Events

"The Real Dirt on Farmer John" at Transition Sebastopol Movie Night - May 27

Start: May 27 2009 7:00 pm

End: May 27 2009 9:30 pm

Come join us at our next Transition Sebastopol Movie Night at the French Garden Restaurant!

We are inviting members of the local CSA & farming community to join us in our post movie lively discussion!

Guests include: Paul Kaiser from Singing Frog Farm, Dan Smith of the French Garden Restaurant & Farm, Nathan Boone from First Light Farm, Laurel Anderson, farm manager at Salmon Creek Middle School.

Screening: The Real Dirt on Farmer John

Follows Farmer John’s astonishing journey from farm boy to counter-culture rebel to the son who almost lost the family farm to a beacon of today’s booming organic farming movement and founder of one of the nation’s largest Community Supported Agriculture farms. The result is a tale that ebbs and flows with the fortunes of the soil and revealingly mirrors the changing American times. At once funny and stirring, what drives the film’s powerful appeal is the way in which it digs up “real dirt” not only about the tragedy of losing our traditional American family farms but about what really makes for an original American life - one lived, on a man’s own terms, in balance with the land, through hardships and unexpected triumphs, with creativity and verve.

Watch the trailer here.

FREE EVENT
~donations appreciated as a screening
fee applies to the showing of this film~

Location:
The French Garden Restaurant
8050 Bodega Avenue, Sebastopol (map)

2-Day Training for Transition in Oakland

Start: May 30 2009

Local Agriculture • Local Economies • Neighborhood Revival • Social Justice • Green Jobs

Training for Transition

download a printable flyer here

The Transition movement is a set of inspiring ideas for creating an attractive and enticing vision of how our communities could be. The converging crises of climate change and oil depletion cannot be solved separately, and they cannot be solved with technological miracles, but only by lessening our dependence on fossil fuels.
This doesn’t mean a bleaker future. The heart of transition is the belief that if we engage with enough imagination and ingenuity to unlock the collective genius of our communities, we can choose a future that is more satisfying, just and sustainable than what we have now.

Participants in the training will:
•    explore the opportunities for personal and social transformation presented by the challenges of peak oil, climate change and economic instability
•    learn the key concepts of the Transition model, including how to set up and foster successful Transition groups
•    understand how to raise awareness of the need for transition through public talks and events
•    form contacts with other change leaders in your local area
•    establish a plan of action for yourself and your community

Trainers:
Kat Steele is a permaculture activist, designer, educator and founder of the Urban Permaculture Guild in Oakland, CA. She facilitates workshops on ecological design, sustainability and permaculture as well as publicly speaks about eco-social design, city repair and the power of placemaking.

Scott McKeown is the initiator and current chairperson of Transition Sebastopol, which is the 9th official Transition initiative in the US. Scott has been a community organizer for over 30 years, a Marketing Director of three high tech companies, and from 2003 to 2007 was the Executive Director of the thirty-thousand person attended Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, California.

Bill Aal has been a trainer and organizer for the past 20 years, helping communities with diverse populations transform to be more just and sustainable. He has been involved with social and environmental justice movements for more than 20 years, with particular focus both on agricultural sustainability and social healing.

Location:
@ The Humanist Hall
390 27th Street
Oakland, CA 94612

Cost:
$215 before May 15th
$235 after May 15th

To register, please visit: http://www.regonline.com/transitiontowntraining

Sebastopol Walks: Backyard Gardens Walk

Start: May 30 2009 9:00 am

This 4-mile circular route will take walkers from the Plaza through flower-filled neighorhoods, including a chance to walk through some of the lovely, private backyard gardens along the way.

Leaders: Kathy Oetinger & Nick Kishmirian.

Download the full 2009 Sebastopol Walks schedule here.

Like to excercise & create community at the same time? The Sebastopol Walks series is a great way of doing both!

You can also visit the iWALK site which lists other scheduled Sonoma County walks and allows you to add to the calendar, too!

Seed & Plant Exchange of the West County Community Seed Library

Start: May 30 2009 10:00 am

End: May 30 2009 1:00 pm

Join the West County Community Seed Library project for the first Seed and Plant exchange. Please bring clean seed or plants you want to share. Sara McCamant will teach an "Introduction to Seed Saving" class from 10:30-11:30, which will review the basic protocol for growing out clean seed to share. Seed and Plant exchange and Local Food potluck will follow class. (read more about the Sonoma County Community Seed Library below)

What you could bring:
… Plants or seeds to share
… Coin envelopes
… Books or resources for sharing with others
… Local food potluck item!

Location:
Salmon Creek School Garden
1935 Bohemian HWY
Occidental

View Larger Map

About the West County Community Seed Library

Vision:
To create a grassroots community seed bank that supports Sonoma County gardeners with locally grown, open pollinated, pesticide and GMO free seeds. Anyone can become a member of the West County Seed Library, we ask for a donation of $5.00-$20.00 and a commitment to grow out and donate back seed following the library's protocol for growing clean seeds. No on is turned away for lack of funds. The West County Seed Library will be housed at the Salmon Creek School Garden and will be open to the public monthly for classes, resource sharing and a seed and plant exchange. The West County Seed Library will have resources available to members on growing and processing seeds.

Why save seed and why a local seed bank?
Our rapidly changing world gives us all the more reason to strengthen our local resources and our ability to be self-sufficient. Local seed saving allows us to cultivate plants that do well in our region, with each generation adapting more to the local environment. It also lets us preserve heirloom seeds that are being lost as the seed industry is being concentrated into fewer and fewer large corporations. Seed banks are a great investment; with some plants one seed can return up to 40.000. The abundance seed savers experience should be shared with the community and helps to model a different economic system. We hope to cultivate a network of seed savers in the region to support each other and the seed library, which will be a resource for the expanding community of gardeners and help strengthen our local food system.

For more information contact Sara McCamant 829-5234 or saramc@emeraldearth.org

2-Day Training for Transition in Oakland

Start: May 30 2009

End: May 31 2009

Local Agriculture • Local Economies • Neighborhood Revival • Social Justice • Green Jobs

Training for Transition

download a printable flyer here

The Transition movement is a set of inspiring ideas for creating an attractive and enticing vision of how our communities could be. The converging crises of climate change and oil depletion cannot be solved separately, and they cannot be solved with technological miracles, but only by lessening our dependence on fossil fuels.
This doesn’t mean a bleaker future. The heart of transition is the belief that if we engage with enough imagination and ingenuity to unlock the collective genius of our communities, we can choose a future that is more satisfying, just and sustainable than what we have now.

Participants in the training will:
•    explore the opportunities for personal and social transformation presented by the challenges of peak oil, climate change and economic instability
•    learn the key concepts of the Transition model, including how to set up and foster successful Transition groups
•    understand how to raise awareness of the need for transition through public talks and events
•    form contacts with other change leaders in your local area
•    establish a plan of action for yourself and your community

Trainers:
Kat Steele is a permaculture activist, designer, educator and founder of the Urban Permaculture Guild in Oakland, CA. She facilitates workshops on ecological design, sustainability and permaculture as well as publicly speaks about eco-social design, city repair and the power of placemaking.

Scott McKeown is the initiator and current chairperson of Transition Sebastopol, which is the 9th official Transition initiative in the US. Scott has been a community organizer for over 30 years, a Marketing Director of three high tech companies, and from 2003 to 2007 was the Executive Director of the thirty-thousand person attended Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, California.

Bill Aal has been a trainer and organizer for the past 20 years, helping communities with diverse populations transform to be more just and sustainable. He has been involved with social and environmental justice movements for more than 20 years, with particular focus both on agricultural sustainability and social healing.

Location:
@ The Humanist Hall
390 27th Street
Oakland, CA 94612

Cost:
$215 before May 15th
$235 after May 15th

To register, please visit: http://www.regonline.com/transitiontowntraining

Harmony Festival 2009 - Great Line-up of Transition Speakers

Start: Jun 12 2009

This year, Harmony Festival has a great line-up of Transition-related speakers and panels on several stages. Take a peek at the program and visit the Harmony Festival website for more on this 3-day event.

View the full speaker schedule here.

Printable schedule here.

Headliner Transition Speakers:

Joanna Macy
Starhawk
Richard Heinberg

FRIDAY June 12

Simran Raphaell
Fermenting our way to an Earth Saving Revolution
GREEN PAGODA
Friday 3:45-4:45 pm

Renewable Energy
GREEN PAGODA
Friday 6:45-7:30 pm

Miguel Lom Elliot
Living Earth Structures
GREEN PAGODA
Friday 8:30-9:30 pm

SATURDAY, June 13

Joanna Macy
The Great Turning: The Best Ever Chance to Discover Our Courage, Beauty, and Solidarity
EARTH TEMPLE DOME
Saturday 12:45-1:45 pm
JOANNA MACY is a teacher, author, and the creator of the Work That Reconnects. Drawing from Buddhist practices, systems theory, and love for life, her workshops empower environmental and social activists worldwide. Her many books include Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World; World As Lover, World As Self; Widening Circles, A Memoir; and translations of Rilke's poetry. She feels that this is the time to hone ourskills and relationships for the transition to a life- sustaining civilization. Ms. Macy will be speaking about The Great Turning: The Best Ever Chance to Discover Our Courage, Beauty, and Solidarity.www.joannamacy.net <http://www.joannamacy.net/>

Lori Grace Star with Penny Livingston-Stark
Living Green and Loving It! Pathways to Abundant Living
GREEN PAGODA
Saturday 2:15-3:15 pm
LORI GRACE STAR was trained by Al Gore at Climate Project headquarters. She offers presentations in the Bay Area and beyond about climate change and reducing our carbon footprint. PENNY LIVINGSTON-STARK is internationally recognized as a prominent permaculture teacher, designer and speaker. Penny has been working professionally in the land management and development field for 25 years and has extensive experience in all phases of ecologically-sound landscape design.She is the founder of Sustainable Living Designs.

Permaculture All-Star Panel
Food Forests Across America
withErik Ohlsen,Benjamin Fahrer, and others
GREEN PAGODA
Saturday 3:30-4:30 pm

Derek Huntington & Go Local
Where is Your Money?
GREEN PAGODA
Saturday 4:45-5:45 pm

Max Myers
Permaculture Pathways to Relocalization
GREEN PAGODA
Saturday 11:45 am-12:45 pm

John Valenzuela &Sage Mata
Creating an Eco-Village from the Earth Up
GREEN PAGODA
Saturday 1:00-2:00 pm

Kyle Collins
Enlisting Fungi As Our Allies in Sustainable Culture
GREEN PAGODA
Saturday 10:30 am - 11:30 am

Global Warming Panel Discussion
AMBIOTICA LOUNGE
Saturday 6:00-7:00 pm

SUNDAY, June 14

Starhawk
Mother Earth's Transition Team
EARTH TEMPLE DOME
Sunday 1:15 - 2:15 pm
and
Transition to Sustainability Panel Discussion
EARTH TEMPLE DOME
Sunday 5:45 - 6:30 pm
We live at an awesome moment in history. The dire reality of climate change challenges us to remake our society and to do it quickly. If we fail, we'll suffer destruction on a global scale. But this threat is also a great opportunity-to create a new world of true abundance, rooted in community and ecological balance. How do we join Mother Earth's Transition Team? What shifts in consciousness do we need to make and what actions do we need to take? How do we nurture resilient communities locally and create justice globally to heal our world? STARHAWK committed global justice activist and organizer, is the author or coauthor of ten books, including The Spiral Dance, The Fifth Sacred Thing, and the award-winning Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising. Her latest is Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature. She is a veteran of progressive movements, from anti-war to anti-nukes, is a highly influential voice in the revival of earth-based spirituality and Goddess religion, and has brought many innovative techniques of spirituality and magic to her political work.
www.starhawk.org

Richard Heinberg
Economic Crisis, Peak Oil, and the Transition to Sustainability
EARTH TEMPLE DOME
Sunday 5:00 - 5:45 pm
and

Transition to Sustainability Panel Discussion
EARTH TEMPLE DOME
Sunday 5:45 - 6:30 pm
The world economic crisis represents the collapse of history's biggest Ponzi scheme--a global system of leveraged debt based on perpetual fossil-fueled growth. Now that the era of growth is over, how can we transition to post-carbon energy sources while building resilient and sustainable local economies?RICHARD HEINBERGis widely regarded as one of the world's foremost Peak Oil educators. He is a full-time Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute, and the award-winning author of eight books Including:The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies; Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World; The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism, and Economic Collapse; and Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines.
www.richardheinberg.com

Transition to Sustainability Panel Discussion
with Starhawk, Richard Heinberg, Andy Langford, Liora Adler, Jennifer Gray, and Penny Livingston-Stark
Moderated by Scott McKeown
EARTH TEMPLE DOME
Sunday 5:45 - 6:30 pm
We are facing one of the greates challenges in human history as we shift away from dependence on cheap fossil fuel to a more sustainable economy. Come hear a panel of experts and activists as they discuss the Culture of Transition and what is needed for a successful migration to a post-carbon world.

Pachamama Alliance
Awakening the Dreamer Symposium
AMBIOTICA LOUNGE
Sunday 3:00-5:00 pm
Ifyou are tired of the gloom, doom and crisis you see in the news, come and learn about the "un-named movement" and the new possible future to live into. We guide you through an inquiry from "Where are we? " and "How did we get here?" to "What is possible for the future" and "What can I do?"The Symposium brings hopeful new perspectives and possibilities,Creating abold newfuture.Spend the afternoon being awakened, challenged, and enlivened with a new possibility that makes real your vision for the future. Including video commentary by Paul Hawken, Julia Butterfly Hill, Van Jones, Desmond Tutu, and many more.Join us to explore a new global visionbuilt on Sustainability, Spiritual Fulfillmentand Social Justice.
awakeningthedreamer.org

Andy Langford and Liora Adler
Cultural Remediation: Gaia University and the Global EcoVillage Network
GREEN PAGODA
Sunday 2:15-3:15 pm
ANDY LANGFORD & LIORA ADLERarethe co-founders of Gaia University, based in the San Francisco North Bay. Since 1993, Andy has been founder and CEO of The Permaculture Academy of Britain which now has over 160 graduates in five countries. Since 2000, Ms. Adler has been on the Board of Directors and NGO Representative to the United Nations, Global Ecovillage Network, where she is currently an Advisory Council Member.
www.gaiauniversity.org

Jennifer Gray
Transition Town movement
GREEN PAGODA
Sunday 11:45 am-12:45 pm
JENNIFER GRAYis one of the pioneers of the Transition Town movement in the UK, a practical, positive and inclusive process that is being used by communities all over the world to facilitate the creation of vibrant and resilient communities. She will give an informative and inspiring talk on how the Transition model can work to effectively engage a community in tackling the challenges of peak oil and climate change.
www.transitionus.org

Bioregionalism: Earth-Based Action for a Sustainable Culture
GREEN PAGODA
Sunday 3:30-4:30 pm

Harmony Festival 2009 - Great Line-up of Transition Speakers

This year, Harmony Festival has a great line-up of Transition-related speakers and panels on several stages. Take a peek at the program and visit the Harmony Festival website for more on this 3-day event.

View the full speaker schedule here.

Printable schedule here.

Headliner Transition Speakers:

Joanna Macy
Starhawk
Richard Heinberg