Apply to Attend a Paul Stamets Workshop
Free-of-Charge
Limited Space
Application Deadline: April 6, 2007
Workshop Date: April 14, 2007

On Friday, April 13, 2007, from 7:30-9:00pm, Farmlab -- a think tank, art production studio, performance and educational venue near downtown Los Angeles – will be presenting, “How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World,” a Farmlab Public Salon with mycologist Paul Stamets.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS AFTER APRIL 6, 2007, THE APPLICATION PROCESS HAS CONCLUDED.

Farmlab Public Salons are free-of-charge and open to the general public. We hope you'll attend. For More Information about Mr. Stamets Farmlab Public Salon, please click here.

The next day, Saturday, April 14, 2007, from 9am-12pm, Farmlab will be playing host to “Mushrooms as Allies for People and Planet,” a second program from Mr. Stamets.

This will be a far smaller, hands-on workshop where Mr. Stamets will demonstrate simple mushroom-growing techniques for mycorestoration purposes. Attendance will be extremely limited to best create an intimate educational environment. Representatives of various leading environmental and civic organizations are scheduled to participate.

Farmlab and Mr. Stamets are pleased to announce that there is room for seven (7) interested members of the public to attend Mr. Stamet’s workshop.

If you are interested in attending, then please put “Mushroom Workshop Application” as the subject line, and email info [at] farmlab.org (no attachments, please) or snail mail the following information:

1. Your name
2. Your contact information (phone, email)
3. Why you are interested in receiving a free scholarship, and how and where in the community you intend to apply what you learn from Mr. Stamets. (Please answer in one page or less.)

The seven (7) responses that best fit the above criteria, as selected by members of the Farmlab Team, will be invited to participate in the workshop.

The deadline for receiving responses is: Friday, April 6, 2007. Applicants will be informed of decisions early the following week.


-- The Farmlab Team
Farmlab
Attn: Paul Stamets Workshop
1745 N. Spring Street #4
Los Angeles, CA 90012

 



 

Farmlab Public Salon
Paul Stamets
Friday, April 13 @ 7:30pm
Free-of-Charge

"How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World"

Also Friday, April 13: Special Double Feature, with Kat Steele of the Urban Permaculture Guild, at 5pm

JUST ADDED: FOOD AVAILABLE FOR SALE - MORE INFO

About Paul Stamet's Salon

As we are now well engaged in the 6th Major Extinction (“6 X”) on planet Earth, our biosphere is quickly changing, eroding the life support systems that have allowed humans to ascend. Unless we put into action policies and technologies that can cause a course correction in the very near future, species diversity will continue to plummet, with humans not only being the primarily cause, but one of the victims. What can we do? I think fungi, particularly mushrooms, offer some powerful, practical solutions, that can be put into practice now.

Paul Stamets will discuss the evolution of mushrooms in ecosystems and how fungi can help heal environments. As environmental health and human health are inextricably interconnected, fungi offer unique opportunities that capitalize on mycelium’s diverse properties. Forest dwelling mushroom mycelium can achieve the greatest mass of any living organism – this characteristic is a testimonial to its inherent biological power.

Mushroom mycelium can replace chemical pesticides, break down toxic wastes, including petroleum-based products such as diesel, dioxins, and numerous other toxins into non-toxic forms. Understanding mycelium’s production of antibiotics is useful not only to compete with bacteria in nature but has also proven useful for treating animal diseases. Since bacterial can be vectors for viruses, interesting strategies emerge for supporting ecological health using mycelium as ecological medicine.

About a dozen species of medicinal mushrooms will be explored from a historical perspective leading to the clinical studies in which Paul is participating. Moreover, he will discuss his work with the U.S. Departments’ Bioshield BioDefense program, wherein his extracts were the first natural products from hundreds of thousands of samples tested found to be potent inhibitors of pox and other viruses. The field of mushroom-based medicines is rapidly expanding and this talk will show how mycomedicines can be incorporated in daily living to improve the quality of life while protecting the biosphere.




About Paul Stamets

Paul Stamets has written six mushroom-related books. Several are used as textbooks around the world by the gourmet and medicinal mushroom industries. He is the author of many scholarly papers in peer-reviewed journals (The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms; Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM, Oxford University Press); Herbalgram, and others).

He has written more than twenty patents. He started a mushroom wholesale and retail sales business, Fungi Perfecti, LLC, in 1980. (See www.fungi.com.) The business has four laboratories, 10,000 sq. ft. of clean rooms, and is equipped with 20+ laminar flow benches for doing in vitro propagation work. Paul has received several environmental awards. He is an advisor to the Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Medical School, Tucson; on the Editorial Board of The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, and was appointed to the G.A.P./G.M.P. Board of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. Dr. Andrew recommends his products. Stamets is the supplier and co-investigator of the first two NIH funded clinical studies using medicinal mushrooms in the United States. His strain collection is extensive and unique, with many of the strains coming from old growth forests. He is involved in several other research trials ongoing and pending. Married to Dusty Yao, whose shares a passion for fungi, and their love of the Old Growth forests.

Farmlab Location

Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
Refreshments will be served.

 



 

Farmlab Public Salon
Kat Steele
Friday, April 13 @ 5pm
Free-of-Charge



Urban Permaculture Design and Community:

Cultivating Relational Intelligence and Practical Solutions for a Climate-Changing World


Hear from a leader in the next generation of bay area permaculture designers as she shares perspectives on the evolving holistic design system and process. What is this design system? Why is it unique? How can it work in our suburbs and cities? How can Permaculture help address the issues of sustainability and community food security in our urban ecologies? Kat offers living and working examples of how projects integrate permaculture principles with green building, affordable housing, new technologies, green businesses and education, and social and economic justice! Hear how Permaculture can be used to best prepare and respond to the climatic and social transitions that we are facing today. In addition to her own work she'll screen a short film about the innovative City Repair project of Portland, Oregon and lead a discussion about this evolutionary place-making phenomena

About Kat Steele

Katherine "Kat" Steele is a permaculture activist, designer, educator and founder the Urban Permaculture Guild in Oakland, California. She facilitates workshops on natural building and permaculture as well as publicly speaks about eco-social design, city repair and the power of placemaking. Trained in Ecovillage Design with the Findhorn Foundation of Scotland, Natural Building with Kleiwerks International and Permaculture Design with the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center she also holds an MA in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University. She presently serves on the board of two Bay Area Non Profit Organizations devoted to Peace, Justice and Sustainablity, the NorCal Chapter of Architects, Designers, Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) in Berkeley and Bay Localize in Oakland.

Farmlab Location

Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
Refreshments will be served.

 



 

Farmlab Public Salon
George Herms
Friday, March 30 @ Noon
Free-of-Charge



Garden of Brokenness
GALLERY TALK


Join Farmlab Artist-In-Residence George Herms as he discusses Garden of Brokenness, by Farmlab Team, an exhibition on view at the Farmlab Exhibition Center from February 23-June 1, 2007.

Herms will also be available to discuss his large body of other works.

About George Herms

“Like a lean jazz quartet, Herms sets the mood as much with what is there as with what is not. In an era where assemblage artists fixate on the cute essentials of thrift store finds, Herms abstracts the detritus of society into an improvisational solo encouraging the things to become something else within his sculptures and collages.” – Mat Gleason, ArtScene, 2005

Farmlab Location

Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
Refreshments will be served.

 



 

FARMLAB PROJECTS

Monument to the Trees as Unsung Heroes of the South Central Farm

More Info. and an
Update on tree health and a List of Trees and
photos of last two trees moving






Agbins On Skid Row

More info. and new photos and a news update from July 9, 2007 and where do our ag bins come from? and an update from August 9, 2007 and, related: 'ag bin ramblas:' an under spring walking tour






F.L.A.G. (Farmlab Agbin Garden)

More Info.






Information on More Farmlab Projects Coming Soon








 



 

Farmlab Public Salon
Joel Tauber
Friday, April 6 @ Noon
Free-of-Charge



Sick-Amour

Sick-Amour follows Tauber’s Flying Project, a story culminating in the artist's flight 150 feet above the desert, suspended from helium balloons and playing the bagpipes; and his Underwater Project, where Tauber translates his movement underwater during 40 scuba dives into music.

About Sick Amour

Description: In his new work, Sick-Amour, Joel Tauber adopts a lonely and forlorn sycamore tree stuck in the middle of a giant parking lot in front of the Rose Bowl. The tree – like most parking lot trees – suffered many indignities. The tree was starved for water and oxygen by the asphalt that surrounded it, it was attacked by swarms of pathogens and pollutants, it was aggressively pruned, and it was hit by cars. Out of love for the tree and as a symbolic gesture pointing to our need to care for the things stuck in our urban jungles, the artist has been caring for this tree directly - watering it, building tree guards to protect it from cars, planting seeds to help it create offspring, constructing giant earrings for the tree, persuading the City and the Rose Bowl to remove the asphalt beneath its canopy, and getting the approvals to begin constructing a permanent monument to the tree.

To see a 5-minute video preview and to read more about the project, visit www.joeltauber.com.

About Joel Tauber

Joel Tauber received his MFA degree from Art Center College of Design. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects; at the Adamski Gallery, Aachen, Germany; at the Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; and at Gallery Saintonge, Missoula, Montana. Tauber has been included in the "California Biennial", Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach; “The Gravity in Art”, De Appel Centre For Contemporary Art, Amsterdam, Netherlands; “Happy Believers, the 7th Werkleitz Biennial, Volkspark, Halle, Germany; “Still, Things Fall from the Sky”, UCR/ California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA; “Light and Spaced Out: 11 Artists From Los Angeles", Herve Loevenbruck Gallery, Paris, France; “Eco-Lux: Art in Light of Ecology 1953-2006”, Lightbox Gallery, Los Angeles; “Stuff From L.A. and Other Places”, Christine Koenig Gallery, Vienna, Austria; and “To Believe Much More Than That”, Wight Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles.

Farmlab Location

Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
Refreshments will be served.

 



 

RECENT PHOTOS
of Farmlab and Under Spring







































Smaller Photos, from top to bottom:

  • Believe it or not, these are mushrooms, growing in the Farmlab workshop.

  • Plantings, contained in a prototype Farmlab ag -- as in, agricultural -- bin.

  • George Herms, Farmlab-Artist-in-Residence, presents a gallery talk and Farmlab Public Salon. Later, in a very busy hour, Herms put down the guitar manque, read poems, recited from an opera, sounded a horn, donned a crown crafted from egg cartons, and talked about the ongoing Garden of Brokenness exhibition.

  • A detail of Edward Porter's Under Spring Gallery installation, "Cascade." The image was taken on the (appropriately, for a working fountain) rainy evening of April 20, 2007, during the exhibition's opening reception.

  • A detail of the "blackboard" text painted in mid-April by Farmlab project artist Lauren Bon. The text, which changes occasionally, is typically part philosophical, part informational, and part a call to action.

  • What's Farmlab without plants? Here, team photographer James Goodnight captures a close-up of a recent agricultural experiment.

  • Paul Stamets, famed mushroom expert, spent parts of two recent days at Farmlab and Under Spring. On Friday, April 13, Stamets presented a Farmlab Public Salon to an estimated crowd of 300 people. The next day, the mycologist returned to lead a more intimate, hands-on workshop about how to use mushrooms for soil remediation purposes.

  • The Los Angeles-based musical duo, Telematique, performs at Under Spring. For two years, the pair's ethereal anti-tunes have made them a favorite of Not A Cornfield, Under Spring, and Farmlab program visitors and team members alike.

    Larger Photos, from top to bottom:

  • Bill Patzert, famous climatologist from NASA JPL, delivers a Farmlab Public Salon on March 23, 2007.

  • Separated marigold seeds sit on a table in the Under Spring gallery, part of Gerardo Vaquero Rosas's exhibition, "Earth and Seed.'

  • A close-up of the fish-and-fountain hood of the Junker Car that's part of the ongoing (through June 1) Garden of Brokenness exhibition.

  • Sitting on concrete Under Spring, the remaining hay bales culled from last year's Not A Cornfield project.


  • Farmlab photographs by James Goodnight and Sarah McCabe. Copyright 2007 Farmlab, LLC.

     



     

    images for cs















     



     

    Exhibitions -- Current and Recent

    location: canadian centre for architecture; montreal, quebec
    Actions: WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THE CITY (survey show)
    INCLUDES FARMLAB (and NOT A CORNFIELD)
    NOVEMBER 22, 2008-APRIL 19, 2009
    CLICK FOR MORE INFO.


    location: barnsdall park, los angeles, california
    Actions: EAST OF EDEN (group show)
    INCLUDES FARMLAB
    SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2008
    CLICK FOR MORE INFO.



    location: farmlab
    CRYSTAL SHIP: A FAMILY OF ARTISTS SEARCHING FOR PARADISE
    BY FELICITY POWELL, ANSEL KRUT, SASKIA AND HANNAH KRUT-POWELL
    NOVEMBER 9-DECEMBER 28,2007 (EXTENDED THROUGH JANUARY 31, 2008)
    CLICK FOR MORE INFO.


    location: santa monica museum of art
    JUNKER CAR #4
    BY FARMLAB
    JANUARY 25, 2008-TBD
    CLICK FOR MORE INFO.



    farmlab exhibition center
    GARDEN OF BROKENNESS
    BY FARMLAB TEAM
    FEBRUARY 23-JUNE 1, 2007
    **EXHIBITION EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30**
    OPENING RECEPTION: FEBRUARY 23 @ 7:30PM
    CLICK FOR MORE INFO.
    ALSO: EXTRA PHOTOS



    phantom galleries beverly hills
    AMAZE
    BY FARMLAB TEAM
    August 11-31, 2007
    OPENING RECEPTION: AUGUST 11 @ 7-10PM
    MORE INFO.
    ALSO: OPENING RECEPTION REPORT & PHOTOS



    under spring gallery
    HOW TO MAKE A JUNKER GARDEN
    BY FARMLAB TEAM
    JUNE 2-JULY 6, 2007
    OPENING RECEPTION: JUNE 2 @ NOON-3:30PM
    MORE INFO.

    under spring
    CASCADE
    BY EDWARD PORTER
    APRIL 20-JUNE 4, 2007
    OPENING RECEPTION: APRIL 20 @ 7:30pm
    MORE INFO.



    under spring
    EARTH & SEEDS
    BY GERARDO VAQUERO ROSAS
    FEBRUARY 23-April 9, 2007
    OPENING RECEPTION: FEBRUARY 23 @ 7:30pm
    MORE INFO. TBA

     



     

    Cascade by Edward Porter
    Under Spring Gallery
    Exhibition Opening Reception
    Friday, April 20 @ 7:30pm




    Opening Reception:
    Friday, April 20 @ 7-11pm
    Refreshments Served
    Live Music

    Exhibition dates:
    Friday April 20 – Wednesday May 23, 2007

    Venue:
    Under Spring Gallery, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA CA 90012

    AboutCascade

    Edward Porter’s Cascade is a working fountain with a self-contained water circulation system: a colorful construction of iconic ceramic, metal, plaster, and plastic objects including statues, money banks, and washboards from Tijuana and Los Angeles' Chinatown.

    Suggesting the contrasts in water usage that are so striking when one crosses the US border from the outskirts of Tijuana to the landscaping of San Diego, Cascade places toys and souvenirs beside utilitarian washtubs.

    Further, featuring imagery that appears to be 'quintessentially' North American, 'characteristically' Mexican, or 'typically' Chinese, the project speaks [to/of?] both the flow of influences across borders and the fluid nature of 'essence.' For the objects and images that cascade here –- a surfing monkey, a hamburger-shaped coin bank, a patterned vase -- have been crafted by their passage through a variety of cultural, social, and economic filters, including national borders.



    About Ed Porter

    Edward Porter has participated in numerous art exhibitions, including shows at Bank, Los Angeles; 4F Gallery, Los Angeles; Estación Tijuana, Tijuana, MX; Lui Velazquez, Tijuana, MX; Sundown Salon, Los Angeles; Queens Nails Annex, San Francisco; San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; and the Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles. Most recently, Edward exhibited a piece at ArtLA in Santa Monica, CA and will have a solo show with Raid FC gallery in Los Angeles in July 2007.

     



     

    Farmlab Public Salon
    Olivia Chumacero
    Friday, April 20 @ 12pm
    Free-of-Charge



    "Spirit Run:

    The challenge of being an indigenous woman protecting mother earth."


    About The Salon

    If we ignore the pain of our children, the words of our Elders and the laments from the spirit of the our sister water (polluted with chemical excrement), our brother air (filled with poisoning gases), our mother the earth (gutted, deforested, filled with radio-active materials, and piles of unending trash), then our father the sun will not be gentle.

    It is time to remember how to respect all of that which sustains life, it is time to remember that every single thing that we use, we eat, and have, comes from the gifts given freely by our sister water, our brother air, our mother earth and our father the sun. It is only we humans who have set up systems of profit that require we pay even for a glass of water.

    It is time to remember how to walk on our planet by giving back twice as much as we take, it is time to remember how to be human beings. That is why I coordinate Spirit Runs to protect sacred sites. My traditional heritage teaches me to respect, to honor and to thank the spirit of all living things. My ancestral lineage has passed on the wisdom discovered through running. Please join me, on April 20th lets gather to give voice to our remembering.

    Olivia Chumacero

    Olivia Chumacero is a resident of mother earth. She coordinates Spirit Runs throughout the continents of the Americas, to respect sacred sites, and to honor traditional indigenous knowledge

    Farmlab Location

    Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
    Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

    Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
    Refreshments will be served.

     



     

    Farmlab Public Salon
    Casey Coates Danson
    Friday, March 16 @ Noon
    Free-of-Charge



    Who's Got The Power?
    Film Screening & Discussion


    Join Casey Coates Danson, executive producer of the documentary film, "Who's Got The Power?" for a screening and discussion.

    About The Film

    "Global warming is the environmental problem of the 21st century."
    --Kert Davies, Research Director, Greenpeace May, 2005

    "Clean coal is a lie. There’s no such thing as clean coal."
    --Harry Sebock, underground coal miner since 1979--

    "The nations in the lead of this next energy revolution, the one that takes us beyond fossil fuels, it’s a safe bet to say, they are going to be the power house countries of the 21st century."
    --Barbara Freese, Environmental Attorney, Author “COAL – A Human History” May, 2005


    From the coal-scarred hills of Appalachia to the sun drenched suburbs of Los Angeles, to three Category 5 hurricanes within three months in 2005 in the Southeast, eight days of non-stop rain in the Northeast, record breaking heat globally, people are becoming increasingly vocal about the hazards of global warming. They are demanding practical and achievable solutions, in particular, championing the development and use of renewable energy resources to safeguard the earth for future generations.

    Who’s Got The Power, a forceful, new documentary film, addresses head on the reality of global warming, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas, its attendant dangers in the form of carbon dioxide emissions---and presents genuine and workable solutions. The film proposes that the use of renewable energy – solar, wind, biomass and geothermal, are viable alternatives to our dependence on fossil fuels that bring about the dangerous climate changes that result in global warming. From the vantage points of world-renown scientists, environmental activists, physicians, financial advisers, designers, builders, coal miners and others, the global warming debate unfolds. In addition, inner city and suburban consumers in America, Germany and Japan share their personal experiences with solar-powered housing.

    According to the New York Times, (August 5, 2005) the worldwide global solar market has grown roughly forty percent a year in the last five years, driven in large part by Germany. Germany consumes thirty-nine percent of the world’s solar panels; Japan, thirty percent; and America only nine percent. Against the backdrop of the American landscape, Who’s Got the Power demonstrates that we do not have to savage our terrain, destroy our water sources or befoul our air in order to enjoy the pleasures and conveniences of modern life. Who’s Got the Power? argues that we are capable of being on a par with the Germans and Japanese in terms of solar energy, and shows how harnessing this limitless resource can make a difference.

    This film also recognizes the critical role of our built environment. Since two-thirds to one half of the nation’s electricity is used in buildings, we can have the greatest impact in the shortest amount of time if we begin with the built environment. Buildings are a direct and important resource in insuring our environmental future. Making our buildings more energy efficient can help reduce our use of electricity and fossil fuels. Powering them with the sun can and will quickly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

    These are among the perspectives in Who’s Got The Power?

    • On the evolution of global warming: When we use the atmosphere as an un-priced sewer and we dump our waste like carbon dioxide and methane and industrial hazes, then we start to force the atmosphere in different patterns than would be natural.

    • On environmental hazards: The twentieth century stands out as the warmest time in history… 90% of the glaciers in the world are melting. Here in Glacier National Park, the Grinnell Glacier has already melted sixty-three percent and only has a few more decades to survive… Six hundred and fifty three billion metric tons of ice, an area larger than Luxembourg, has broken off the Larsen B Ice Shelf, which has existed on Antarctica for twelve thousand years.

    • On photovoltaics: In one second, the sun produces enough energy to supply the world for one thousand years. We need to make the transition to renewable energy now – not later. The power is in our hands.

    • On preserving our land:

    When you go in and you cut down all the trees on a mountain, from the top to the bottom, blow 700 feet off the top of it, take all the coal, boost a rock and gob over the hill into the creek, there’s nothin’ to be there. It destroys the game, it runs the grass out, it destroys the squirrels, the deer don’t have acorns to eat, and they move on.

    We can lead the way in renewable energy. We can lead the way to a new future. And we can give our children a beautiful clean earth to live on. But we’re not doing that. We’re addicted to comfort. And we’re selling our children’s feet to buy ourselves fancy shoes.

    • On our built environment:

    The truth is that good design is no more expensive than bad design… A few pioneers are incorporating photovoltaics and solar design principles. Not only are the structures beautiful, they are in harmony with the environment. Solar technology can be employed anywhere, even on a Manhattan skyscraper.

    • Never before
    • On our obligation:

    Ultimately it’s not going to be the scientists, it’s going to be us, it’s going to be the politicians and the leaders and the people in their own households, everybody in a massive global cooperation in order to solve this grand problem.

    Powerful, enduring, reliable and accessible worldwide, the sun is our greatest energy resource. The sun’s renewable energy – solar energy – can supplement or replace the limited and costly fossil fuels we now use, reduce our dependence on the utility grid, and stem the tide of global warming.

    In a cogent and incisive hour, filmed across America, in Germany and Japan, Who’s Got The Power? examines these vital issues and in so doing is an essential primer.


    About Casey Coates Danson
    Casey Coates Danson As the mother of two children and a strong sense of stewardship for the earth, Casey Coates Danson established Global Possibilities in 1996, a non-profit devoted to promoting the use of solar energy in the built environment as a viable and natural alternative to fossil fuels in order to mitigate climate change. Prior to that, Danson co-founded with her former husband, the American Oceans Campaign, now merged with Oceana. Danson served on the Board of Governors of the Parsons School of Design, the Board of Directors of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, and chaired the Board of Directors of the Environmental Media Association. She also served on the Advisory Board of the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Los Angeles and as an honorary board member of the Institute of American Indian Arts Foundation.

    For Danson, it started as a simple need for natural light; there never seemed to be enough inside her homes. As an environmental design student at the Parsons School of Design in New York in the 1970s, she learned to appreciate how the Anasazi and the master builders of the Renaissance incorporated natural materials into their designs for self-sufficient cities. As news of the expanding hole in the ozone layer came to light in the 1980’s, her consciousness about the destructive nature of how we heat and power our homes expanded exponentially.

    Through Global Possibilities, national conferences, educational initiatives, public outreach, speaking engagements and film, Danson seeks to remind people that the sun is virtually an untapped source of free, constant energy, and pleads for an energy transition – even If it’s with one photovoltaic panel at a time.

    Danson has left a living legacy in the form of two solar homes that she designed and built in the nineties – a 1,500-square-foot, Pueblo-style adobe home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a grand, 7,000-square-foot contemporary Los Angeles home now occupied by a family of seven. Both demonstrate that the sun’s energy can be used to power houses at any end of the design spectrum.


    Farmlab Location
    Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
    Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

    Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
    Refreshments will be served.

     



     

    Farmlab Public Salon
    Dr. Bill Patzert
    Friday, March 23 @ Noon
    Free-of-Charge



    "When the Pacific Speaks, Los Angeles Better Listen Up"

    As Southern California remembers this winter's dry weather and a steamy summer in 2006, a NASA oceanographer known for studying how Earth's oceans affect our weather and global climate, and govern the El Niño/La Niña phenomena, will present a talk titled, "When the Pacific Speaks, Los Angeles Better Listen Up." Dr. Bill Patzert of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will explain how historical data are a vital tool for oceanographers, meteorologists and climatologists. Data, from space and our local weather stations are used to understand the formation and progress of phenomenon like the 2004-2005 winter's unexpected record-breaking rains and, even, global warming.

    His research has dramatically improved long-term global weather and climate forecasts for Southern California. Patzert will discuss impacts of El Niño, La Niña, longer-term climate trends and global, as well as local Southern California rainfall and warming temperatures.

    About Dr. Bill Patzert

    Dr. Bill Patzert Often called the "Prophet of California climate," Patzert is a scientist at the California Institute of Technology’s NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.

    His research is focused on the application of NASA satellite data to improving our understanding of our planet's climate and important environmental problems ranging from developing El Niño, La Niña and longer-term climate forecasts to monitoring the health of coral reefs. The author of many scientific and popular articles, Bill works with undergraduate and graduate students from all over the world, and lectures at many local universities. A media favorite, he is often sought out by reporters and is regularly seen on local and national television representing NASA and JPL. In a recent article, he was named as one of the West’s most influential individuals in dealing with water issues.

    He is a graduate of Purdue University and went on to earn a Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Hawaii. Bill began his career on the research faculty of the University of California’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., and then moved to JPL, where he has been employed since 1983. During his career, he has served as a consultant to many respected organizations including NASA, the U.S. Department of Commerce, United Nations and many scientific and environmental groups. He has received many awards for scientific accomplishments, as well as communicating science to the public, including 4 NASA Exceptional Service Medals and the Medal of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (highest award of the French Space Agency).

    Farmlab Location

    Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
    Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

    Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
    Refreshments will be served.

     



     

    Team Members
    Farmlab / Under Spring

    Past & Present
    Liza de Villa Ameen
    Leonard Aube
    Kate Balug
    Misha Birch
    Alina Bokde
    Freya Bardell
    Cindy Bautista
    Salvador Bautista
    Lauren Bon
    Vanessa Briseno
    Pedro Carranza
    Haan-Fawn Chau
    Olivia Chumacero
    Paolo Davanzo
    Janet Owen Driggs
    Javier Escobedo
    Rochelle Fabb
    James Goodnight
    Francisco Gutierrez
    Meredith Hackleman
    Guy Hatzvi
    Monica Henderson
    Bruce Henstell
    George Herms
    Aaron Herrera
    Roberto Hernandez
    DeRainer Holland
    Brian Howe
    Amy Linsenmayer
    V. Mia Locks
    Camille Lowry
    Osman Lomeli
    Xavier Lopez
    Steven Love
    Eduardo Luis
    Ramon Macias
    Elizabeth Marley
    Lisa Marr
    Sarah McCabe
    Fidel Melgoza
    Peter Natividad
    Cathy Ortega
    Peter Neal
    Rich Nielsen
    Adolfo V. Nodal
    Sylia Obagi
    Anne Palmer
    Maddie Phinney
    Claire Raffel
    Lucas Reiner
    Beatriz Rodriguez
    Autumn Rooney
    Juan Rosas
    Gerardo Vaquero Rosas
    Jeremy Rosenberg
    Steve Rowell
    Jules Sievert
    Amanda Shumate
    Roxanne Steinberg
    Colton Stenke
    Irene Tsatsos
    Judith Vaquero
    Ricardo Villa-Gomez
    Alex Ward
    Joshua White
    Jaime Lopez Wolters
    Michael Woo
    Roger Zepeda

     



     

    Farmlab Public Salon
    Monica Howe
    Friday, March 9 @ Noon
    Free-of-Charge


    "Psyched on Bikes:
    Pedaling a two-wheel solution in the capital of cars"

    Also appearing: Liz Elliott of C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange)


    Join bicycle activist Monica How -- outreach coordinator for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition -- and friends as they discuss living and pedaling in the City of Angels.

    About Monica Howe
    "Monica Howe sees herself as the voice of a two-wheeled future, dedicated to the notion that an urban bicycle culture will make this a better place to live." -- John Balzar, Los Angeles Times, 1/2/07

    Farmlab Location
    Farmlab / Under Spring, 1745 N. Spring Street #4, LA, CA 90012
    Across the street from the site of the Not A Cornfield project, in a warehouse colocated at Baker Street and N. Spring Street

    Salons are always free-of-charge, all ages welcome.
    Refreshments will be served.

     



     

    Help Wanted
    Farmlab Resource Center Research Assistant

    THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO INQUIRED. -MH 3/9/07

    Site Description:

    Farmlab is a six month research initiative to investigate the feasibility of specific projects addressing issues of urban land use and farming, social justice, environmental responsibility, and alternative value systems based on a balanced use of global resources.

    1) Job Description: Research Assistant

    Positions needed: 1
    Hours per week: 20
    Length of project: 3-6 mos, possibly longer if desired.

    Wage per hour: $15

    Research topics will vary from methane energy generation to alternative currency systems, immigration policy to water resource allocation. Research work will originate from the Farmlab "think tank" facility in a downtown Los Angeles warehouse near the new State Historic Park at the Cornfields. Many tasks can be accomplished from home via the internet. Occasionally, tasks require work in the field or at research libraries. Specific tasks usually include researching topics and summarizing any relevant findings for the group or generating self-written documents to be used for presentations. Attendance at our weekly Wednesday 10:30 AM-approx. 3:30PM meetings is ideal. You will gain knowledge on important current public policy, public art and agricultural issues and proponents.


    Schedule: Flexible, but availability to attend meetings Wednesdays and some Friday lectures (noon) is highly desirable. Tuesdays and Thursdays as research days from home is preferred.

    Location: The project location is in the downtown L.A. area, but we expect that some percentage of time will be spent off-site when conducting research. There is space for you to work on a computer here if that’s a personal preference and of course face time here is always appreciated.

    Research Assistant Job Duties
    • Provides reference assistance to project team upon request
    • Initiates research of topics of potential interest to project team
    • Creates succinct reports on topics of interest that include:
    - compilation of most relevant resources on a given topic
    - bibliography of resources
    - executive summary of topic and findings

    Requirements:
    - Experience in using a variety of electronic databases
    - Ability to synthesize complex topics to create succinct summaries
    - Ability to multi-task and juggle shifting priorities
    - Ability to contribute collaboratively in a dynamic environment

    Highly Desirable:
    - Training in library research techniques
    - Experience or background in Journalism and/or journalistic research/fact-checking/writing
    - Professional or academic experience in researching project topic areas
    - Experience working in a library or resource center
    - Professional experience in nonprofit sector
    - Interest in issues of environmental and social responsibility, public art


    Contact Monica Henderson, Resource Center Manager, via e-mail at [email protected], or via phone (323) 226-1158
    Please put "Research Assistant Description" in the subject line of e-mails.