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PAST EVENTS

SBCC Center for Sustainability Hosts:

Precautionary Principles

the Golden Rule for Future Generations
with Carolyn Raffensperger and special guest David Eisenberg

Date: Monday, January 16, 7:00pm - 9:30pm, 2012
Location: Santa Barbara City College, West Campus, Fe Bland Auditorium
Price: $10general/$5 SBCC Students

Event Poster

Precautionary Principles

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Event Description

What does the present owe the future?

From medicine to agriculture, energy, communication, and transportation, we have technologies our grandparents could not have imagined. Some of these technologies have dark sides and unknown consequences. Who will be the guardians for future generations insuring that our present technologies don't negatively impact our descendants?

The Precautionary Principle suggests that we err on the side of caution when designing for our future. It is a tool for making better health and environmental decisions, and aims to prevent harm from the outset rather than manage it after the fact.

Although America's founding father's intended a government that would allow its citizens life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, they could not have anticipated the industrial age with its extremely toxic substances that now pollute the soil, air, and water, our country's commons.

What role does both government and the individual play in protecting these commons, our common heritage? What compelling vision can we have for ourselves and our children that allows us to be prosperous, healthy, and ecologically whole? Come learn about the Precautionary Principle and its tool kit for communities, organizations, and government.

Carolyn RaffenspergerCarolyn Raffensperger has helped define, shape, and lead the precautionary movement. She and her team at the Science and Environmental Health Network, have purposefully sown the seeds of the precautionary principle across the United States.

Carolyn Raffensperger is an environmental lawyer and the Executive Director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. She is the co-editor of Precautionary Tools for Reshaping Environmental Policy published by M.I.T. Press (2006) and Protecting Public Health and the Environment: Implementing the Precautionary Principle, published by Island Press (1999). Together, these volumes are the most comprehensive exploration to date of the history, theory, and implementation of the precautionary principle. Carolyn coined the term ecological medicine to encompass the broad notions that both health and healing are entwined with the natural world.

Carolyn will be joined by her friend and colleague David Eisenberg of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology (DCAT), who since 1995, has led the effort to create a sustainable context for building regulations. A panel discussion including community members from backgrounds of health, agriculture, social justice, and education will follow the talk.

The event takes place on Monday, January 16, 7pm - 9:30pm, at the Fe Bland Auditorium, Santa Barbara City College West Campus, 721 Cliff Dr, SB 93109. Admission $10 general/$5 SBCC students, no reservations required.

More info: (805) 965-0581, ext 2177, margie@sbpermaculture.org

Event Sponsors: Oasis Design, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, & the SBCC Center for Sustainability

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MORe INFO:

Carolyn Raffensperger
Science and Environmental Health Network:
www.sehn.org

:: Articles:

Carolyn Raffensperger Interview:
The Precautionary Principle asks whether harm can be prevented
instead of assessing degrees of "acceptable " risk:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/technology-who-chooses/461

How Do You Love All the Children, Interview with Architect, Designer William McDonough:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/power-of-one/how-do-you-love-all-the-children
"If design is a signal of intent, and we look at what we've done with the first industrial revolution, we would have to ask, did we intend to do this? If we articulated the retroactive design assignment of the First Industrial Revolution, it would be something like this: "Could you design a system that pollutes the soil, air, and water; that measures productivity by how few people are working; that measures prosperity by how much natural capital you can dig up, bury, burn, or otherwise destroy; that measures progress by the number of smokestacks and requires thousands of complex regulations to keep you from killing each other too quickly; that destroys bio-diversity and cultural diversity; that produces things that are so highly toxic they require thousands of generations to maintain constant vigil while living in terror?" William McDonough, the Next Industrial Revolution

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Santa Barbara Permaculture Network & Fairview Gardens Present:

4th annual seed swap

4th annual seed swap

Going to Seed

Bill McDorman of Native Seed/SEARCH Keynote Lecture for 4th Annual Seed Swap.

Date: Friday, January 27 , 7:00pm - 9:30pm, 2012
Location: Santa Barbara Downtown Public Library, Faulkner Gallery
Price: Donation $5

Event Description

Bill McDorman

Seed Saving is an ancient tradition with a lineage stretching back 12,000 years. But in less than a century's time, this once fundamental part of the human experience has largely disappeared. The transition from rural agrarianism to urbanization has led to increasingly fewer people growing and interacting with seeds.

Bill McDorman executive director Native Seed/SEARCH will be our Keynote speaker for the 4th Annual Seed Swap on Friday Jan 27. The tittle of his lecture will be "Going to Seed". This evening event will help kick-start the weekend activities of the 4th Annual Seed Swap (see details below Seed Swap Weekend Events)

Bill will discuss the sustainable agriculture movement and its lack of focus on the one aspect that can make it sustainable; the seeds. When did we stop saving seeds? And why?

Bill will unpack the history of how we got ourselves into this mess with a time line of events that will astound readers. From the initial USDA program at the turn of the last century that mandated citizens receive heirloom seeds to a recent government dictate that leaves biotech companies "untouchable" Bill will guide attendees through an amazing series of events that make it clear why we DON'T save seeds.

After delivering the sad facts, Bill will turn everyone on their heels with stories that inspire and instruct. He will outline some of the basic concepts involved in seed saving and show how anyone at any level should begin this journey, and begin it now before we loose anymore diversity.

People everywhere are beginning to recognize the crucial link between humanity, the crops that sustain us, and embattled seeds. We are on the cusp of a seed saving renaissance -an not a moment too soon. As Bill has said in an recent article in Acres Magazine in Jan 2012 "The ultimate success of the seed diversity movement rests in the re-education and involvement of the population at large".

Bill McDorman is executive director of Native Seed/SEARCH http://www.nativeseeds.org/ , a 28 year old Southwestern seed conservation organization, based in Tucson AZ. He is the founder of three seed companies, including Seed Trust http://www.seedstrust.com and author of Basic Seed Saving. He has been teaching classes in wild, edible and medicinal plants and seed saving for more than 30 years.

The event takes place on Friday, January 27, 7pm - 9:30pm, at the Santa Barbara Downtown Public Library Faulkner Gallery, 40 E. Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, $5 donation, no reservations required. More info: (805)962-2571, margie@sbpermaculture.org.

Sponsored by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network as community service with assistance by Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens.

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Seed School Workshop

seed swap

with Bill McDorman of Native Seed/SEARCH

Date: Saturday, January 28, 9:00am - 4:00pm, 2012
Location: Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens
Price:

$85 early bird - $110 after January 20th, 2012

To sign up for workshop http://www.fairviewgardens.org/2011/11/23/seed-school-workshop-january-28/

Event Description

People everywhere are beginning to recognize the crucial link between humanity, the crops that sustain us, and embattled seeds. We are on the cusp of a seed saving renaissance -an not a moment too soon.

Join Bill McDorman on Saturday, January 28th at Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens for a day-long immersion into the magic world of seeds as he teaches the Seed School Workshop.

Seed saving is fun, satisfying and life affirming. You don't need a PhD in genetics and EVERYONE, everywhere can start the seed saving adventure with little or no experience. First you'll need some inspiration. Bill McDorman, Executive Director of Native Seeds/SEARCH in Tucson will provide that. Secondly you'll need some basic information and practice.

The Seed School Workshop is an introductory workshop for anyone interested in the history of seeds and how to create a self-sufficient garden from your own seeds. This is great training class for gardeners, non-profits, policy makers and farmers. Those concerned with food security, diversity and better tasting food will revel in the opportunity to celebrate and learn about the magic of seeds. Seed School teaches the practical, information necessary to recreate the genetic foundation for a truly sustainable agriculture.

SEED SCHOOL TOPICS WILL INCLUDE:

:: Structure and History of the Seed Industry
:: The Magic of Seeds
:: Intro to Mendel's Genetics
:: Selection and Evaluation
:: Pollination
:: Breeding Harvesting
:: Germination
:: Wild Seed
:: Production, Collection, Cleaning
:: Seed Exchanges, Libraries, Businesses

Seed Saving is an ancient tradition with a lineage stretching back 12,000 years. But in less than a century's time, this once fundamental part of the human experience has largely disappeared. The transition from rural agrarianism to urbanization has led to increasingly fewer people growing and interacting with seeds.

Bill McDorman is executive director of Native Seed/SEARCH http://www.nativeseeds.org/ a 28 year old Southwestern seed conservation organization based in tucson AZ. He is the founder of three seed companies, including Seed Trust http://www.seedstrust.com and author of Basic Seed Saving. He has been teaching classes in wild, edible and medicinal plants and seed saving for more than 30 years.

The Seed School Workshop takes place on Saturday, January 28, 9am - 4:00pm, at the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens.

Cost Early Bird by January 20th – Early Bird Cost $85, after January 20th – $110

To sign up for workshop http://www.fairviewgardens.org/2011/11/23/seed-school-workshop-january-28/

More info: Sharon Tollefson (805) 967-7369, sharon@fairviewgardens.org

Sponsored by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network as a community service with assistance by Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens.

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4th Annual Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap

Date: Sunday, January 29, 11:00am - 3:00pm, 2012
Location: Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery
Price: Free

Event Description

seed swapJoin us for an amazing Free event as we celebrate the 4th Annual Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap. Over 300 people attended last year, sharing seeds and knowledge with other backyard gardeners, plant lovers, and farmers . Come be a part of this seed saving movement, making sure that locally adapted varieties of seed & plants are passed on to future generations. Children welcome!


Bring seeds, plants, cuttings, and garden knowledge to swap.
Don't have these?
Then come get seeds.
Seeds to sow.
Seeds to grow.
Seeds to harvest.
Seeds to save and share next year.
Activities for all ages: story hour, crafts,
seed ball making, seed saving lessons,
seed envelope making, worm composting,
learning about bare root trees and more!

Music that will have your toes tapping
Special Speakers throughout the day
A gathering of garden friends old and new.

Follow us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/161661780603350/

The 4th Annual Seed Swap Day takes place on Saturday, January 29, 11am - 3pm, at the Santa Barbara Downtown Public Library, Faulkner Gallery, 40 E Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. FREE, no reservations required.

More info: (805)962-2571, margie@sbpermaculture.org

Event Supporters: Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, Island Seed & Feed, Santa Barbara Food Not Lawns, SBCC Center for Sustainability, Slow Money Santa Barbara Chapter, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and more...

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