NELA Transition News | April 12, 2012

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North East Los Angeles Transition News April 12th, 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

NELA/Throop Learning Garden News January Nordman “Gardens, scholars say, are the first sign of commitment to a community. When people plant corn they are saying, let’s stay here. And by their connection to the land, they are connected to one another.” - Anne Raver And so our community grows. Joan Stevens sent over 20 of her students to help in March. They were motivated by a community service requirement, but found much more than that. We were able to introduce them to swales, lasagne mulching, proper planting techniques, urbanite wall construction, good work habits when using tools, and basic awareness practices for being in the garden. The students were eager to work and excited to learn new skills. Several expressed a desire to return on their own. Thanks to Maya, Therese, Connor, and Michael for mentoring. Michael, Andrew, Maya, Shale, and Qrys have made great headway on the urbanite wall. It now stands 3 solid levels high for the entire length of the yard on the Del Mar side. All the urbanite has been sorted and stacked, ready for completion of the wall. The native garden is in and beginning to bloom. The butterfly sage blossoms are attracting bees and butterflies. The yarrow begins to blossom. The poppies and blue flax are on the verge of blossoming, as well. Qrys, Michael, Therese, January, and Lucinda have come up with designs for the raised bed gardens for vegetables. The designs are functionally elegant. They should be a handsome addition to complement the architecture of the church. We hope to begin construction in the next few weeks. April 15 is tax day, but also the day we will plant our recently procured apple tree. This will complete the mini-orchard on the corner of Del Mar & Los Robles. Come on by between 9am and noon to join us. We are grateful for so many helping hands that have worked to develop the garden this far. It truly takes a village to make a garden.   Play Again April 12th, 7:00 PM Presented by the Conscientious Projector The Armory Center for the Arts 145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA free. A fascinating documentary about kids taking a break from their electronic screens to a wilderness experience. http://playagainfilm.com/ More information at http://conscientiousprojector.wordpress.com/   I Am Canceled due to rain, to be rescheduled April 13th, 7:30 PM Conscientious Projector will show a movie as the kick off event for the festival in Memorial Park called I Am http://iamthedoc.com/ . Pop some non-GMO popcorn and come on out with your blanket. More information at http://conscientiousprojector.wordpress.com/     NELA Transition at the Earth and Arts Festival Saturday, April 14th, 11 AM to 4 PM Earth and Arts Festival day will be April 14, Saturday at Memorial Park. This is the annual Earth Day Celebration, Pasadena style. It is a fun and festive day with music, dancers, booths for all! Volunteers are needed at the Transition table from 11-4. Time dollars will be paid for your meeting the public that day to talk cheerfully about the Transition movement locally. Every hour helps. Can you sit in the shade for an hour? If you are able to volunteer at the Zero Waste and NELA Transition booth on any of these dates contact people@nelatransition.com Saturday April 14th 11-1, 1-3, or 3-5, Thursday at JPL Earth Day 11-1, Sunday April 22 at All Saints Church 8:30-12:30. Zero Waste Campaign NELA Transition will host a booth shared with the Public Works Dept's Zero Waste campaign. A home composter will be raffled . Be sure to drop your name in the box. We are planning landfill awareness raising with a Trash-kebab, chalk art, gyre photos, a downsize your trash barrel campaign and a scavenger hunt quiz. Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without! Event website: http://www.pasadenaviews.com/day-pasadena-earth-arts-festival/ NELA Transition contact: people@nelatransition.org NELA Transition Meeting Sunday, April 15th, 5:00 to 7:00 PM Presented by NELA Transition Our monthly NELA Transition Meeting is usally held on 3rd Sundays every month. The location changes each month. RSVP to get the address - people@nelatransition.org This month's meeting will be in Pasadena. Is open to everyone. Inner Transition Tuesday, April 17 6:30 to 8:30 pm Presented by NELA Transition The Transition movement calls us to attend to the Inner Transition, the heart and soul shift, the shift in consciousness from our old lives to a new way of being. This is a great challenge. And we are finding our way through together. We will have two sessions of our Inner Transition group Thursday, March 22 and Tuesday, April 17 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Throop Church Fireside Room, 300 So Los Robles, enter from Del Mar. Our intention is to experience what is called Oneness. When we experience Oneness with other humans and all life, we touch the divine. That experience can guide our actions and give them meaning. We will use the Living with Oneness Study Guide http://www.globalonenessproject.org/sites/default/files/education/downloads/LivingOnenessStudyGuide.pdf for these two sessions. This is a masterful and lengthy guide to the shift in consciousness. "It is natural that love, support, compassion and other positive feelings happen in relationships where we feel mutually connected." This is our path to stewardship of the planet which is ailing from our loss of that interconnection. Session Two, Tuesday, April 17 : please watch this 6 minute film that will set the tone. It is called The Land Owns Us http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/The_Land_Owns_Us We will create a small space in the Fireside Room for small objects that are sacred to us to help set our intention. Some call his an altar. Please bring an object that holds meaning for you such as a rock, seeds, a photograph, or whatever you would like to place in this collection. . You will take your contribution home. Light refreshments will be shared. All are welcome. Please RSVP: Theresegbrum@yahoo.com I look forward to sharing this journey with you.   'Barn Raising' in Echo Park Saturday April 21st 10:00 am - 3:00 pm with a potluck lunch at 1:00 The April barn raising will take place at Kindred’s home in Echo Park on Saturday April 21st beginning at 10:00 am. 'Barn raising' is the Garden Group's term for community members working together on a large garden project - similar to how communities throughout history have come together to build a barn. The Garden Group gives time credits to Arroyo Time Bank and Echo Park Time Bank members who help with the project, bring food for the potluck lunch, and/or play music. Barn raisings provide an opportunity to learn new gardening skills, trade gardening tips, and share best practices. Kindred has four big projects that she would like to undertake: 1. We have a big plot of sugarcane next to our cars that needs harvesting. I'd like to dig out the whole root-patch if possible. It makes a great edible alternative to bamboo if you need a wall of green someplace and it grows super fast. But it's eating our cars (literally, the paint has permanent damage from the leaves). After digging out the sugarcane, I'd like to mulch the area and plant some climbing plants to cover the wall. 2. I'd like to cut and double-dig a garden plot out of a section of the grassy backyard for a communal vegetable garden for me and my tenants. 3. I'd like to weed and expand the flower garden in the front yard. 4. I have to remove and break down the hideous corrugated plastic that's covering the chain-link fence at the back of the property. I have 2 climbing vines that could be planted there to green the back-wall Needs: spade shovels / digging forks / wheelbarrow (e-mail if you can bring this or drop it off in advance) / compost sifter (e-mail if you can bring this or drop it off in advance) Address: 1608 Lake Shore Ave., Echo Park (90026) (Note: the pedestrian entrance is in front of 1606) To RSVP or for more information, contact: laurahenne@gmail.com and kindredg@gmail.com   Earth Day: A Free community celebration at Aveson Charter School! April 21st, 10 AM to 2 PM Arroyo Time Bank will be part of Aveson Charter School's Earth Day on Saturday, April 21st! Come join us for this free celebration featuring the following: INNOVATE SPEAKERS GROW WHERE YOU ARE • EUGENE COOKE WASTE LESS LIVING • CHRISTINE HINKEL • PRESENTERS ALL DAY! LOCAL FOOD & REFRESHMENTS CARMELA ICE CREAM • AVESON KITCHEN CREATIONS • FRESH SQUEEZED ALTADENA LEMONADE HANDS-ON FAMILY FUN HORSE RIDES & ANIMALS • GARDEN DEMONSTRATIONS • HARVEST GIVEAWAYS • RECYCLED OBJECTS D'ART & CRAFT WORKSHOPS • ECO FILMS ECO FRIENDLY EXHIBITS GREEN LIVING TIPS GREEN BUILDERS • ENERGY & WATER CONSERVATION ORGANICS RECOVERY IN ACTION • RECYCLING & MORE! www.Aveson.org