Living by Example ... Living Mandala

Living Mandala is a growing collective of educators, organizers and designers committed to eco-social regeneration based on the organizing intelligence of nature exhibited through the emergence of life.  Living Mandala's design, facilitate and produce courses, workshops and events as well as offer consultation services that implement ecologically and socially regenerative practices within a pretty diverse set of fields. But that is what we do…not who we are. It is how I am choosing to live. These are my and “our” works.
This next month I will be going to Hawaii to be apart of a 2 week community, “living hands on” experience in permaculture called Aloha 'Aina. I know that it takes each and everyone of us to build a strong community. We each carry a knowledge that others don't. I feel it is a great service to man to share in our wealth of knowledge. This is one way I choose to live by example. And I am so grateful for all of the teachers and mentors. We would never know where to go if some one has not gone before us. Sometimes our elders carry more info than we give them credit for these days.

“Aloha ‘Aina” is Hawaiian for “love of the land”, or “to love, respect, and nurture the land.” As human beings now facing a time of great environmental and social transformation, we believe that it is through this spirit of reconnecting to ourselves, to our communities, and to the Earth with a spirit of love and care that we will renew and restore a healthy balance of human beings living in harmony with each other and their natural environment.
In addition to the standard permaculture design certification curriculum of this course and others, we recognize permaculture as an expanding, holistic design philosophy encompassing many fields.
Accordingly, this permaculture design course will include and integrate additional content and activities such as indigenous wisdom, holistic nutrition, embodiment practices, inner work, and more. With a focus on tending the inner as well as the outer landscapes, course participants will work with each other and local community residents on tangible design project scenarios to implement positive transformation within themselves and in the local community.
I am really looking forward to being able to share what little information I carry as a teacher and a student in the future. And I am grateful for people like you. People who in there heart of hearts know that we can do better as a planet. And it is by showing others by leading and living by example that together we really can. And when we make ripples in the lives of others…well it seems that ripples and waves are endless you see. And it only took one drop in the whole pond to start the whole reaction. So remember that sometimes the small things have unexpected long term effects. And I encourage us to widen our knowledge base of the pond to have a better understanding of the world we live in. In this way I feel that we can walk tall and leave very small foot prints.I am also looking forward to meeting some of the great minds in Eco Living at the Bioregional Congress being held at The Farm in Tennessee in October.
What is Bioregionalism you might ask? I did. And what I found was this:
Bioregionalism embodies the effort to preserve, restore and enhance life. Since the first Continental Bioregional Congress in1984, people have come to the Congress to envision, exchange and develop realistic, restorative ways of living in the bioregions of the Americas.
With the recent escalation of ecological devastation in the U.S. and around the world, along with the current global economic and political crises, the answers bioregionalism offers – based on ecological principles, and local economic and community development – are more important than ever! 
The congress will spark and strengthen ecological and social networks to exchange information, strategies, and approaches about how to forge meaningful lives in balance with our local ecosystems and communities.  The congress will be packed with informative speakers covering diverse topics related to earth care, community development and economic resiliency.  We’ll also share and celebrate stories of place, model the communities we wish to support and create, and replenish ourselves, so that when we leave empowered with new tools we will have strategies, support and inspiration to further manifest our social change efforts.  Together, we’ll find transformations that ripple out from our lives into our home communities and bioregions.

So I wonder friend, what and how are you living my example? Perhaps you are a teacher and student as well. I hope to see you on the path. And that the path has few bumps.

Thanks for your time and attention.
Julie Bird
Living Mandala.com

Re: Living by Example ... Living Mandala

I was surprised to note digging in your video, the latest ideas involve natural farming and no till, no dig  also you did not mention if you offset flight travel / pollution ?  Here are some links that might interest you.

http://re-forestgarden.co.uk/index.html

http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/reflections-on-nature.html

http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/no-till-farming

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html

Re: Living by Example ... Living Mandala

Hi Zyphr,
You are right, there is digging in this out of date video. And there are lots of other practices in the world. I chose this video because 1: Penny is a mentor and colleague. I like how she expresses herself in this video. Listen to her words. And 2: because it is “Permaculture 101”. A place to begin. 

I like that you mentioned Forest Gardening. In April Living Mandala in association with Appleseed Permaculture and Camp Epworth Permaculture Demonstration & Education Center in High Fall, NY.  Held a Forest Garden Immersion Course to Design and Implement Edible Landscapes! I recommend the book - Edible Forest Gardens, by Dave Jacke.

Presently Living Mandala is working with Erik Olsen And the Food Forests Across America Campaign. Because In an uncertain economy and changing world, local food security is an essential element to becoming sustainable.  You can join the campaign for your own local food security and learn how you can help to transform gardens, lawns, parks, and empty spaces into thriving edible landscapes that are beautiful, regenerative, and produce an abundance of delicious, locally grown food! 

If you are reading this and don't know what a Food Forest Garden is …then imagine a forest where every single tree is dripping with fresh fruits and ripening nuts. Every shrub is packed with delicious berries, and every other plant is a medicinal herb, culinary spice, or beautiful edible flower. Tubers and root crops are abundant underfoot, gourmet mushroom logs sprout in the shade, and hardy vines climb back up through the layers of this multi-functional forest of food.

Food forests are diverse gardens modeled after natural ecosystems designed to mimic the way a forest thrives and regenerates. A forest continuously nourishing all elements in the system and produce a vast diversity of outputs, but requires little or no inputs to sustain itself. By recognizing the self-supporting, mutually beneficial relationships of the elements in a forest - from tall trees, smaller trees, shrubs, herbs, ground covers, vines, nitrogen fixers, insectaries, fungi, animals, and more, the food forest garden designs a similar system but replaces the components that are in a common forest with species that are preferred edibles and more useful for humans.

The forest then becomes a Garden of Eden, in which edible or useful plants are found from head to toe, where something in season is always ready to eat, and the system requires little or no maintenance to sustain and regenerate.
And ease is something that we all can do with more of. We also have the knowledge of Paul Stamets to add to the mix. (Who I have also had the pleasure of working with in the past.) I love many of his books and am a huge fan of Fungi. I utilize oysters where and when ever I can!

And as far as our travel offset goes…
that is one I am working on. one thing I am doing is participating in a carbon farming course in Tennessee at the Farm in August to better understand seqestration and other forms of farming. Returning carbon to the soil while increasing food production. The course will cover holistic landscape systems design, project management, and implementation.  Granted. I live in the SF bay area. But…
I do not own a car. I travel by bike and public transportation. When I have to travel far, such as to The Farm I prefer to take the train. It is my understanding that they are the best on the ground. However… I do take at least one plane trip a year and for that I simply pray and send out my intentions and ask forgiveness while I am learning of alternative methods.

I don't entirly have answers for that one. But I do have a friend who is working on some really great water 4 fuel technologies. In fact his car runs mostly on tap water. I have another friend who is working on the same line of technology but for boats. There is a balance. Things are in the works and moving with forward motion, and I have faith in my fellow man that the best solutions are on the horizon and that for now… we need to work with what we have got and do our best in every moment to live up to our potential. So thank you for sharing your information with me Zyphr. You are a fast wind with a quick mind, and for that I thank you.
 
Many Blessings and Kindest Regard,
Julie Bird
www.LivingMandala.com

Re: Living by Example ... Living Mandala

Wow, cars running on water, has me thinking of the old steam trains, smiles
Now wouldn't it be great if a boat could run on salt water!!!!!