Meet Marty Travis, a seventh-generation farmer in central Illinois who watched his land and community fall victim to the pressures of big agribusiness. Determined to create a proud legacy for his son, Marty transforms his profitless wasteland and pioneers the sustainable food movement in Chicago.

Sustainable explores the economic and environmental instability of America’s food system, from the agricultural issues we face — soil loss, water depletion, climate change, pesticide use — to the community of leaders who are determined to fix it. It’s a film about the land, the people who work it, and what must be done to sustain it for future generations. See the trailer

August 26, 7:30pm
Fireside Room, Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto
505 E Charleston, Palo Alto

Amazing things are happening in the world of carbon sequestration. And July Fourth Friday attendees did plenty of their own knowledge sequestration while glued to their seats for John Wicks’ jam-packed talk on carbon Farming. A Marin rancher and preservationist, John co-founded the Marin Carbon Project and is a passionate evangelist for their work.

The Marin Carbon Project is noteworthy in the scope of the questions participants are exploring, the rigor of the science involved, and the effective mix of theory, field testing, and implementation. Click here for a list of some papers published by the Marin Carbon Project research teams.

Here’s a smattering of observations from John’s talk.

• Healthy rangelands require grazing animals. The rangeland ecosystem degrades if the land is not grazed.
• All plants sequester carbon. The question is, for how long? Some sequestered carbon is returned almost immediately to the atmosphere and some is stored up to a decade or so. But if the carbon becomes mineralized and attached to clay particles, the storage becomes effectively permanent.
• Holistic management techniques, which involve intensive grazing of animals in a small area for short periods, are effective for promoting deeper rooted perennial grasses (vs. annual grasses), but are not effective for intermediate and long term carbon sequestration and can actually increase the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.
• Perhaps the most remarkable observation of the talk is the finding that a single application of as little as 1/4-inch of compost can promote intermediate and long term carbon sequestration for years following the single application.
• John spoke of many other aspects of the Marin Carbon Project work, including soil microbiology, research on composting of manures (including human waste), other sources of compostable materials, and even the efforts to lobby the California legislature and governor to support research and implementation of effective carbon sequestration techniques.

Save the date for the coming Share Faire on Sunday, August 14, from 1-3pm at the beautiful Mitchell Park Bowl. We will share clothes, toys, books, garden produce, crafts, and household items as usual, have some more (and new!) demos, plus have classes under a tent!

Have a skill you’d like to share? Let us know! 

If you can lend a hand, please sign up to volunteer as well.

What a glorious evening to celebrate interdependence July 4, as familiar folks and newcomers gathered behind the Acterra building in Palo Alto for a July 4th potluck picnic, enjoying delicious food and reflecting on what how we are all connected.

Later, many strolled or biked out to the baylands to enjoy a magnificent sunset, birds gliding overhead, and fireworks displays ringing the bay.  The Shoreline display started later than most, but was definitely worth it!

Thanks to all who attended and helped out, and to Acterra for providing tables, chairs, and restrooms. 🙂

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Come to July Fourth Friday for a taste of the latest developments in carbon farming — how responsible agriculture and land management can result in healthier food, safe fiber, renewable fuels, and healthy carbon-rich soil ecosystems.

John Wick, co-founder of the Marin Carbon Project, will share the latest in research, development, and implementation. If you attended June Fourth Friday, you’ll recall that John appeared in Evolution of Organic and shared a few comments after the film.

Many folks have expressed interest in learning more about carbon sequestration practices — what they are, what works, what doesn’t work — so we’ve invited John back for an in-depth session on the important and exciting work of of the Marin Carbon Project.

July 22, 7:30pm
Fireside Room, Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto
505 E Charleston, Palo Alto

On June 11, a group of people from Transition Palo Alto and the South Bay Permaculture Group met at Common Ground Garden to get crafty.  Half of the group sheet mulched a new section of the garden.  The other half made new signs, in anticipation of the upcoming Edible Garden Tour on July 23.  During a break, everyone got a great guided tour of the garden.  And after the work was complete, people shared a tasty, fresh, local potluck lunch together.  Look for more opportunities to work together in the garden, and in other places around Palo Alto too.

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Check out the June issue of Green Kids Mag, prepared by Rani Jayakumar and her kids.
greenkidsmag-june201

And you can go here to see the Green Kids Mag archives and sign up to receive new issues when they come out.