Sound Of Sirens

ecoCampLondon is a Barcamp about the environment and sustainability which aims to get together passionate people to discuss, engage, interact and ultimately take action!

BarCamps without any specific topic (but “internet”) are kind of exploding now. Too many people attend and there is often that feeling that everything has already been said at other BarCamps before. Plus there is usually no reason to talk about sustainable ideas, since no one wants to hear about it. The exception proofs the rule in the new development of so called ‘Theme BarCamps’. They focus on certain topics like ‘only Wordpress’, ‘only Typo3′, ‘only social issues’ (SocialCamp in Berlin) and now ‘only sustainability and environment’. How great is that? As BarCamps are always sponsored by some companies, those events are usually free of charge and commited to get people involved, share ideas, inspire each other and create a new way of thinking together. You talk a lot and might get the idea of only talking instead of doing, but you really come up with new guidelines everyone tries to follow afterwards, and you usually make new friends and co-operations. Enough going into raptures over BarCamps now - here’s my advice for everyone who is in Britain’s capital on Saturday, 29 November 2008: The EcoCampLondon. It’s also an carbon-neutral event.

Again the States…
On Saturday, September 27, a national mobilization will be launched to say, “I’m ready for the green economy.”, ready to tackle the climate crisis by building a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.
Green Jobs Now is a National Day of Action that will empower everyday people to stage hundreds of grassroots events throughout the country. There will be a special focus on low-income communities, communities of color and indigenous people.
Right now, there are millions of people ready to work and countless jobs to be done that will strengthen the economy at home. There are thousands of buildings that need to be weatherized, solar panels to be installed, and wind turbines to be erected. There are communities that need local and sustainable food and people ready to farm the crops. There are public transit systems and smart electricity grids in need of engineers and electricians. Americans are ready to build the new economy.

And guess how they will launch it:
There will be block parties, house parties, teach-ins, living room discussions, public programs with food, music, poetry. It is up to you. As long as the event is positive and fun, the possibilities are endless… and they make it easy for you to join!

The great thing about the States is that beside the most ignorant politicians and the most unethical corporate system you will find a lot of people with a sense of self-responsibility and creativity who put ideas into action.

For example….

‘The Sustainable Living Roadshow (SLR) is a caravan of educators and entertainers who tour the country in a fleet of renewable fuel vehicles to empower communities and individuals to utilize sustainable living strategies for a healthier planet. Visiting k-12 schools, university campuses and community festivals across the United States, the caravan sets up off-the-grid eco-carnivals with experiential learning villages, featuring workshops, speakers and entertainment.’

Read into their principles and ethics, it’s inspiring! Have a look at the diversity of offerings/elements, it’s fun! Makes me want it to happen in Germany…

The ANH is an a-political, non-ideological and plural initiative promoted in 2003 by ten founding members and presided by Deepak Chopra. Today, it is a group constituted by people from all over the world with a common goal in mind: to create and reinforce a more sustainable, pacific and empathic humanity.

www.anhglobal.org

From the 7th until the 9th of November the ANH organizes its first forum/conference in Barcelona. There will be a lot of high scale speakers and a lot of people interested in:

To create an alliance of people based on the awareness of humanity’s interconnectedness. We believe that if enough people share the value of peace, war can be brought to an end. If enough people shift their awareness toward social justice, human rights, and environmental sustainability, then injustice, oppression, and the destruction of the ecosystem can be stopped.

Such a shift is already occurring - now it needs critical mass, which in turn needs organisation. The Alliance aims to connect individuals, caring communities and groups at a global level.

Unity isn’t fought for and won. It is realized one person at a time.

www.anheurope.org

Potsdam, Germany, August 8-17, rerun in Berlin, September 1-8.

‘At the Globians Festival we like to know and show more about cultures of the world, which in our understanding is more than just an exhibition platform for ethnological films. The need for a global understanding of regional issues may give birth to a new type of individual lifestyle…’

This is an amazing, beautiful festival!!

Check it out:

www.globians.com, youtube

Die Baunetzwoche widmet Frischgrün 21 ein Special in der aktuellen Ausgabe. Hier gibt es den freien pdf-download.

In Berlin hat sich eine junge, selbstbewusste Landschaftsarchitektenzene entwickelt. Frisches Grün aus der Hauptstadt hat sich nicht nur überregional, sondern auch international zum Markenartikel entwickelt. Die Hintergründe und ein Vorgeschmack auf die Ausstellung „Frischgruen 21“

Die Eröffnung war schon am 5. aber heute startet das Rahmenprogramm (pdf). Besonders interessant finde ich die beiden Termine:

MO, 9. Juni, Prozesse Entwerfen. Landschaften und Freiräume können nicht abschließend entworfen werden. Ihre Konzeptionen müssen heute Interaktion, Erweiterbarkeit und Transformation ermöglichen. Ein Salongespräch auf der Suche nach Strategien und Lösungen zu offenen, veränderbaren, dynamischen und dennoch gestalteten Räumen.

DO, 12. Juni, Landschaftsarchitektur ist keine Kunst. Am Anfang steht die Behauptung, dass Landschafts- architektur eine eigenständige gestalterische Disziplin ist. Wodurch aber zeichnet sich „gute“ Landschaftsarchitektur aus? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage sollen versuchsweise Erkenntnisse aus den Kognitionswissenschaften herangezogen und diskutiert werden.

Allerdings wundere ich mich ein wenig, kein einziges mal das Wort Nachhaltigkeit zu entdecken. Ist das Thema in der Gärtnerzunft etwa so selbstverständlich, dass man auf das medienwirksame buzzword in Presstexten verzichtet? Oder ist das womöglich gar kein Thema?

Und was sagt überhaupt die Permakultur-Fraktion dazu?

Via: Urbanophil

‘Art, Ecology & Education’ bietet Wege zu einer integrierten und nachhaltigen Art zu leben.
Es gibt eine Webseite als Wissensresource, es gibt Workshops und Kooperationen in verschiedenen Bereichen, es gibt ein Netzwerk innerhalb des ‘Wiserearth’-Portals, es gibt diesen Blog….
Dazu kommt jetzt: ‘Art, Ecology & Education’ schafft eine Möglichkeit in ‘real life’, um sich kennenzulernen, auszutauschen, zu feiern, zu diskutieren, brainzustormen, einen gemütlichen und inspirierenden Abend zu verbringen, und durch ausgesuchten Input Neues zu lernen.

Die ersten zwei Abende haben schon statt gefunden.
Der erste Abend war ein Screening von ‚A Crude Awakening/Oilcrash’ (OV), mit anschliessender, sehr spannender Diskussion über ‘Wahrheitsgehalt’ und Machart des Films bis hin zur Frage: ‘Wie können wir auf Peakoil reagieren?’.
An dem zweiten Abend ging es um Paradigmen Wechsel als Grundlage für Sustainability. Ausgangspunkt für eine offene Diskussion waren zwei kurze Videobeiträge: ‘The Web of Life’, eine Einführung von Fritjof Capra (Physiker, Systemdenker und Autor, Mitgründer des Center for Ecoliteracy in Kalifornien) und ‘Beyond Deep Ecology’, ein Interview mit Satish Kumar (NGO Director, Peace Activist, Herausgeber des Resurgence Magazine and Programm Director am Schumacher College, U.K.). Beides sehr inspirierende Persönlichkeiten und herausfordernde Denker! Dieser Input in Kombination mit dem Interesse und der Unterschiedlichkeit der Anwesenden ergab einen reichhaltigen Abend…

Auch der Veranstaltungort trägt zur Atmosphäre bei: im selfHUB spürt man Offenheit, Vielfalt und Synergien.

Weitere Veranstaltungen folgen, die Themen und Formen werden variieren, aber es wird immer einen Bezug zu einer ganzheitlichen Wahrnehmung des Lebens und zu integrierendem Denken geben.

Check it out and feel invited!

‘Permaculture is a creative design response to a world of declining energy and resource availability.’ - David Holmgren, co-originator of the permaculture concept

The permaculture concept offers a path to a simpler, more sustainable and better-quality life.

The idea of permaculture integrates a great variety of knowledge and provides very practical tools that are useful for/can be applied by everyone and in everyday life. It integrates a way of (systems)thinking and the use of design principles in order to create sustainable systems in a wide range of fields, be it in nature or society.

@ Vielfalter, Organic Food and Cafe, 4pm, Brunnenstrasse 147, 10115 Berlin

The Original Definition of Permaculture

‘Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. …
The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.’

(Bill Mollison, Originator of the Permaculture Concept)

these websites will all provide you with an introduction to permaculture and of course much more
holmgren.com.au
site of australian co-originator of the permaculture concept david holmgren. his work represents maybe the most evolved state of the permaculture concept
permaculture.org.au
the permaculture research institute in australia;
bill mollison and david holmgren are the originators of the permaculture concept
permaculture.org.uk
permaculture network and permaculture association, great-britain
permacultureactivist.net
permaculture network and news/magazine, u.s.a
permacultura.org
permacultura america latina, organization supporting grassroots sustainable development initiatives in poor and indigenous communities throughout latin america
permakultur-akademie.net
permaculture academy, germany
permakultur.de
association for permaculture, germany
permaculture / wiki
english / español / deutsch

here you will find some texts & excerpts about permaculture