April 2018 – Los Angeles Eco-Village

Center for Communal Studies: Talk with Communal Studies Archivist Jennifer Greene – Sat., May 12, 2018 at 5:30pm

About the Center for Communal Studies

The Center for Communal Studies was established in 1972 to collect, preserve and continue the scholarship of historical communal organizations. In the course of discovering the identities and lives of early historical groups, Dr. Pitzer, founder of the Center, began to meet and work with contemporary groups. Although his focus was more historical, he began to build relationships with modern groups from the Hutterites to The Farm, to Alpha Farm. As he traveled, he also began to collect materials and communities sent newsletters, minutes, photographs, and other materials. The University Archives and Special Collection agreed to keep, organize, and continue to develop materials about communal and intentional communities around the world.

Today, both organizations are focusing on contemporary societies from the 20^th and 21^st Centuries. The mission is to collect and serve as not just a repository, but a resource center for individuals or groups interested in learning from others about building communities. I am hoping to meet with many groups in California. I am hoping to open a dialogue about what the Center can do for communities, and what communities can do for the archives.

EVENT DETAILS
Date & Time:          Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location:                   Los Angeles Eco-Village, 117 Bimini Pl., LA 90004
Fee:                               Open and free event.
Reservations Recommended: crsp@igc.org or 213/738-1254

Feel free to bring snacks to share.

About Jennifer Greene
Jennifer Greene is the University Archivist at the David L. Rice Library, University of Southern Indiana. She has been with the University for 11 years as a full time archives librarian and worked for two years at the Center for Communal Studies. She received a MLS from Indiana University in 2008 as well as completing a MLAS from the University of Southern Indiana in 2009. She is currently working on expanding online access to collections through digital galleries and finding aids. She is an adjunct in the History Department at USI. She teaches archives, Indiana History, and communal studies courses.

“The Longest Straw” an award winning film by L.A. Eco-Villager Samantha Bode, Friday, June 8, 2018 at 7pm at L.A. Eco-Village (north end)

The Longest Straw draws a connection between the water that supports a city and that water’s source. Samantha Bode, director, moved to Los Angeles and immediately fell in love with the abundant sunshine, the warm air, and the exotic plants of Southern California. But, she noticed within the city of Los Angeles the plants were very much like her native North East Pennsylvania. Green grass and tall trees grew everywhere, but there was no obvious source of water and it rarely ever rained. Where did all the water come from?

Samantha embarks on a journey up the Los Angeles Aqueducts and the Mono Extension, the original source of Los Angeles’ imported water. During one of the worst droughts in California history, Samantha laces up her

boots and sets off at the Los Angeles Aqueducts Cascades in Sylmar, CA. The audience follows her north and east for 65 days as she struggles through the rugged terrain of the Mojave and Great Basin deserts and loses herself in the shadow of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. She speaks with historians, community leaders and local residents, as well as employees of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the operators of the city’s aqueduct. Through Samantha’s inquisitive nature, the audience gains a deeper understanding of the economic, ecological, and societal impacts of water importation and deportation on communities, as well as the future of Los Angeles’ water.

The Longest Straw emphasizes the need for more local water sources in Los Angeles through reuse and conservation, storm water capture, native landscaping, and grey water and

black water education and treatment. The aqueduct can be viewed as a microcosm for ecological and resource struggle around the world. Too often in the world of instant gratification humans mistake temporary abundance for never-ending supply. The Longest Straw heightens awareness that the resources that civilization uses to thrive and survive are often shared by various communities; human, animal, and plant. By working together, humanity can ensure the future of reliable freshwater for all.

EVENT DETAILS
Date & Times:      Friday, June 8, 2018
7pm:        Veggie potluck (zero waste event: bring your own non-throw-away eating ware)
7:45pm:   Intros and announcements
8:00pm Screening: “The Longest Straw”
9:30:       Q&A, discussion

Location:
3554 West First Street
Los Angeles Eco-Village – north end
Los Angeles 90004

***Please note: We have changed our location to one building north of 117 Bimini in the north end of Los Angeles Eco-Village ***

****Enter thru gate on Bimini Pl. just south of First St.*****

Fee: Fee: $5 to $15 donation* (self selected sliding scale or 2.5 Time dollars to CRSP. Pay your cash donation at the door or make checks out to “CRSP”
NO ONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS

GETTING HERE:
Please walk, bike or use our multi-billion dollar transit system.

Driving? Parking may be difficult.

Biking? Please park your bike inside the yard at the event space

Directions:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/3554+W+1st+St,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90004/@34.0728044,-118.292883,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c2c7668aba9a0b:0xae768a55056c278b!8m2!3d34.0728044!4d-118.2906889?hl=en

About Samantha Bode:
Sam is a film and television maker and lives in the Los Angeles Eco-Village where she actively demonstrates low impact living patterns and a high quality of life. Throughout the 10 years of her career, she has had the wonderful opportunity to be creative in a range of programming, from shows about Africa and it’s descendants, to short news pieces produced by at risk youth in the Los Angeles area, to documentaries about creating your own reality through open source projects and urban farming. The Longest Straw is her first film directing endeavor and is winner of the 2017 New Urbanism Film Festival Best Healthy Cities Film. When not making films or attending Eco-Village meetings, Sam can be found exploring the vast landscapes of the American west and south west.

Los Angeles Eco-Village is celebrating its 25th anniversary all year long.
Plan to attend more events featuring the work of our creative and activist members.

Earth Day Tea in the Street at L.A. Eco-Village: Sunday, April 22, 2018 from 2 to 5pm

***Traffic calming tea in the intersection of Bimini and White House Place. circa 1993***

As many of you know, LAEV has a long history of traffic calming activities. Tea in the intersection of Bimini and White House Place was a fairly frequent traffic calming activity back in the early to mid 1990s. In those olden days, we did it just to meet neighbors who were always in their cars. They would slow down and roll down their windows and ask, “What are you crazy people doing in the middle of the street?”

And we would enthusiastically reply, “Well we never get to meet you and other neighbors because you’re always in your cars, so why don’t you park and come have some tea with us.” And often they did.

Now we have an equally important reason for neighbors and friends to come have tea with us in the intersection: we want you to sign our petition to get big polluting delivery trucks to relocate their delivery service on Vermont instead of Bimini. Often these trucks are lined up 3 and 4 at a time on Bimini with engines running, waiting to get into the Bimini-facing delivery dock for Seafood City.

So please walk, bike or bus on over on Sunday, April 22, 2018, between 2pm and 5pm to:

Just hang out with us, and
Sign the petition, and
Meet more neighbors, and
Share what your favorite planet saving activities have been this year, and
And what you plan for the coming year.

Please bring your own cup. We’ll provide the tea, sun shade, and cookies.

EVENT DETAILS
Date & Time:     Sunday, April 22, 2018, come anytime between 2 to 5pm
Location:             The intersection of Bimini and White House Place in Los Angeles Eco-Village, LA 90004
Bring:                   Your own non-throwaway cup
Admission:           Free, no reservations needed, come anytime between 3 and 5pm.

Los Angeles Eco-Village is celebrating our 25th Anniversary all year long: 1993 to 2018. Come hang out with us and share your stories about your experiences here.