Hi everyone, because of the drought (EPIC) we are
nominating Barbara Wishingrad and Sweetwater Collaborative for the 2016
Local Hero Award, wondered if others wanted to join in. The
deadline is coming up very soon (May 30).
Below is what we sent in if helpful, but please write your own version,
in your own words, then send to: localhero@independent.com
Dear Santa Barbara Independent -
Once again we nominate Barbara Wishingrad for the Local Hero Award, who
was written up last April by Nick Welsh, where he called Barbara and her
Sweetwater Collaborative crew "Water Wizards".
Always interested in permaculture & sustainability, in 2009 Barbara
went to Tucson Arizona to participate in a 6 month Rainwater Harvesting
internship, where she did extensive training with one of the first
cooperative rainwater harvesting groups in Arizona.
She came home to Santa Barbara passionate about bringing Rainwater
Harvesting skills to our community
After working for the nonprofit she trained with in Tucson, Barbara later
encouraged a group of like minded individuals to form the Sweetwater
Collaborative, and hasn't looked back since.
Sweetwater has worked in conjunction with both the city and county during
the drought, and helped change the language that even water purveyors and
city & county officials use, encouraging capturing rainwater in the
soil, tanks, rain gardens, instead of sending precious water into the
streets and storm drains and out to the sea. Sweetwater
Collaborative has an ongoing educational series of Technical Roundtables
for landscape professionals.
In addition to the barn raising model of helping community members
transform there residential properties, Barbara and later
Sweetwater worked on commercial installations, including Santa
Barbara Realtors Association, the Schott Center, and the Louise Lowry
Center, demonstrating to the community in full sight what can be done
when a lawn is replaced.
We are convinced if there were more focused and passionate people like
Barbara in the world we wouldn't have many problems that couldn't be
solved.
She is truly a local hero.
Margie Bushman & Wes Roe
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie@sbpermaculture.org
http://www.sbpermaculture.org
P
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