Greece

In the spring of 2009 I studied abroad in Greece. In 2007, the professor leading the program I participated in, had been in Greece with a group of UW students. The group had been caught in a rural village and had to evacuate because of the close proximity of local fires. Our program's objective was to gather enough film to piece together a documentary in regards to the Greek fires of 2007.

I believe it was estimated that about 20% of Greece's land was burned during the fires. Tons of conspiracy theories were floating around, much involving governmental influence in the fires due foreign interest in much desired wild forest land intended for potential development.

I feel that sharing of my experience is relevant to our blog simply because it is a story of environmental degradation and the displacement of peoples. Although my focus was more on the health disparities that arose because of the wild fires while in Greece, I have come to realize that people, especially those in the rural areas, were greatly affected; traditional ways of life were disrupted leaving behind ashes of what once were virgin forests above Athens and burns on skin of what once were wrinkles of knowledge.

I nailed an interview with Malcolm Brabant of BBC news. Brabant took two other group members and I to the hills of Athens where we witnessed blackened ashy trees covering what was once virgin forests. According to Brabant, with their vast vegitation, these hills served as an 'air conditioner' to the city, especially during the extremely hot summers. Conspiracy theories especially revolved around this particular area as some of the ruined land was now being paved over and thought to have construction start soon. The land has been said to be used for construction of a 'suburbia' away from the city.

One of our group members focused on the harm on animals, particularly farm animals. This quarter in ANTH 211, we've been focusing on humans attachment to nature; nature, I feel, also includes our attachment and also need of commitment towards animals. Many people lost their fair animals in the fires, what wasn't lost was definitely displaced as former inhabited lands were no longer available.

Not related to the fires, but definately related to mans need to exploit natural resources, while at the island of Naxos we noticed mointains being carved in for marble. We had ridden small motorized vehicles around the island and came to a point where we saw a huge slab of a mountain carved off. At the moment, we observed at how cool it looked and perhaps how much money all of the marble was being sold for. Today, I look back and think about the people who live in the area and lives that have been disrupted because of the continous degradation of the mountain. I also think about the landscape, what was once an island inhabited by only Greeks and their traditional ways of living, is now being raped of its resources for possible foreign markets.

My trip to Greece was very momorable. I went there as more than just a foreign student, but as a human being wanting to gain the very Greek perspective for the fires in 2007. The fires of 2007 were of great catastrophe to the Greek people. Individual stories we heard were very touching and exemplified lack of governmental action and support, yet the resilience of the Greek people. My highlights in this post tie into the mission of this blog in the sense that it presents environmental catastrophe and the use of natural resources for man's purposes. Man's purposes too often ignoring the well being of those less fortunate including animals and people of low income or unequal representation in governmental and foreing business interactions.

Finally, it's environmental catastrophe/degradation that brings to a halt people's ability to cultivate and grow their own foods in their own lands. In turn, not being able to grown native foods in native lands brings to a halt traditional ways of living.

"Food Inc."

Academy Award nominated "Food Inc." documents America's capitalistic consumerism and the resulting consequences to our environment and food nutrition. Previous to watching this film I had some understanding about the food business. We have all been made aware animal cruelty exists and the fight to stop this violence, stories of large companies suppressing the small business, and other issues. This film highlights these problems and more. "Food Inc." unveils the underbelly of the corporate American food industry and the environmental injustices they practice.

The average supermarket holds 47,000 different products presenting them as though they all come from some "pastoral fantasy". The supermarket has no seasons. One can get plump, red tomatoes year around. "Food Inc." rips away the superficial coating companies want us to see and dives deep into the actual inner workings of food production.

"Companies don't want farmers talking. They don't want this story told.", a quote taken from the film. Carole Morison, a Perdue Grower, was one to tell her story. She says, "This isn't farming. It's mass production like an assembly line in a factory." Morison was a chicken farmer disgusted with Perdue for leaving her in perpetual debt. She goes on to explain how companies lend small time farmers money to start small businesses. All is going well until these corporations come back demanding upgrades, new equipment, costing these farmers more money, leaving them in debt for as long as the Big Man want them there. It is degrading, "Like being a slave to the company" - Morison.

Smithfield Hog Processing Plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina is the worlds largest slaughterhouse in the world. It is located in an economically depressed area, discriminating and targeting a lesser community. This is a prime example of structural violence that in the end, will result in historical trauma. The slaughterhouse has mastered the art of picking a work force they can exploit. They hire a local work force of poor white and black individuals and bus them from their homes to the plant. Smithfield has the same mentality towards the works as they do the hog. Employees get diseases because of proximity to the dead animals, are treated as human machines, and the company isn't worried about the longevity of the worker because everything is going to end at some point. People can't afford to leave the company and know this. It is a perpetual cycle of oppression and "company slavery".

Large companies like Tyson need laborers and they get cheap work from illegal immigrants. Majority used to be African American, but there has been a shift to Latino undocumented workers. These people feel they have no rights, so they aren't going to complain. The "perfect" worker. These companies and the government have an understanding so production is unaffected. Every week law officials get to arrest x amount of individuals and they call it even. Workers are being arrested, not managers/companies who had their hand in the hiring. Corruption behind every chicken and every banana bought. If the government is already in cahoots with these unjust corporations who will put an end to the injustice?

"Food Inc." goes on to say "You can change this system. Three times a day. Buy from companies that treat workers, animals, environment, with respect. Buy foods that are grown locally. Shop at farmers' markets. Plant a garden. (even a small one)". This film is worth sparing two hours to watch. You can check out http://www.takepart.com/foodinc for more information about the movie and ways to help the cause.

From inner city concrete blocks, to rural vegetable garderns

As Mariko mentioned, last week our class hosted Teresa Mares. One item that resonated in my mind as Mares conducted her presentation was the impact that older family member's were having on children in palces such as the Marra Farm.

Work in a garden teaches children the value of growing food. In turn, it's considered that this action contributes to children wanting to eat fruits and vegetables more readily.

Furthermore, I feel that children are able to reevaluate their role in society, whether they are able to recognize this impact or not. In other words, children are able to in a sense work with the earth to produce. For inner city children, being out in a garden environment allows them to cultivate a relationship with land that would not be possible if these children were secluded to run down playgrounds surrounded by concrete spaces.

Finally, I hope that children such as the ones in the video below are able to retain the lessons they've learned in their NY garden and implement them in their life and continue to perhaps contribute to a sense of future intergenerational equality.

The Earth Without People

The environmental debate over global warming is generally couched in terms of saving the planet which does not seem to be instigating a mass shift in consciousness among the inhabitants of Earth. Perhaps a better dialectical approach would be to speak of global warming in terms of saving humanity (from) itself.

The Earth will survive with or without us. If we, as a species, were to die out tomorrow Earth would simply continue along its merry way reclaiming the land. Remaining species of all kinds would adopt the new paradigm, reestablish relationships without humans and inhabit the landscape on their own terms – not ours.

What will it take to snap humanity out of its stupor? Is it necessary to be faced with imminent disaster to spur collective action? I don’t believe this is the case. Rather, what needs to occur is a reframing of the discourse by (and this is not an exhaustive list) scientists, world leaders and their political cadre, the media, institutions of learning beginning in primary school and within civil society.

There are signs that this process is beginning with the emergence of programs like the Transition Initiative (launched in the U.K. and picking up steam across the globe). Locally, a new social movement, Seattle Innovators, is gathering like-minded individuals who possess a wide range of talents and abilities. Here are their core tenants:

Our Idea

Climate change is a wake-up call to a system in decline, and the future of Puget Sound – our economic structures, government policies, and culture – will be determined by how we deal with this challenge. Addressing climate change means fundamentally re-thinking many of the big questions of civilization: where we live, how we move, what we eat, what really makes us happy. The greatest opportunities for economic development will be to create regional hubs of innovation focused on developing new approaches to these widely-shared questions.

Key Structure

The primary objective of this project is to provide a platform for collaboration that unleashes the creative potential of Seattle’s innovation scene in a sustained manner. Working across sectors, we must pool our talents in a way that leads to high levels of economic productivity for the region.

The Dynamic Triangle

The Seattle Innovators project itself is a playground for innovative design. We are actively developing a process that combines three essential functional elements:

Communities of Varied Expertise
Tool Building for Cross-Sector Collaboration
Knowledge Capture for Iterative Learning

It begins with a set of activities that bring people together. These “innovation socials” come in many forms – happy hour gatherings, open space conferences, evening salons, and design sessions – all of which bring together people with diverse perspectives around provocative themes that stimulate creativity.

These events provide the “social glue” for sustained effort among this ever-growing community of world-changers. Through the myriad conversations and interactions, opportunities appear to tackle chronic challenges and promote high-leverage positive outcomes.

Ultimately, we want to create action. This is done through a set of “innovation creations” of the Seattle Innovators’ CrowdSource Collective – a dynamic community of experts who come together as design teams, tool builders, and project teams that create together the capacities that aren’t possible on their own.

Projects are identified through the web of social activities and implemented either by internal development (e.g. a project team arises to pool human and financial capital for strategic action) or external request (e.g. we are approached by a client seeking special tools that the collective is uniquely situated to build).

All the while, knowledge is captured for “researching the innovation ecosystem” in the form of case studies, best practices, prototyping new models, and mapping efforts. Insights from these resources are fed back into the process to stimulate continued learning and improvement.

Our success depends on the talents and networks of many communities – including business, research institutions, finance, government, and media. We welcome strategists, visionaries, implementers, researchers, and technology evangelists.

There are some glaring omissions in this list. I see no representation being sought from individuals from low-income population groups. There is no mention of building bridges with Native Americans for the purpose of accessing Traditional Environmental Knowledge, or for linking up with Environmental Justice activists who are in the trenches and familiar with fundamental stumbling blocks for change – particularly with respect to the biggest resisters of all – big business and government.

There is also no mention of inviting or tapping into migrant communities in the Seattle area. Not only is there a substantial population of Hispanics, there is also a sizable population of individuals from Africa which is immediately accessible through the Southern Sudanese Community of Washington. There are visionaries and implementers within these groups and to not access their wealth of knowledge and manpower leads to a waste of creativity, talent and Traditional Environmental Knowledge.

Seattle Innovators are also neglecting groups sprouting up in the Pacific Northwest through the Transition Initiative, which is a grassroots community-based movement that should be hooked into and cultivated in order to harness a wider audience of like-minded innovators.

Barring existing omissions, Seattle Innovators demonstrates that there is a burgeoning awareness of the need to save humanity from itself and from the contrary impact of globalization on regional capacity and by extension resiliency.

Climate Change, Melting Glaciers and Thawing Permafrost

The greenhouse effect isn't a recent development, without it, life on Earth would not exist. Without the layer of carbon dioxide and other gases keeping the warmth in, our average global temperature would be -18 degrees celsius.

While the greenhouse effect is essential to life on Earth it becomes problematic when anthropogenic greenhouse gases (those created through human activity) act as a trigger to fire-up greenhouse processes. Anthropogenic activities are related to heightened releases of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuels, changes in land use, emissions of methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from agriculture (and other processes).

There are several examples of the ways that the increasing greenhouse effect impacts the Earth's ecology. One example are thawing permafrost terrains in Southeast Siberia that is exposing sequestered animal waste and other organic material left behind by creatures that used to roam this region. As the exposed organic material comes into contact with the air, methane gases are released into the atmosphere. Some scientists believe that the released gases will accelerate global warming faster than some of the most pessimistic forecasts.

Another prominent side effect is the melting of icecaps and glaciers. Below are a couple of before and after images taken in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.

The Glacier Peak Wilderness, created by Congress in the original 1964 wilderness legislation, is located within portions of Chelan County, Snohomish County, and Skagit Counties in the North Cascades of Washington. The area, 572,000 acres (2315 km²) in size, 35 miles (56 kilometers) long and 20 miles (32 kilometers) wide, lying within parts of Wenatchee National Forest and Mount Baker National Forest, is characterized by heavily forested stream courses, steep sided valleys, and dramatic glacier-crowned peaks.

The first image is an image of the glacier taken in 2006 and the one just beneath it was taken in 1973. In the top image the glacier has retreated 1.2 miles.

A view down the Whitechuck Glacier in Glacier Peak Wilderness in 1973

There are other impacts viz global warming. Permafrost in Alaska and Canada and are also thawing. In Alaska this had led to abandonment of some roadways and houses where permafrost has warmed to such an extent that the ground has become unstable and methane gas releases have become hazardous to wildlife and humans.

So what are safe limits? Scientists suggest that if we break the one degree celsius barrier Mount Kilimanjaro will become completely bereft of ice and the Great Barrier Reef will collapse and a number of island nations will be submerged (Southeast Asia's Maldives is one example). A two degree celsius would cause heatwaves and draughts. Breaking the three degree celsius mark would bring about the collapse of the Amazon ecosystem and intensifying heat waves and draughts would create conflict over water supplies around the world. Sounds grim.

It is impossible to talk about climate change without discussing the subject of our addiction to fossil fuels. It is impossible to discuss our addiction to fossil fuels without talking about Peak Oil and the decline in the availability of this natural resource around the globe, which leads to what some are calling energy descent. We can think of energy descent as "the continual decline in net energy supporting humanity, a decline that mirrors the ascent in net energy that has taken place since the Industrial Revolution, which relies on the use of oil to fuel industrial processes.

Thinking in broader terms, the current neoliberal marketplace and globalizing economy is a deeply integrated system of trade that relies upon the movement of commodities around the globe. Declining access to fossil fuels will make movement of commodities on such a massive scale increasingly difficult in the coming decades.

One of the significant hallmarks of this globalized marketplace is the over-networked and highly interconnected systems that allows for the flow of capital, and commodities - but this also allows shock to travel rapidly through them with unpleasant and disturbing effects. One has only to tune into the local or international news to see the way in which Wall Street is reacting to the economic woes on the other side of the pond (U.K.)

The alternatives to the globalized marketplace is a retreat to more regional models. When I was young (in the 1950s) and you looked at the label in your clothes, or on the items that you purchased or foodstuffs carried by the store it read "Made in the U.S.A." If it said made in Japan, China, India, Peru, England or anywhere else in the world - it was really special. Well, here we are sixty years later and finding a label on clothing or other household items that reads "Made in the U.S.A." is now the oddity. Am I suggesting that we stop purchasing imported items cold turkey - nope.

What I am suggesting is that we need to start gearing up to break away from our addiction to fossil-fuel based purchasing on such an massive basis. We should start reading labels and attempt to purchase those things that say "Made or Grown in the U.S.A."

A heavy reliance on imported goods is a heavy reliance on fossil fuels. A heavy reliance on fossil fuels acts as a trigger for global warming which results in rapid changes to the Earth's biosphere. We should all live as though we will live again.

Traditional Agriculture among Mien People

On May 20^th, our Environmental Justice class had a guest speaker, Teresa Mares. She gave us a lecture titled “Growing Justice in the City: Urban Agriculture and Food Justice” which showed us the importance of local agricultural movements as a way of tackling the Environmental Justice problems and establishing food sovereignty. Among various agricultural movements which she explained, Marra Farm was focused in her lecture. Marra Farm consists of three different gardens, Lettuce Link Giving Garden, Mien Community Garden and P-Patch Garden. Since my interest is in Traditional Environmental Knowledge, I would like to narrow the forces down to traditional agriculture practiced in Mien Community Garden.

Check the details of Marra Farm: http://www.solid-ground.org/Programs/Nutrition/Marra/Pages/default.aspx (Solid Ground - Marra Farm Giving Garden)

According to the web site,

Mien Community Garden is tended by Yao Fou Chao and Mien community members with low incomes who practice traditional Mien agricultural techniques. All of the food generated goes to feed the families of the gardeners, Mien elders, and food banks in the International District and Beacon Hill neighborhoods.

Mien people in the garden are immigrants and refugee from Laos. They sustain their traditional way of agriculture in this land. The Mien tribe is also known as “Yao” and is one of the largest ethnic groups in Asia. It is said that more than 20,000 Mien populations are living in the US. Most of the Mien people are farmer and they plant corn and rice on the slopes. They believe in spiritual nature where spirits take care of the field and plant to yield a good harvest.

Here is an introduction of the traditional agriculture among highlander, Mien. They are often engaged in swidden cultivation. Although the system is criticized because it destroys nature through burning trees and plants, it is well adjusted to the environment and covers a wide range of activities including land selection, harvest and seed selection for the next season.

First of all, the farmers have sophisticated knowledge on site selections such as location, orientation to the sun, wind, elevation, soil type, and slope. They interact with nature and make the most of it in order for effective agriculture. Secondly, they have high ability of planting. They know how to space the plants out in a way which is appropriate to different soils. Thirdly, their cropping system is also remarkable. Although rice is the most important and staple crop for them, they sometime plant it mixed with maize and opium poppy. As a result, farmers may harvest food from a single field for at least six months.

In this way, Mien people have a lot of wisdom on agriculture and co-exist with their environment. It is wonderful that farmers are engaged in traditional agriculture in Mien Community Garden. It would be a great alternative way to gain food sovereignty.

Resoece

http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers09-03/30857.pdf

http://www.peoplesoftheworld.org/hosted/mien/

alterNative Blog: Statement of Purpose

Blog Statement:

Through out the course of this spring quarter, the students of ANTH/AES/ENVIR 211 have been exposed to concepts such as TEK (Traditional Environmental Knowledge) and alterNative methods of production. These concepts have opened up a new realm of thinking where nature as the 'other' is re-conceptualized and rather though of as 'one' with humans in a more biocentric rather than an anthropocentric environment. Living in a very industrial environment ruled by a capitalist system, our group feels that overall knowledge about traditional customs of growing foods are very much lacking. Therefore, our group has set out to provide a more holistic perspective for what it means to grow one's own foods. Group members will embark on conducting: interviews with local food growers, research on how to grow one's own foods, and finding the techniques particular communities use in growing their own produce. Group members will also include contributions pertaining to environmental issues and the Environmental Justice Movement in general.

Having the Right Tools for the Job!

In order to garden you need to have the right tools! Martha gives us a little insight in this video!



There are ten essential tools every gardener needs:
1.) Spade
2.) Hand trowel
3.) Digging Fork
4.) Hoe
5.) Dandelion Digger
6.) Rake
7.) Hand Cultivator
8.) Bypass Pruners
9.) Loppers
10.) Long House with a Rain Wand

Here's a link to an article that explains them more thoroughly!

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/bookproductreviews/tp/musthavegardentools.htm

Composting

You can see some compost bins on UW campus. Many of the items including corn-made plastic containers, coffee cups and papers are compostable.

Also, the UW farm is engaging in composting to build nutritious soil.

Like this, composting is a worldwide trend under the current situation. However it is said that the practice of composting was accepted all over the world thousands of years ago. In ancient societies, people used rotted manure straw and organic references to compost. It includes Native American society.

(See “Native American gardening: stories, projects, and recipes for families”

by Michael J. Caduto, Joseph Bruchac

http://books.google.com/books?id=4TNTbLYvufgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Native+American+gardening:

+stories,+projects,+and+recipes+for+families&ei=ds7yS_bnLY7ylQSW3b

GCCw&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false)

Thus, composting is one of the Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK).

What is Composting?

Composting is yard and household organic waste in a pile or bin which is decomposed by microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi. They produce a rich organic fertilizer and valuable soil.

What are the benefits?

Compared to the soil with chemical fertilizer which tends to increase the acidity of the soil and reduce the beneficial organism population plant growth, composting makes eco-friendly soil.

• Improves soil structure
• Acts like pieces of sponge in the soil to hold moisture
• Improves aeration so that plant roots can get the air they need
• Holds the nutrients in the soil instead of letting them leach with the groundwater
• Increases the number of microorganisms in the soil
• Neutralizes acid soil and acidifies alkaline soil
• Digests the spores of harmful fungi
• Contains trace elements that are difficult to obtain otherwise
• Destroys pathogens in the soil making plants disease-free
• Helps plants resist stress and insect attacks.

(See http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/wildlife/clubextra/974119088.html)

Composting is costless and able to be done at home garden. It is a suitable technique for an individual “alterNative garden”. Here is more detailed information on a “Composting Guide for the Home Gardener”. You will know how to compost, what conditions are needed, what kinds of items are prepared and so on.

Composting101. com: http://www.composting101.com/how-it-works.html

Peak Oil, Oil Descent and the Transition Initiative

What if a particular problem, that is coming our way, presented no easy solutions? What if we decided to ignore the problem until it became impossible to ignore. Some would argue that our reliance on oil is such a problem and that we are collectively in denial. Peak oil and dwindling supplies of oil (oil descent) is the problem that I am referring to.

The following is an excerpt from the Association for the Study of Peak Oil’s website:

“It is not only the climate that requires that we change our means of transport. The oil crisis will soon be the foremost reason for rearranging traffic flows. The researchers are discussing ‘The Oil Peak,’ i.e. when the breaking point is reached and it becomes too expensive to extract oil. But it does not matter if this happens in 2020 or 2030. It is soon and before this we must change our method of being transported.Today, oil is produced on land, in coastal regions and in deep water – when something happens in deep water it immediately becomes a very difficult situation. Now that this accident [catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico] has happened we can see clearly the sorts of problems that can occur. All this is due to the fact that our way-of-life is driving demand at the same time as the oil on land has reached maximum production and is now steadily decreasing, says [ASPO President] Kjell Aleklett.”http://www.peakoil.net/headline-news/peak-oil-and-the-catastrophe-in-the-gulf-of-mexico

In another section of the ASPO website the following thoughts were offered:
“The peak of oil discovery was passed in the 1960s, and the world started using more than was found in new fields in 1981. The gap between discovery and production has widened since. Many countries, including some important producers, have already passed their peak, suggesting that the world peak of production is now imminent. Were valid data available in the public domain, it would be a simple matter to determine both the date of peak and the rate of subsequent decline, but as it is, we find a maze of conflicting information, ambiguous definitions and lax reporting procedures. In short, the oil companies tended to report cautiously, being subject to strict Stock Exchange rules, whereas certain OPEC countries exaggerated during the 1980s when they were competing for quota based on reported reserves. Despite the uncertainties of detail, it is now evident that the world faces the dawn of the Second Half of the Age of Oil, when this critical commodity, which plays such a fundamental part in the modern economy, heads into decline due to natural depletion. A debate rages over the precise date of peak, but rather misses the point, when what matters — and matters greatly — is the vision of the long remorseless decline that comes into sight on the other side of it. The transition to decline threatens to be a time of great international tension. Petroleum Man will be virtually extinct this Century and Homo Sapien faces a major challenge in adapting to his loss. Peak Oil is by all means an important subject.” http://www.peakoil.net/about-peak-oil

Well, the last drop of oil is out there somewhere, and while it is impossible to pinpoint an exact date for peak oil, what is more germane to the discussion is that we need to start considering what we can do to help ourselves through the transition out of oil dependency. It is also important for each of us to become informed citizens and consumers; just because our government is not sounding the alarm does not mean that there is no problem. Just because we are not being forced to change our consumer-based activities does not mean that we should wait to make changes. I have provided you with a few links that will provide you with the most current information available about peak oil – take an hour out of your schedule to bring yourself up-to-speed.

The problem has been identified, ideas are being floated and people are looking around for alternate sources of energy. In the meantime, we can become part of the solutions that we seek – we can begin acting now so that we are resilient later.

There are many problems that seem too big for us to manage or change. But change does occur through the efforts of individuals, groups and/or communities. One approach to change is being demonstrated by communities that have become involved in Transition Initiatives. These initiatives exist globally and there are two examples in the Pacific Northwest: one on Whidbey Island (where I live) and another in Northeast Seattle. The Transition Initiative movement argues that while we are focusing our efforts on reducing our reliance on oil as a primary source for energy, we must also be rebuilding resilience into our daily lives. What does this mean? For communities, this refers to “their ability to not collapse at first sight of oil or food shortages, and to their ability to respond with adaptability to disturbance.” In order to create this sort of resilience changes must occur at the grassroots level.

The Transition Initiative is based upon the idea of re-building communities so that they have resilience. Here resilience “refers to the ability of a system, from individual people to whole economies, to hold together and maintain their ability to function in the face of change and shocks from the outside.” The recent global economic shock demonstrated the extent to which resilience was either missing or in various states of decay.

A key question that the Transition Initiative asks is not “how can we keep everything going as it is, but rather, how can we learn to live within realistic energy constraints?” Unpacking the answer(s) to this question will be different for people living in different regions but one potent variable is learning to adapt to a bioregional environmental model.

The Transition Initiative is a new grassroot’s, place-based movement. At the center of the Transition Initiative is an engagement with energy, how it is generated and how we use it in our day-to-day lives. The idea of peak oil and oil descent is acknowledged and kept on the agenda as a reminder and motivator for the changes that need to occur. Changes take place in order to prepare us, and those who follow behind us, for the transition away from dependence on the planet’s shrinking supplies of oil.

The Transition’s creator, Rob Hopkins, launched the first Initiative, Transition Town Totes, in 2006. Since then, Transition Initiatives have been forming across the planet. I am also new to the Transition Initiative. I first learned of this movement about eighteen months ago and became intrigued not only because of its place-based emphasis on promoting the use of local venues for products and services, and its core drive for creating resilience, I am also intrigued by the Transition Initiative’s swift spread across the planet. It is apparent that this is an idea (which is based upon bioregionalism) whose time has come. People are becoming increasingly interested in a new paradigm for living - one that shifts away from an over-reliance on imported commodities.

Bioregionalism is a place-based environmental model whose overarching framework includes, among other things, conservation, stability, self-sufficiency and cooperation (Devon Pena, 2005). The Transition Initiative has as its goal the creation of a localized, place-based economically and environmentally minded collectivity that begins as a core group of committed individuals. This group begins cultivating relationships with members in their immediate community through town-hall type meetings in order to generate interest and cultivate relationships. New members to the initiative identify, with the guidance of the core group, a myriad of projects. These are not spearheaded by the group but by the people that have responded to the Initiative. Eventually, the core group dissolves into the Transition Group, remaining active as key players in a growing concern. Cohesiveness of the group is sustained through monthly gatherings.

The Transition Initiative is an intriguing vehicle for change. I will be exploring it in the coming months through first-person interviews with core-group members and others who have become actively engaged with this movement, and by immersing myself in the Transition Initiative

Your Local Farmers' Markets

After reading Jose's interesting farmers market visits I thought it appropriate to post a map of markets in the area. Using google maps, I located local Seattle farmers market establishments. Google maps allows you to map directions to and from your destination and it provides addresses and links to more information about each market. Below is an interactive map marking each location. You can click and drag the map around to view each red pin. When you click these red pins, information about the market appears and if provided, a link to their website will become visible. I also provided a link to the actual Google maps page.

The farmers market Jose has been visiting, University District Farmers' Market, is pin A on the map.

Google Maps Farmers Market Link

"Gardening for Dummies"

Why is it that food has become such a commercialized entity? The quick and affordable stop on the way home that so many suburban parents make as a "quick fix" for dinner. It is clear in the film "The Garden" that the South Central Farmers attain a spiritual connection with the land on which they grow their own food, but where has this rich culture and connectivity gone?

Native Americans also had a very spiritual and even respectable relationship with the land believing that the land is allowing us to live on it so we should abide by the rules that it has set (for example, not depleting it's natural resources.) My point here is not to answer these questions, but rather to raise awareness about the intimacy and spiritual connectedness that can be created through working with nature in creating a garden of ones own. Not only does it allow you to appreciate the earth but knowing where your food comes from is an important liberty that many people don't think is attainable.

Many people don't realize that it's as easy as having space in your back yard.

THE BASICS:

*Vegetables love the sun. They require six hours (continuous, if possible) of sunlight each day, at least.
*Vegetables must have good, loamy, well-drained soil. Most backyard soil is not perfect and needs a helping hand. Check with your local nursery or county extension office about soil testing, soil types, and soil enrichment.
*Placement is everything. Like humans, vegetables need proper nutrition. A vegetable garden too near a tree will lose its nutrients to the tree's greedy root system. On the other hand, a garden close to the house will help to discourage wild animals from nibbling away your potential harvest.
*Vegetables need lots of water, at least one inch of water a week. In the early spring, walk around your property to see where the snow melts first, when the sun catches in warm pockets. This will make a difference in how well your vegetables grow.

Gardening is easier than the average person thinks and only requires a little bit of research and some good ol' playin in the dirt. To help those interested get started here are a few websites that can help explain gardening to the inexperienced:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/vegetable-gardening-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

http://www.backyardgardener.com/veg/VEGETABLE/growingvegetableforbeginners.htm

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/vegetable-gardening-for-beginners.htm


Manual labor can be a very developmental experience, so why not develop that into an incessant relationship with the sacred land and the organic food it can help you make?

The UW Student Farm Blessing Ceremony, Friday, May 7, 2010

This past friday, I decided to head out to the UW Farm Blessing. The journey was long as I live in the Greek system and had to travel down towards the greenhouse close to the health sciences area. Nonetheless, the sun was out, slight breeze, and so the walk was, for the most part, very pleasant.

I got to the greenhouse and noticed a small colorful sign pointing towards the direction of the ceremony. I walked through the greenhouse (people inside were watering plants, cleaning out pots, and doing the 'usual' plant observing). I noticed a group of people heading towards the back of the greenhouse, and so I followed.

The end of the greenhouse led to an open space, and after following a short 'trail,' and passing along some small plots of land with plants, I had arrived. The area was filled with people, mostly students, but also parents and faculty such as Prof. Pena.

Pena introduced the ceremony. Followed by Karen Caputer and Lou Miller. Miller, a descendant of Chief Sealth (better known as Chief Seattle), blessed the ceremony. Miller expressed that the blessing was one that was used for blessig foods and also at wedding ceremonies. The blessing was performed with the backdrop of the plots to be planted and the background noise of cars from the near street, bikers on the Burke Gillman trail, and even a plain flying by.

Pena returned to talk about seed saving. Pena's grandmother saved seeds. According to Pena, seed saving and sharing is the most important responsibility as seed saving provides the deep history of particular peoples as well as maintains the genetic composure of certain seeds amidst a very evolving world.

To my surprise, a friend of mine, Maria Guillen Valdovinos, was present with her parents. The Guillen Valdovinos family went up in front of the group and shared their family story about migrating within Mexico and into the United States. It was interesting to correlate the family's story with the 'ojo de cabra' bean. According to one of the Acroecology students present, the 'ojo de cabra' bean had come form Guatemala, then into Mexico, next came its introduction in L.A., and now we find it here in Seattle. Through the migration, the family sought to maintain traditional food ways, and so the family grows much of its own produce in their home in Moses Lake, Washington.

It was awesome to hear about epazote (given to children when sick, can be eaten with beans or shrimp), maiz negro, jicama, canilla, and all the other types of maiz used for tortillas, tamales, and posole.

For me, the UW Farm Blessing was a very special ceremony. At first a giggled as I shared with a friend that all I saw were white hippies and Chicano's running around the farm. But then I digged deeper and figured that these people were there for a purpose, the purpose of wanting to share with eachother knowledge about growing ones own foods. Growing one's own produce serves as means of not only saving money and eating healthier, but also as means of maintaining roots and culture. I recognized most the the seeds and plants the Guillen Valdovinos family talked about, but I rarely see them or even eat them unless I'm at home with my family. Thus, their story and their motivation in being at the blessing on friday was very inspiring.

Jacinta Heath, both Abenaki and Cree, shared that people often disassociate themselves with the land, the land which we call our mother. I agree with Heath, especially in considering the concepts we've been learning about in class from Pena about how humans for the most part tend to mystify and 'other' nature, as opposed to embracing it as the home for which it is.

Finally, I'd like to end with this quote and the picture below to set as an illustration. The quote was shared by Pena, one provided by his grandmother.

'La semilla es la memoria de la planta de como vivir bien en este lugar.' 'The seed is the memory of the plant for how to live well in this place.'

Some Thoughts

I have never had much experience harvesting my own food. Only at a young age did my family select seeds at the local K-Mart and attempted to create a garden in my backyard. From that point on, thought about where the food on the table came from did not cross my mind. I knew the exploitation of people and the environment existed, but sad to admit, I turned a blind eye to it all. It is my belief that most people do as I have. We buy from the grocery store with only thoughts of comparing prices, calculating which apple is the better steal.

Karl Marx believed "the commodity to be a representation of capitalism: alienation, exploitation, estrangement. Objects are the product of human labor organized by capitalism and an embodiment of labor relations." (De Leon, Jason. University of Washington - ARCHY 269 spr 10') A Marxist approach explains some of the reasoning behind the Environmental Justice Movement from a capitalist, production angle (EJM). We consume without considering racial discrimination against workers, those workers being underpaid, working in horrible conditions, and more. More people need to be made aware of these issues and steps need to be taken to eradicate such environmental injustices.

I thought a look through Marx's eyes would enlighten some to the injustices out in the world. What are some of your thoughts and opinions on this subject? When I take a Marxist approach to this subject it saddens me to know the apple I just bought may be tied to the exploitation of workers.

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Whenever I stop at a grocery store, hundreds of colorful and various packaged products surprise me.

Whenever I travel to a country, it is not uncommon to see products and fast food restaurant with well known brands.

What is going on in the global food economy?

To put it simply, under the current situation, food is commoditized and only a handful of transnational corporations dominate the food market.

Here is a list of negative impacts of the industrialized food economy.

• “Food from nowhere”: packaged items deprive us of sense of seasonality and connection to a place where food is produced.

• “Food miles”: food travels a long distance, resulting in massive oil use for transportation

• Cheap food: food produced by machinery, fossil fuels and chemicals in a larger scale is cheaper than labor- intensive organic food thus small farmers are overwhelmed.

• Unhealthy: junk food, such as soft drink and snacks with sweetness, fat and artificial flavors, is harmful for your body. Especially, the poor has less access to nutritious and fresh food.

• Diversity: the diversity of crop and genetics is declining as a result of the large scale and mono crop system.

In order to tackle this situation, an “alterNative” method is necessary. Therefore my focus on this blog is TEK (traditional environmental knowledge) in agriculture and food. TEK is “a particular form of place-based knowledge of diversity and interactions among plant and animal species, landforms, watercourses, and other qualities of the biophysical environment in a given place.” Indigenous agroecosystem based on this place-based knowledge is much more sustainable compared to the industrialized agriculture.

Here are some sustainable characters.

• High crop diversity

• Optimal use of space and available resources
  

• Recycling of nutrients and other inputs
  

• Effective soil and water conservation and management

• Natural control of weeds and pets

• Sustainable income and subsistence for local community

So this “alterNative” way of food production is a way to go. I would like to introduce this kinds of TEK in this blog.

Resources

The Global Food Economy, the battle for future of farming by Tony Weis

Mexican Americans and the Environment from Devon G. Peña

"The Garden"

"The Garden" is a prime example of a community coming together to explore an alternative lifestyle. They utilize TEK (traditional environmental knowledge) in the urban center of South Central Los Angeles forming a 14 acre communal garden. Families work the land, teach and learn from one another, and create better lives for themselves. I would think these are the people our country would want to follow. The South Central Farmers' efforts of maintaining the monumental garden is thwarted by business and government.

The film goes on to tell their accounts of a tireless struggle, push to raise awareness, and their fight for what they believe in. Their story was inspiring and an eye opener. Before watching the movie I was unaware such a place existed and it showed me the harm government can do to such communities. Bulldozing away such a treasure for a factory that has yet to be built... I hope you find time to watch this film. Below is a link to their site and a preview of the academy award nominated film, "The Garden".

http://www.thegardenmovie.com/

Tahuya River Aparies

The last little stand I visited was the ‘Tahuya River Aparies.’ My friend decided he was in need of honey, so he made me choose what stick of honey flavor I wanted along with the ones he purchased. I chose the blackberry stick and decided to start a casual conversation with the young man at the stand.

The young man is the son of the man who began the group about 40 years ago. Today, the group handles about 100 bee-hives. The group sells honey at both the U-District and Ballard Farmer’s Market.

University Disctrict Farmer's Market: River Farm Organic Produce

River Farm Organic Produce

I noticed this bright green sign with yellow lettering displaying the name of the stand ‘River Farm Organic Produce,’ and it’s location, Ellensburg, WA. Being from Yakima, I know exactly where to ‘Rodeo City’ of Washington, Ellensburg, is located. I felt a sort of personal tie to this farm from eastern Washington and so immediately walked up to the vendor.

Towards the back of the stand was a middle aged women and an elderly man. I began by asking the woman questions, but she quickly made way for the elderly man who had been apparently the one to ‘start it all.’

The man had purchased a farm in Ellensburg about 30 years ago. At first, he mentioned he wasn’t doing very much with the land. After a while, he began by growing melons. Yet, attempt at selling the melons failed as he mentioned that there was no real demand for locally grown produce as belief was that ‘…the best food was the cheapest food.’ The man moved with his family to California, but soon moved back after noting that the renters at the farm had been trashing the place.

According to the man, at about 1990 awareness for local food products began to pick up, so the man and his family decided to try growing their own food for sale once more. In 1993, when the U-District Farmer’s Market opened, the man's stand was one of the first along with about four or five other vendors.

This mans motivation in continuing to grow his own food is to show people that there are better foods available then those for which they have seen and have been told about. Melons will be back in late spring!!!