[Lapg] Transition through permaculture in the Valley

[Bruce Woodside]

Over the past few months, a small group of us living in the good ol'  
birthplace
of suburbia, the San Fernando Valley, have been meeting regularly to  
discuss the
Transition Initiative (see http://transitionculture.org/).

Some of us had all taken a one-day introductory class over a year ago at
the Los Angeles Transition Hub in Westchester (see:  
www.TransitionLA.org).
Joanne Poyourow, of Environmental Change-Makers  
(www.EnviroChangeMakers.org) has
been working for a couple of years now to bring Rob Hopkins'  
Transition Towns
movement here to the big city, and has continued to encourage us to  
do something
in the Valley. And here's our first something:

On Saturday afternoon, February 6, 2010, beginning at 2 and running  
until 6-ish,
we're going to be holding a workshop and community discussion on the  
Transition
Initiative in the San Fernando Valley - why it should happen, what it  
might look
like - testing the waters to see if we can inspire enough grassroots  
energy in
the community to really get this thing up and running.

The program will consist of a short slide presentation to provide  
some context
for understanding the problems we're going to be grappling with, and  
a much
longer Open Space forum in which we brainstorm local approaches to  
Transition
solutions. It's free. There will be food. And food for thought.

Our program is entitled, "The Future Is About Resilience", and we  
really believe
that's going to be our focus going forward. Transition is about  
building (or
reviving) the local back-up systems that may have to come into play  
in the event
of an emergency, no matter how long that emergency may last. And that  
starts
with designing a lower energy lifestyle for ourselves on an  
individual basis and
with friends, family, and neighbors on a community basis - hence, the  
permaculture approach.

We have no idea if this will work, but we're going to give it a try. Our
discussions will be somewhat Valley-centric, but we could certainly  
use your
help, your energy, and your ideas, even if you don't live on this  
side of the
hill.

The event will be held at The Onion, the Universalist Unitarian  
church at 9550
Haskell Avenue, just off the 405 in North Hills. If you can't make  
it, there
will be other occasions, workshops and gatherings. Even if you can't  
join us for
this one, please help us out by spreading the word to others who may be
interested, especially to other groups working on the same kinds of  
issues.
Thanks, and I hope to see you there!

Bruce Woodside


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