[Sdpg] Upcoming Events and News from Los Angeles Eco-Village

Mon Jun 28 16:22:49 PDT 2004

The CRSP Institute for Urban Ecovillages Los Angeles in association with the
L.A. Eco-Village, the Ecovillage Network of the Americas and other
organizations as noted invite you to a series of workshops and special
events at L.A. Eco-Village, 117 Bimini Place, Los Angeles 90004.

For "Newsbites" from L.A. Eco-Village, go to the end of this notice

If you would like to be deleted from this events and news list, please reply
and say "Delete" in body of message.  Thank you.

For additional information, please call 213/738-1254 or contact Lois at
<crsp at igc.org>

SAT. JULY 3 - SAT. JUL. 10
CO-OP CAMP SIERRA
A wonderful family camping experience now in its 66th year.  For details,
visit http://www.coopcamp.com

Co-op Camp has been a project of CRSP since 1999.

TOURS OF LOS ANGELES ECO-VILLAGE

SAT. JULY 10, 11 AM - 1 PM
SAT. AUG 14, 11 AM - 1 PM
SUN. AUG 22, 11 AM - 1 PM
SAT. SEPT. 4, 11 AM - 1 PM
SAT. SEPT. 18, 11 AM - 1 PM

Learn the history, context, accomplishments, pitfalls, plans and visions of
this two block central city demonstration ecovillage neighborhood and its
intentional community.

Note: special group tours can be arranged at other times by appointment.
Minimum of six persons required.  Special interactive school tours also
available.  Call for details.

Reservations required:  213/738-1254, <crsp at igc.org>
Fee: $10 (sliding scale available)

SAT. JULY 17, 10 AM
THE PERMACULTURE CREDIT UNION
A TALK  WITH DON SARICH, CEO OF THE PCU.

Come and meet Don Sarich, President and CEO of the Permaculture Credit
Union.  Learn more at <http://www.sbpermaculture.org/upcoming.html>.   Learn
how you can be an owner in this bank of the people, and the good things you
can make happen with its money.

Please RSVP to 213/738-1254 or <crsp at igc.org>.  No charge for this event.
Co-sponsored by the South Coast Permaculture Guild, the L.A. Permaculture
Guild and the Permaculture Institute of Southern California.

FRI. JULY 23, 7:30 PM
COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS:
What are they, where are they?  Learn why CLT's are important to the future
of sustainable and affordable housing in Los Angeles.  Talk with Rick
Jacobus.

Rick is a prominent consultant on community economic development
specializing in community land trusts.  Learn more about why this is such an
important direction for L.A.'s eco-neighborhoods and for affordable housing
in general.

Learn more about community land trusts at <www.iceclt.org>.

RSVP to 213/738-1254 or <crsp at igc.org>
Donation requested
Sponsored by L.A. Eco-Village Acquisition Committee in association with
CRSP, Eco-Home Network, L.A. Permaculture Guild,  L.A.Conservancy, and other
organizations.

SAT. AUG. 21, 10 AM - 1 PM
GETTING UNSTUFFED:  CLEARING CLUTTER
Learn the P.E.A.C.E. method of organizing your living or working space with
Ann Bradley.
"Order precedes tranquility," says Ann.
This half day workshop will help you develop the will to P.E.A.C.E.:
Purge -  Empty -  Assign -  Contain -   Effect

What to bring: an open mind, files to purge, frequently used date
book/schedule/calendar, implement for note-taking, regular/large envelopes
for relay/return (preferably recycled), material to share with colleagues
that you no longer need/use/want

RSVP to 213/738_1254 <crsp at igc.org>.

Fee:  $40 (sliding scale available)
Co-sponsored by: Seeds of Simplicity

The following events with Robina McGurdy are sponsored by CRSP/Institute for
Urban Ecovillages, Los Angeles Eco-Village, L.A. Permaculture Guild,
Permaculture Institute of Southern California, South Coast Permaculture
Guild

THUR. AUG. 26, 7:00 PM
COMMUNITY GLUE
A slide show and talk with internationally renown permaculture educator
Robina McGurdy.  (See bio below.)

Global examples of processes and activities which build healthy community
and bind it together, followed by discussion.

RSVP to 213/738-1254 or <crsp at igc.org>
Fee: $10 (sliding scale available)

FRI., AUG. 27, 7 PM
ECOVILLAGES & INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD
A slide show and talk with Robina McGurdy.  (See bio below.)

Slides of ecovillages and communities throughout the world, their
similarities, differences and common learnings.  The presentation includes
some of the processes Robina uses to build sustainable community and her
participatory approach to permaculture land use design and development.

RSVP to 213/738-1254 or <crsp at igc.org>
Fee: $10 (sliding scale available).  If you are attending the two day
workshop, the workshop fee is inclusive of this event.
.
FRI & SAT, AUG 27 & 28, 9:30 - 4 PM
CREATING A CULTURE OF ABUNDANCE IN URBAN ECOVILLAGES

A two day workshop with Presenter/Tutor Robina McGurdy, Institute of
Earthcare Education Aotearoa, New Zealand <http://www.planetorganic.org.nz/>

This workshop covers the relationship between economic activity and human
contribution, to build sustainable social systems.  Topics include:
permaculture principles applied to economic development, internal community
labor systems, trading within the wider community, LETSystems, different
economic approaches to ecovillage/intentional commmunity membership
(including rights, privileges and responsibilities), entrepreneurial
attitudes and commercial ethical businesses (including small green co-ops
and sole proprietorships), supporting community endeavors, economic
indicators of sustainability, and quality of life as an economic advantage.

About Robina McGurdy
Robina is a New Zealander who also identifies herself as a planetary
citizen.  She is co-founder/resident/trustee of Tui Land Trust & Community
and founder/trustee of the Institute for Earthcare Education Aotearoa..  For
three decades, Robina has been engaged in broad scale community development,
and for the past 18 years in permaculture design and teaching, organic
growing, the development of environmental education resources and the
creation of participatory processes for decision making and collective
action.  She has taught and applied these powerful community building
methods with households, neighborhoods, schools, farms, ecovillages, urban
neighborhoods and bioregions in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, South
Africa, Ireland, Brazil and USA.  Throughout her life, she has worked with
minimal resources to bring about significant changes in the lives of people,
their communities and their environment.

RSVP to Lois Arkin 213/738-1254 or <crsp at igc.org>.  For additional
information or questions:  Dr. Bill Roley DrRoley at aol.com, 949/494-5843 or
Joan Stephens joaniebird007 at yahoo.com 323-630-4673

Fee: $200 - $100 sliding scale based on income.

Workshop limited to 16 persons.
Reserve your space by sending deposit check for $50 to CRSP by August 23.
Mail to: CRSP, 117 Bimini Place, #221, Los Angeles CA 90004.  Include your
name, address, phone number and email.

SUN., SEPT. 12, 10 AM,
ECOVILLAGE NETWORK OF LOS ANGELES
A gathering of persons and groups wishing to start urban ecovillages in the
Los Angeles area.

Who are we?  What are our resources?  Which neighborhoods do we have in
mind?  What should we look for to create an ideal urban ecovillage
neighborhood?  How can we collaborate and cooperate to create new options
for raising the quality of life in our city while lowering our environmental
impact?  What can we learn from the handful of urban ecovillages across the
country and the world?  To continue discussion on urban ecovillages, sign on
to the Urban Ecovillage Network listserve at http://urban.ecovillage.org/.
Once we begin collaborative activities in Los Angeles, we can create our own
local listserve.

RSVP to Lois Arkin, 213/738-1254 <crsp at igc.org>
No charge for this event.  Bring a brownbag lunch or munchies to share.

WATCH FOR DETAILS ON THE FOLLOWING POTENTIAL WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS:   FALL
2004 THROUGH SUMMER 2005

_  Creating a Gray Water System.  3 day workshop.

-  Creating a demonstration living machine.  3 day worksop

-  Introduction to Fiber Arts - 1 day workshop with Brad Mowers on making
looms out of green waste and beginning weaving with them; spinning with
natural fibers, dyeing with plants; review of various natural fibers and
dyes; making twine from agave, to be planned around our
about-to-flower-and-die agave plant.

-  Composting Varieties -1 day workshop with Esfandiar Abbassi/Others on the
effectiveness and variety of different urban composting methods.

- Creating Community Currency - 1/2  day workshop.

- "Getting Started:  Developing a Community Revolving Loan Fund" - 1/2 day
workshop

- "Street Redesign."  Public talk and 1-2 day hands-on workshop with Mark
Lakeland of City Repair in Portland.  See <www.cityrepair.org>

- Limited equity housing co-ops.  Public talk and discussion with local
residents from Limited Equity Housing Co-ops in the central Los Angeles
area.  Learn more about housing co-ops at <http://www.coophousing.org/>

- Effective meetings in an intentional community setting 1-2 day workshop

- Consensus decision making in an intentional community setting.  3 day
workshop

- Reducing auto dependency in the central city.  Public forum.

- Dealing with conflict within intentional communities and within
neighborhoods: how and why to set up a local Conflict Department.  1-2 day
workshop

- The Role of Legal Structures in Urban Ecovillages.

-  Reading Your Neighborhood for Livelihood Opportunities

- Creating Bicycle Culture in Your Neighborhood

- Making Neighborhood Art for Non-Artists

- Solar Installer Workshop with the Solar Living Institute

- Making Cob Benches and Other Cob Amenities In Your Neighborhood

- Types and Uses of Power

- Methods and Strategies for Stimulating Rapid and Deep Changes in Behavior
and Attitudes

- Depression and Action: Healing through the Principles of Eco-Psychology

- The Art of Focused Conversation: Productive Outcomes

- The Art of Neighborhood Story Telling

-  Art and Function in Urban Ecovillages

Newsbites from Los Angeles Eco-Village and CRSP

-	We are in the process of updating our website, so watch for changes.
Soon, you will be able to access this updated calendar of events at
www.ic.org/laev

-	Bimini Slough Ecological Park opened this year at the south end of L.A.
Eco-Village adjacent to the Bresee Foundation at Second and Bimini.  The
20,000 square foot park featuring a streambed for cleaning storm water,
native plants, a tot lot, paths and benches was built on a former street
with public funds.  The Bresee Foundation <www.bresee.org>  maintains and
manages the park.

- Community Land Trust being developed by the L.A. Eco-Village Intentional
Community.  The IC plans to use the CLT to acquire the two rental apartment
buildings currently owned by CRSP, the nonprofit sponsoring organization.
Eventually, using the CLT, the LAEV IC intends to create cooperative home
ownership which will own the buildings while the land trust owns the land.
The CLT wstill add a layer of protection for maintaining permanent
affordability of the housing.

- The Bike Kitchen at L.A. Eco-Village repairs bikes, teaches bike repair,
works with young people on an "Earn a Bike Program," sponsors fun events,
and advances the best of bike culture in the Los Angeles area.  Check out
their website at <www.bikekitchen.com>.

- Street Redesign in L.A. Eco-Village.  The City of Los Angeles has
allocated approximately $250,000 for the redesign of Bimini Place as a
demonstration "shared street."  This is the one block main street in L.A.
Eco-Village.  If you would like to be involved in working with the
neighborhood in the redesign or actual work, please let us know at
crsp at igc.org.

- CRSP Reinventing itself.  CRSP, the sponsoring organization for the L.A.
Eco-Village, is in the process of re-inventing itself for the time when it
will no longer own property in LAEV and for when Lois Arkin, its founder and
volunteer Executive Director of 24 years, will be resigning from her
position as Executive Director.  The organization will be seeking new board
members and a new executive director in the coming year.  If you have
interest in these positions, please watch future issues of these "Newsbites"
and/or our website for position descriptions and details.

- Gardens in L.A. Eco-Village.  Thanks to new residents (and old friends)
Brad Mowers, Camille Cimino and Esfandiar Abbassi, the main courtyard in the
big yellow building at LAEV has been transformed into a mulch heaven and,
hopefully, year-round veggie gardening in permaculture tradition.  Five
trucks of high quality mulch have been diverted to LAEV from faraway
composting facilities and onto the paths and gardens here.  It's a whole new
feel and look.  In addition, with the design expertise and hands-on magic of
artist and craftsman Ray Cirino and help from many other Eco-Villagers, a
beautiful animal enclosure has been created.

- Other artsy touches in LAEV.  Weaver Brad Mowers and handyperson/craftsman
Dale Kreutzer, working with 4th to 6th grade school children, have installed
weaving looms in the courtyard and sidewalk tile art and benches.  Be sure
to look for them on your next visit

- The CRSP Library is open for free loans to members.  This specialized
collection of materials books, publications and videos on ecovillages,
intentional communities, sustainable community economic development,
cooperatives, civic and community processes, sustainable urban and
transportation planning and more is now open in our new location in the big
yellow building in L.A. Eco-Village.  Membership in CRSP is $35 per year and
entitles you to free loans from the library, and a free tour.  Contact Lois
for membership details and library hours or for a special appointment
(213/738-1254 or crsp at igc.org).   We are also looking for a volunteer to
maintain the library and library hours.  Let Lois know if you are
interested.

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