Transition PDX

Illahee Series - Wes Jackson - Power, Change and Food

Jeremy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:19:17 +0000

Event

When:

Monday, March 15, 2010 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Link:

http://illahee.org/lectures

Link:

Tickets are $20

More about Wes Jackson (courtesy of wikipedia): Jackson founded a non-profit organization, The Land Institute, in 1976. He is still head of The Land Institute, which currently describes its main goal as the development of Natural Systems Agriculture; it also publishes The Land Report, a newsletter about American sustainable agriculture and agrarianism.

The Land Institute explored alternatives in appropriate technology, environmental ethics, and education, but a research program in sustainable agriculture eventually became central to its work. In 1978 Jackson proposed the development of a perennial polyculture. He sought to have fields planted in polycultures, more than one plant in a field, as in nature. Jackson also wanted to use perennials, which would not need to be replanted every year - that would leave the soil more intact, preventing erosion, and allowing important relationships between soil and plant to continue. The Land Institute attempts to breed plants not presently used in agriculture into effective producers of perennial grains in intercropping conditions. Jackson argued that this version of agriculture used "nature as model", and to pursue that end The Land Institute has studied prairie ecology.

Entering its third decade, The Land Institute is beginning to demonstrate progress in developing the perennial crops called for in the Natural Systems Agriculture model. Programs in wheat, sorghum, and sunflower are generating crop lines displaying both perenniality and agriculturally-significant seed yield. Research on integrating these new plants into polycultures also continues. The Land Institute is not itself developing machinery suitable for one-pass harvesting of grain polycultures. It instead takes the position that integration of existing materials separation technology into harvesters is a straight-forward task, and will be accomplished by public and private agricultural engineers when the demand arrives.

Wes Jackson is the author of several books and is recognized as a leader in the international sustainable agriculture movement. In 1971, Wes Jackson's first efforts to address growing environmental concerns, react to social concerns growing from the Civil Rights movement andopposition to the Vietnam War, and answer student requests for more relevant materials resulted in the environmental reader, Man and the Environment.[1][2] After leaving academia and establishing the Land Institute, Jackson published the book New Roots for Agriculture about looking to natural ecosystems, such as the prairie, to help solve the problem of soil erosion.

Location

First Congregational Church

1126 SW Park

Portland, OR

Transition PDX

Illahee Series - Richard Heinberg: Power, Change and Energy

Jeremy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:18:30 +0000

Event

When:

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

Link:

http://illahee.org/lectures

Link:

Purchase Tickets to 2010 Events

Senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute, Mr. Heinberg is best known as a leading educator on Peak Oil—the point at which we reach maximum global oil production—and the resulting, devastating impact it will have on our economic, food, and transportation systems. But his expertise is far ranging, covering critical issues including the current economic crisis, food and agriculture, community resilience, and global climate change. Heinberg is author of nine books, including The Party’s Over, Peak Everything, and the newly released Blackout.

Location

First Congregational Church

1126 SW Park

Portland, OR

Transition PDX

Transiton PDX General Meeting - March 2010

Jeremy — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:40:44 +0000

Event

When:

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Everyone in Transition PDX are invited to gather and hear progress reports from existing groups, the Hub, as well as feedback and discussion from the larger Transition community.

This is an opportunity to get to know others in Transition PDX, share wisdom and progress toward a more resilient community.

Plan to attend so that together we can maintain the momentum needed to build community, create resilience, and craft an effective Energy Descent Action Plan.

Location

St. Francis Che Room

1131 SE Oak

Portland, OR

Transition PDX

Transiton PDX General Meeting - Feb 2010

Jeremy — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:39:54 +0000

Event

When:

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Everyone in Transition PDX are invited to gather and and hear progress reports from new conveners of interest groups, existing groups, and the Hub, as well as feedback and discussion from the larger Transition community.

This is an opportunity to get to know others in Transition PDX, share wisdom and progress toward a more resilient community.

Plan to attend so that together we can maintain the momentum needed to build community, create resilience, and craft an effective Energy Descent Action Plan.

Location

St. Francis Che Room

1131 SE Oak

Portland, OR

Transition PDX

ReSkilling: Mending

Jeremy — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:12:20 +0000

Event

When:

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Christine Virgo will present basic mending skills and tips. Then lead us in a hands-on tutorial about mending.

If you have no sewing needles or thread to bring, please come anyway! Christine will have some basic equipment to share. If you have a darning needle, or would like to purchase one, bring it, as well, because Christine can show you how to use that, too!

Bring your holey socks and other clothing that needs a small repair. During the hands-on section, Christine will circulate to give pointers on how best to succeed in the project at hand.

Some time ago Transition PDX asked what skills you most want to learn. By far, mending received the most requests. So, we look forward to Christine working with us, and we look forward to your being there.

Location

St. Francis - Che Room

1131 SE Oak St.

Portland, OR

Transition PDX

Saturday Night at St. Francis Cafe - Music & Slow Food Event

Jeremy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:18:36 +0000

Event

When:

Saturday, March 6, 2010 - 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Transition PDX

Training for Transition in Portland April 9-10

Liz — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:23:46 +0000

Event

When:

Friday, April 9, 2010 - 9:00am - Saturday, April 10, 2010 - 5:00pm

Transition PDX will be sponsoring a two-day Training for Transition (T4T) on Friday and Saturday, April 9 and 10. The training will be held in the main hall of Sunnyside Methodist Church, 3520 SE Yamhill Street, Portland.

The T4T course is designed to introduce you to a community engagement model for responding and adapting to the threats of climate change, fossil fuel dependence and economic instability. It will give an introduction to the ideas underpinning the Transition Initiative, and the most important skills needed to get a Transition Initiative off the ground in your locality. The course is designed both for people who are already in a group working to achieve this, and those who are thinking of creating such a group.

This training will follow the Transition model in paying attention to both the outer work and the inner work necessary for a successful transition process. The course is participatory, action-learning-based and fun, with participants invited to share their own experience and learn from the different Transition projects represented in the group.

The cost of the training is $200, of which a $40 deposit will be due with your registration to hold your place. Registration information will be available in about a week. We hope to offer some partial scholarships, and will do our best to find rooms in members’ homes for visiting participants.

One of the two certified Transition US trainers will be David Johnson. After building an award-winning ecological house in Wales, David explored the overlap of ecology and spirituality through a Masters Degree program in Transpersonal Psychology with a concentration in Ecopsychology at Naropa University. During this time he also trained with Joanna Macy. This training informed his thinking around the inner aspects of Transition work. David was involved in a think tank set up by Rob Hopkins in the early days of Transition Town Totnes in England, and recently moved to Portland where he has been in the central group helping to bring the Transition approach here.

The other trainer, Lena Soots from Vancouver, BC, is a community educator and facilitator with a focus on community sustainability and resilience. With an academic background in Environmental Studies, Lena’s work has involved environmental consulting, community planning, local food system development and facilitation across a wide range of community settings. She is currently an Instructor and Research Associate with the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University and a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Education. Lena’s current research is in transformative community learning and exploring the inner and outer dimensions of change. She is also a yoga instructor and tries to spend as much time as possible hiking in the mountains or paddling a canoe.

to register please contact Leslee Lewis - kgllport@aol.com or (503) 282-6054

Transition PDX

Heart and Soul TPDX March 2010 mtg

Zeratha — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:15:00 +0000

Event

When:

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Link:

Heart and Soul TPDX March 2010 Facebook meeting notice

Hello Transition PDX Heart and Soul friends.

Additional & Contact:

If you have any questions/comments feel free to contact me via phone or email: (503) 975-4181

Zeratha Young mooglicious@gmail.com www.transitionpdx.org www.cnrg-portland.org www.thedirt.org www.zeratha.com

Transition PDX

Gardening When It Counts Reading Circle Chapter 8

permiegirl — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:10:15 +0000

Event

When:

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Wednesday May 5 - Gardening When It Counts Reading Circle Chapter 8 - Insects & Diseases

In this chapter we will be learning specific strategies for dealing with many common garden troublemakers.

Location

St. Francis Church

1131 SE Oak st. Che Room, across the street from Red & Black Cafe

Portland, OR

Transition PDX

Gardening When It Counts Reading Circle Chapter 7

permiegirl — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:59:17 +0000

Event

When:

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 - 9:00pm

Wednesday April 7 - Gardening When It Counts Reading Circle Chapter 7 - Compost

In this chapter we will be looking at how to successfully create great compost. We are warned that there is some hard work involved! Learn the technique to making garden gold for yourself.

Location

St. Francis Church

1131 SE Oak st. Che Room, door across from Red & Black Cafe

Portland, OR

Transition PDX