Deborah Wiig

Monday, June 20 at 7 PM – 9 PM

Is there room in Sonoma County for agriculture, affordable housing and open space? Join us for the public debut of “Common Ground: Speaking Out on Land Use in Sonoma County,” a short film featuring the diverse perspectives of local farmers, environmentalists and affordable housing advocates on the topic of land use and the need for a shared dialogue in our community.

As a group project by students of the Leadership Institute for the Economy & Ecology, this film begins with the premise that our county faces huge barriers to preserving our natural environment, keeping farms viable and assuring that everyone has access to a home—we also believe that all stakeholders bring a unique perspective on what constitutes optimal land-use and that a healthy exchange of ideas can foster more resilient and equitable land-use policy.

After the screening of this film, we’ll host a guided conversation to share ideas, perspectives and begin to forge the alliances needed for long-term solutions.

Free/Donations welcome.

FEATURED IN THE FILM & PROJECT:

– Davin Cardenas, North Bay Organizing Project
– Brock Dolman, Occidental Arts & Ecology Center
– Elizabeth Kaiser, Singing Frogs Farm
– Lisa Micheli, Pepperwood Preserve
– Adrienne Lauby, Homeless Action!
– Jesse Pizzitola, First Light Farm
– Trathen Heckman, Daily Acts
– Jesús Guzmán, Graton Day Labor Center (Centro Laboral de Graton)
– Annie Dobbs Kramer, North Bay Organizing Project
– Scott Johnson, MidPen Housing
– Paul Kaiser, Singing Frogs Farm

Created by: Noah Andrus, Janae Lloyd, Stewart McBride, Chris Melançon, Teri Shore, Jim Taggart, Vicki Vaughn & Evan Wiig

Wednesday, June 1, 2016 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
$10 – $15 sliding scale (no one turned away for lack of funds). RSVP and get tickets online.

Nate Hagens, educator, writer and past editor of The Oil Drum discusses the big picture issues facing our society today and what it means to be human in the 21st century. This presentation covers the opportunities and constraints we face as we come to the end of economic growth.

Nate focuses on the interrelationship between debt-based financial markets and natural resources, particularly energy.  He addresses the evolutionarily-derived underpinnings to status, addiction, and our aversion to acting with the future in mind.

Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post Carbon Institute, will join Nate for a Q & A segment.

He’ll offer suggestions on how individuals and society might better adapt to what’s ahead and cover the issues relevant to propelling our species (and others) into a livable future for years to come.

About Nate Hagens: Nate was a successful Wall Street trader, President ofSanctuary Asset Management and a Vice President at the investment firms Salomon Brothers and Lehman Brothers. He left all that in 2003. He is now a well-known speaker on big picture issues facing human society. Nate is currently on the Boards of Post Carbon Institute, Bottleneck Foundation, IIER and Institute for the Study of Energy and the Future. He has appeared on PBS, BBC, ABC and NPR, and has lectured around the world. He holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from the University of Chicago and a PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont. Nate lives on a farm in Wisconsin with a collection of animals.

About Richard Heinberg: Richard is Senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post Carbon Institute and is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost advocates for a shift away from our current reliance on fossil fuels. He is the author of 12 award-winning books, including six on the subject of fossil fuel depletion. He has written for Nature, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and Christian Science Monitor among other publications, and has delivered hundreds of lectures on energy and climate issues to audiences around the world. His most recent book is Afterburn: Society Beyond Fossil Fuels (2015).

Sebastopol Grange, 6000 Hwy 12, Sebastopol

The Second Annual Sebastopol Village Building Convergence (VBC) invites you to join in the fun and festivity of placemaking – reclaiming our underutilized public spaces and transforming them into beautiful places that bring people together, like street murals, community gardens, and neighborhood gathering spots.

In addition to community placemaking projects, our 10-day festival has a diverse program filled with educational workshops, speakers, live music, and kids activities that highlight our local talent and the work being done to build village in the North Bay.

“The VBC is an exemplary project that brings people together to creatively make functional improvements to beautify and serve the City of Sebastopol, its citizens and visitors alike.”
– Sebastopol City Council Member Robert Jacob

For our Earth Day celebration on Friday April 22nd, we’re excited to welcome Penny Livingston from the Regenerative Design Institute!

Other evening highlights include a Women in the Soil panel, Intentional Communities Night, the Tiny Houses movement, and a discussion on the legalization of Cannabis and it’s effect on our community.

Most of our celebratory and informational evening events will be held at the Sebastopol Grange, with our placemaking teams spread around town.

A full schedule of events is available on our website: www.sebastopolvbc.org

All daytime placemaking events are free and everyone of all ages is invited to come help paint, build, and plant and create beauty together.

Tickets for evening events can be purchased separately on the day of the event. Whole event passes are available presale on the VBC website now.

Our new officers were sworn in at our general meeting on February 23. We thank them for their commitment and their dedication. With the support of our members, we look forward to an exciting and productive year ahead.

For more information, see our Leadership page.

Please read this inspiring story if you support sustainable agriculture and the legacy of an organization that stood up to the railroads, land-grabbers and real estate speculators in the 19th and early 20th centuries and can take on today’s destructive monopolies.

Now is the time to join the Grange! It’s not just for farmers!

Grangers, the Time is Now

by Ellen Taylor

Ellen Taylor, a 40-year Humboldt County resident and long-time Granger, looks at the strife that has occurred within the national grange and how the legacy and the spirit of the Grange can live on to protect our food system.

The Sonoma County Seed Swap Wednesday night at the Sebastopol Grange was a huge success! Thousands of seeds were given away to gardeners and farmers and experts were on hand to provide advice. Thanks to West County Community Seed Exchange, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Daily Acts and the Permaculture Skills Center!

By M.Shafer-Porte modified by Laura Shafer

Join up!

Join the Grange. Please fill out this form.
People ask, “What do I get if I join?”
For 33 dollars a year,
What do you get? This here:

You get your name on the A list with
Notables of your Community,
You can put this on your resume,
Shows involvement, commitment, and unity.

You can stand and complain
With The Grange by your name,
Seek improvements in the game,
We respond to your exclaims
Of society arrangements
In this game that we all play.

With your contribution dues,
We throw public meetings
And fund-raisers too,
And with incoming revenues,
Support community events and schools…

Together, we support the farmers,
Clean the fields and halls,
Keep an eye on the flies,
Make our compost,
Make some friends…

So put your ante in the pot,
Put your money where you holler,
What else do you get these days for 33 dollars?

The Grange Scholarship Committee announced their scholarship recommendations at the January General Meeting for members to vote. Our Grange voted to fund the Parkside Elementary School Garden Project to add an herb garden and to rehabilitate some of the existing garden boxes at the school site.

In the Youth Scholarship category, Pauline Allen was awarded a scholarship to continue her college studies next school year at Evergreen State College in Ecology/Environmental Studies and Jannike Allen was awarded a scholarship to begin her college studies in Environmental Science.

In the Member Education category, applications are still being accepted. Get more information on our Scholarship page.

**Dena Allen

Grange members elected officers on January 26th. Congratulations to:

President – Vince Scholten

Vice President – Jeanna Collett

Secretary – Recording – Karen Perry

Chaplain – Barton Stone

Lecturer – Evan Wiig

Steward – Laura Schafer

Assistant Steward – Alan Hahn

Gatekeeper – Lawrence Jaffee

Flora – Ariel Scholten

Pomona – Lynn Scholten

Ceres – Leandra Swent

Musician – Peter Schurch

Executive Committee – Hrieth Pezzi

Treasurer – Gary Abreim