Join The Ecology Center and author William Powers for a special book reading and signing event in Irvine at Inside Edge on 13th April 2011, around his recently published book Twelve By Twelve – A One-Room Cabin Off the Grid & Beyond the American Dream.

After a decade doing aid work around the underdeveloped world, William Powers began to feel that while he’d been working to aid people in conflict and poverty, and to protect and preserve rainforests and their inhabitants, this kind of protection, preservation, and aid was needed at home, too. He wondered: Is the developed world globalizing happiness, health, and sustainability or environmental destruction, cultural conflict, and personal and collective anxiety? When is too much not enough?
At the same time, Powers met Dr. Jackie Benton, a physician living in the North Carolina woods on the “radical edge of how simply one can live in America.” In her 12’ x 12’ cabin and the surrounding acres she cultivated, she practiced permaculture — “the things your grandparents knew and your parents forgot” — and embodied a modern blend of science and spirituality, acceptance and activism.
When Powers takes her place in the 12 x 12, he experiences the way Benton’s “See. Be. Do.” way of life reaches inward and outward. His despair at the problems he sees is met by a new sense of being and a changed way of doing.
Whether we are being downsized out of homes and jobs or downgrading our cable access, growing our own or going on food stamps, we yearn for meaning and purpose. We want to act with hope, work for change we can believe in.
Resonating with the growing “slow food,” simplicity, and sustainability movements, and with Kingsolver, Dillard, and McKibben, Twelve by Twelve asks — and answers — our questions about living lightly, artfully, and joyfully in the twenty-first century.
William Powers has led development aid and environmental initiatives in Latin America, Africa, and Washington, DC. The author of the memoirs Blue Clay People and Whispering in the Giant’s Ear, his essays on global issues have appeared in media including the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Slate. He has been interviewed on programs including Fresh Air and Living on Earth and is a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute. Powers lives part-time in New York City. His website is www.williampowersbooks.com.

The Ecology Center’s Backyard Skills program hits the road on Saturday, August 21st as Lauren Moss leads Bird & Butterfly Houses at The Center for Living Peace. Join us, from 1-3pm, and decorate and construct a bird or butterfly house of your own! We’ve chosen kits of pre-cut wood, that can easily be assembled by children. You’ll learn the best ways to attract birds and butterflies and why they are so important to our yards and gardens. The class is $35, which includes tuition and materials. Sign up here.

Never been to The Center of Living Peace before? It’s time to check them out! They’re located at 4139 Campus Drive in Irvine at the University Center shopping complex between Focus Dance Studio and Lee’s Sandwiches. Call 949.854.5500 for more info!

Early June brought Laguna Beach resident and natural builder, Chris Prelitz, to The Ecology Center. If you missed your chance to talk with him face to face, here’s your opportunity to get caught up:

Basic Needs Summer Speaker Series: Chris Prelitz on Shelter from Evan Marks on Vimeo.

We’ve been busy growing our vision (and facility) at The Ecology Center. With plans to demonstrate sustainability in all applications, we’re continually checking projects off the list as construction continues and gardens keep growing.

Chicken Coop

We’ve been recently befriended by a group of chickens. Vicki fell in love with them and insisted they stay and care for the gardens. Who doesn’t love chickens? We did a quick search on Craig’s List and found a young man specializing in chicken coop construction. After a coat of green paint, the chicken’s couldn’t be happier with their stylish new cabin.

Rainwater Harvesting

The long awaited installation of our 550 gallon rainwater tank has been installed! So we missed this Winter’s rain, but there will be more. Fingers crossed our we receive another above average year of rain to fill our tank. Last year we received over 16 inches of rain!

Today’s the day The Ecology Center’s newest residents – three roosters and a couple of hens – receive some shelter of their own. The chicken coop arrived today! Complete with six lofted “beds”, two ladders and dual egg collecting doors, this coop was constructed by local resident Bill Tran. The coops’ 4′x6′ dimensions should provide comfortable living space for the group, which is free range throughout the day. The finishing touches will be put on tomorrow when two of our summer interns, Gabriel and Sara, give it a fresh coat of low-VOC paint!

“In ordering the economy of a household or a community or a nation, I would put nature first, the economies of land use second, the manufacturing economy third and the consumer economy fourth.” Wendell Berry lays out his vision for a ‘properly prioritized economy’ in What Matters? Economics for a Renewed Commonwealth. According to writer Kurt Michael Friese, you shouldn’t expect gloom and doom from Berry’s work. In fact, Berry sees almost Utopian-like potential for the economy. Sounds nice, right? Want to know if What Matters should make your summer reading list? Friese, who serves on the Slow Food USA National Board of Directors, discusses the book in one of today’s Civil Eats posts.