[Scpg] {Path to Freedom} News & July Calendar

[Path to Freedom]

Greetings folks,

We have some news segments to share with you this month and we are also announcing a few upcoming events.

This summer, we encourage (challenge!) everyone not to only think "outside the box," but to LIVE "outside the box."  

Have a great and proactive summer.  

So without further ado -- 


::NEWS::

In the Spotlight

Ann Martin of CBS2 & KCAL9 News visits our urban garden. Take a peek into Path to Freedom's micro urban farm as she and Jules pick and enjoy a fresh salad for lunch from the garden. http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=20301@kcbs.dayport.com

In The Garden: Hosted By Ann Martin

In The Garden airs every Thursday on KCAL9 in the 4 p.m. newscast. Ann Martin visits prominent area gardens, such as Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge and the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, and also offers gardening tips from her own backyard garden. http://cbs2.com/inthegarden

PTF Video Brochure

This short video clip was done in such a hurry we left out a lot of aspects (and people too!) that make Path to Freedom the homestead it is.  Our next updated video will included those missing "scenes" -- projects such as our grey water reclaimation, more of our produce/edible flower business, vermiculture, using the solar shower, sun ovens, powering down, bartering etc., etc.   

2006 Path to Freedom Video Brochure (BETA version: 1)  
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/interactive/download.shtml

Settle in for your own private urban homestead tour. Wander among the edible landscaping, catch a glimpse of "homestead life", meet the animals, and learn about the projects that Path to Freedom incorporates in order to bring about a homegrown revolution. 
This is an experimental film, it is a work-in-progress as we move toward making a full-length documentary 


"100 Mile Potluck" Sweeps the Southland

Path to Freedom is proud to have hosted the first ever Los Angeles "100 Mile Potluck."  We are excited to note that this concept is being replicated throughout the Southland and many parts of the States!

Since this potluck was such a hit, we want to acknowledge that part of our inspiration came from the folks who brought about the Eat Local Challenge and  "100 Mile Diet."  

We wanted to challenge folks on a community level and through these events, it was evident that many of the participants were proud of the dishes they brought.  It was as if  there was a  personal connection with the food.  It wasn't an impersonal/passive potluck, where you could just pull something tasty off the grocery shelf and plop it down on the table.   You had to engage yourself with the item you brought, thus forming a sense of community through food. 

Many of those who attended liked the concept so much, they informed us that they will definitely be copying this potluck challenge/concept we had initiated.  Again, we thank those who inspired us with the idea.

It was  interesting to observe what foods were brought to the table during this proactive potluck assignment.  Many attendees said that this was a good lesson and learning experience for them.  One lady described how she and the produce guy at the local Wild Oats took the challenge seriously and tried to figure out where the produce had come from.  This made them aware of what was in the local foodshed and what was not.  Lots of tasty vegetable dishes and fruit were brought, either from Farmer's Markets or backyards.  Wine from California, homemade lemonade, Mexican food from a local restaurant, deviled eggs from one lady's backyard chickens, and more.  It was interesting to note that there were no rice or pasta dishes, breads, crackers, chips, no cheese  or anything of that nature ( someone did bring homemade almond bars).  Besides a few cookies, it was mostly a vegetable/fruit faire.  

Thank you all for participating and making this a successful and educational experience for all.   

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Green Resource Guide 

GREENOPIA - The urban dwellers guide to green living {Los Angeles Edition} 

Filled with eco-friendly retailers, services and organizations in the Los Angeles area, Greenopia is a post-consumer recycled world designed to help you transition into living a more sustainable life.

You'll find PTF listed under "Specialty Markets(pg 67)" In addition, our produce business is a proud recipient of Greenopia's 'Four Leaf Award.'


Purchase Greenopia online through our site at www.pathtofreedom.com/shop 

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Summer Break

This will be our last e-calendar email to you for some time. Don't fret, no we aren't leaving the country - not yet.  ;)

We have a good reason!  Much of July, and probably even August. we will be busy re-roofing our house - one step forward in our rainwater collection project! 

Please understand that we will not be available to give any tours during this construction period.   However, we are available for community outreach events if you would like for us to give a power point presentation about our project 

Contact Anais at anais at pathtofreedom.com   

In the meantime, we are working with a local church in the area to host a new global warming film  We hope to use its facility to screen the film sometime in late July or early August, so stay tuned.

Brewing Biodiesel

For all those of you who emailed and called, asking when our next biodiesel class would be - thank you for your patience!   If and when the roofing is complete (hopefully, sometime in August) Path to Freedom will host an Biodiesel 101 workshop.  Stay tuned for details.

!!Veggie Oil For Sale!!

We have surplus hydrogenated vegetable (soy) oil to sell, cheap (50 cent a gallon), if anyone is interested.  This oil has only been used once and titrates out to ~.5 grams of lye. 

Contact:: Justin dervaes at pathtofreedom.com

What's Happenin' On the Homestead

If you would like to be kept informed of all the exciting new projects (and updates on the baby goats), visit our online journal at www.pathtofreedom.com/journal  

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:: JULY CALENDAR ::

INTERDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION (& PIZZA PARTY)

"Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency...."
~ Gandhi ~

When:  Tuesday, July 4th
Time: 5:00 pm
Where: Path to Freedom 
$5  - $10 suggested donation / Space is limited so please rsvp
RSVP at www.pathtofreedom.com/calendar  

Celebrate summer and our interdependence connection with each other and our planet earth.  

Come relax in a garden setting, sharing in music, discussion and dine on wood-fired organic, vegetarian pizzas provided by American Flatbread Pizza ( www.americanflatbread.com ) that we will cook in the cob oven!

This event/party will be a potluck so please bring something to contribute (drinks, fruit, chips, or a dish). If you are a musician, bring your musical instrument and join others in an impromptu sing-along.  Afterwards enjoy the fireworks display put on at the Rose Bowl.

In keeping with the "100 Mile Diet Pledge" please try to bring food within 100 mile radius if you can.

More info about food miles check out a few handy references at http://www.pathtofreedom.com/popups/eatlocal.htm

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FILM SCREENING & POTLUCK

BLUE VINYL (90 min)
The world's first toxic comedy

When:  Sunday, July 16
Time: 6:00 pm
Where: Path to Freedom, 631 Cypress Ave Pasadena, CA  91103
$5 - $10 suggested donation / Space is limited so please rsvp

::Event Schedule:: 

6:00 - 7:00 pm - "100 Mile" Potluck 
7:30 pm  - Film screening  Blue Vinyl 

RSVP at www.pathtofreedom.com/calendar  
{ if you decide not to attend, please be considerate, and send us an email informing us of your cancellation}

::Film Description::

With humor, hope, and piece of PVC vinyl siding in hand (a remnant from her parent's suburban house), Judith Helfand and Daniel B. Gold explores home, family industry-sponsored science and the ecology of denial. 

Questioning her parents decision to put blue vinyl siding on their house, she sets out to find the truth about vinyl: what are the hazards, are there side-effects, are there dangers in the production and disposal of vinyl? 

Having lost her uterus from DES poisoning, she shares a bond with the cancer victims who work in and live in the shadow of the vinyl and PVC factories. Judith has this gravelly high voice, a quirky sense of humor, and a vulnerability in the face of corporate America that makes her irresistible. 

Exposure to vinyl chloride is an extremely underrated hazard. Research has shown for years (and Helfand makes a strong case for this in her movie) that vinyl chloride is a carcinogen, and that the production & disposal of vinyl is a serious environmental and health risk.   

Vinyl (or PVC) is the "most environmentally hazardous consumer product in the world." The chemical released in its creation and disposal (and likely gradually emitted, at eeenie weenie levels, during its life in between) is the exceptionally deadly dioxin, "the Watergate of molecules." And as one of the many scientists interviewed for this film asserts, the highly carcinogenic dioxin sticks around for a very long time: if you were "exposed to ten units of dioxin, ten years later, you would still have five units in your body." 

Read more about this movie and it's review at http://www.lipmagazine.org/articles/revitalvi_179.shtml


What You Can Do?

Plastic is a substance which we (and which was not addressed by the film) are exposed to on a regular basis. So-called "inert" vinyl, found in PVC pipes, vinyl siding, shower curtains, car dashboards, etc., emits small doses of toxic chemicals, which also pose serious concerns.  

Learn how to get this toxic substance out of your life by visiting this site http://mindfully.org/Plastic/Alternatives/Alternatives-Plastic-Goettlich3aug05.htm  for healthier alternatives to plastic.


100 MILE POTLUCK 

Continuing the Eat Local Challenge

PTF joins the Bay Area Locavores (www.locavores.com) as they challenged people from all over the world to eat within a 100 mile radius of their home.

We invite all local eaters (this means you) to join us in a celebration of our local food cornucopia and in an effort to raise our own awareness of our place within the foodshed. 

::Potluck Guidelines:: Our goal for this potluck is to eat from within a 100 mile radius of our homes. Failing that, we will attempt to eat foods that come from within our State, or are purchased directly from small scale farmers elsewhere in the world. Some of us will interpret these guidelines more strictly than others, but the main goal is to pay attention to where the food that we eat comes from.  

More info about food miles check out a few handy references at http://www.pathtofreedom.com/popups/eatlocal.htm

REMEMBER THE PLEDGE OF THE LOCAVORE:

If not FROM BACKYARD then locally produced.
If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

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:: ZERO WASTE & LOW IMPACT ::

We, at Path to Freedom, endeavor to make our each of our events as "eco- friendly" as possible with solar (or other "alternative green") electricity, oil/biodiesel lamps, candles and a "low or zero waste policy" by providing reusable plates, cups, and utensils to ensure there is no unnecessary waste. 

All other waste (i.e., plastic wrappers, glass bottles, food containers, etc) and food scraps are recycled, reused, composted or fed to our pet chickens and ducks.  { http://www.pathtofreedom.com/popups/zerowaste.htm }

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Follow our path...
Organic Gardening, Urban Permaculture, Solar Energy, Homebrew Biodiesel, 
Citified Farm Animals, Cob Oven, Waste & Water Reclamation, Appropriate 
Technologies & More!

  ~ A pioneering journey towards self sufficiency, one step at a time ~
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PATH TO FREEDOM
  Sustainable Living Resource Center & Urban Homestead

  Jules Dervaes (founder /director)
  631 Cypress Ave
  Pasadena, CA  91103
  phone: 626.795.8400
  email:  dervaes at pathtofreedom.com
  web: www.PathtoFreedom.com

In our society growing food yourself has become the most radical of acts. It 
is truly the only effective protest, one that can-and will-overturn the 
corporate powers that be. By the process of directly working in harmony with 
nature, we do the one thing most essential to change the world-we change 
ourselves.    ~  Jules Dervaes ~

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