Neighborhoods, Uplift, Permaculture and the Economy

 

This Presentation is the first evening of the “Inland Northwest Permaculture Convergence”

          http://inlandnorthwestpermaculture.com/

 

Neighborhood leaders and city staff will be interested in this presentation planned for Thursday, November 3, beginning at 7:00, at the Salem Lutheran Church, 1425 West Broadway. The event is free and open to the public.

 

Jan Spencer, from Eugene, Oregon will make a slide presentation that touches on a wide range of topics and issues relating to current events and trends including the economy, resources, life style and the environment.The focus of the presentation is taking action to create a culture and economy that is uplifting and fits within Planet Earth’s capacity to sustain. Spencer calls attention to suburbia – the infrastructure, open spaces and people who live there.  He identifies many tools and assets to work with, readily available to millions of people for redefining our culture and economy, actions with little or no permission required.Spencer has been transforming his own quarter acre suburban property in Eugene for over ten years.  The grass is gone and so is the driveway.  There is edible landscaping all over.  Both the main house and detached bungalow have solar space heating features.  The rain water catchment system can store 6500 gallons of water. The place gives new meaning to the term “home economics.”  Hundreds of people have visited the place over the years and many have adapted what they have seen at Spencer’s place for their own use.

Jan has been on the board of his neighborhood association for ten years and has gained a keen interest and awareness of how a variety of mainstream city programs can be repurposed to more ambitious and timely outcomes.

Several of the most important tools to work with for making these timely changes are neighborhood programs and associations, emergency preparedness/mapping your neighborhood and Neighborhood Watch. 

The presentation shows and tells real life examples of people making changes at home and in their neighborhoods to live more local, green, safer and more secure.  We will have a look at N St. Co op in Davis, California; Neighborhood Mapping in Port Townsend, Common Ground Garden in Eugene, Shareit Square in Portland and more.

Key words – transforming suburbia, place making, community cohesion, work parties, permaculture, existing assets,,,,,,

Jan has also designed and produced three colorful posters in sequential form [like a slide show on paper].  They are available on his website http://www.suburbanpermaculture.org/Poster/Paypal%20Poster.html

1] Transforming A Suburban Property

2] Front Yard Gardens – A Simple Act, Impressive Benefits

3] Creating Safer, More Secure and Healthier Neighborhoods

So please join us on Thursday, Nov 3 and please forward this message to those interested in the well being of our culture, economy, community and neighborhoods.

5:30 – 6:30 Potluck

6:30 – 7  Mix and Mingle, Check Out Table Displays from Participating Organizations

7 – 8:30 Presentation Title – “Neighborhoods, Uplift, Permaculture And The Economy“

8:30 – 9 Mix and Mingle, Close

For more information, visit www.suburbanpermaculture.org