Garden Power In Sebastopol

From CFI

Progressive government can have a snowball effect, if it is truly progressive. In Sebastopol, CA in 1999 they had a 4 out of 5 pro-development, pro-sprawl majority. Through the influence of the amazing work done by Planting Earth Activation (they fill a similar niche as JCSN), and the plantings of gardens across the city, people became more hopeful.

PEA was comprised, at the time, of ten passionate twenty-somethings determined to make a difference in their community. They went door to door, neighborhood to neighborhood, looking over fences at lawns and unused yardspace. "Oooh, that'd make a great garden", they said. "Oh, check out that HUGE lawn, that would make an awesome garden!"

And they knocked on every single door of every single person with some yardspace and said, "Have you ever thought about a garden? We'd like to give you a garden. You'll be bringing ecological diversity into your yard and neighborhood, growing your own food, and getting to know your neighbors!" Once ten or fifteen willing neighbors accept their offer, they threw a planting party.

And party they did. Sixty plus volunteers and many more supporters from around Sebastopol. Neighbors who wanted to help, even if they didn't have enough space for their own garden. Multiple bands joined in on a benefit concert. Potluck dinners. Dancing. Live art projects. The proceeds from the evenings events, along with the garden recipients payment for materials made it all financially viable. PEA asked that the neighbors leave 25% of what they grew for seed, to seed other gardens across town and develop a community seed bank.

Dumptrucks of compost. Flats and flats of seedlings. And they'd plant all the gardens in one day. Neighbors that didn't even know each other became good friends. Ecologically denuded lawns became productive food-bearing, insectary, bird and butterfly-attracting, colorful oases.

Over three years they planted over 100 gardens. Many people became turned on to local politics, became excited about the potential they saw in their community, and became inspired to work to make Sebastopol a more ecologically and culturally stable and diverse place.

And on and on, but long story short: Sebastopol now has a 5 out of 5 progressive, "Permie" majority. Craig Litwin, one of the founders of PEA is an elected member. They've got a city-wide no-spray ordinance, made possible by the "Adopt-a-Landscape" program. Since the city lacked the funding to pay for continuous weedwhacking and weeding in lieu of chemical sprays, residents, businesses, and organizations adopted the landscapes, road medians, sidewalk plantings, etc. The city provides irrigation and some of the plants, and groups pledge plant and maintain their adopted areas for two-year periods. PEA food forested the lawn in front of the Police Station. Sebastopol also has an "all-solar" public building ordinance, seeking to derive all of their energy used from PV panels and passive solar construction. Electric minitrucks for public works and park employees. Approved but yet to be built is a Community Garden Skatepark, designed using permaculture principles - an elegant solution to 14 years of neighborhood disapproval of a skatepark. It'll be an inter-generational community-building food-security and recreation park.

Here's some further reading: http://www.ecologycenter.org/terrain/article.php?id=13515 http://www.berkshirepublishing.com/ans/HTMView.asp?parItem=S031000424A

So anyway, we can do this too, and so much more!

I encourage anyone with some free time on their hands to apply for one of the vacant commission slots, run for city council, run for mayor, whatever. While I think progressive government could really lubricate the process for us, it ultimately isn't as important as community involvement and pursuing your vision of a better future. If government isn't your thing, good. Fine. But get ACTIVE. Start DOING SOMETHING!