NELA Transition News | August 9, 2012

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North East Los Angeles Transition News August 9th, 2012 NELA Transition is a community group working on positive changes in our community as we face global warming, peak oil and economic decline. We share our skills working on projects which increase our local resilience and strengthen community connections. Our members are located in the Los Angeles neighborhoods including Pasadena, Altadena, Highland Park and Eagle Rock. nelatransition.org Working in a Thriving Garden David Cutter I've been able to get down to some recent Throop Garden work days the last few Sundays and I'm amazed at how jungly the place is starting to look. The tall sunflowers(8ft) help but even the herb garden is pretty lush. The fruit trees are short but getting bushy. The tomato jungle is out of control at about 6 ft tall. It fell over on it's side last week. It's staked back up and I suspect the river of tomatoes will soon turn to flood stage. Each week we've harvested between 60 to 80 lbs of produce and there's still more coming. Squash, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Basil, Green Beans and Collard Greens. Even the Olive tree has produced a few olives. Anyone have access to an olive press? Wow. If you need any free produce come on down Sunday morning and pick some. Oh you can help garden too. Over the next month or two, there's going to be more produce than we know what to do with. People around the city are talking about this garden. Everyone I talk to stops me in mid sentence to say "I've seen that garden." I'd like to say thank you and my hat's off to the brains behind this effort. January Nordman, Michael Kelly, Lucinda Bailey and Therese Brummel. Great job boys and girls.   Throop Learning Garden Update Therese Brummel Throop Learning Garden is delivering tens of pounds of veggies each Sunday! The irrigation system has been nearly completed and the west lawn planting of natives has taken hold with the diligence of NELA Transitioners, Time Bankers and Church folks. The environment on the south garden is notably cooler, more restful, sometimes to the point of blocking the perception of the endless traffic noise. The inspiration this respite provides to parishioners, garden workers and passers-by is priceless. There are some unfinished projects we are looking for ideas on: a bench or two on the south garden, preferable built with rescued components, yet beautiful suiting to the church yard setting, and also ideas for the area behind the bus stop and the patio garden. If you are feeling creative, come by on any Sunday 8-11 and help with weed abatement, harvesting and watering, and lend your ideas for these last components. And tell a friend!     Concerns about Hahamongna Master Plan Petrea Burchard One of the last areas of open space along the Arroyo Seco is Hahamongna Watershed Park. The City of Pasadena's 2003 Hahamongna Master Plan calls for two athletic fields in the park. In 2010, after citizen protest and the discovery that one field was planned in an area of annual flooding, Pasadena's City Council reduced the figure to one. That athletic field is still planned at Hahamongna. Pasadena has received funding for the Sycamore Grove Athletic Field and an additional parking lot at Hahamongna. Because the field is in a flood plain the ground will have to be raised by 10 feet or more. The city proposes to do this with silt. It's not clear whether Los Angeles County will allow Pasadena to use silt removed from above the Devil's Gate Dam in the County's upcoming Silt Removal Project, or whether Pasadena will have to haul the silt from elsewhere. Either way, this construction will cost millions, create noise and air pollution and could potentially pollute the water in the Raymond Basin. It will place an athletic field in a wildlife corridor where the Audubon Society has identified over 200 species of birds, where fauna from squirrels to bobcats to mountain lions are known to roam, and where the facility will be inaccessible to the "inner city" children it is supposed to serve. Opponents of the construction would like to see Hahamongna remain as open space, allowing plant and animal denizens to stay without pollution of their habitat. The basin is currently used by Pasadena Water and Power for spreading basins. It is also used by the Rose Bowl Riders, Frisbee Golfers (the first course in the world), hikers, mountain bikers and Tom Sawyer Camps, among others. Along with the Sycamore Grove Athletic Field, the "Multi-Benefit/Multi-Use Project" includes a Westside Perimeter Trail, a parking lot, "habitat restoration" and restoration of Berkshire Creek. Links SaveHahamongna.org *Sycamore Field Grant Analysis, a report by Hugh Bowles delineating potential legal problems with the city's grant application (pdf) The Initial Study, upon which comment is currently requested The city's website for the MBMU project A Notice of Preparation and an Initial Study have been prepared. The comment period for the NOP closes at 5:00pm on August 23, 2012. Please send your comments regarding the scope of the EIR to: Rosa Laveaga, City of Pasadena, Department of Public Works Phone: (626) 744-4321 E-mail: mbmuproject@cityofpasadena.net, Mailing Address: City of Pasadena Department of Public Works Attn: Engineering Division 100 N. Garfield Avenue Pasadena, CA, 91101     Conscientious Projector Upcoming Documentary Screenings As they pass eight years committed to bringing films on Social Justice and Sustainability to the public Conscientious Projector will hold its usual FREE second Thursday of the month 7 pm documentary film at the Armory Center for the Arts. At the Armory Center for the Arts 145 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena Thursday, August 9th, 7:00 PM Conscientious Projector will present Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction. One of the most under-reported news stories of the day is the alarming rate of species extinction now taking place around the world, from 1,000 to 10,000 times faster than previously normal expectations, and potentially resulting in the loss of over half of all plant and animal species within the next few decades. Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction is the first feature documentary to examine this growing threat to biodiversity and Earth’s life support systems. It also looks beyond the immediate causes of the crisis to consider how our cultural and economic systems, along with deep-seated psychological and behavioral patterns, have allowed this situation to develop and continue to reinforce it. A community discussion follows the film. The Armory is located at 145 N. Raymond in Old Pasadena. Admission is free and the facility is accessible to disabled persons. Meet like minded folks at the community screening and post film discussion. In addition there is a FREE Summer Film Series hosted by CP at All Saints Church, 130 No Euclid, Pasadena. The upcoming films are Wed Aug 15, 7 pm Home Renowned aerial photographer and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand evokes a dual sense of wonder and urgency in this chronicle of Earth's ecosphere and humanity's place in it. He takes us on an enthralling flight over 54 countries and 120 locations to illustrate in awe-inspiring visual imagery both the beauty and vulnerability of the life system in which we live. Narrated by Glenn Close. Wed Aug 29, 7 pm The Shock Doctrine Wed Sept 5, 7 pm Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action For more info on Conscientious Projector films contact martycoleman@pacbell.net   Barn Raising for Tim Dundon; Help out the Benevolent! Saturday, August 11th, 10 AM to 2 PM Please rsvp to Laura Henne for the address: laurahenne@gmail.com, or go up Fair Oaks, Left on Mountain View, across from the cemetery . it is the second property on the right which appears to be a jungle. Can't miss it . An article in the Pasadena Star News reported that the county Public Health and Building and Safety departments, require Tim Dundon to clean up the property or face a fine. And if he doesn't comply, it could eventually result in a county crew clearing the property for him. Tim Dundon is a man who is incredibly passionate about sustainable living and treating the earth and people with love and kindness. Laura Henne and Lesha Wadala have started the background work of a group effort to help a great man who's helped many people in the Arroyo Community. Using the monthly Timebank Garden Group Barn Raisings (http://www.arroyotimebank.org/gi/cp/timebank-garden-group/) as a forum to help Tim clean up the property in accordance with the county's requirements. Here the facebook page for the event: www.facebook.com/events/455327814501418/ This is what timebanking is all about; helping fellow community members using skills that we have and building new skills in the process. Please join this wonderful initiative by emailing Laura Henne today laurahenne@gmail.com.   Throop Learning Garden Work Party Sunday, August 12, 8am – 11pm Throop Memorial Church. 300 S Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena Work party most Sundays from 8A - 11N. Permaculture landscaping, water-wise gardening, native plant use, and more! Bring sunscreen and hat/gloves if you have them.     Sustainable Thursdays & Seed Swaping at Milagro Allegro Thursday, August 16th, 6 PM - 8 PM Presented by Milagro Allegro Community Garden Seed Swapping event next week with Arroyo Guerrilla Garden: We will exchange heirloom seeds, any organic/GMO free seeds we have harvested from our own garden, from a friend's, purchased from a trusted source, or whatever we have left at the bottom of our seed box. No one turned away for lack of seeds.. :) This event coinciding with Milagro's Sustainable Thursdays, you are all invited to hang around in the coolest community garden in all of Northeast LA: come and turn the compost, help us water our Sidewalk Guerrilla Garden, or simply kick back with other Guerrilleros. Hasta la Vista! http://hpgarden.org/ The Milagro Allegro garden is located at 115 S. Avenue 56 behind the Highland Theatre in Highland Park.   Repair Cafe For Small Appliance Repair Saturday, August 18th, 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM The next Repair Cafe will be at Jones Coffee, 693 So. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, 91105. This event will focus on the repair of small appliances and electronics. We have some very talented Repair folks lined up, so find that blender that won't blend or a toaster that won't toast and bring it on down for a consult or repair. In addition, we will have someone on hand to sharpen knives and a DIY stencil station to print the Repair Cafe logo on your apron or tee-shirt. The first Repair Café was a big success! It was held on July 14th in the community room at the Armory Center for the Arts and sevensewing machines hummed for three hours straight! A total of thirty garments were repaired or repurposed. Through the volunteer efforts of our organizers and repairers, we found such great talent in our community! In addition, Gabriel Silva, the head of the Pasadena Department of Public Works had a table to discuss the city's Zero Waste plan. And thanks to Joanne Siegel's computer wizardry, enthusiastic guests signed up as new Time Bank members, and some satisfied folks went home for more clothes to repair! We learned a lot and have lots of ideas to make the second Repair Cafe even better! We look forward to seeing some of the interviews and video footage that several cameras captured. This event was such a boon to so many folks and so much fun that we will have a second sewing Repair Cafe on Sunday, September 16th, from 1- 4 pm at the Armory. Mark your hem and your calendar! Jones Coffee 693 So. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, 91105     NELA Transition Meeting Sunday, August 19th, 5:00 to 7:00 PM Presented by NELA Transition NELA transition Steering meeting is always the third Sunday of the month 5-7 pm. You are welcome to join us Sunday August 19th in planning our month for transitioning from oil dependence to local resilience. Please rsvp to people@nelatransition.org for location and directions.