Start Time & Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022 – 4:30 pm
More Information
The Environmental Speaker Series is hosted by the College of the Environment at Western Washington University.
The Series is free and open to the public.
Location & Time
Presentations are held each Thursday at 4:30pm On-campus and ONLINE.
COVID
Due to the pandemic, the in-person presentations are not open to the public. However, the talks will be live-streamed ONLINE for the off-campus audience.
Registration for the Zoom webinar TBA
As we enter the 2020’s we are experiencing three massive simultaneous cultural crises: the intensifying effects of climate change, rapidly dwindling energy resources and the diminishing returns of our heedless economic growth. The rising costs of fuel and food are being accelerated by our destabilizing global climate and geopolitical constructs. As these crises converge, their impacts on our everyday lives will compound, ushering in social consequences the likes of which many Americans have not experienced in over three generations. A gloomy outlook indeed.
However with the right perspective, there exist hopeful and practical solutions which are as simple and as fun as riding a bike powered by potatoes grown in a neighborhood garden plot. Our Local Communities are a human-scale platform for change. Small groups of people define their own social norms and support each other throughout a cultural transition of this nature. One inspiring example is the Transition Movement which began with all of this in mind and has been activating and supporting communities around the world for over 15 years. This work simultaneously addresses these three driving forces with a hopeful and humane permaculture design process. Increasing biodiversity, building topsoil, sequestering carbon and fighting climate change are all empowering aspects of maintaining a small community garden plot.
The goal for this presentation is to contextualize some of our largest cultural problems and present accessible and practical solutions for a lifelong pursuit of meaningful activism. And to inspire a small group of capable and engaged adults who are keen on creating a positive vision of the future.
Paul Kearsley is an experienced designer, educator and illustrator. In addition to his master planning work with Terra Phoenix Design LLC, Paul is a Senior Instructor in Western Washington University’s Design and Industrial Design programs, as well as a published illustrator. He has also taught Permaculture Design within the University, the wider Pacific Northwest and Internationally. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Design and an MA in Environmental Education.
At home, he operates an 8-acre peri-urban homestead with his extended family. He fills his time working on the farm; adventuring and learning with his kids and niece and nephew; and drawing, drawing, drawing. His other passions include salvaging lumber, arranging flowers, foraging in the woods, repairing stuff and cooking for his friends and family
Original source can be found here.
