto their paths of service in the world. The program prepares the soil for the formation of a vibrant, local leadership circle that supports program participants in continuing to evolve themselves and their leadership work in the greater Santa Barbara community. 1535 Santa Barbara St. in Santa Barbara
-- Sunday, April 6, between 9am and 3pm, Firestations of The San Fernando Valley
In yards throughout the San Fernando Valley, you can see limbs full of
oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and other citrus fruit looming over
fences and rooftops. Often, much of this fruit goes to waste because
residents can't eat it all themselves or even give it away.
In just 30 minutes, you can help provide free food to those who need it
most: the over 150,000 people living in the Valley everyday who are
"food-insecure" (a term used by a recent UCLA study to describe those
who have to choose between eating nutritious meals and other essential
expenses. You can also help by telling others to pick citrus fruit from their
yard, offering to pick citrus fruit from other people's yards (with
their permission), or organizing a "citrus drive" at a local school, at
your workplace, or with a community group.
The following participating Fire Stations in the Northwest Valley will
be accepting the citrus fruit on Sunday, April 6, between 9am and 3pm:
Lake Balboa: Station 100, Winnetka: Station 104,Sherman Oaks: Station 88, Porter Ranch: Stations 8 & 28, Chatsworth: Stations 96 & 107, North Hills: Station 87, Granada Hills: Station 18, Encino: Station 83 , West Hills: Station 106, Northridge: Station 70 (For directions to Fire Stations go to: www.lafd.org/fsloc.htm)
-- Tuesday, April 8, 7:00 PM, Green Business networking, Santa Monica
Meet owners and decision makers of socially and environmentally-consciousness businesses. Enjoy delicious organic snacks, wine and non-alcoholic beverages; meet interesting people just for $10.
For more information please contact : greenbusinessnetworking@gmail.com
-- Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m.
Christopher Nyerges facilitates work with pieces of soapstone and make such objects as small bowls, bearing pieces for fire, pipes, amulets, etc. Soapstone is easily carved with any knife, so please bring several knives. We'll also cover some wild edibles. Hahamongna Watershed Park, Location 2. $25. www.christophernyerges.com
-- April 18, 2008:
Earth Day at Environmental Charter High School where our students will teach our community's younger students about sustainable practices.
http://www.echsonline.org/
-- April 19th, 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Pasadena
Celebrate our beautiful planet at Vroman's Earth Day Celebration. Revel in an eclectic array of "green", eco-friendly vendors and organizations. Enjoy live music, stirring speakers, an eco-friendly fashion show, and at the end of the festivities, join the Pasadena Critical Mass for a fun bike ride. Some special guests include Deborah Tull, a sustainability coach certified in Permaculture Design and Bio-Intensive Organic Gardening and author/naturalist Christopher Nyerges. For more information visit http://tinyurl.com/2tzzmm
Vroman's Bookstore 695 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91101 26-449-5320
-- April 20, 27, May 18, 25, Jun 1, Tujunga, CA
Is organic the best way to garden? My answer is emphatically NO! Certainly it's better than chemical gardening, and it provides a good basis in many respects, but it falls short of what we need to do to achieve personal and global sustainability and be stewards of our planet and our lives. Enrollment, payment, and refund policy appears below course announcement. Call or email Darren Butler to sign up: allnet@pobox.com 818.271.0963 www.EcoWorkshops.com
-- April 26, 2008: Green Gala Event is an event to raise funds for ECHS, a magical evening of organic food, music, and fragrances. Join us as we dance to world rhythms and support the greening of our campus. All funds raised from the evening will support our many projects! If you want would like to purchase tickets click above.
-- April 26-27, Saturday and Sunday - FREE - Spring Gardening Service Learning Weekend
Join Quail Springs as we plant and prepare our gardens this spring! This is also a time for interested people to receive a tour of the site and learn about site design, and enjoy the company of community. This event is free of cost, with community potluck meals and camping nearby. All ages are welcome and no experience is needed. RSVP to info@quailsprings.org to receive current gate combos, potluck ideas, and tools/materials to bring.
PERMACULTURE COURSES:
-- April 20 - May 3, 2008
In cooperation with Four Elements Organic Farm, HopeDance Media & The Terra Foundation: Four Elements Permaculture Design Course San Luis Obispo County, Permaculture Design Certificate Course Two-Week Intensive
Amazing Location... The site for this course is Four Elements Organic Farm, a certified Organic Farm and an innovative Natural Building Learning Center nestled in the steep chaparral hills of California's Central Coast.
http://earthflow.com/slo2008.php
-- Oct 2007 - March 2008
the 5th Annual Los Angeles Permaculture Design Course with Larry Santoyo. One weekend a month for 6 months...
Learn from the most experienced team of Permaculture Design Educators and Recognized Leaders in the World-Wide Sustainability Movement. EarthFlow Design Works' Instructors include: Larry Santoyo, Jude Hobbs, Scott Pittman, Toby Hemenway, John Valenzuela, Scott Horton and Joan Stevens. Will also include additional field trips, hands on opportunities, local experts, teacher trainees and other guest presentations.
Join us on the first weekends of October '07 through March '08 Venues take us in and around Los Angeles, CA. $175 per any weekend - pre-registration is required.
To register by phone and pay by credit card (Visa, MC, Amex), call 805.459.0452, 9am to 5pm PST. Email confirmation will be sent upon receipt.
Discounts, Trades & Payment Plans
As we truly want to make this training available to everyone, any and all proposals will be considered!
-Santa Cruz, CA - Third Weekends of each Month, Feb-July
-San Luis Obispo, CA - Two-Week Intensive April 20- May 3, 2008
-New York City Open Center -3Day CityPermaculture Strategies Workshop - April
-Woodbourne, Catskills, New York - Two-Week Intensive August 16-29, 2008
-Los Angeles, CA - First Weekends of each Month, Oct '08 - March '09
-Aveyron Region, France - Permaculture Highlights & Historical Preservation Tour
More Hands-On WorkParties - Natural building and "the home ecosystem" design on California's Central Coast and the Southland.
• Trades, Work-Trades and Payment Plans now available
• Teachers are also eligible for special Scholarship Discounts
http://earthflow.com/
-- February through July 2008
The Santa Barbara Permaculture Design Course Experience
Creating The Conditions for Sustainability to Happen...
February through July 2008.
One weekend a month for 6 months...
Join us on the second weekends of February through July 2008.
Locations will take us in and around Santa Barbara Co.
-- May 3-17, 2008 Warner Springs, CA
a SOCIAL PERMACULTURE Intensive
Instructors: Starhawk, Charles Williams, Margo Adair, Bill Aal,
Mary Lou Singleton, and special guest instructors
Manzanita Village, Warner Springs, Southern
California, USA
In this course with a special focus on social
permaculture, participants will learn ways to
collaborate and build just and enduring alliances
across social divides, as well as skills to build
personal, interpersonal and community resilience to
sustain themselves through hard times.
Sliding scale pricing:
$1700, if you have abundance in the form of money
$1500, if you are working and solvent
$1200, if you are scraping by
work trade and scholarships available—please visit
our web site for additional courses, updates and to
register
www.EarthActivistTraining.org 800.381.7940 (USA)
UPCOMING IN THE SPRING
-- It's time to register for a brand new series of organic gardening classes starting in March. I'm really excited about them.
Get the details by going straight to the registration page here: www.silverlakefarms.com/workshops.htm
-- End of May: Green Ambassador Youth Summit at Environmental Charter High School
-- Saturday and Sunday, May 24-25 ~ Building a Cob Oven and Baking Bread
with Quail Springs' teaching team $100 for each 2 day Skill Builder workshop, includes camping.
Register for the entire "Hands and Hearts" series for 2008 for $275 !
Optional materials fee may apply for each workshop. Meals will be organized potluck.
Contact info@quailsprings.org for more information or to register.