[Sdpg] Peace through Permaculture: Thank you Marcia for the article in Vison Magazine

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

                                            Peace through Permaculture:
                                Californians Choose Sustainable Living Over Oil

                                                                            by 
Marcia Boruta

                     As the world grapples with the threat of war and 
terrorism, many people are rethinking their
                  lifestyles. Millions of anti-war protesters around the 
world said, ''No Blood for Oil'' and rejected
                   a war for natural resources. Many are recognizing that 
our real security is jeopardized when we
                                          covet our neighbors' goods, 
whether it's oil, water, land, or labor.

                    What's the alternative to warring over resources? One 
answer is living locally, that is, learning
                         how to sustain ourselves with the resources 
available where we live. How do we do it?
                     Fortunately, there's a body of knowledge already 
developed. It's called ''Permaculture,'' an
                        ethics-based, ecological design process for living 
cooperatively and sustainably on Earth.

                    The San Diego Permaculture Center is one of the newest 
nodes in the coastal network. In San
                     Diego, we've been exploring the link between peace and 
permaculture since 1999, when the
                      grassroots San Diego Economic Conversion Council 
adopted the San Diego Permaculture
                           Center as a new project. SDECC was founded in 
1985 to help convert San Diego's
                    military-dependent economy to a sustainable peace-based 
economy. While we've seen major
                       social change in 18 years, we still don't have a 
sustainable economy that meets human and
                                                                           environmental 
needs.

                       Permaculture offered us a holistic strategy for 
promoting sustainable community economic
                 development. Currently, we're developing urban models to 
conserve natural resources and create
                       neighborhood jobs. We're supporting California's 
''Garden in Every School'' program and
                        collaborating with our neighborhood elementary 
school to design a joint-use park with a
                   school-community garden. This year we published the 
first annual ''School Garden Calendar &
                     Coloring Book'' that's being sold by neighborhood 
organizations to raise funds for the school
                     garden project. Our vision is to see more urban 
farmers tending food gardens on private and
                                                    public lands, including 
schools, parks, and libraries.

                 Half way up the California coast, the Santa Barbara / San 
Luis Obispo region demonstrates what
                   can be done when activists and community media 
collaborate. The Santa Barbara Permaculture
                        Network ( www.sbpermaculture.org) serves as an 
informal hub for Southern California.
                  Facilitators Wes Roe and Margie Bushman produce a monthly 
email newsletter of permaculture
                 events. Wes also serves on the Board of Directors of the 
Permaculture Credit Union in Santa Fe,
                            New Mexico ( www.pcuonline.org). In 
collaboration with HopeDance Magazine (
                  www.hopedance.org), the Santa Barbara Permaculture 
Network brings in local and international
                                    experts for educational programs and 
Southern California speaking tours.

                        This month, Southern Californians have several 
special opportunities to learn more about
                 Permaculture and sustainable living:  On March 6, Penny 
Livingston, Director of the Permaculture
                   Institute of Northern California ( 
www.permacultureinstitute.com) will visit Scripps College and
                     the Pomona College Natural Farm in Claremont and speak 
on Waterflow and Water-feature
                    Design. Info: (909) 896-0976. On March 20-30, the South 
Coast Permaculture Network will
                    host a speaking tour for Joseph F. Kennedy, author of 
the book ''The Art of Natural Building''
                   and Director of Builders without Borders ( 
www.builderswithoutborders.org). The tour starts in
                                     Berkeley with a San Diego stop planned 
for March 29. For details, see
                  www.sbpermaculture.org. Registrations are currently being 
accepted for the Urban Permaculture
                  Design Certificate Course to be taught by Larry Santoyo ( 
www.earthflow.com) in Los Angeles.
                   The course will be offered over six weekends from August 
9-September 28. The latest issue of
                      Permaculture Activist ( www.permacultureactivist.net 
assesses the state of the 30-year-old
                     permaculture movement and asks what more must be done 
to meet the rising global resource
                                                                                      crisis. 


                  During this time of international tensions, it's 
important to keep hope alive. Permaculture offers a
                 ray of hope for a better world. Marcia Boruta is Director 
of the San Diego Economic Conversion
                 & Permaculture Center. For information, call 619) 298-8879 
or visit www.igc.org/sdecc or email
                                                                               sdecc at igc.org