Saturday May 6 10am-5pm Ojai Permaculture Day
At Ojai Foundation 9739 Highway #150 Ojai 805-646-8343
Cost $45 Adults and $25 students Scholarships offered Bring brown
bag lunch
The day will start with what makes a outstanding community, followed with
hands on projects during the day,discussions of sharing resources, and a
land tour and visit of local organic farm. A good discussion/learning of
permaculture on a community and bioregional level.
Instructors are Dave White leader Ojai Permaculture Guild, Marlo
Hocthkiss landsteward and Anthropologist and Jeanette Williams
An Antidote to Globalization Is Just
Outside Your Front Door
A simple walk and
exposure to natural communities can be a first step toward improving the
environment.
By DAVID WHITE
Globalization--the specter of rampant capitalists
raping the Earth--as an environmental issue made it onto the radar
screens of many people through the World Trade Organization
demonstrations last year in Seattle. Many of the activists there were
seeking to stop or reverse the current trends of global pillage,
exemplified by fossil fuel energy use, exposure to toxics and habitat
destruction.
One antidote to globalization is localism. This
stresses positive actions toward our environment.
The simple action of getting out and walking
around our neighborhoods is the literal first step. A half hour of
greeting neighbors while getting American Medical Assn.-approved exercise
follows, toning our cardiovascular systems and reducing stress.
During our walks, we should consider our
neighborhoods and look for means to improve them. These walks expose us
to natural communities--the plants, trees and shrubs of the landscape.
Their contributions are remarkable when you stop to ponder: oxygen
production, water and air purification, regulation of local climate,
protection against sun and wind, sustenance of biological diversity and
wildlife, food, medicine, soil creation and fertility, erosion control
and flood prevention, and fiber for construction, fuel and energy.
* * * Humanity has long recognized
the importance of biological resources. It is worth stating that insects
have been around for almost 400 million years and flowering plants for
almost 200 million years. The subtle relationship that evolved between
flowers and pollinating insects has existed for millenniums. The design
of these organisms has literally stood the test of time.
Natural patterns provide the basis for
sustainable design. To the localist, the nurture of plants provides the
basis for a sustainable human community. Locally, the oak woodland
provides habitat for a complex community. In Ventura County, the majestic
valley oak should receive priority for planting and regeneration, along
with native riparian (riverside) habitat supported by species such as
willow, alder and sycamore. Planting and nurturing the right trees in the
right location is a basic localist action for building community.
Other than native habitat, food is naturally a
desirable yield. One fruit tree can feed many people. Seasonal shade may
be just as important. A single shade tree is a haven in the heat of
summer. Climbing annuals such as squash and pole beans can be trellised
for quick shade.
We build our homes out of trees; we should grow
our own lumber locally. Fast growing species such as Paulownia, thornless
honey locust or straight-grained eucalyptus can provide shade in a few
years and can be cropped for lumber while other slower growing species
are developing in their shelter.
Planting for a sustainable future emphasizes the
choice of species that will survive on their own once established. Here,
mulberry and almonds can be a lucrative crop, and provide delicious
edibles. Chinese date, American and Oriental persimmon, loquat,
pomegranate, grape, apricot, olive, fig and walnut plants are all drought
tolerant and will provide food without additional water. Leguminous
species such as honey locust and carob provide food for livestock and
humans, as well as add fertility to the soil.
By comparison, the commercial varieties planted
in Ventura County, such as citrus and avocados, need regular watering.
These foods should be so readily available that it would be better to
grow a more unusual and sustainable species, such as Oriental persimmons,
and trade surplus for avocados.
The best time to plant a tree is
now. Deciduous trees are available in inexpensive and practical bare-root
form at your local nursery. Plan a planting spot where your tree will
best fit. Clay soils can benefit from gravel, sand and humus. Rocky soils
benefit from mulching with any organic material such as cardboard,
carpet, straw, wood chips or other soil-building components. This sheet
mulching approach can also defeat noxious weeds without resort to toxic
chemicals.
Planted trees become centers for plant
guilds--associations of plantings that attract pollinators and other
beneficials. These and the central tree also benefit from co-watering.
Establishing orchards in annual vegetable gardens increases the land's
productive output. Plantings on contour, or with appropriate earthworks
that direct runoff to target trees, utilize rain and prevent downstream
flooding. Plantings of trees are much more practical flood control
mechanisms than storm drains.
This design has been functioning in Davis
Village Homes, a premier eco-village design for sustainable housing,
based on draining rainwater to central commons area, creating wetlands.
* * * The combined impact of 6 billion people on
Earth is an unending, compounding, depleting assault on the ecosphere.
Resource removal, habitat loss, pollution, deforestation, topsoil loss
and losses in diversity and species numbers require proactive
implementation of earth-care designs.
Localism reduces fossil fuel transportation
costs by emphasizing use of local resources. Schools provide natural
centers for teaching sustainable design. The more we can teach our youths
about permanent, sustainable designs, the more benefits we will reap as
they manage our future affairs.
- - -
David White Is a Leader of the Ojai Permaculture Guild. Contact Him at
646-9809 or Artdetour@mac.com
Santa Barbara
Permaculture Network
224 E. Figueroa St, #C
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805/962-2571
sbpcnet@silcom.com