People sitting at a table in a park while a person presents about the community orchard project.

Regenerative Community Development & Financial Permaculture: PDC Reflections [Part 7/8]

This series of eight blog posts by Melissa Ott about the Santa Cruz Permaculture fall-winter 2017 Permaculture Design Course was originally posted on the Green Gal blog in April 2017.

Weekend Six: March 4-5, 2017

Social Permaculture

During our last weekend of instruction, we spent the morning at the Resource Center for Nonviolence. We learned about regenerative community development, Portland’s City Repair Project, and other community designs and programs that foster resilient neighborhoods.

Santa Cruz Community Orchard

Later, we visited the Riverside Community Gardens fruit tree orchard. Andy Moskowitz of Seed Culture Labs spoke with us about the orchard’s history and how organizations like Santa Cruz Fruit Tree Project have helped support this community project.

People sitting at a table in a park while a person presents about the community orchard project.

Learn more about this orchard and other food forest areas in Santa Cruz on the Santa Cruz Community Food Forest Facebook page.

Man standing to the left of a projector screen speaking to a group of people sitting in a tent.

Financial Permaculture

On the last day of instruction for the course, we learned about money, banking, and alternative currencies with Marco Vangelisti. Most people don’t understand the complex monetary and economic systems that control our society, so Marco dove right in and explained how money really works.

He asked us to examine what the economy is really for, what’s wrong with the current system, and what we can do as individuals to invest our money in alignment with our values.

Marco shared examples of alternative currencies, such as Bay Bucks and Berkshares. It was absolutely fascinating and pertinent to everyone’s lives, and I think many of us were inspired to learn more.

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