Calendar of Events
| Our circle of Environmental Change-Makers holds monthly meetings in the Westchester area of Los Angeles. We offer speakers and topics promoting real life actions to bring society (and our city) toward a more Sustainable existence. | |
| Our regular meeting date is the 4th Thursday of each month, however we offer lots of special events and workshops. | |
| Most of our events are free. Donations are welcome, and help us continue our work of environmental outreach. Additionally, Holy Nativity Church encourages you to bring canned food for donation to LAX food pantry. | |
| Our regular meeting place is in the Community Hall of Holy Nativity Church, 6700 W. 83rd, Westchester (LA 90045) (Map) (Bus/Light Rail directions) |
|
for similar events in other areas, see the calendar of Transition Los Angeles |
|
| Detailed Listing: | |
last updated Sep 2010 |
|
 |
Aug 21 - Saturday 9am film: "Synergistic Gardening" |
| Emilia Hazelip was a French gardener and teacher who had background in Bill Mollison's Permaculture and the natural farming methods of Masanobu Fukuoka. In this short but delicious film, you'll get a tour of her garden and learn about her intense care for her garden soil. Following the film, we will hold a community discussion about soil building. | |
Part of the Organic Vegetable Gardening class series Cost: $5 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Garden at Holy Nativity Church, |
|
 |
Aug 26 - Thursday 7pm film: "Rethinking Energy " |
| Covering topics such as renewable energy, cheap oil and the energy gap, this film also brings out issues about the shrinking economy and opportunities for community investment. Film will be followed by community discussion. Resources:
|
|
Cost: $5 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Garden at Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Sept 4 - Saturday 9am - 12 noon Community Garden work day (#1) |
We're expanding the Community Garden by an additional 600+ sqft this autumn! On Sept 4 and 18 we'll be doing groundbreaking, soil preparation, and creating rainwater harvesting basins. Come learn hands-on about things like
You can get your lawn removal and double-digging questions answered (although the hard work of grass at the site will be removed prior to these work days). Goals of our work day include:
Please bring your own tools -- whatever you might have of the following: round-ended shovel, pitchfork, pick, metal rake. Please come dressed to work. Water and light refreshments will be supplied. |
|
Cost: free. Site: Community Garden at Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Sep 11 - Saturday 9am "Cluck Trek" - a tour of urban chicken coops |
Thinking of getting urban chickens? They're lots of fun! Take a peek inside the coops of four or more Westchester-area neighbors, ask questions, and gain ideas for your own home coop. Pick up your map from the table on the front lawn of Holy Nativity Church. |
|
|
|
Cost: $5 to $10 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: various neighborhood homes; pick up map at table on front lawn of Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Sep 11 - Saturday 2-6pm Macrobiotics cooking with David Briscoe |
Learn the fundamentals of macrobiotics cooking in this hands-on workshop. Hosted by Holy Nativity Parish. Phone for full details (310) 670-4777 |
|
Cost: $45 ... Please RSVP so that we can purchase enough food Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Hall of Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Sept 18 - Saturday 9am - 12 noon Community Garden work day (#2) |
We're expanding the Community Garden by an additional 600+ sqft this autumn! On Sept 4 and 18 we'll be doing groundbreaking, soil preparation, and creating rainwater harvesting basins. Come learn hands-on about things like
You can get your lawn removal and double-digging questions answered (although the hard work of grass at the site will be removed prior to these work days). Goals of our work day include:
Please bring your own tools -- whatever you might have of the following: round-ended shovel, pitchfork, pick, metal rake. Please come dressed to work. Water and light refreshments will be supplied. |
|
|
|
Cost: free. Site: Community Garden at Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Sept 18 - Saturday 4:30pm Ballona LETS Marketplace & Potluck |
| Join us at the Marketplace and potluck for the Ballona LETSystem -- the local bartering system for the Westchester, del Rey, and Inglewood areas. A LETSystem (Local Economics Trading System) is a way to get your needs met without having to use precious cash. It's a sophisticated way of bartering for goods and services with your local neighbors. We're just getting the Ballona LETS started, and we have plenty of interested people. At a "Marketplace" event, LETS members show off what they are offering for trade. For instance if you are offering your homegrown peaches or homemade spice mix, perhaps you'd like to bring a taste. If you are offering massage, maybe a 1 minute freebee? (ok, ok, I can hope!) You might bring business cards or put a flyer on the table, it's up to you. We'll also have a chance for people to tell about what they are offering. The idea is to showcase what is available, to meet people face-to-face, and to set up trades. Oh, did we mention the food? Bring a potluck hors d'oeuvre to share, because it's all a lot more fun when there is food! If you are a newcomer to the LETSystem, or if you want to bring a friend, this is the perfect event. We'll have people available to give a LETS orientation and to register you into the software system. If you are having difficulty with the software, bring your questions because our young technician promises to attend! Full info about Ballona LETSystem http://envirochangemakers.org/BallonaLETS.htm |
|
| Site: Community Hall of Holy Nativity, 6700 West 83rd, Westchester/LA 90045 Cost: free. Existing Ballona LETS members earn a credit. As always, Holy Nativity invites you to bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. |
|
|
Sept 23 - Thursday 7pm "Protect the Global Warming Solutions Act" |
California's landmark global warming legislation -- AB32 a.k.a. the Global Warming Solutions Act -- is under attack from out of state OIL companies. We need your support to uphold this landmark bill, one of the few pieces of global warming legislation in our nation. Join the Environmental Change-Makers at 7pm on Sept 23 when we will view a short documentary from the Union of Concerned Scientists and learn WHAT WE CAN DO to defeat Proposition 23, the initiative on your November ballot which would effectively repeal the only global warming legislation we have. No RSVP necessary; just show up. "No on 23" resources:
The actual text of Proposition 23. Note that given what we understand about the economic future, the text of Proposition 23 effectively repeals AB32 the Global Warming Solutions Act. |
|
Cost: $5 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Garden at Holy Nativity Church, |
|
 |
Sept 24 - Friday pm live music performance |
| Babatunde Lea Quintet with Patrice Rushen, Gary Brown, Ernie Watts, and Dwight Trible – a spectacular ensemble of jazz legends. | |
Tickets $30 Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Holy Nativity Church, more info: (310) 670-4777 |
|
 |
Sept 25 - Saturday 8am to 5pm "Life After Oil" mini-conference |
The current economic crisis, our environmental ills, climate change, and peak oil are all interconnected, and they are shaping our future in sweeping and dramatic ways. Life in coming years will be vastly different from what we have now. And in the Transition movement, we believe it could potentially be even better than what we have now ... if we prepare and plan for it. In this one-day mini-conference, we'll help you understand how you can help your community to prepare and plan. You'll gain a big-picture overview of the problems -- very useful for when you go to explain it to other people. You'll participate in experiential exercises which engage our hearts and spirits in this work. You'll learn -- in depth -- about the Transition approach, and with other conference participants, you'll explore how to get it started in your local neighborhood within this vast city. |
|
Cost: $35, includes vegetarian salad buffet lunch Advance registration required. Site: Community Hall of Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Oct 3 - Sunday afternoon Vegetable/Herb Seed Swap -and- Recipe Exchange |
SEED SWAP (2:30-4pm) Bring your vegetable and herb seeds to swap with friends and neighbors. If you have home-saved seed, or half-packets of seed from last year's purchases, bring it along! Please bring junk mail envelopes to carry home your bounty. If you don't have seed to share, come anyway, and take home a sample.
RECIPE EXCHANGE (2:30-4pm) What are your favorite garden-to-table recipes? How do you use L.A. local produce in delicious dishes? Bring 5 copies of a recipe that emphasizes our fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables. Folks who bring 5 copies of a recipe get to take home 5 new recipes! (Yes, you may participate more than once: you could bring 5 copies of your pesto recipe AND 5 copies of your cobbler recipe. Then you'd be entitled to take home 10 new recipes! BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS (1:30-2:30pm) Holy Nativity Parish will hold their annual "Blessing of the Animals" on Sunday Oct 3. Bring your dog, cat, chicken, boa, or stuffed animal for an interfaith blessing by Father Peter. Water and refreshments for pets and humans will be provided. Pets and pet owners alike are welcome at the Seed Swap and Recipe Exchange following the blessing. |
|
Cost: free Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Hall of Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Oct 9 - Saturday 9am Rainwater Harvesting (Global Work Day 10/10/10) |
Join us for a hands-on Rainwater Harvesting workshop. You'll learn about different kinds of rainwater harvesting and get a tour of the water harvesting at Holy Nativity. Then we'll begin digging the water harvesting pits for the newest section of the garden. You'll see how the pits are constructed underground, and learn how you can do it yourself. It’s our part in the 350.org Global Work Day – when people around the world will be working together to install lower-carbon infrastructure. Since transporting and processing water in California demands 19% of California’s electricity consumption, saving water is a Global Warming Solution, too! |
|
Part of the Organic Vegetable Gardening class series Cost: $5 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Garden at Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Oct 10 - Sunday afternoon - time t.b.d. Community Garden Work Day |
Come and help build a new section of the Community Garden at Orville Wright Middle School! We'll be preparing growing areas, and planting autumn vegetables, herbs, and beneficial flowers. The Community Garden Planting Day is part of the Global Work Party coordinated by 350.org:
Other goals of our 10/10/10 work day are:
What to bring: Please bring your own shovel, hand trowel, gloves, sunhat/sunscreen. Come dressed to garden. We'll have a party: water, refreshments, and live music from a local band! |
|
Cost: free Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Garden at Orville Wright Middle School, |
|
|
Oct 23 - Saturday 9am Cool Season Vegetables |
| Here in Southern California we have a year round growing season, and our "winter" is sometimes the most productive time of year! Learn what to plant now so that your cool season garden yields abundantly. | |
Part of the Organic Vegetable Gardening class series Cost: $5 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Garden at Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Oct 28 - Thursday 6-9pm What We Can Do about the Financial Crisis |
What does the financial crisis have to do with peak oil and "peak everything"? Come join this in-depth community discussion about the problems and What We Can Do. The evening will include:
Facilitator Joanne Poyourow was a CPA in public practice for 13 years. She holds a degree in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara. |
|
Cost: $5 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Hall of Holy Nativity Church, |
|
|
Nov 18 - Thursday 7-9pm "ECM is 5" Anniversary Party |
Come celebrate with us as we mark the FIFTH ANNIVERSARY of the Environmental Change-Makers. Our first meeting was a book signing in November 2005. We'll reminisce about all the events and changes those five years have brought. For the "party game": How has ECM influenced you ... what changes have you made in your life in the past 5 years? Bring a potluck dish to share (vegetarian, with local ingredients preferred). We'll supply the reuseable napkins-dishes-silverware, plus local wine and a homemade birthday cake. |
|
Cost: $5 suggested donation Please bring a can of food to donate to LAX Food Pantry. Site: Community Hall of Holy Nativity Church, |
|
| back to top | |
| photo credits: vegetables by Robbie Owen-Wahl, UK; Transition Los Angeles logo by Agnes Anderson; sunflower by Lynda Modaff. |
Receive Environmental Change-Makers Announcements by email
Subscribe to our email group at GoogleGroups.
Key to symbols:
meetings of the
Environmental Change-Makers
Organic Vegetable Gardening class
series at the Community Garden
Live music
in Westchester
events of
Transition Los Angeles
Reskilling
is the term for learning again the basic skills necessary for everyday life -- skills like baking bread, growing vegetables, sewing clothing, basic repairs and craftsmanship.
Over the past 50 to 100 years -- a brief period of energy surplus fueled by cheap, plentiful oil -- we have gleefully outsourced these tasks. But as we delve into the second half of our planetary oil supplies, we will no longer have that luxury. We must relearn these skills, and teach them to each other.
At the Environmental Change-Makers, we're relearning these skills, together.
Transition
is a term that refers to the time period we are going through -- a time period when we are transitioning from an energy-intense, high-consumption lifestyle, into something which is much more in line with the available resources of the planet.
Specifically, "Transition" refers to the international Transition movement, a grassroots effort to grow local resilience, our ability to flex and adapt in the face of great change -- the sweeping changes of peak oil and climate change.
The Environmental Change-Makers have been the initiating group for the Transition movement for many areas of Los Angeles. They are a part of Transition Los Angeles.
Read more about the past meetings of the Environmental Change-Makers.