Please join us for the fifth evening of our 2009|2010 Permaculture Movie Night Series. This month we will be viewing Dirt!The Movie. (run time approx 80 min). Since the condition of the top few inches of topsoil (or lack thereof) essentially will dictate the future of our species, it behooves all of us to get right down in, understand and appreciate Dirt. With a capital 'D.' Join us.

More about the movie:

"Floods, drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt."
DIRT! The Movie--directed and produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow--takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and under-appreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.

The opening scenes of the film dive into the wonderment of the soil. Made from the same elements as the stars, plants and animals, and us, "dirt is very much alive." Though, in modern industrial pursuits and clamor for both profit and natural resources, our human connection to and respect for soil has been disrupted. "Drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt."

DIRT! the Movie--narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis--brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil.

DIRT! the Movie is simply a movie about dirt. The real change lies in our notion of what dirt is. The movie teaches us: "When humans arrived 2 million years ago, everything changed for dirt. And from that moment on, the fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked." But more than the film and the lessons that it teaches, DIRT the Movie is a call to action.

"The only remedy for disconnecting people from the natural world is connecting them to it again."

What we've destroyed, we can heal.

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This is not a potluck event but feel free to bring a beverage or fruit or other treat to share and come anytime after 6:30pm for some social time if desired.

Movie will start sometime between 7:00 and 7:10pm. Short discussion to follow.

*Thank you to our friends at Zero Station for hosting the 2009|2010 Permaculture Movie Nights*

Please join our own Dave Homa (who has done pruning professionally) in learning how to prune your apple trees while they are in their winter dormancy in order to improve their ongoing health and productivity. Dave will be running this skillshare at Aaron Parker's house (aka The Bike Barn) in West Falmouth - about 25 min from downtown Portland.

The event will include discussion of techniques, common mistakes and suggested tools. Handouts provided. The session is expected to run about 3 to 3.5h and will be followed by the sharing of a potluck meal (please bring a dish to share).

Rain/Snow Date is Jan 31, same time. Space is limited. If this fills up quickly and you still want to get in on this, please email the meetup organizer to start a list for running a possible repeat event!

Please remember to bring your own potluck kit (plate/bowl/utensils/cup/napkin)! Please consider bringing your digital camera and posting up a few photos after the event! Potluck food safety ideas here:
http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2007/potluck.htm

Dress in layers for the weather. We will have access to covered/heated spaces to warm up if needed.

Please join us for the fourth evening of our 2009|2010 Permaculture Movie Night Series. This month we will be viewing several segments of The Powerdown Show, produced by the Cultivate Centre of Ireland.
More info about this screening:

The Powerdown Show is a 10-part TV series that takes a fresh and engaging look at the community responses to the converging challenges of climate change and peak oil. We have a golden opportunity to create a far better, more sustainable way of life. Millions around the world – many in your own community – are already making the transition to local resilience. Your vision is needed too. Welcome to The Powerdown Show....

"Bursting with insightful analysis and creative solutions to the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil, The Powerdown Show is an inspirational pointer to life beyond fossil fuels. Essential viewing – a flash of light in the darkness."
- Rob Hopkins, Founder of the Transition Movement
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This is not a potluck event but feel free to bring a beverage or fruit or sweet treat to share during the film if you so desire!

Update, January 4th: I'm inclined to invited anyone who wants to come at 6:30 for a "social" half-hour to do so! I'll bring some beverages. Join me if you'd just like to chat and catch up and talk about some upcoming events before they've even been posted!

Movie will start sometime between 7:00 and 7:10pm. Discussion and dessert to follow.

*Thank you to our friends at Zero Station for hosting the 2009|2010 Permaculture Movie Nights*

Please join Wolfe's Neck Farm for the kick-off event in their Winter Forum Series entitled Sustainability: Transition to Resilience.

The Community Forum starts with Lisa Fernandes’ discussion entitled “Permaculture for Local Resilience.” Her talk will introduce permaculture and examine how Maine can design resilient communities that have sustainable sources of food, water, and energy.
“Practitioners of permaculture (permanent + culture) envision human societies that know themselves as co-creative participants in natural systems. Permaculture aims to regenerate healthy, productive landscapes and communities by consciously applying ecological principles to the design of human habitats,” says Fernandes, the founder of Portland Permaculture.
She will speak November 19, at 6:30pm at the Freeport Community Library. There is a suggested donation of $5. A short reception featuring food provided by local restaurants will follow Fernandes’s talk. Interested community members will be encouraged to participate in facilitated break-out discussions led by our speaker.

*Note that this presentation is an "evolved" version of one you may have seen earlier this year; This version includes more imagery and examples and will be followed by small group breakout sessions with targeted brainstorming.
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More About the Winter Forum Series:

“Community Forum Tackles New Ideas, Encourages Community Participation”
Freeport, ME (November 2009). You eat locally, turn the heat down, and carpool. You are an informed citizen, and you donate to local charities and volunteer your time. What more is a thoughtful Mainer to do?
One option is to take part in a new model for learning about and participating in social, environmental and economic change. The Wolfe’s Neck Farm Foundation will hold a Winter Community Forum focusing on the theme of “Sustainability: Transitions to Resilience.”
The Forum is noteworthy for two reasons, says Wolfe’s Neck Farm Interim Education Coordinator, Heather Foran.
“First, the Community Forum tackles important social issues by taking a holistic look at Maine and its communities, and how we can be resilient to crisis and genuinely sustainable. Second, it emphasizes community participation by giving community members a space to come together to face challenges and problem solve.”
Wolfe Neck Farm Foundation has held a Winter Lecture Series the past two years, bringing leaders in the fields of renewable energy and food systems to speak. This year’s Forum adds a participatory, community element: not only speakers and films, but also space for informal dialogue and facilitated break-out discussions.
The speakers and films will address different aspects of resiliency and sustainability, specifically food, energy, and water systems and economics. They will also examine hopeful and innovative models of sustainable and resilient communities, both past and present.
The community dialogue will build on these ideas and aim to create a vibrant and purposeful community dialogue about Maine’s future.

Please join us for the second film in our 2009|2010 Permaculture Movie Night Series. This month we will be viewing "One Man, One Cow, One Planet," a New Zealand film about the work of biodynamic practitioner and teacher Peter Proctor as he travels around India essentially helping to "undo" the work of the Green Revolution.

From the film's web site:
What does an environmentally friendly biodynamic food system capable of feeding everyone actually look like? This film is a blueprint for a post-industrial future. It takes you into the heart of the world's most important renaissance...Why YOU should see this film: Modern agriculture causes topsoil to be eroded at 3 million tons per hour. (that’s 26 billion tons a year). Human mass is replacing biomass and other species. The carrying capacity of the earth is almost spent. To maintain our comfort zone lifestyles we will soon need five earths to sustain us in the style to which we have become accustomed. The mantra of free trade has failed the world’s poor. There is a better way. Human created climate change is destroying the Planet. Ecosystems collapse is not some sci-fi fantasy. It is real and it is happening. Right now.

This is not a potluck event but feel free to bring a beverage or fruit or sweet treat to share during the film if you so desire!

Movie will start sometime between 7:00 and 7:10pm. Optional discussion to follow.

*Thank you to our friends at Zero Station for hosting the 2009|2010 Permaculture Movie Nights*