GetOfftheGrid:SustainingtheEnvironment,EliminatingPoverty
ZoeZelkha:zzelkha@brandeis.edu
TimePhase
1Hour
1Day
1Month
1Year
Whatcanyoudo…
Read:OrganicGardener'sGuidetoCompostbySteveSolomon
Gaia’sGardenbyTobyHemenway(101onpermaculture)
TheSecretLifeofPlantsbyPeterTompkinsandChristopherBird
Homesteading:UrbanHomesteading:ABeginner'sGuidetoSelf
SufficiencyandSustainableLivinginUrbanHomesbyJenniferRoss
Watch:videosbypermacultureguruGeoffLawton
Do:helpBrandeisFarmers’Club,buyproducefromsmall,local
organicfarms,reduceenergywaste(water,gas,electricity)
Startasmallgarden:savemoney(andthesoil)andgrowityourself
Volunteer:TheFoodProject-organicfarmonetrainrideawayfrom
Brandeisthatprovidesgroceriestoinnercityfamilies,EagleStreet
RooftopFarm–6,000sq.ft.farminBrooklyn,BrooklynGrange–
10,000sq.ft.organicfarminBrooklyn.
WWOOFing:volunteeronorganicfarmsthroughouttheworld.This
isagreat,inexpensivewaytotravel.
GreenApprenticeshipatKibbutzLotan’sCenterforCreativeEcology:
onemonthpermaculturecourseinsouthernIsraelthatfocuseson
mudconstruction,organicgardening,biogasconstruction,
permaculturedesign(scholarshipsavailable)
(http://kibbutzlotan.com/green-apprenticeship/?lang=en)
HavaVeAdam:volunteeronasmallintentionalcommunityin
centralIsrael
http://www.havaveadam.org
Eatinglessmeat:one¼-poundhamburgerrequires53gallonsof
water(NPR)
Completeapermaculturedesigncourseofferednearyou
Savethousandsofgallonsofwaterwithshortershowers
Stopuseofdisposables(suchasplasticsilverware/bags/bottles)
OneMainTakeAway!
ItISpossibletosustaintheearthANDtheEarth’shumanpopulation.Allspeciesonthis
planettakepartinacontinuous,sustainablecycleofresources:whatevertheytakefrom
theyearthiseventuallyreturnedtotheearth.Humanbeings,however,areapartofabroken
cycleinthesensethattheresourceswetakefromtheearthareneverreturned.Thisisnot
sustainableandhasseriousconsequencesforalllifeonEarth.However,thereismuchthat
wecandoinourcommunitiestorepairthisbrokencycle,thussustainingourselvesand
futuregenerations.