[Lapg] LA Permaculture History
Lois Arkin
crsp at igc.org
Wed Apr 21 22:14:12 PDT 2010
Thanks Dennis and Larry for naming Julia and I as Mothers of LA
Permaculture. However, there were some who came before us and several
who have carried the torch with great commitment and passion, several
among them "fathers of LA permaculture" as well. Here's a little of the
history as I recall it. I hope others in the know will verify the
accuracy of this personal recollection, and make appropriate
corrections and additions.
Yes, it is time, now that permaculture practices are growing into the
mainstream that we begin to systematically remember how our local
thinking and actions around permaculture came to be.
Best,
Lois
-------------------------------------------------
Mid to late 1970s: Bill Mollison gave a workshop in the West Valley
sponsored by: ???
Julia Russell attended this workshop
Mid to Late 1970s: Julia Russell begins using permaculture principles
on her home in the Los Feliz district which will become the nonprofit
Eco-Home and Eco-Home Network by the mid 1980s.
Mid to late 1970s and on to the present: Dr. Bill Roley of Laguna Beach
and Jim Bell of San Diego were creating permaculture demonstration
projects and teaching permaculture principles to community groups, and
local colleges, and traveling to Tijuana to help implement permaculture
practices there. Bill had developed the Permaculture Institute of
Southern California and its demonstration home in Laguna Beach.
Mid 1980s: CRSP in association with TreePeople and several other local
nonprofit organizations sponsors a talk by Bill Mollison at TreePeople.
Bill visits with Nader Khalili that weekend, I believe it was in
Claremont. Lois had made arrangements for Connie Koennin of the LA
Times to interview Bill for a major feature on permaculture, but Bill
was so rude to her, she decided to let the interview go. Connie had
covered just about every aspect of sustainability of the preceding half
a decade or so at that time.
Late 1980s: Jeff Tucker and Brad Mowers sponsor a permaculture gathering
at Jeff's Santa Monica home attended by 30 to 40 interested permaculture
folks in the LA area, including Julia Russell, Lois Arkin, Rani Jacobs,
Kreigh Hampel, John Tikotsky, and others. I'm sure I have the sign-in
list of people that were there someplace, but please add yourself to
this list if you were there.
Early 1990s: Landscape Professor John T. Lyle of Cal Poly Pomona
develops the Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly. Years later,
the Center was re-dedicated as the John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative
Studies. Early classes at the Center taught permaculture principles.
Camille Cimino was among those early students, and she went on to travel
through Europe, studying permaculture at various intentional
communities/ecovillages.
1993: CRSP begins the processes for developing the L.A. Eco-Village on
the two block neighborhood of Bimini and White House Place, using
permaculture principles, especially trying to maximize the beneficial
connections among and between social, ecological and economic systems of
the neighborhood.
2003: CRSP and LA Eco-Village sponsor Larry Santoyo and his Earthflow
organization in the first 72 hour permaculture design certificate course
in LA. Many L.A. Eco-Villagers were enrolled in the course.
2003 to present: Larry S/Earthflow continued to provide annual PDC
courses in LA and Southern California.
2003: CRSP/LA Eco-Village sponsors the first L.A. Permaculture Guild
gathering at LA Eco-Village. About 20 people attend.
2004: LAPG listserve begins. Camille Cimino and Joan Stevens assume
leadership of the local movement over the next few years.
2005: CRSP/L.A. Eco-Village sponsor a 72 hour PDC certificate course
with Scott Horton as the lead trainer. Several more L.A. Eco-Villagers
are trained.
2006 - 2010: The term "permaculture" is increasingly seen in the
mainstream. Permaculture projects throughout the LA area grow,
permaculture is being taught in many local colleges and universities.
Larry has trained hundreds of people, and they are providing leadership
for a variety of local permaculture practices.
And a special tribute to Wes Roe and Margie Bushman of the Santa Barbara
Permaculture Network and Bob Banner of HopeDance Magazine who, indeed,
spread the word tirelessly throughout Southern California for the past
decade.
Dennis Pilien wrote:
> I agree with Larry.
> Dennis Pilien
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* L. Santoyo <santoyo at earthflow.com>
> *To:* Joan Stevens <mamabotanica at sbcglobal.net>
> *Cc:* lapg at arashi.com
> *Sent:* Wed, April 21, 2010 11:45:06 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [Lapg] Fw: Event tonight?
>
> Joan,
>
> I don't know what this is about but I would say that The Mother(s) of
> Permaculture in LA has got to be: Lois Arkin of LA Eco Village and the
> incredible Julia Russell of The Eco Home Network
>
> Larry
>
> L. Santoyo, Director
> EarthFlow Design Works
>
> http://earthflow.com
> http://twitter.com/LarrySantoyo
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 11:31 AM, Joan Stevens
> <mamabotanica at sbcglobal.net <mailto:mamabotanica at sbcglobal.net>> wrote:
>
> Some Pasadena City College student heard there was an event tonight
> honoring, "The Mother of Permaculture" in LA or perhaps "The Mother
> of Permaculture in LA"? Any clue as to what this might be?
> and who that mother is???
> Joan
>
> "...the greatest change we need to make is from consumption to
> production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only
> 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone.
> Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who
> depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and
> bullets, not food and shelter."
>
>
> - Bill Mollison
>
>
> ----- Forwarded Message ----
> *From:* Leigh Adams <lladams at earthlink.net
> <mailto:lladams at earthlink.net>>
> *To:* Joan Stevens <mamabotanica at sbcglobal.net
> <mailto:mamabotanica at sbcglobal.net>>
> *Sent:* Wed, April 21, 2010 10:54:41 AM
> *Subject:* Event tonight?
>
> Hi Joan, I heard there is an event tonight that a friend from PCC
> would like to attend “honoring the mother of LA permaculture”. Can
> you tell me anything about it and how he would get there? Thanks !!
> XXOOL
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lapg mailing list
> Lapg at arashi.com <mailto:Lapg at arashi.com>
> https://www.arashi.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/lapg
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lapg mailing list
> Lapg at arashi.com
> https://www.arashi.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/lapg
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 8.5.437 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2826 - Release Date: 04/21/10 11:09:00
>
More information about the Los-Angeles-Permaculture
mailing list