Back in the USA ブロックス到着（パーマカルチャー生活復帰）

ワシントン州のブロックス・パーマカルチャー・ホームステッドにようやく戻ってきました。

ここはやっぱり格別です。

美しい人達と素敵な生き方。

日本でもこういう所を実現してみたいです。

人生最高！

ブロックスにいると平和な世界にいる錯覚に飲み込まれます。

先週発った地震と原発危機に見舞われた日本やアメリカの新たなリビア空爆がテレビの中の出来事みたいです。

ネットで見る今日の新しい惨事のアップデート。

現実味が無いわりには、心に悪そう。

ニュースやメディアと健康な関係を持つのは中々難しい物ですね。

とくにど田舎の島で生活していると、基本的に一緒に住んでいる人達としか接しないからブロックスの外で何が起きているのかなかなか把握できません。

【外】の世界と上手に関係を持つのがいつもの課題です。

こんな事を考えながら２年目のブロックス研修を満喫して、日本でここ以上に素敵なコミュニティー作りに取り組みたいと思っています。

お楽しみに！

以下の写真はサンフランシスコの地下鉄(BART)と東京のJRを比較している物です。何か目立つものがありますか？

Back to the empire and now back to the Bullocks Permaculture paradise.
Its a weird experience leaving a country (and my partner) in the midst of a national emergency,
and return to a nation at war in at least 3 different countries with no definite end in sight.
The world is a trippy place.

It almost seems like these are events that merely exist inside the TV and other forms of media.
Did the US missile strikes in Libya noticeably affect you?
I didn't feel it.
I wonder when the US will stop bombing other countries.
What year has the US NOT engaged in war or covert operations?
I remember Michael Franti singing,
"you can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb the world to peace."

I love the US though.
The people, the landscape, the diversity.
It's impressive.
I'm glad to be back.
Land of the free......

Even though this "free" is not for everybody and sometimes at the cost of others' freedom,

I thrive in it and the "repression" based culture of Japan loses its appeal.

Maybe its not that extreme.

Here is something I noticed transitioning from Tokyo to San Francisco....
But first, what do you notice about the two trains?

San Francisco BART

Japan Rail Tokyo

僕が一番最初に気付いた事は宣伝の少なさでした。

BARTには車両の前後に大きな宣伝ポスターが四つぐらいしかないのです。

都内の電車になれ始めた僕にとっては不思議な空間でした。

キューバに行った時もすぐに宣伝がほとんどない事に気付きました。

心が解放された感じです。

最先端の心理学を利用した物欲刺激兵器（広告）がほとんどない心地よい場。

It might be hard to notice but the JR train is littered decorated with advertisements everywhere your eye might try to rest except the ground. There are also two TVs above each door, one for the map and train announcements, the other for news updates and advertisements. It might not be that effective though since many seem to immediately opent their state-of-the-art cell phones and play with that until they exit. The JR train is also much cleaner looking and super bright.

でもBARTには防犯カメラが各車両に二つずつ搭載されていて、「監視してるよ」と感じさせる赤いランプがカメラの横で光っていました。ジョージ・オーウェルの１９８４を連想してしまいます。

It feels really liberating not to be constantly exposed to advertisements. Thats what I really found pleasant about Cuba.....no ads......well except for Nestle and the revolution. So, the BART was a refreshing ride after leaving Japan, although it definitely felt mankier and I felt watchedー＞

Bonus: Rush hour in Tokyo

I'm really really glad to be back at the Bullocks.

It is truly amazing here.

Beautiful people, lovely living.

Update on Tokyo Earthquake Living part 2

最近は地震の報告を英語で行っていますが、

そろそろパーマカルチャーのお話をもっと練り込みたい思っているところです。

日本語も復帰します！

生きている事に感謝。

A little more about life in a time of crisis.

We finally decided to leave Tokyo and the "fun-house" that shakes constantly.

More than the fear of being irradiated,

it was the psychological impact of instability from the frequent aftershocks that solidified out decision. My partner is suffering from a sense of guilt, as if she "abandoned" those less fortunate. I think that is probably a relatively common feeling for those who evacuated.

Its a tough situation.

3/11 was the original big earthquake (M9),

we have had aftershocks several times a day since then.

On 3/15, we had another earthquake (M6.4) from a different area.

Supposedly, the two events are geologically unrelated.

There is also a general expectation that a substantial earthquake will hit Tokyo imminently.

Thats a scary thought.

There was a report that many people are suffering from earthquake-sickness.

I think that is what we were experiencing.

The earth feels like its constantly shaking,

and its hard to think clearly.

Daily conversations revolve around the earthquake and nuclear scare.

I have heard stories of people conserving electricity to help those in need,

sending goods, donating money, and engaging in other wonderful efforts to help each other.

Unfortunately, I recently heard news that scammers are tricking people and making money off of the earthquake. Other opportunistic criminal activities have also been reported.

I remember reading a similar phenomenon after the Haiti earthquake.

ENERGY

Planned blackouts continue throughout the region (this includes traffic signals and trains). Individuals and businesses have to plan the day accordingly, and there have already been cases of people stuck in elevators.

Its an important opportunity for modern people to become aware of how dependent our lives are on centralised electricity, and how vulnerable it is to disruption.

Remember the Northeast blackout of 2003?

Supposedly triggered by powerlines coming into contact with overgrown trees, over 100 power plants shut down affecting millions of people from Ontario to Midwest and Northeast USA.

When will we learn?

MEDIA

Recently, the media has started to include non-earthquake related stories.

For a while, it was all earthquake devastation, nukes, and economic disruption.

Now they have stories such as a planned execution of a criminal, the 634m Tokyo Skytree is almost complete, baseball games will have delays (oh, baseball disruption is actually earthquake related). Anime and variety shows have resumed their usual entertainment roles. Still, most of the media is focused on the aftermath of the devastation, stories of heroism and misery, and most of the airtime is dedicated to the current state of the nuclear disaster. I'm not sure how beneficial it is to have the news on constantly. On the one hand, we all want to know what is going on, whether things are getting worse, what we need to do in order to protect ourselves, etc. At the same time the psychological toll is not light. People are fed unpleasant news non-stop, similar to post 9/11.

It is also difficult as a media consumer to know who to believe. Its hard to believe Tepco (as they have been caught lying, deceiving, and covering things up) and the government (same charges, and they are getting their info from the news!). But, the media is also an industry, that needs to tell us something even if they have nothing really to inform us about. As a business, they need to keep our attention on their channel. Thats where "if it bleeds it leads" strategy comes in. Today, a Tepco representative was telling the media as little as they can as usual, and a reporter was persistently pushing the representative to give us some kind of worst case scenario. I don't feel either party had the citizen's best interest in mind.

STORES

Some stores have closed for a few days, some stores have closed early, many are out of essential supplies. Toilet paper, rice, bread, milk, canned goods, bottled water, gas, are hard to come by. This is what it looked like in my neighborhood in Tokyo a few days ago,

This is what it looks like in the global center of abundance.

Perhaps more than actual need, these shelves were emptied by hoarding.

I heard that iodine medicine to protect the body from radiation poisoning is also facing temporary shortages.

NUCLEAR DISASTER

This is the most man-made part of this disaster.

It was waiting to happen.

If not in Fukushima, then some other nuclear plant in Japan,

or in some other country.

Nuclear energy is promoted as if it is clean, cheap, and safe.

But, if you really understand the entire process, from mining, construction, and decommissioning including radioactive waste storage, the history, and complexities in safety, it is not clean, cheap, or safe. Thats a fantasy.

What it is, is energy dense.

Fossile fuels are also energy dense.

The unfortunate reality is that we have sacrificed human lives, democracy, safety and security, and peace for these concentrated forms of power. Both are non-renewable resources too, meaning we will run out of it.

Technology will not solve our energy problems,

it can delay the consequences and keep us distracted,

the only real solution to our relationship to energy

is to use less of it.

That will be a cultural revolution.

Either we choose to do it, or it will be forced on us.

Like Richard Heinberg said,

the party's over.

I hope this was a shocking wakeup call to everybody about the nature of nuclear power

and the disproportionate risks we take for our lavish energy use.

I was with Mayumi Oda (artist, environmentalist, nuclear abolition activist) when the earthquake first hit, and we were talking about how this is the time to really put an end to this madness. If we don't get it now, after 3 mile island, after Chernobyl, then we will pay greatly in the future. Slowly we will forget, get distracted with our daily life, and be surprised when another disaster happens. There is no way to eliminate the potential for computer malfunction, human error, unexpected natural disaster, or terrorism. That is the same for most forms of energy production, but nuclear is the highest risk and life-cycle cost.

The only way to stop nuclear disasters is if we stop it.

Our energy situation is quite complicated,

as we deal with the convergence of climate change and peak oil,

there will be no easy solutions.

Renewables have their downsides too,

and most likely cannot produce the amount of energy we have become accustom to.

We can choose the path of a graceful decent, or we can head for collapse.

For an intelligent overview and analysis of energy, and realistic steps we can take,

I highly recommend (click for more info):

The Party's Over -Richard Heinberg

The Upside of Down -Thomas Homer Dixon

Transition Town Handbook - Rob Hopkins

There are lots of other books on this subject too.

If this event has not inspired you to action,

please at least learn about risks and realities of nuclear power,

and our energy situation.

It will really change your understanding of our world.

Plus its interesting stuff!

Here is a related post by my friend Andy on the recent nuclear disaster.

More eloquent than my ranting:)

"How can you expose your children and my children to radiation from the plant?

http://adifferentkindofluxury.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-can-you-expose-your-children-and-my.html

The nuclear disaster is timely in Japan because in a different prefecture,

they started construction of a new nuclear power plant in a biodiversity hotspot.

There have been persistant local protests that delayed the construction for over a year.

Very little media has covered this situation,

and I imagine most Japanese don't know that it is even happening.

Its hard to care about things that don't seem to directly affect your life.

The link below is an overview of the situation

http://cop10.org/issues/marine/73-kaminoseki

Here is another site with a link to a petition

http://en.parc-jp.org/news/news/stop-the-reclamation-for-the-nuclear-power-station-support-the-people-of-iwai-jima-island

Recently, a Japanese documentary on energy was released which included this situation.

http://888earth.net/index.html

One last one:)

Atomic Cafe is a fun and disturbing well-made movie about US atomic culture.

You can probably find it for free online.

Lets create a new era,

where we respect life and each other.

A safe and stable world for ourselves and children.

Lets enjoy a life of inner fulfillment,

and minimal consumption.

A life where less is all we need to be happy.

Update on Tokyo Earthquake Living part 1

Daily aftershocks persist,

its hard to feel safe at any moment.

Two nights ago,

as we finally drifted toward sleep

an aftershock shook us back up.

I was too tired and confused to make a move,

I just lied there waiting for it to end.

It seems pretty unlikely we would be able to escape in a serious earthquake anyway.

Maybe if we had a 30 minute warning.

Wouldn't that be nice.

Yesterday,

three of us were having a nice dinner

trying to enjoy life as usual

hoping to forget the ongoing disaster.

We kept the TV off,

since it's usually on all day,

recycling the little information from Tepco and the government

that feed our fear and insecurity while occasionally warning us of an aftershock or radiation levels.

Suddenly the world shakes,

the house felt like jello

the hundreds of things that usually stand lifeless in the room

rattled and jiggled with excitement.

We hurried under the table

crouched, on the second floor of an old flimsy house

that shakes noticeably even when a bus passes by.

I have little faith it would withstand a serious earthquake.

As I finish chewing my food under the table

I think of how unpleasant it would be to be stuck under the table

if the house crashed down.

Or if it really makes a difference.

I'd rather be crushed whole than part way.

Maybe thats an irresponsible thing to say.

Its hard to think clearly these days.

Nothing seems stable.

At this point,

I can't tell if the house is really shaking,

or if I'm imagining it.

It never feels solid.

I dream of earthquakes.

I need to breath more.

A different kind of story.

I had a dentist appointment yesterday.

Its weird to go about daily life at a time like this,

but modern life has no time to wait for uncertainty.

Work, shopping, school, transportation go on,

with a fresh flavor of anxiety and inconvenience.

Maybe a nice change from the endlessly mundane routine many suffer from.

As I walk toward the dentist's office,

I imagine an aftershock hitting us while I have drills in my mouth.

It sort of humors me,

and I smile thinking "that would definitely suck." :)

As I walk in to the office they tell me,

we have 20 minutes before the planned blackout.

Um...Ok..?

In perhaps the most dramatic medical operation of my life,

the dentist hurries to treat a cavity repeating,

"it will be bad if we run out of power before I finish."

Thats really what I want to hear,

as I lie there in a very vulnerable position.

I console myself with the thought of a bonus aftershock hitting us.

ExTreMe DeNTiStRy!

Doctor asks the assistant,

"how much time before the blackout"

"7 minutes"

"what?! already?!!"

She seemed to speed up her drilling.

"how much time now?"

"3 minutes"

"only 3 minutes? it will be really bad if we don't finish. oh man...."

Thanks, that really helps.

I hate going to the dentist.

But, this time it was quite entertaining.

It felt like a tense medical drama episode.

I'm glad I went.

Better than feeling uncomfortable at home,

failing to respond to the aftershocks in time,

watching non-stop news about what is happening and what could happen.

They finished right at the deadline, 3:20!

Phew.....

The power never went out.

Turns out they had the wrong day.

タイからのメッセージ Message from Thay

ティクナットハン師から日本の皆様へのメッセージです。

みんなでゆっくり呼吸をしながら、

事態に取り組んでいこう！

こういう時こそマインドフルネスです。

人間の素敵な面を発揮していきましょう！

This is a message from Thich Nhat Hanh to the victims of the earthquake.

Please enjoy a few breaths,

and help us stay calm through this tragic event.

This is the time for mindfulness.

Tragic events are opportunities for people to act in beautiful ways.

日本の皆様へ、

今回の悲劇で亡くなった多くの方のことを想うと、ある部分、あるかたちで我々自身も亡くなったのだと痛切に感じます。

人類の一部の苦しみは、全人類の苦しみです。また、人類と地球はひとつの身体です。そのひとつの身体の一部に何かが起きれば、全身にも起こります。

このような出来事は、命のはかなさ（無常）を我々に思い起こさせてくれます。お互いを愛し合い、助け合い、人生の一瞬一瞬を大事に生きることが、我々にとって一番大切なんだと。それが亡くなった人々へのなによりもの供養です。彼らが我々の中で美しく生き続けれるように生きるのです。

フランス、そして世界各国のプラムヴィレッジ寺院（瞑想センター）から、僧、尼僧、在家者の皆さんがともにお経をあげ、日本のみなさんに平安、癒し、保護のエネルギーを送り続けています。

みなさまのためにお祈りしています。

ティク・ナット・ハン

Dear friends in Japan,

As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or manner, also have died.

The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body. What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body.

An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our lives. It helps us remember that what's most important is to love each other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we have that we are alive. This is the best that we can do for those who have died: we can live in such a way that they continue, beautifully, in us.

Here in France and at our practice centers all over the world, our brothers and sisters will continue to chant for you, sending you the energy of peace, healing and protection. Our prayers are with you.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Earthquake Japan 2011

This is trippy.

Aftershocks continue daily,

in Tokyo planned regional blackouts are happening,

as people try to go to work as usual

huge crowds accumulate at train stations where train numbers have been cut.

On the news,

we are fed little by little about the failing nuclear power plants.

Sounds pretty bad.

Breaking news, another tsunami is coming.....

15 minute warning.

As I think about the likely potentials of an awaited big earthquake around Tokyo,

and a severe nuclear disaster,

I find myself quite calm and detached from the whole situation.

Maybe because I haven't directly experienced the devastation,

yet.

Here's another tremor....3rd or 4th one of the day.

Nowhere really safe i can go.

Breaking news, another hydrogen explosion at the nuclear power plant.

Interesting time to be alive.

I guess I just have to be ready to die at any time,

but that should really be a daily practice.

You never know when you'll die.

I remember a really old Vietnamese monk saying,

"if you don't know how to die, you don't know how to live."

持続可能な生活の教育学 ESLP

The Education for Sustainable Living Program
(for English, see http://livingpermaculture.blogspot.com/2011/03/city-repair-and-education-for.html)

僕が大学卒業してすぐに関わっていた持続可能な生活の教育学（ＥＳＬＰ）に付いて紹介致します。とても革新的な授業で色んな面で実験的な教育プログラムでした。このプログラムに二年間全力を尽くして、毎日口から出る話がESLPばかりとなっていた頃です。ESLPの事しか考えていないと相棒にしかられ、ESLPが愛人と化してしまったと訴えられていました。
確かに頭の中はESLPでいっぱいでした。
週７日朝から晩までより素敵な教育プログラムを育もうとし夢中になっていた事により、相棒との時間がほとんどなくなってしまい活動仲間ともぴりぴりした状況に陥ってしまいました。恐るべし【忙しさ】。

持続可能な生活について教えたり活動していたはずが、自分では実践していない事に気付かざるを得ない状態となり、相棒共々仕事をやめて中米でジャングル生活をする事にしました。極端かもしれませんが、【忙しさ】が普通であったり美徳でもある文化からいったん抜け出さないと、持続可能な生活の本当の意味が分からないだろうと思ったのです。

そんな事もありましたが、ESLPは今まで体験してきた大学の教育プログラムとしては最も新鮮で希望、エネルギー、実行力を与えてくれるものでした。
学生が学生の為に自分達で責任を取って作り出す創作教育。
世界で活躍している活動家と学生が主人公の教育プログラムです。
今でも新しい世代の学生が頑張って続けているそうです。それこそが新しいアカデミアのあり方なのでは無いでしょうか？これからも教育／ペダゴジーについて様々な人ともっと深く考えていきたいと思います。

以下は、当時苦しみながらもサポートしてくれた相棒が書いてくれた物です。

「下記はサステイナビリティ学連携研究機構（ＩＲ３Ｓ）出版の雑誌「サステナ」第1号に掲載して頂いた投稿文です。
＊サステイナビリティ（持続可能性）に関する情報満載の「サステナ」は、年4回全国で無料配布されています。

※サステイナビリティ学連携研究機構はグローバル・サステイナビリティ実現を目的としたネットワーク型研究拠点で、東大、京都大、阪大、北海道大、茨城大の5大学が研究拠点となり、東洋大、東北大、千葉大、国立環境研究所の4機関が個別課題を担う形になっています。
詳しくは→　http://www.ir3s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/sustaina

・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　・　
「持続可能な生活の教育学」＠カリフォルニア大学


学生から始まった活動・・・・・・・・−→
　私が暮らすカリフォルニア州北部の町でも、反戦や環境保全運動、パーマカルチャー、ファーマーズマーケット、ホームレス対策などサステイナブルな社会へ 向けてのさまざまな試みが花開いています。そのなかで、カリフォルニア州の大学で近年発展したサステイナビリティ教育を紹介させていただきます。

数年前、学生たちによる校内環境運動のもと芽吹いたキャンペーンのひとつに「サステイナビリティをアカデミアに進出させよう」というものがありました。そ の結果、それまで草の根色が濃かったサステイナビリティ運動は大学本部へと提起され、熱心な学生の働きが認められて、2003年に「持続可能な生活の教育学」（Education for Sustainable Living Program、ESLP)というカリキュラムが正式に設けられるようになったのです。ほんの数人の学生が立ち上げたプログラムが、今や受講希望生徒数が200人を超える大学もあるまでになりました。

現在、このプログラムを実施しているのは、カリフォルニア州立大学のうちでは、サンタクルース校、サンタバーバラ校、バークレー校、サンディエゴ校、デイ ヴィス校、ロサンゼルス校で、徐々に他校にも導入される傾向があり、サンタモニカ市立大学など他の地域の教育機関にも少しずつ広まっています。2005年 にはoikos賞を受賞し、国際的にもこれからの成長が期待されています（oikosは、持続可能な発展に関連する教育（とくに高等教育）を推進する組織 で、賞金など、さまざまな形で世界中の学生活動を支えています）。

私は友人に勧められて2年前にESLPを受講しました。丁度、政治への関心や環境問題への意識が芽生え、学生運動と地域での活動に力を入れ始めていた頃で した。この駆け出しの時期に、サステイナビリティを知ったのは幸運だったと思います。以後、活動をするにあたって持続可能性を考えない事はありませんし、 私生活においても非常にプラクティカルな概念なのだと学びました。ESLPへの個人的な関与は、ほんの少しお手伝いをさせて頂いたに過ぎない程度なのです が、同居人が活発にプログラム主催に携わっているので（それ故ESLPに従事している他の方々とも仲良くさせていただいているものですから）元受講生とい う立場からの視点を超えた紹介になればいいなと思います。


学生が主体の活動・・・・・・・・−→
　私が興味をひかれるESLPの特色は以下のようなものです。

　①カリキュラム自体が現役生徒と卒業生らによっ て企画、(指導も含めて)実施されているという点。スポンサーやアドバイザーという形で教授や助教授らも多数携わるものの、受講している生徒への指導、そ の指導にあたる学生のトレーニング、教科書およびシラバス作成、またプログラムの管理はすべて学生と卒業生が行っています。特に企画を務める現役学生や社 会人らは週末も休めないなど過酷なスケジュールを覚悟しなければなりませんが、将来社会活動等に貢献する意欲のある若者には極めて有益な経験になります。

　受講する学生と同世代の若者が企画・編成を行うことで、カリキュラムの性格が生徒好みのものになる、というのも利点といえましょう。単位は稼げるものの 必須科目でないクラスをより多くの学生に受講してもらいたいのであれば、それなりに若者がひきつけられるものでなければならないと思うからです。

　②筆記試験が行われない点。いったい何を基準に 成績がつけられるのかというと、学生には、習得した知識を実践で表現することが求められるのです。まず一番身近な大学という環境をサステイナブルな施設に 変えてゆくのがESLPの目的であるため、「校内に有形の変化をもたらすこと」が期末課題となります。学生は学校や地域と協力し合いながら、自らが学んだ 社会・環境問題の解決に行動をもって挑みます。ESLPをきっかけに改善された例として、校内に設けられている食堂やカフェが使用する食品の約2割は有機 のものが仕入れられるようになったというものがあります（アメリカの大学生は2年程は学校の寮で暮らし、3食とも食堂で済ませることが多い）。


講義と実践・・・・・・・・−→
　各校それぞれのカラーに合わせてカリキュラムの詳細は異なりますが、プログラムの構成は共通しており、ゲストスピーカーによる講義と、Action Research Team(ART、「実践型研究チーム」とでも訳せようか）と称される小クラスの２部から成ります。

　講義は週1回2時間ほどで、プログラムに受講していない学生や地域の人々にも開放されています。ゲストスピーカーは環境保護主義者や活動家に限らず、思 想家や芸術家、中南米のコーヒー農村で働いた経験のある学生、菌類学者、アメリカ先住民の長などさまざまです。そのため、実に多様な視点から幅広くサステ イナビリティについて考える絶好の機会となります。例えば、中南米の農村で働いた学生は現地の実状をさらし、コーヒーなどの産出物の国際市場の在り方につ いて問い、菌類学者は菌群を使用してのバイオレメディエーションについて語り、アメリカ先住民の長は一度は欧米の影響を強く受けて伝統的な生活スタイルや 文化が失われかけた彼の村が、現在いかにして持続可能な社会を再建しようと試みているかについて語りました。

　ARTとは少人数での集団学習を行う場で、学生たちは10前後ある研究課題のうちから自分の興味のあるものを選択します。研究課題は各校それぞれバリ エーションに富み、同じ学校でも年によって新しい課題が追加されたり、あるいは人気があれば繰り返されたりして、学生の関心がおおいに反映されています。 今まで行われたARTの研究課題には下記のようなものがあります。

　【バイオ燃料】植物油やエタノールなどさまざまな燃料の良し悪しについて研究するほか、ガソリン式エンジンのバイオディーゼル変換方などのスキルを取得する。

　【食組織】地域で売られている野菜や肉などの食品が、消費者の手に渡るまでにどのような過程を通ってきたのかを追いかける。畑や工場などを訪れ、実態を目の当たりにする。

　【グリーン建築】グリーン建築の原理や種類などの学術的な研究や、地域にあるグリーン建築物の見学を通して知識とスキルを学ぶ。

　【パーマカルチャー】校内の菜園・果樹園を使用してのパーマカルチャーの実行。菌群を絡ませての一工夫あるパーマカルチャー実地庭園を設け、維持させる。

　【虐殺問題】主にダルフール（スーダン）大量虐殺について資料集めや研究をし、このようなことへの対策に取り込んでいる組織と連携を作ったり、大量虐殺 のような人為的悲劇に対する大衆の意識を高めたり募金活動をするなど、学生という立場にあってどのような解決方策が行えるか考える。

　【核問題】現在、アメリカの核兵器デザイン・生産のほとんどをまかっている2カ所の原子核研究所はカリフォルニア大学によって運営されている。学生たちはこれらの研究所が環境と人々に及ぼす影響の実態を調査し、教育機関/軍/企業からなる複合体の在り方について論ずる。

　実践型というくらいですから、学生はARTで学び得たスキルを披露し、あるいは、研究課題が社会・環境問題である場合には実際に問題解決に結びつく行動 を実行する形で勉強の成果を示します。例えば、バイオ燃料ARTは、校内にバイオ燃料組合を設けたり講演会を開いたりし、より多くの人がガソリンに取って 代わる燃料にアクセスできるようにしました。先ほど述べた、大学の食堂で使われる食材の約2割を有機栽培を行っている農家から取り入れるように働きかけた のは食組織ARTです。グリーン建築ARTは、大学が活用できるような本格的な建造物の構成を図りましたが、結局大学本部から許可が下りなかったために壁 だけを実演した他、実際に役に立つものとして漆喰小炉（かまど）を完成させました（付近に住む学生にしばしば使用されている）。パーマカルチャーARTで はその収穫が学生に配給されています。

　虐殺問題や核問題など、有形の対策をとるのが困難な課題もあります。大の大人が寄って集って何十年もかけて問題を論議し解決案を熟考し、それでもまだ解 決されていない社会問題を、1学期間勉強しただけの学生数人が期末課題で一挙解決というのはあり得ないでしょう。このプログラムの焦点は、あくまでも大学 （そして文化を分かち合った同世代の若者）に有形の変化を与えるというものです。理論的に問題を学んだ後、その現状をどう改善すべきか考案し、（例えば チャリティコンサートを開催したり、あるいは大掛かりなイベントを催したりして、同じ学校の学生の間に問題に対する関心や理解を深める働きかけをするな ど）身近な所から改善を促す事が第一歩です。一見、効果的な対策ではないように思えても、何がどこでどのような波紋を及ぼすか分かりません。ただ論ずるば かりでなく、実際に自らの手でできる解決策を導きだすというのは今の時代に必須の能力ですから、大いに意義のある訓練だと思います。


　学生が何から何までまかなっているために、このプログラムには未熟な部分もあるでしょうが、非実際的な学習から脱却して、実践的な学習によって個人の積 極的な思考力と行動力を涵養しようという試みは、順調に明るい方向へ進行しているように見えます。高等教育機関がサステイナビティを奨励するものになれば （初等、中等の時点からしっかり植え付けるに越したことは無い訳ですけれども）、次世代の若者達は持続可能性を念頭においた生活の仕方を身につけることが できるでしょう。より多くの若者がこの概念を心に留め、それの押し進める生活のノウハウを知っていれば、自然とサステイナブルな社会が建築されてゆくので はないでしょうか。カリフォルニア州立大学においてのESLPは、学生たちが自らの手で、自分たちの生活スタイルと、教育施設と、ひいては未来の社会の改 変を推進する機会を与える場となっています。」

オリジナルは相棒のブログを参照してください。

サンタクルーズのオルタナティブ文化についての面白い記事が色々載せてあります。

http://blog.canpan.info/kurageseico/archive/2

彼女も僕と一緒にジャングル生活をしてから、

神経内分泌（環境ホルモンの体への影響など）の研究に専念して、

現在は東大の研究生。

世の中には色んな人がいるもんですね。

ADBUSTERS! アドバスターズ！

(日本語は真ん中から）
Adbusters,
contain quite fiery radical ideas and calls for Culture Jamming that are probably illegal in many countries...maybe even in the US, a country where peace activists have been treated as "communists", criminal, anti-American, and even "terrorists". I do appreciate the freedom that exists in the US, after all, considering places like China, Libya, Burma, North Korea, Palestine, I enjoy an amazing amount of freedom. But, there is still a lot of work to do, for ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and for the future.

Challenging existing power structures is probably one of the most risky things you can do, hence the tolerance of gross oppression throughout history. Those structures can be a dictatorship, a voter "elected" government, the mafia, the military, the police, powerful corporations (e.g. United Fruit Company, East India Company, DuPont, Monsanto, Fox News, Coca Cola, Halliburton, Philip Morris, Big Oil, Big Bank, etc), organized religious institutions, the list goes on. BUT! without engaging with entities that consolidate and abuse power, we will not have democracy, freedom, justice, and peace. I will end my rant here:)

I recently finally read through a full Adbusters, The Big Ideas of 2011 Capitalism's Terminal Crisis. Really good and not as intense as Adbusters usually seems to be. Very interesting and thought provoking ideas that I wanted to share with whatever virtual audience I have.

Have you heard of "Culture Jamming"? It's an interesting concept and movement that warrants a pause and perhaps your attention. Here is my lazy wiki-link.
Culture is ultimately what needs to change, and Adbusters have grasped an important approach to engaging with the type of culture/mental environment that is destroying those things we really need: nourishing food, clean water, breathable air, a safe resilient positive community, and a love for life.



About them from their website:

The Media Foundation アドバスターズ・メディア財団

私たちは情報時代の中、
新しい社会活動運動を推進する
アーティスト、活動家、作家、いたずらっ子、学生、
教育家、起業家などの国際ネットワークです。

私たちの目的は、
現在の権力構造を打倒し、
２１世紀の生き方を大きく進化させる事です。

Adbusters Magazine
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Adbusters is a not-for-profit, reader-supported, 120,000-circulation magazine concerned about the erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial forces. Our work has been embraced by organizations like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, has been featured in hundreds of alternative and mainstream newspapers, magazines, and television and radio shows around the world.

アドバスターズの雑誌と運動については、
以下のホームページに細かく書かれているので、
呼んでみてください。
ラジカルで面白いですよ！
http://adbusters.cool.ne.jp/info1.htm
あなたもカルチャージャマーになってみませんか？

今回読んだアドバスターズは
２０１１のビッグ・アイディア特集：資本主義のターミナル（末期的な）危機。
そこで幾つか紹介したい文がありました。
何かのいい刺激になればと思います。

日本語訳は少々お待ちください。

In the most likely scenarios, climate change would cause some kind of regional or continental disruption, like a major crop failure; this disruption would cascade through the world's tightly connected economic and political systems to produce a global effect... -Thomas Homer-Dixon (Author of The Upside of Down, one of my favorite books, really awesome!)

Imagine the problem is not physical.....Imagine it goes deeper.....that no one outside of ourselves can effect real change, that our civilization, our government are sick and that we are mentally ill and spiritually dead - that all our issues and crises are symptoms of this deeper sickness. The problem is that we cannot imagine a future where we possess less but are more. -Charles Bowden

We're only truly secure when we can look out our kitchen window and see our food growing and our friends working nearby. -Bill Mollison (co-founder of the Permaculture movement)

1,147 is the number of former members of congress, congressional staffers, Treasury Dept. and other federal employees hired as lobbyists on behalf of the financial services sector since the beginning of 2009. Why do the people of America put up with this level of corruption at the heart of their democracy? -Adbusters (Source: Center for Responsive Politics and Public Citizen)

...At its most fundamental level, an economy is a system of production of at least some useful outputs. When so much labor is devoted to the buying and selling of pieces of paper, with the sole aim of converting money into money, something profoundly irrational is taking place. -Fred Magdoff and Michael D. Yates "The ABCs of the Economic Crisis"

What does it mean
to be Human?
What matters
in a life?
What matters
in a death?
How to Love?
How can we be of service to
one another?
And the world?

人である事は如何なる意味を持つのだろう
人生においてが何が大事であろう
死ぬ事において何が大事であろう
如何に愛すか
如何にお互いを助け合えよう
そして、如何に世界の為に尽くせるのだろうか

From its modest beginnings, advertising has grown into a one trillion dollar a year worldwide industry and the single biggest psychological experiment ever carried out on the human race. -Adbusters

The society that abolishes every adventure

makes its own abolition the only possible adventure.

全ての冒険を抹殺してしまった社会は

　それ自身の抹殺を唯一の冒険と化してしまう

A meme is a unit of information - a catchphrase, a concept, a tune, a notion of fashion, philosophy or politics. Memes pass through a population in much the same way genes pass through a species.
Memes can change minds, alter behavior, catalyze collective mind-shifts and transform cultures.
Whoever has the memes has the power. -Adbusters

...Only one economist, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, has had the common sense to point out that, even at zero growth, the continued consumption of scarce resources will inevitably result in exhausting them completely. The point is not to refrain from consuming more and more, but to consume less and less - there is no other way of conserving the available reserves for future generations.
This is what ecological realism is about...
Lack of realism consists in imagining that economic growth can still bring about increased human welfare - and indeed that it is still physically possible.

I'll stop there for today.
I hope some of that inspired a new thought or two.

Check out the actual magazine and their website.
http://www.adbusters.org/

City Repair (and the Education for Sustainable Living Program)

Apologies for the lack of English lately.
Since I'm in Japan and networking for the upcoming Far East sustainability revolution, I've been focusing my energy in this region. "Permaculture" information is quite limited for non-English speakers, although there is still a wealth of traditional knowledge that is slowly dying with the oldest generation. Ah yes, impermanence.

I've recently posted a few articles about City Repair (シティリペアin Japanese writing) in Japanese in hope to grow some creatively subversive inspirations within my Japanese audience. I'm doing a presentation at Transition Cafe Koganei tomorrow as a second phase of this operation. Who knows what will fruit in a few years?!!

Mark Lakeman and the Education for Sustainable Living Program
I first heard of City Repair from Mark Lakeman who we invited to UC Santa Cruz through the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP). I hope to write more about ESLP in the future, as it was an amazing program that revolutionized education in the Academia and transformed my life dramatically. To be brief, ESLP is a student initiated, funded, and organized educational program/movement where students invite weekly guest lecturers (e.g. Vandana Shiva, Francis Moore Lappe, Paul Stamets, Winona LaDuke, etc) to share their insights about solution-based sustainability activism.

Extra motivated students would organize Action Research Teams (ARTs) in order to implement tangible change within the university and local community. Efforts while I was involved included, a myco-permaculture demonstration site, cob and strawbale building, a gardening and nutrition program for a public school in a low-income neighborhood, green purchasing and energy, highlighting UC's involvement in the production of nuclear weapons, etc.

The lectures are open to the public and happen most Monday nights of Spring Quarter, so check it out if you are in Santa Cruz, CA! There are also ESLPs at other campuses, I think at UCLA, UCSB, UCB, and one or two city colleges and community colleges in California.
Here is the link for the speaker series this year 4/4/11~5/12/11 at UC Santa Cruz.
http://eslp.enviroslug.org/speaker-series.html

What?!!! Mark Lakeman is the speaker for April 4th 2011 lecture!
Thats a trippy coincidence...or is it?

His bio from ESLP:
"Mark Lakeman is a co-founder and sustainer of numerous city-changing initiatives and organizations, including The City Repair Project, the Village Building Convergence, Communitecture, Inc, Dignity Village, and the new Planet Repair Institute. Each of these entities is an aggressive, multi-disciplinary creative culture, working in partnership with numerous others. All of Mark's work engages and inspires place-based communities to creatively transform the social and environmental infrastructure of the public commons and private realms where people live. Often featuring permaculture or natural building techniques, each local initiative builds relational networks while leaving gorgeous footprints on the path to a better world."

Out of power point presenting activists, Mark Lakeman (and Paul Stamets) is exceptionally talented and inspiring. Both at ESLP and this past North West Permaculture Convergence, Mark launched the audience on a journey that investigated the various aspects of community and place, as he eloquently tells our story as villagers who have lost our places for connection. His narration weaves history, culture, power, philosophy, and a revolution in community design and public space. I experienced the type of inspiration where I have an uncontrollable smile of excitement and I want to just jump out of my seat and get to work. A James Brown moment.

City Repair
Perhaps that was a little too much focus on Mark, as City Repair is ultimately a vibrant movement of an empowered community that have organized to reclaim and "repair" their pubic spaces. A powerful example of urban permaculture that is beautiful and accessible to the mainstream audience, and allows for children to collaborate in redesigning their city. An amazing story of a sensible yet illegal action, "intersection repair", becoming a government sanctioned activity that has now spread beyond the the state boarders of Oregon.

I had a wonderful opportunity to go on a bike tour of City Repair sites and stay at Mark's house this past Fall, and it was exceptionally sunny! The sunny version of "when is rains, it pours."
There were little food forests (diverse edible perennial polyculture) and raised garden beds along the sidewalk here and there, rabbits and chickens being raised, a woman growing silk worms and making urban silk, a cordwood sauna with a witches hat hangout area, a young half Japanese girl constructing a tipi to live in for the winter, painted intersections of course, a mesmerizing mermaid bench, 24 hour free tea station, a school with an outdoor classroom filled with cob benches and a living roof, and all kinds of delightful functional cob elements scattered everywhere. Super exciting!

Check out the pictures in the Japanese articles HERE, and here are some resources for further information about this amazingness. There are lots of pictures and videos about City Repair on the interweb so have a look. And if you have a chance to hear Mark speak, go for it.

City Repair Website
http://cityrepair.org/
Like the Transition Town Handbook, City Repair has made a Placemaking Buidebook that I highly recommend!
Also, find out about the Village Building Convergence, a yearly festival of workshops and City Repair goodness unleashed onto Portland.

Great short intro video of City Repair!!!


An little about Dignity Village, "the most organized shanty town on earth"
http://deputy-dog.com/2008/02/most-organised-shanty-town-on-earth.html

A pictureful article about City Repair including an interview with Mark
http://www.manymouths.org/2009/08/turning-space-into-place-portlands-city-repair-project/

Yes! Magazine photo essay of City Repair
City Repair — YES! Magazine