Solstice greetings, Steering Committee

[Bruce Woodside]

I cannot be alone in noticing that there has been little to no activity on either of our Groups lists or in terms of potlucks, workshops, etc. since the withdrawal of Debbie from active participation in our little gang last March, and I have to think that it reflects, to some extent, how large a part she was playing in promoting our activities and how increasingly small a part enthusiasm or individual initiative on the part of our members was holding up its end of the bargain.  

I plead guilty on my own part to burrowing in to my own activities locally and pretty much turning my back on wider concerns such as reviving our moribund Time Bank (whose internal operation perpetually eluded me even while I was actively participating in it), hoping someone would pick up the ball and run with it in the domain of their local neighborhood or field of endeavor.

So I think it is now time to declare that the air has officially gone out of this balloon, which was always of the "trial" variety anyway. I sense, without knowing for sure, that the same can be said for other Transition Initiatives in the Los Angeles area, although I note that Joanne's Environmental Changemakers and Transition Mar Vista still seem to be actively organizing garden workdays, mounting Little Free Library workshops, and bringing in a speaker or two now and then. No word lately from any of the other eight or so local initiatives, but I have to admit that I have not made much of an effort to keep tabs on what people are doing.

So I ask, where does this leave us?  I am aware that all of us have our own personal and local sets of concerns, and my feeling is that perhaps Transition is not the model that necessarily binds those concerns together, especially over an area the size of the San Fernando Valley. 

For my own part, I still feel that I am "transitioning" in some sense without having the support network of a group of people dedicated to the larger principles of the Transition Network behind me; but I also realize that it is considerably easier for me to engage in activities, like the loose partnership with TreePeople that maintains the Grant High School garden and orchard, than it would be if I were still trying to hold down a job, raise a family, or make the rent or mortgage. 

I find that I am not altogether sure that the Transition model, as it might be applied in the Los Angeles area, offers any customizable solutions to the latter problems. The principles sound good and seem to work well in the village settings of Totnes and other places where the movement apparently flourishes, but the problems here seem overwhelmingly systemic. It may just, again, be a matter of scale. Or perhaps there's a big party going on (on Facebook?) of which I am unaware. In any event, our organization, such as it was, appears to me to no longer be in the business of addressing the real needs of its participants, and they have migrated to other places of more immediate concern.

I, however, still feel the need for some kind of continuing community of like-minded souls. I wish I could say that I have a clear idea of what I've got in mind, but I do not.  My best guess at sketching out what I think I need would be to poll our few remaining participants (you guys first) to see if there is an interest in a kind of permaculture study group.  I've recently been taking an online course offered by designer Geoff Lawton (of "Greening the Desert" fame), and we are about halfway through the twelve-week curriculum.  At the end of it, all the course materials will be shipped to me and I can make them available to those who may not be able to afford the usual costs of a PDC (which can range from $900 - $1200 for the entire 72 hour course.)  My goal in such a group would be to attack specific design problems (e.g., any of the school gardens at which I am working, or redesigning group members' properties for water catchment, or working on "balcony garden" designs for apartment or condo dwellers) from a permaculture perspective.

I am not in a position to offer such a course or act as its teacher and charge money for it, or to dispense Design Certificates at the end of it, but that wouldn't really be the goal. Having been through the complete course twice and having taken a number of "refresher" classes, I am in a position to point such a group towards the relevant information (through a lending library and tool sharing arrangement), if there's sufficient interest. And if there's sufficient motivation, the group could mutually undertake to apply what we learn in practical terms, realizing focussed individual projects.

That's it - that's as much as I've got. If you're interested in participating in such a group - or if you've got a better idea in mind for planting a life-restoring kiss to the forehead of the not-dead-but-only-sleeping carcass of Transition SFV - please respond. And thanks for reading,

Bruce    

[Bill Maxwell]

Glad to hear from you Bruce & hello to everyone else! (hey, Jonathan, did you get my e-mail about a zillion months back :) ).

I've been through some massively chaotic times and am just settling back in; there's an idea for a Transition article I'll run past you soon, Bruce, that I think reflects a lot of what you're saying.  Maybe I'll try and get everyone's feedback before I post it.

I have no solid answers for anyone at the moment (I'm at work) but I will say the most I've enjoyed of the Transition Movement was meeting up with you folks.  If --all-- we, that is the Steering Committee + some extras, do is get together as people, it's still worthy even if the label is ditched. I value our friendship and the advice and impact all of you have had on my life.

re: Transition as a whole, as I stated before, I've got this idea burbling that I'll need to write about at length.  I should be able to get to it by Tuesday, when my work slows down.

On a side note (coming from a camp set up by my work), willow bows are easy to make, yucca is delicious when young and fresh and acorn coffee is quite refreshing! :)

Best

Bill Maxwell

(who promises his enthusiasm is on the rise)

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[Jonathan Beggs]

Hello Bruce and everybody,
 I, too, have noticed that when neither Carol nor Debbie is working her magic, social events do not occur. From this observation I conclude that the rest of us, the other members of the steering committee, plus the unwashed masses don’t have a lot of social-event-initiative. I know I don’t and neither does Mitzi..
What I enjoy is getting together with friends for dining, drinking, laughing, ;l going to the movies. I have a special fondness for parties where the margaritas are mixed professionally. I like work parties especially on projects I’m interested in like ponds, solar energy panels for hot water or electricity, Bio Dynamic Compost, and a few others. I’m set up now for Sonic Bloom as soon as the current heat wave is over.
I find I don’t have any competence or inclination in planning events to educate or stimulate people but we would like to show  documentaries, as you did with The Crash Course, on topics related to the EotWAWKI I or earthquake preparedness, Permaculture, maintaining one’s vim, vigor and vitality, i.e. personal resilience,  community resilience and so on. 
I’d like to go to the World Convergence of Permaculture in Cuba this year just for the adventure but not enough to plan for it. 
 Like Candide, Mitzi and I are cultivating our garden in this best of all possible worlds.
Several years ago Mitzi and I hosted and even propagated Simplicity Circles based on the 8 or 10 meeting schedule in the book by Cecile Andrews in which the 6 to 10 participants meet every two weeks to share experiences and  notes on simplifying one’s life. Cecile’s approach avoided the competitive “Simpler than thou” that can destroy such efforts. This sort of study group is a Scandinavian offshoot of an earlier American community education called a Chataqua.  I’m interested in something like this regarding permaculture, resilience etc. I don’t think Mitzi is.
Last week Jonathan Bessone who was in the grafting workshop you, Bruce, and I took, posted a notice that he needed a woodchipper. I replied that he could borrow mine. He brought it back yesterday along with a gift of two green grape clippings, three types of Japanese sweet potatoes and a basil plant. That was a kiss on the brow of the sleeping princess. 
All the best to All,
Jon
 

  P.S. Bill I did an email search and sure enough I did get an email from you in March which slipped in unobserved until now. I'll reply very soon.

Jon     

On Sat, Jun 22, 2013 at 1:24 PM, Bruce Woodside <warn...@mac.com> wrote:

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[Don Dwiggins]

Bruce,

Thanks for giving voice to what we must all be feeling.  Some thoughts:

I've thought for some time that what makes a community come together is shared concerns, responsibility, and the need for mutual support; generally, this implies living close enough together to have a dense network of interaction.  (This was why I hoped for local "centers" to arise, places where several compatible people lived close enough to get together frequently and focus on the neighborhood's issues, needs, or whatever.)  There may be some of that going on in Westchester (particularly the folks "invested" in supporting Holy Nativity) and Mar Vista, around local food, etc.  Also, there appears to be a thriving, or at least surviving time bank in NE LA, and also a tool sharing group somewhere in that area. 

If I were to look for "centers" like this in the Valley, I'd probably look for ethnic communities that hang together to preserve their culture, language, religion, etc. in the face of the general disintegration of community that's been going on for quite a while now, especially in suburbia.  (For example, Northridge has a large Korean community that might fit this description.  They go to the extent of being clannish, very little mixing or opening to the general neighborhood.  Bruce's Jewish neighbors might fit this descirption as well.)  For the rest of us, getting a serious transition group going means (re-)inventing community; not a simple or easy undertaking.

From my reading, I think one of the major factors that has led to the degradation of community has been the combination of mobility, widespread communication, the delegation of support services to government agencies, and financial policies that weaken the local economy in favor of large institutions and corporations.  I'm seeing a pretty strong relocalization movement, which might change the dynamic.  (One possible local "center" is a network of local businesses serving local customers -- including each other.)

Speaking of localization, I'm still involved in the Neighborhood Council system, which shows some promise of localizing governance.  (A book you might enjoy: "Neighbor Power: Creating Community the Seattle Way" by Jim Diers.)

That said, I'd like to resurrect our occasional meetings, less the pressure to accomplish more than just sharing (and reinforcing) our energies, trading ideas, and flat out enjoying ourselves.  I'd be willing to be the host sometime this summer.  (As the Hart of our group put it, "I miss youse guys".)

Best regards and wishes to all,

Don
"In it for the long haul..."