Sustainable Vocations Blog
Big thanks to Monsters of Folk for your support of Sustainable Vocations! Your contribution goes directly to the equal access scholarship fund and will provide a partial scholarship for a very deserving student for the summer 2010 session.
The Santa Barbara show was spectacular! In addition to the scholarship fund benefit, we were able to give a special treat to a few of our lead volunteers who are big fans and were thrilled to see the show.
The young graduates were honored that Sustainable Vocations was recognized by such gifted artists. The sponsorship supported our mission of cultivating pathways toward sustainability where everyone has a part to play.
Thank you for bringing voice to the heart and soul and supporting regenerative and sustainable systems education.”
~ Kolmi Majumdar, Co-director
"It made me consider even more how important it is to know how the meat I eat becomes meat, from the food it’s fed, to the way it’s kept before and during the processing."
"Chicken Processing" -Whitney Bell
There’s a flock of chickens on the farm that are bred for meat rather than eggs. We learned about Brenton’s way of processing them from a living bird to being ready for cooking. Brenton brought the bird over to the station in his hand and was very calm. I was feeling really nervous and anxious because I didn’t know how I would respond! The station was made out of a table and a long, flat piece of metal that funneled into a construction cone that was turned upside down and attached to the end of the table and metal. The opening was widened so that the birds’ head could fit through easily. He gently placed the bird upside down in the cone and attached its feet to the top so it would be comfortably suspended. He explained that position made the bird confused, and that the blood would go to its head and would make it almost unconscious after a couple of minutes. He sang a harvest song as he held his hands over the birds’ eyes to make it feel comforted, and after a couple minutes he cut around the birds neck and it died. It was upside down so the blood mostly left the body and we plucked it and took out the organs afterward.
I was amazed to watch this happen, and most of us in the group cried a little, some a lot. We talked about the conditions and treatment that most birds and other animals experience in slaughterhouses, and I realized that each piece of meat I have ever eaten meant that an animal had gone through this, but probably most in a much less respectful way. It made me consider even more how important it is to know how the meat I eat becomes meat, from the food it’s fed, to the way it’s kept before and during the processing. The way Brenton honored the lives of the birds was moving, and I know that it is very rare. Warren said that many of the people he knows who process their own animals leave about a month in between each time so that they don’t lose emotion and compassion. It was amazing to watch the bird transform from full of life to lifeless. When the head and feet were taken off, suddenly I recognized the chicken as something else…nothing like the breathing animal I had just seen. Since the chickens sold in stores are missing the elements that we associate with living creatures, like the eyes, it’s a lot easier to forget that it was once alive. So much to think about…
Melanie shares the highlight of her day, the engaging conversations sparked by guest presenters:
"The general banter quickly turned to ... dialogue about what a viable community includes and what is required to maintain a healthy system that meets the basic needs of air, food, water, and shelter and also has a social system that is inherently safe in its structure so as to maintain natural checks and balances. For this, we agreed that there was an inherent need for generational diversity. ... There was a general consensus that the group of people present shaped our words and actions and that this became a form of social regulation that occurred naturally without the need for outside controls. This self-regulating system is necessary for social stability, which in turn becomes the foundation for structures that contribute to food and water security." -Melanie
August 15-16, 2009 Brady “SUNFIVE5”
Lets talk building, from the quaint straw bale and cob houses of the country to the biggest LEED certified university size green buildings of the city and everything in between. On Saturday morning we started with an early fire by friction demonstration and 
ceremony marking the second half of the course and the start of our group design projects, We divided into our clans and gathered maps, notes and brainstormed ideas about for our new clients Paul, Kolmi and their three year old daughter Gita. We made lists of their needs, wishes and vision, the key elements and questions, then made cut outs of all the key elements and laid them out on our makeshift overlay map. We made a second quick site visit, resized some systems hustled back for a slide show with Justin and Lynn on natural building.
We viewed many structures that used natural and local materials to build hundreds and thousands of years ago that are still strong and standing, comparing them to many conventional buildings built today that may last one hundred years or less before needing serious renovation. After lunch, we got to tour a local cob house of Quail Springs residents Jan and Brenton, made of clay, sand, and straw, gradually built up overtime curing as it goes. The end result is an aesthetically pleasing well insulated and self-regulating earthen building that is a pleasure to hang out in during the hottest days and coldest nights. During the hands on process we helped construct a cob and adobe bench and then switched with the other group getting to form adobe bricks with our own hands, very fun! At the end of the day we visited the Living Craft Project, a 422 sq. ft load baring straw bale structure, Future home of Justin and Lynn, the instructors of a three-month natural building apprenticeship. The house is extremely well insulated and a great demonstration piece to bridge natural and conventional residential building quality, style and techniques. All in all it was a fulfilling and inspiring day.
On Sunday guest green builder Mike Lillis and his wife Julie shared with us their story of how they found the green building movement from different aspects and were able to start a business together consulting on a variety of green building projects all around southern California. We watched a great informative film, “ Building Codes for a Small Planet” with David Eisenberg. After lunch we had some storytelling about arid land design and had more clan time to develop our design concepts further.
Melanie- Aug. 12th, 2009
The day was filled with guest presentations (a film about air quality and lecture on global climate change) a walk around the food forest and pond, a lecture on Patterns in Design, which began by listening to the song “If a Tree Falls” as an example of channeling potentially negative emotions into positive creativity, and many more activities. Extensive information was conveyed during each segment, but a personal highlight of the day was the discussion that started over lunch and continued on through siesta until the surprising arrival of the 3:30 bell. A few Sustainable Vocations participants were sitting on the platform under the elm tree, enjoying the shade and the shared meal. The general banter quickly turned to a conversation about the guest presentations we had just seen which led to a further talk about the strength of community and the need for a cohesive, self-regulating social system as a means of stability and sustainability.
One of the points debated was the role of government regulations versus personal choice in creating change. It was generally agreed that widespread community will was needed to shift into a new paradigm regarding our relationship with our home. However, was this “community” global or just including the neighbors living next door? Is it the responsibility of individual citizens to implement appropriate technology on a small, local scale or are government regulations the only vehicle by which nationwide shift can occur? Are government mandates going to be effective enough to change the long-entrenched values of consumer culture? What will be required for positive global change to occur?
These questions kept us sufficiently occupied and led to further dialogue about what a viable community includes and what is required to maintain a healthy system that meets the basic needs of air, food, water, and shelter and also has a social system that is inherently safe in its structure so as to maintain natural checks and balances. For this, we agreed that there was an inherent need for generational diversity. How would the current discussion have changed in the presence of a younger cousin? Would it be further altered had a respected grandmother been sitting alongside us? There was a general consensus that the group of people present shaped our words and actions and that this became a form of social regulation that occurred naturally without the need for outside controls. This self-regulating system is necessary for social stability, which in turn becomes the foundation for structures that contribute to food and water security.
As you go about your day, please accept this invitation to walk lightly and make connections you may have never believed possible. Learn something from a child, an elder, yourself. Find a negative that can be turned positive and these steps will support us all on the journey to sustainability.
"... I love that Permaculture approaches environmentalism in a way that values and promotes a holistic and mutually interdependent relationship with nature and with other people. During these first few days at Sustainable Vocations, we have learned simple high impact ways to turn problems of environmental degradation into solutions ... which has inspired me to apply many of the Permaculture principles to my current passion for ameliorating urban environmental racism and injustice.
The principles that stood out the most to me as someone who was born and raised in the intensely segregated city of Los Angeles were “Integrate Rather Than Segregate,” “Use and Value Diversity,” “Use Edges and Value the Marginal” and “Creatively use and Respond to Change” because they will be particularly useful guides for transforming cities and their suburbs into centers that are healthy both for the earth and for all of its inhabitants.
For me, environmentalism should increase a sense of community responsibility and strengthen a sense of place and connection to the natural environment as well as to one’s neighbors, which explains why I was ecstatic to see that all of the Permaculture principles are equally applicable to nature and to people.
Living at Quail Springs has opened my eyes to way of living that the city as a whole lacks – communal participation, respect for our surroundings, care of ourselves, of our friends and of our earth, awareness and interaction, and working with nature instead of expending an exorbitant amount of energy to work against it. It is a living example of the Permaculture I had imagined before arriving at Quail Springs, and I’m excited to take it back to my neighborhood in LA where I can start applying small and slow solutions that will prepare me for some awesome collaborations later in my career!"
- Christine, Sustainable Vocations, August 2009 class
"By the end of the first night, the contrast from home in suburban Goleta to Quail Springs really opened my eyes to a whole new way to think. Things and events I had appreciated before now became a whole new experience. Food is no longer just another meal—it is a process that begins from the land and ends on the table. Rest time isn’t a nap—it is a time to reflect and observe. I’ve begun to see that by becoming a functional part of nature, we can become one with the sustainable cycle nature works around. Things as simple as a composting toilet that doesn’t use water, puts going to the bathroom in a whole new perspective. Instead of an activity looked at as a “gross necessity” that we need to flush away, going to the bathroom provides nutrients to the land and may later be the foundation of a tree...
Experiencing the benefits of a holistic lifestyle and comparing it to the waste culture in modern society really brings to question how I’ve lived my life up to this point. It is a little discouraging sometimes to look back at life in the average American town and see how far away from the sustainable circle of nature society has drifted. Can we ever change our thinking, our culture, and our way of life as a whole society? I know I’d be willing to embrace the change, but how can we change everyone else’s perspective? Sara Layman came to talk about the Green Ambassador’s program in Los Angeles and provided us with important tools to be a better leader and to show others the benefits of embracing a more holistic lifestyle. I’m hoping to take back some of these ideas to “normal” life and being making changes around me.
Quail Springs has been an inspiration for me. Seeing how simple actions can create entirely new climates, landscapes, and life is truly humbling. Life here is so deeply rewarding mentally, physically, and spiritually. Between good food, beautiful souls, and embracing surroundings, this journey has really been one of the best and most eye-opening experiences in my life. I’m really grateful for being in such a blessed place."
- Alex, Sustainable Vocations student, August 2009 class
"It all begins with something as simple as the ABCs—the Fundamentals of our language. Using the first letter of our names, Alex, Billy, Christine, Christian, and Chris, we realized that like the ABCs, permaculture and our time in Quail Springs will provide us with the fundamentals of life and living closer to nature.
During the last five days our design group has experienced a number of different events that improved our Permacultural understanding. We started out with many team building, leadership, and self-awareness activities, which helped us get acquainted with our peers and our new home at Quail Springs. As we got to know each other and our new environment, we began to learn the integrated design science of Permaculture, with topics including ethics, principals, topography, animal husbandry, soil, water, cheese and bread making, and woodworking. We have enjoyed:
Indigenous learning methods (cultural ecology, ancient anthropology)Sarah Laimon (Green Ambassadors)
Permaculture Intro (ethics/principals/topo/animals husbandry/crafts)Impressions (food, pond, hikes)"
- Alex, Billy, Christine, Sustainable Vocations students, August 2009 class
Sustainable Vocations for Youth nonprofit program to benefit from
Monsters of Folk Santa Barbara Show!
Santa Barbara, CA (August 10, 2009) - Monsters of Folk was born on the road five years ago when My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, and singer/songwriter M. Ward toured together and regularly sat in on each other's sets. Now armed with the eclectic and consistently striking songs that make up their debut album, the illustrious quartet will reconvene for a Fall tour.
On this inaugural tour, Monsters of Folk is partnering with Air Traffic Control, a resource for musicians' philanthropic and social change work, to donate monies raised from ticket sales. The band will be donating $1 from every ticket sold for the October 22 show at the Santa Barbara Bowl to Sustainable Vocations.
"On a daily basis, we see how hard organizations like these work to make our communities, country and world a better place." said Erin Potts, Air Traffic Control's executive director.
Monster's of Folk Santa Barbara Show is on October 22 at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Visit www.monstersoffolk.com for full tour schedule or for more info about the band. Pre-sale tickets for the US and Canada shows will be available beginning Tuesday, July 28,
followed by the public on-sale beginning Friday, July 31. The band's self-titled album will be in stores September 22nd on Shangri-La Music. For more information on Air Traffic Control, please visit www.atctower.net.
