I harmonize with SolFest '06

Completing the circle. Starting a new orbit.

Perhaps 6 years ago, we went to the Solar Living Institute for the first time. Yurts, ponds, treehouses, strawbale walls, it was an amazing oasis. "Great," I thought. "But why build a sustainability utopia so far away from the urban centers?" It's a 5 hour driving commitment to get to and from San Francisco and the place. I strongly feel that it is in the experiencing of a sustainable living space that we're inspired, that we overcome our resistance to shifting or lives. That we gain the courage to change. I decided I'd start changing my life, and someday spearhead the creation of an urban sustainability project. Years later, I'm doing it!

Plus, I am able to tell the arc of that story! In the Permaculture tent, I got to be the closer for our team's set of presentations. That's one of my instructors, Kat Steele, in white behind me. I think she's super proud of what I've been able to accomplish. I told of being inspired at SolFest, of seeking out my path and discovering electric cars, biofuels, placemaking and cohousing before finding permaculture, taking the class while looking for a piece of property to put what I learned into practice, getting evicted and living homeless and getting real grounded in the social justice aspect of environmental awareness, through to getting the house and making a start.

Condensing the last few, especially strenuous months into 10 minutes of talking, all the while keeping it in the language of permaculture principles, was huge for me. Taking 70 people on the journey, letting them feel it and come out the other end intact, implicitly granting them permission to embark on their own journeys into the unkown, is a real big and healing thing for me.

It's probably the largest part of why I'm doing this. I have a sense there are many people who would like to "green" their lives, but it looks too scary. I can be their way-finder, their Sacagawea.


I made two very good contacts. Patrick sells Flowforms, in which water takes up a rhythmic figure-8 (or rather, infinity symbol) flow. He's strongly familiar with Viktor Shauberger's work. I really want to partner with him to get items such as the vortex water regenerator demonstrated and into more people's homes. As well as using flowforms in a water feature in my yard.

The other person I met was Dan who founded an Ecovillage near me. I'll get out there and learn what's working for him.