Dirt! The Movie

is an insightful and timely  film that tells the story of  the glorious and  unappreciated material  beneath our feet. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s  acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth.

Dirt! The Movie

takes a humorous and  substantial look into the  history and current state of  the living organic matter  that we come from and will later return to.

Dirt! The Movie

will make you want to get dirty!

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL (for those who RSVP only)
9:00 am

Simone’s mature quarter-acre plot in the El Cerrito hills, with bee hives, dozens of chickens, fruit trees and raised beds is well worth the climb if you’re up for it. This portion is for cyclists who don’t mind hills, though the route is a lot less steep than Moeser.
Please email Claire Norris at songsparrow22 at yahoo.com if you’re interested, and she’ll send you details of where to meet.

OUR MAIN TOUR STARTS AT 10 AM (no need to RSVP) All times are approximate.
10:00 am
Meet up at Albany Community Center parking lot, 1249 Marin Avenue, Albany.
Travel via Ohlone Greenway to

10:15 am
Gilman Street, Berkeley: first stop, Jim & Eva Wert’s certified Bay-Friendly garden and tiny back yard with cooped chickens, fruit trees and intensive year-round vegetables.

10:45 am
Travel via Acton and Virginia to

11:10 am
Bancroft Way, Berkeley, near San Pablo Ave: Jim Montgomery’s Green Faerie Farm, a sustainable urban mini farm with fruit trees, veggies, goats, chickens, bees, and rabbits. See a short video about Jim at http://www.ediblecitymovie.com/donate/

12:00 pm
Option A: travel via Ninth and University Village to Madison Street, Albany, then to B, or
Option B: travel via Ninth and Virginia directly to Cornell Street, Berkeley

12:20 pm
A: Madison Street, Albany: see Catherine and Leonard’s tiny but productive Albany yard with rainwater dispersal and greywater features, fruit trees, flowers and vegetables and a cob chicken house in the making, then continue to
B: Cornell, Berkeley: Susan Silber’s new permaculture-style Berkeley garden with raised beds, where there is room for us to have lunch and pick plums from her tree.

1:30 pm
Travel via Dartmouth and Ohlone Greenway to

1:45 pm

Peralta and Hopkins, Berkeley: tour the Eco House (a permaculture garden with rainwater catchment features, a banana tree growing in greywater, ducks, and a whole lot more.

2:30 pm
Make your own way home.

Breaking news is that Ernest Callenbach, a local author and visionary creator of the 1975 utopian novel Ecotopia, will be with us on Sunday to talk about his current vision of a sustainable future. We will end the afternoon with an opportunity to suggest, find support for, and/or hook into practical projects that will move us further towards community resilience in Albany.

After seeing and talking with several Transition communities in the UK on a recent visit to my new granddaughter (yes, I flew, and I’m prepared for that to be the last time for the foreseeable future. Mother Nature delayed my return by sending volcanic ash into the air, and it looks like she hasn’t finished that game yet!), my impression is that there is a huge wave of grassroots energy moving inexorably towards more local self-reliance, and Transition towns are popping up like mushrooms. Projects that I’ve seen include local food production, creating alternatives to individual motorized transport, encouragement to reduce energy consumption at home, relearning skills that were taken for granted in a pre-oil-rich civilization (“reskilling”), or putting more emphasis on individual production rather than simply consuming more store-bought stuff. It doesn’t have to have the name Transition to be an essential part of our transition away from centralized, energy-intense living to a more local, energy-lean and community-based lifestyle.

Dated City Codes
Here in the East Bay there are already many backyards dedicated to growing food. My own tiny space produces more at times than I can keep up with. But it’s coming to my attention, thanks to an article in Terrain magazine, that city ordinances are written to dissuade people from engaging in urban farming within city borders. They probably date back to a time when it was seen as chic to be moving away from the drudgery of countryside living.

For instance, in Albany’s code (under Animals) it seems at first glance that keeping bee hives is not permitted. However the city did assure me that, as long as you ask them for and receive express written permission and pay a fee of $160, you can legally keep bees here (within limitations designed to maintain good neighborly relations). This makes the situation similar to that with chickens (up to six hens are allowed, no roosters). However, goats, sheep and horses are still listed as forbidden, and these are animals that do play a part in the low-energy Albany that some of us envision 20 years from now, along with super efficient motorized transport and high tech solutions. We are looking at major changes in the next couple of decades – let’s be foresightful and prepare the way.

So, come and watch the film and listen to one of the first people to express a utopian vision in writing on Sunday May 23rd and we’ll have a chance to share specific visions for Albany afterwards. In 20 years this community could look, sound and feel very different from Albany today. What do you envision?

When I first experienced Changing the Dream, I had just watched the climate docudrama, Age of Stupid, and was keenly aware of the precariousness of our position on the edge of collapse, as cheap oil, the fuel behind our consumer society, runs out and its effects on our climate grow more severe. The symposium helped me connect my heart to the issues and see things through a wider lens.

A key concept is that we in the West have been “entranced” by years of marketing to believe that we need something outside ourselves to be satisfied, and that ever-increasing consumption is the answer. Although it is clear that our addiction to manufactured stuff is driving climate change, perhaps we are not so much “stupid” as hypnotized. Stores and manufacturers seduce us with brand images and logos and condition us to feel we cannot live happily without them.

The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium was put together several years ago by the Pachamama Alliance in response to a heartfelt plea from the indigenous Achuar people of Peru/Ecuador, whose shamans had predicted that the world was on the verge of a terrible catastrophe, which only industrialized countries could avert. The version I experienced was a recent improvement that is taking the Bay Area (and beyond) by storm as more and more attendees are inspired to become facilitators and bring the symposium to their own groups and associations.

At the crux of the event is the revelation of one simple assumption under which we have been operating for centuries, the reversal of which will make it inevitable that we reduce our consumption, care more for the earth and each other than for profit, and rebuild our lives in resilient communities. Can you guess what it is?

The Symposium offers a beautiful, compact introduction to the Transition concept, so I am delighted to announce that the Pachamama Alliance and the Transition Network are currently formalizing a partnership. You can experience Awakening the Dreamer – Changing the Dream yourself on June 6th at the Albany Senior Center (see calendar). We are asking $10 – $20 for the event, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please invite friends and be prepared to be moved.

Join us at the first annual Albany Arts & Green Festival where we celebrate both the arts and the environment!

Sunday May 2nd, 2010

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Transition Albany presentation at 2:00 PM)

Memorial Park & Veterans Hall

Performances |  Green Workshops

Food  |  Art  |  Green Orgs

Free Bike Valet Parking  |  Free Bike Tuneups

Kids’ Zone  |  Floor Lamp Exchange Program

Free Small E-Waste Collection

Albany today is developing a reputation for having a vigorous public arts program and being one of the greenest cities in the country. So it’s not surprising that this year we are celebrating “arts and green” together! Art helps see and appreciate beauty, and protecting the environment helps create a beautiful world!

Read more about the event on the City’s website.

Transition Albany presents at 2:00 PM

Inside the Veterans Hall workshop room.

Building Community Resilience, the Best Preparation for an Uncertain Future: An introduction to Transition Towns and Transition Albany

Transition Albany invites all of Albany to create a positive transition from fossil fuel dependency to vital, engaged, resilient, and interdependent community. Catherine Sutton will be presenting the principles of Transition Towns, with updates from her recent visit to some original Transition Towns in England.

Come visit the Transition Albany table inside the Veterans Hall!

Painting: AcerRuber@aol.com

Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Walk to/on Albany Hill including Ceremony

Meet at Peet’s Coffee & Tea, San Pablo & Carlson

With Friends of Five Creeks & Corrina Gould, Chochenyo Ohlone

You are invited to participate in a walk that will include some of Albany’s history, an overview from Albany Hill, and a ceremony to honor the ancient keepers of this land and to ask assistance as we recreate a low energy, local-based lifestyle.  Wear shoes with traction and bring a stick if you need one for walking on steep trails.

The event will be held rain or shine.

Sunday, April 11th

1:30 – 4:00 PM  |  Albany Library Edith Stone Room

An event to inspire more bicycle riding!

1. Short Film: Vélib
2. Guest Speaker: Laura McCamy
3. Presentation: Albany Bike Master Plan

Bicycles -  they’re practical and fun!

Did You Know? In Albany, vehicles on local roads (that’s excluding I-80 and San Pablo) account for 24 thousand metric tons (CO2e) of greenhouse gases per year! That represents about 2.7 million gallons of gasoline! This is obviously not a sustainable habit. Luckily, there’s a quick and healthy solution for most of those local trips (and longer distance ones too): the good old bicycle!

Guest Speaker: Laura McCamy

Alameda County’s Bike Commuter of the Year

Laura will talk about easy and fun ways to add biking to your life! Laura gave up her car three years ago, and bike commutes from Emeryville to San Francisco. She generally rides her bike to the MacArthur BART station in the morning and leaves it securely locked there using the new eLockers, or simply takes the bike onto BART. She even does all her errands using a 100+ lb capacity bike trailer, including Saturday trips to the farmer’s market. Hear about her experiences and glean useful advice for bringing bicycling into your daily life.

Check out the article she recently wrote for Momentum Magazine, the magazine for self-propelled people!

Albany’s Bicycle Master Plan

Presentation by Albany Strollers & Rollers

Come learn about about Albany’s Bicyle Master Plan – what’s planned, what’s been done, what hasn’t, and future revisions to the Plan. The Master Plan will make bicycling easier, safer, and more convenient for riders in Albany!

Short Film: Vélib

From the E Squared Film Series

Imagine a nearly free bicycle rental program to use in your daily life. Pick one up near your starting-point and drop it off near your destination. In Paris, you can do just that with Vélib!

+ PLUS +

Take a Test Ride!

On unusually practical bicycles meant for urban commutes and chores.

Available for sale:

Bike lights and other cool stuff.

This event is co-sponsored by Albany Stollers & Rollers

A few years ago I had the pleasure of sitting in a circular house of straw bale and mud, the guest of a lovely woman named Emma who had founded a community farm that operates completely “off the grid” in West Wales. We sat on a thick, warm rug made of woven, unprocessed wool, sipping home made herb tea that had been made over the wood fire burning in the grate and most magical of all was the exquisite silence of NO electricity. It was Emma’s choice to live this way and my thoughts seemed to quiet themselves as I felt my energy expand in gratitude, the way you sigh with relief when the roadwork outside your house stops.

On Saturday, March 27th, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm local time, people around the world are invited to turn out their lights and electronic devices for one hour in a symbolic gesture to their government that they are ready to reduce their use of cheap oil. It’s called Earth Hour and you can find a lot more about it, and sign up to show your support, at the Earth Hour website. (And yes, I’m sure you could turn off your fridge for an hour without negative consequences). Last year I was in England with my son and his wife for the event and we spent a hilarious hour playing charades by candlelight. Each year, more people join in. Some people meditate alone, some party with friends and family. Hey, it’s an opportunity to remember what people did to spend the time BEFORE electricity!

Emma’s community is Brithdir Mawr. This was my first visit to see another longtime resident, Tony Wrench, a friend of mine over many years. As we made our way down a muddy lane, hoping we’d followed the directions properly through back country Wales, we saw a tub rotating in the rushing water of little stream beside the road and knew we were in the right place. “I detect funk,” said I, as we realized we had found their clothes washing “machine”. They farm with plough horses, generate all their own power, grow most of their own food, and each resident has a way to support themselves financially.

Tony and his wife Jane live in another roundhouse with its own website, which describes, amongst other things, the long battle they’ve had with the local planning commission to keep it standing. So far they’re still there, and with their simple lifestyle they’ve proved that it’s possible to reduce your carbon footprint to a globally sustainable level (and that is a real feat in the western world) without sacrificing everything and living in a home built from what was right there on the land. Check out the video on their website…

Well it’s not the same in a city, you say. Well yes, but for the story of someone on a one year jag to reduce their consumption in the Big Apple, there’s the film No Impact Man (here’s the trailer), where a New Yorker and his wife and small baby lived without electricity for six months. While he has finished with that particular experiment, you can read his ongoing blog.

If you are ever in Wales, I recommend a visit to Brithdir Mawr (their website tells you how). And if getting to Wales seems a long way off, you can create the specialness of a non-electric hour for yourself on Saturday, March 27th between 8:30 and 9:30 pm.

There’s a cool map of the USA on the Earth Hour website that shows how many have committed to this so far, state by state. How about putting the date in your calendar now so you remember to do this very radical thing, and join a growing number of folks around the world who are determined to do whatever it takes to align their living style with what’s sustainable and fair for everyone on our beautiful planet?

HomeGrown: The Film

HOMEGROWN follows the Dervaes family who run a small organic farm in the heart of urban Pasadena, California. While “living off the grid”, they harvest over 6,000 pounds of produce on less than a quarter of an acre, make their own bio diesel, power their computers with the help of solar panels, and maintain a website that gets 4,000 hits a day. The film is an intimate human portrait of what it’s like to live like “Little House on the Prairie” in the 21st Century.  - Excerpt from the film’s website.

Visit the film’s website to learn more.

Discussion with Novella Carpenter

I’ve been cultivating the city for over ten years now, and my neighbors still think I’m crazy. It all started with a few chickens, then some bees, until I had a full-blown farm near downtown Oakland. - Excerpt from Novella’s log at www.novellacarpenter.com. Farm City is her account of her experiences. She will have copies of the book available for sale at the event!

Seed and Plant Exchange

Simply bring your extra seeds and plants, and some envelopes or containers to hopefully take home others in exchange. Best to label all items properly to prevent surprise crops (but would that be so bad anyway?).

Writing in Britain’s The Guardian, George Monbiot called The Age of Stupid “a captivating and constantly surprising film: the first successful dramatization of climate change to reach the big screen.” Grounding the film is a fictional character who looks back upon our time with full knowledge of the environmental and social upheavals of the first half of the twenty-first century. This device distinguishes the film from more conventional documentaries and arguably provides a drawing card for the film.

In the film, Academy Award-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite stars as the Archivist, the lone caretaker to the collected knowledge of humanity.  In the year 2055, the Archivist looks back upon video clips of the early years of the climate crisis from within his tower in the now-melted Arctic, his refuge from a world devastated by storms, starved by droughts, and consumed by violence.  As he views the videos, he seeks answers to the question that haunts him: Why did humanity fail to save itself?

Postlethwaite, whom Steven Spielberg named “probably the best actor in the world today,” delivers a strong performance, but it is the lives of real people from our time whom he observes in videos in his archives that make the film so compelling.  Through these videos, director Franny Armstrong follows the struggles and aspirations of several intriguing people in often uncomfortable relationships to oil and global warming.  From Iraqi refugees to a British wind farm developer, from an Indian airline founder to a French mountaineer, we see the emerging possibilities of humanity’s future with all their complications and contradictions.

Amidst resistance to change in countries such as the U.S. and U.K. and growing aspirations elsewhere to “live like Americans,” can we avoid the fate that the film depicts? Or is our time destined to be remembered as the “Age of Stupid” for our failure to heed repeated warnings?

It’s been said that the best way to predict the future is to create it.  Consider this showing an invitation from Transition Albany to begin doing just that.

Age of Stupid: Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

This theatrical showing of The Age of Stupid is expected to be the only one of its kind in the San Francisco Bay Area in the coming months.  Tickets will be available for purchase at the box office of the Albany Twin both in advance and on the morning of the 11:30 a.m. showing on Sunday, March 7, 2010.