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Featured in this newsletter :
- Valley premiere: Vanishing of the Bees
- A Man with Heart
- Food Gardens: good news on every front!
- Uncloak the Kochs
- Video of the week : Slow Food Movement-The Greener Diet
- The PSGS bulletin board
Valley premiere: Vanishing of the Bees
Come see a free movie screening of Vanishing of the Bees (narrated by Ellen Page) on Tuesday,
January 25th at 6:00 pm at the Palm Springs Public Library. The
"Popcorn and the Planet Sustainable Film Series" is presented in
partnership with the Palm Springs Sustainability Commission and Palm Springs Green Scene.
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Bee The Change
Across the world, honeybees have been disappearing – literally
vanishing – from their hives. Yet commercial honeybee operations
pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our
tables. This important film explores the phenomenon known as Colony
Collapse Disorder (CCD). Come learn more about CCD and the ramifications
it can have for humanity – and what you can do about it!
"The Vanishing of the Bees" takes a piercing investigative look at the
economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide
disappearance of the honeybee. The documentary examines our current
agricultural landscape and celebrates the ancient and sacred connection
between man and honeybee. The film also highlights the positive changes
that have resulted due to a tragic phenomenon known as "Colony Collapse
Disorder.
This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.
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Tuesday, January 25th at 6:00 pm
at the Palm Springs Public Library, 300 S. Sunrise Way
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On the subject of helping bees and enabling them to do their essential bee work, here are two for starters:
- Support bees and other pollinators by creating bee friendly gardens and butterfly corridors
The
work of bees and other pollinators is something that touches us all
through the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the landscapes we
enjoy. Attracting Native Pollinators offers a window onto the fascinating lives of these insects and provides detailed information about how you can care for these vital
animals wherever you live. Whether you are an urban gardener, a
suburban park manager, a working farmer, or caring for a nature reserve
Attracting Native Pollinators has something for you.
Pre-order your book from the Xerces Society website by January 31st to get a discount - www.xerces.org.
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A Man with Heart
Last summer I first heard of Chris Rockwell, an Idyllwild resident, from an article he wrote for the Desert Sun.
It really touched me, and I found his story compelling, poignant, and
heartelt. I could really relate to what he describes; each
homeless person has a story, homelessness is not a disease, it is
something that can happen to almost anybody, given any number of
different circumstances. Believe it or not, it even happened to me back
in the 70's when I was 23.
A few years ago, here in Palm Springs, I befriended a very resourceful
and honoroble Vietnam Vet by the name of John. He had moved to the
valley many years ago from Tennessee with his wife. John had a job and
a house. When his wife developped cancer, the medical costs
incurred to treat her accumulated and at her death, John lost his
home... then lost his job. The survival skills he had learned in the
army served him well in his new condition, and he had set up camp in
the Palm Hills. He felt sorry for all the "new" homeless who
didn't have a clue as to how to fend for themselves, and he would coach
them and help them adapt to their generally unexpected situation.
I lost track of John a few months later... he'd been talking of going
back to see his mother. I found it hard to forget John.
Chris Rockwell has gone much farther, with committment and a sense of
purpose, on his own and then with the help of friends and familly, he
has created the initiative "Helping the Homeless Now". Chris has
a full time business, and yet he makes the time to come down from
Idyllwild to ease the needs of our valley's homeless and poor.
Read his Desert Sun story here : One man's effort to help Coachella Valley's homeless
Take a good look at his website.
In response to my questions to him about his greatest current needs Chris said :
"We have two volunteers in the desert, one being my mother and the
other, Ingrid. Ingrid bakes wonderful treats for the people and she also
collects donations here and there as well as picking up some food items
from Jordan Outreach Ministries in Coachella..
We could use more volunteers especially someone to help keep
the project organized and promote it, like a secretary. I am talking
with a woman up here who may want to get involved in this capacity. I
could use some help packing food bags and shopping. I'm looking for the,
"right" person(s) which I'm sure will come along. Ideally, it would be
great to have a place (air conditioned) in the desert to store things
and pack food bags so I wouldn't have to bring everything up here just
to take it back down there again. Right now this would be the most
helpful thing.
Had another great Sunday yesterday with the homeless/poor people.
Gave away over 45 bags of food and many other items including the
wonderful baked treats that Ingrid makes and these people look forward
to. We need bicycles, back packs, tents, tarps, personal hygiene stuff,
blankets, sleeping bags and as always, financial donations. Please keep
this in mind and pass the word."
Donations... automatic monthly recurring donations, even small
amounts, are great because he can rely on a fixed budget. Any and
all donations are welcome and needed.
If you want to get in contact with Chris his email is chrislrockwell@yahoo.com.
Chris is a man of heart who needs our support
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Food Gardens: good news!
Edible Garden Tour
February 26, 2011
The first Palm Springs Edible Garden Tour is being organized by the Palm Springs Neighborhood Involvement Committee (PSNIC). Limited to 50 participants.
Schedule and ticket purchases HERE
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Palm Springs Community Garden
Good
news for the many avid gardeners in Palm Springs - the first P.S.
community garden is in the pipeline and just around the corner!
The City's Sustainability Manager, Michele Mician and the
Sustainability Commissioner Staci Schafer have spearheaded the project
and it was reported that ground breaking of the gardens will be
celebrated on Earth Day, April 22nd, 2011 (which does not mean that the
garden will be completed by that date).
The community garden will be located behind the Demuth Community Center
(Formerly the YMCA), 3601 E. Mesquite Ave. (Next to Demuth Park),
and will have 53 raised beds, some of which will be handicapped
accessible. The layout of the gardens has been drafted and the
construction will be contracted out. The plan includes a central
arbor, fruit trees, four work stations, and composting areas.
More details will be forthcoming concerning applications for plots, but
it appears that applicants will first need to become members of the Demuth Community Center. Keep an eye on city news bulletins in the coming months!
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Agua Caliente Elementary School Garden Workshop
The Agua Caliente
Elementary School in Cathedral City built their first outdoor garden in
2009, with the help and support of Slow Food Desert Cities and Hidden
Harvest. Not only has the garden provided the children a basis for
garden based learning, it has brought the community together to learn
about growing their own food and healthy eating. A number of
presentations have been held there : a Healthy Families Workshop and a
squiggly worm composting workshop in 2010.
On January 14th, Cathy Liss, the teacher behind all the garden magic at
ACES, organized a gardening workshop with John Foster, Master Gardener
and horticulturist, and Estelle Foster. The event brought together many
enthusiastic students, their parents, several teachers, the school
Principal Dr. Lucy Medina, a few members of Slow Food Desert Cities,
friends and supporters.
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The workshop was truly inspiring. The kids were enraptured - so
eager to put their hands in the soil, to plant the seeds and the
starts, curious about everything. John has a way of tailoring the
information to his audience and making it so interesting that the 2
hour workshop lasted a couple more as parents lingered on to reap all
his tips enabling them to create their own gardens at home.
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Uncloak the Kochs
Rancho Mirage rally details
Hey all--if you’re low on time, here’s the short version:
WHAT: A rally to expose the people who are funding climate disinformation campaigns and undermining our democracy.
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 30th
WHERE: Rancho Mirage, CA -- transportation is being provided from regional towns and cities.
WHY: To call out the nefarious Koch brothers and their
Big Oil, anti-climate agenda and join with an unprecedented coalition
of pro-democracy and environmental activist groups in a show of
solidarity and strength.
HOW: We’re working with a big coaltion to take care of
publicity, transportation, logistics and more. All you need to do is
show up--and bring your friends! RSVP and get all the details by clicking here--you'll be signing up through our friends at Common Cause.
The Koch brothers are two of the richest men in the world, and they’ve
made their fortune through their oil, chemical and manufacturing
conglomerate, Koch Industries. Here is a recent New Yorker story with some of the details or check out this article on Climate Progress.
Their influence on American politics is widespread; they injected $1
million into our elections last fall to try to roll back California’s
global warming law with Prop 23.
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Dear Coachella Valley Friends,
In the fight against climate change, our voices are not carrying
their true significance because huge financial interests drown them
out, but now we have an opportunity to be part of the solution. The
people pulling the purse strings of our Congress are coming to Palm
Springs, and we need your help to expose their dangerous influence on
American politics and climate progress.
On January 30, 2011, the Koch brothers and a cabal of other
wealthy and powerful elites will be meeting behind closed doors in
Rancho Mirage (close to Palm Springs) to plot their strategy to roll
back consumer protections everywhere.
Join 350.org and an unprecedented coalition of organizations in Rancho Mirage, California, on Sunday, January 30. RSVP here to participate and get looped into the full game-plan.
What to expect at "Uncloaking the Kochs—Rally at Rancho Mirage":
11:00am – 12:45pm: Common
Cause hosts a panel featuring Robert Reich, the former Labor Secretary,
Center for American Progress investigative reporter and Koch Brothers
expert Lee Fang, founder and Former President of Green for All Van
Jones, and California Nurses Association Co-President DeAnn McKewan.
Speakers will shine the light on the Koch’s Billionaires Caucus agenda
and discuss what can be done to restore the voices of ordinary
Americans.
1:00pm – 4:00pm: Join a large coalition of organizations for a peaceful rally in Rancho Mirage near the Rancho Las Palmas.
We need a huge turnout at the rally! Please invite your friends, family and neighbors by forwarding on this email. And whether or not you can come, please share the event on Facebook to help us spread this far and wide. If you are available to volunteer to help in the lead-up or on the day of, please contact anna@350.org.
Thank you for fighting for our climate and our democracy,
Anna Goldstein for the 350.org team |
Video of the week
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The Huffington Post is talking about Slow Food.
"The slow food movement sweeping the nation is a throwback to simpler
times, when food production was a community affair. Slow foodies
advocate home cooking with locally grown ingredients, thus reducing the
CO2 impact of shipping foods across the world, supporting local farmers,
and knowing your food comes from a place that utilizes ethical business
practices and sustainable growing methods.
In this video, KVIE
takes a look at the slow food movement, including the new garden in
front of San Francisco's City Hall, and the effect the movement has on
food banks. Anya Fernald, Executive Director of Slow Food Nation, says of the movement, "The fundamental value is to create a food system that is good, clean, and fair.""
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Click here to view
You'll need to scroll down a bit and wait thru an ad. Duration: (6m.)
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Prior "Work with the planet, not against it!" postings:
For
millions of years life on Earth has persisted and evolved in concert
with the chemical, physical and biological processes in the
environment. The advent of the Age of Liquid Fossil Fuels brought
humanity the ability to jump start and force-march many of these
processes at terrible cost to the planet's environmental viability. In
the waning days of the Oil Age, it is time for humanity to relearn the
lessons of the past tens of thousands of years of civilization: life,
human and otherwise, on Planet Earth can recover and maintain its
viability and sustainability only as we rediscover working WITH this
planet's environment, animate and inanimate, not against it!" John Cooper
The PSGS bulletin board
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Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m.
"Alternative
Transportation Fuel Research at the University of California, Riverside
- Building the California Roadmap to the Future," presented
by Dr. Tom Durbin, Research Engineer, Bourns College of Engineering,
UCR. Both the event and parking are free. Click here to register.
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Nature Lecture: Solar Energy & the California Deserts
Tuesday, February 1st at 6:00 PM
Laura Crane, Senior Project
Director for The Nature Conservancy, will discuss the current situation
related to renewable energy siting in the California Deserts and
important considerations to accommodate both renewable energy and the
conservation of water and wildlife.
The lecture will begin at 6:00 p.m. in The Learning Center (TLC).
FREE, but seating is limited. This program is presented in partnership with the Desert Institute at
Joshua Tree National Park.
 
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February Potluck at Standards of Excellence
Friday, February 7th, from 5:30 – 7 pm
A potluck get together will be held in the beautiful demonstration
kitchen at the Standards of Excellence showroom in Rancho Mirage.
Guest speaker will be Lance Davis, a master beekeeper and honey
entrepreneur. He has been beekeeping since the age of 12. Lance is an
earthy person who loves life and fine cooking. He will talk about
bees, honey, and differences in flavor of pollinated &
non-pollinated fruit.
Participants are invited to (but not required to) bring a potluck dish or beverage.
$10 for SHDC members, $15 for non-members.
Standards of Excellence,
70-190 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
RSVP at SlowFoodDesert@aol.com.
www.slowfooddesertcities.org
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Hi-Desert Workshops!
Some interesting hi-desert workshops have come to our attention via Transition Joshua Tree.
Extreme Composting workshop in Joshua Tree, CA
February 16th, 10am – 5pm, $75
In this workshop you wlll get hands-on experience setting up efficient
thermophilic and mesophilic systems as well as a vermiculture system. Turn
every organic waste from paper waste, kitchen waste, tumble weeds, paper waste, old
clothing, animal waste and human waste into nutrient rich, safe soil by
choosing and managing the right composting system for the waste. We will be working on
an off-grid living site at the edge of town (location given withregistration).Dress to work
outside and bring work gloves. Please bring your own snacks and beverages. A light lunch will be provided.
$25 holds your space. Registration deadline February 13
paypal account: nettlesting@yahoo.com
?Questions? nettlesting@yahoo.com
www.spontaneousvegetation.net
Greywater design workshop in Joshua Tree, CA
February 24, 10am – 5pm, $75
Learn how to filter and reuse or simply direct your greywater (bath and sinks)
and dark greywater (kitchen) out of your house and into the landscape to hydrate
and feed your desert plantings or existing trees.
We will be working on an off-grid living site at the edge of town (location
given with registration). Dress to work outside and bring work gloves. Please
bring your own snacks and beverages, a light lunch will be provided.
$25 holds your space. Registration deadline February 20
paypal account: nettlesting@yahoo.com
Questions? nettlesting@yahoo.comwww.spontaneousvegetation.net
Rainwater Harvesting workshop in Joshua Tree, CA
February 23, 10am – 5pm, $75
In this workshop you will get hands-on experience designing and building out a
rainwater harvesting system for a specific home site. Learn rainwater budgeting
as well as collection and storage options and take the skills you learn and
apply to your own situation at home.
We will be working on an off-grid living site at the edge of town (location
given with registration). Dress to work outside and bring work gloves. Please
bring your own snacks and beverages, a light lunch will be provided.
$25 holds your space. Registration deadline February 20
paypal account: nettlesting@yahoo.com
?Questions? nettlesting@yahoo.com
www.spontaneousvegetation.net
www.salvationjane.net_
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