New videos uploaded from Pathways to Sustainable Self Governance, the Detroit USSF2010 workshop organized by Permaculture TV.   Excerpt from workshop description:

This workshop outlines a vision for a democratic, worker-owned, advanced industrial ecology society. We seek pathways to provide the burgeoning food education/justice movement with the tools to become economically sustainable, and to link the emerging green industrial worker cooperatives with them into sovereign networks. Once active, such networks can become the basis for sustainable, socially just communities that revitalize locales via open source sustainable agriculture and manufacturing methods. Our panel — with academic, commercial, and school of hard knocks experience — will frame the demonstrated solutions, numerous pieces of the puzzle that we as a society need to put together.

Gavin Raders explains how, where, and to what effect Planting Justice implements their ecologically sound and socially just philosophy.   Videos below include a 30-second excerpt on the utility of city waste streams, followed by 6 sequential videos that comprise Gavin’s presentation at our USSF 2010 workshop.  Great stuff!

Espousing and embodying the Permaculture meme, “the problem is the solution”. Gavin Raders on the utility of city waste streams: http://www.vimeo.com/13797340  Video Credit:  Patrick O’Connor of Oakland Sol

Introduction. Planting Justice (guiding principles) combines grassroots organizing with Permaculture to simultaneously address the food, economic, ecological, knowledge, and non-profit crises: http://www.vimeo.com/13797422  Video Credit:  Patrick O’Connor of Oakland Sol

Permaculture, “just a word until it is put into practice”. In 1.5 years, Planting Justice has installed 60 permaculture gardens in homes, schools, affordable housing complexes, community centers, and at San Quentin Correctional Facility. Gavin encourages us to just get started, and advocates using their open-source resources, e.g. those available at http://plantingjustice.org/resources/sample-designs : http://www.vimeo.com/13797559  Video Credit:  Patrick O’Connor of Oakland Sol

Implementing the Permaculture meme, “stacking functions” in an economic sense. Gavin describes how Planting Justice (programs) enacts a Permaculture Business Model: http://www.vimeo.com/13797656  Video Credit:  Patrick O’Connor of Oakland Sol

Projects. Optimal locales for installations with maximum benefit are institutions such as churches and community centers, which have the dual advantages of already being social meeting places and of owning land.  Gavin describes how the learning process is often mutual, as Planting Justice (projects) facilitates installations at a local middle school, at San Quentin Prison, and at affordable housing complexes: http://www.vimeo.com/13797759  Video Credit:  Patrick O’Connor of Oakland Sol

Why City Permaculture?  Planting Justice embodies the Permaculture philosophy “the problem is the solution“.  Gavin Raders quotes Grace Lee Boggs “crises are opportunities“, and explains how advantageous cities waste streams can be when pollution is simply treated as mis-placed nutrients: http://www.vimeo.com/13797848  Video Credit:  Patrick O’Connor of Oakland Sol

Conclusion. Gavin Raders of Planting Justice encourages us to replicate their efforts, and to build sustainable and regenerative businesses off of the waste streams of cities.  Check their website for free educational workshops upcoming at their Oakland space: http://www.vimeo.com/13797924  Video Credit:  Patrick O’Connor of Oakland Sol

** Up next in this series: USSF 2010 videos of Quinton Sankofa and James Berk of Mandela Marketplace and Mandela Foods **