APW: Observe and Learn

I have difficulty entering through the main entrance.
Though it tends to be the most accessible,
Well paved and immaculately landscaped,
It is also the most expected.

And when one follows the path of what is expected,
The future offers this idea of comfort, familiarity and knowing,
Though concerning what is to come,
Aside from certain organic propensities,
Patterns of growth and general seasonal tides,
Nothing is known.

 

I have been living on a Kibbutz in the Arava Desert in Israel for the last two weeks.  It is the smallest Kibbutz in Israel, and is in the process of privatizing (a trend for nearly all kibbutzim in Israel it would seem), therefore it is losing some of the traditional ideals it was founded on.   It began as many others with the Zionist movement, though this one practices Reform Judaism (very rare in Israel, much more popular in the states), and has evolved into something truly unique and most extraordinary.

Through a handful of Kibbutz Members who had a dream, this place has grown and affected the lives of many visitors who walk through the land, and has created a home and community for those who live here.  It shares a common structure with most Kibbutzim.  They raise cows for Dairy and have multiple large scale Date Orchards.   All the essential and desirable structures of a community, from dining hall to football field (soccer) to pool to bomb shelter (also functioning as a library) to gardens to classrooms are here, and then there is the side that most attracted me to this place.  The Center for Creative Ecology.  There is an Eco-Campus and Eco-Park, along with all the natural (mud) building and alternative energy sources (mostly solar) found throughout the Kibbutz.

Everywhere you look in the Eco Centers on the kibbutz you draw inspiration.  From the parabolic solar ovens to window gardens, to the finely crafted animal playground made from mud and tires to the sheetmulched and seed saving gardens.   Recycled art fills the landscape like beautifully organized scattered trash, and mature trees surrounded by beneficial plants fill up the once barren desert.  A tea house, offering healthy food options utilizes the plants grown on the land for produce and dried herbal teas.  Not to mention the stunning beauty of the Arava in a valley where one watches the sun and moon rise to the east over the vivid red and oranges of the Jordanian Mountains.

I have come here not as a volunteer on the kibbutz or an eco-volunteer, not as a becoming member of the kibbutz or as a visitor from Israel.  I am not a part of the Green Apprenticeship (although I would very much like to be one day) and I am not just passing through for a few days, but instead staying for a month.

I consider myself very fortunate to have this experience.  To become involved in the EcoCampus for a brief period and help contribute in any way I can.  I bring with me a background of organic gardening, nursery work, some alternative building and experience with Permaculture Design, and more experience in community living.   I have found work also at a nearby Kibbutz, where I bike ride to work and help with the growing of arid medicinal plants and erecting a shade structure the size of one dunam. 

After the first week I have found my rhythm and routine here, from watering the plants in the morning, feeding the chickens, feeding the BioGas, stretching and starting the work day at first light.  Then there is either work in the garden, mostly seed saving and maintaining the container gardens as we approach the hot season rendering it very difficult to grow plants in the desert without shade and ample water (both in limited supply), and maintaining all the natural building structures (such as 'painting' on the roof our dome kitchen another layer of mud.  We all live in domes in the EcoCampus, designed with passive solar heating to effectively keep the inside of the structure warm in winter and cool in summer.

I am learning here through observation.  The mode of kibbutz life begins with take what you need, give what you can, and you can see the place thrive and take care of you.  Everyone here wears many hats, one of the head gardeners is also the rabbi, the natural building instructer is also in charge of marketing and networking, people overlap working in the dairy, the orchards, the kitchen and the cleaning crew etc.  And there are some absolutely incredibly individuals who do a little bit of everything.  I am watching the plants too, reacting to the especially hot sun, the unseasonal storm, how they thrive when the spacing is adequate or stretch for the sun when everything is densely compact, how they respond to the compost tea in different dosages, how different varieties of the same plant grow substantially different, and which is best for the next season to save the seeds. 

Everywhere you go, before you so eagerly interact, it is most appropriate and important to take a step back and observe and then you and the environment can both mutually benefit each other.  It is contrary to this attitude that we are at the state we are at with our planet, both socially and environmentally.

You may wonder how did I arrive here in the first place and find myself under these circumstances.  Very simply, I showed up.   I had a contact through a friend who lived here.  I talked to many people.  I observed.  And I saw where I could help, and then I offered it.  Yes, having a skillset is beneficial.  Though when you know the environment you are seeking and have an intention of what you hope to learn, the path to pursuit becomes more clear.  This experience is very rich for me and I do not need to receive money to feel like I am growing from it.

In a sense, I have tried to live my life like this, and I am grateful for who I have become in the last 5 years while following this philosophy.  In a month I will return to the states.  It will be the first time I am going without a plane ticket out in 5 years (not including Hawai'i as the states).  I will observe what has changed and how I have changed.  And I hope to share valuable time with family and friends.  It will certainly be a culture shock, perhaps on the same level as life in Nepal.  I will write more in the future on this. 

Tentative schedule:

Now to June 21 :: Israel -> New York
June 21 to July to Aug :: NY -> Colorado -> California -> New Mexico -> North Carolina (Maybe like this)
August to Dec :: North Carolina - Fall Semester at Warren Wilson College

And a short piece here that I wrote recently concerning affairs in this modern world:

Evolution has brought us this far, and in this last century, we have dangerously chosen to play the role of God with our intelligence. 

I would like to say that nothing is lost, nothing is forgotten, but this would be a lie.  We have lost thousands and thousands of species, languages and cultures in our efforts of becoming conquerors as opposed to harmonious with the natural world.  There are many efforts to unify people, to bring them together, though this is not usually an appropriate measure to take. 

In an ideal world, people would be peaceful and content in their place, feeling strong with their own culture and roots and having the opportunity to travel.  Every region would have a local market that can provide its sustenance and be able to trade for what is beneficial.    If one lives in alpine climates where snow covers the ground in winter and this person feels they cannot live without tropical fruit, they should consider relocating.

We are at interest crux on this planet.  And it is interesting because it is not expected, yet it is created, almost entirely, by man.  Everything in the last century occurred so quickly.  And while damage can be done so quickly, it is a long process to restore something back to its pristine state, and we are not accustomed now for waiting for life to happen.  We have grown to a place where we have found control and urges and we wish to see results and gain satisfaction immediately.  Life ought not to be viewed as a race to the finish, but as an enjoyable walk through a park.

To begin to regenerate landscapes, not only to a state of sustainability, but into a nature as diverse, complex and thriving as a rainforest, it begins with a change of mindset. It begins with small steps and patience, with positive and comprehensive thinking.  Once this mindset is achieved and the principles and ethics are solid, we can begin to approach each unique landscape and culture appropriately, not using the same uniform model because it worked once somewhere else.

We have grown into something larger than we can handle.  Though we have made tremendous leaps in our research, there has been many casualties, and there will continue to be.  If we can begin to eliminate our desire for wanting more and faster results, we can turn around and begin to repair some of what was lost.  However, the trend continues in the opposite direction.  Best advice:  Get children involved in garden classrooms and community service programs with great mentors that will stay with them for the rest of their life, so they in turn will be able to impact the next generation positively.  Teach them how to observe and how to learn instead of what to learn.

Keep it small, keep it local.

Happy growing,

Matthew 

APW: Spring Into...?

Getting older, time continues to behave differently, and perhaps memory too.  Our brains might only have the capacity for so many relationships and interactions and though the passing of time separates people for extended periods, it takes only a recollection of a shared experience to eliminate or overcome such immense emotional and physical distance.  So I'm putting this out there, as a method for myself and for you, to recall experiences you've had in the past and to engage with someone you haven't in years.  For me these exercises help give more purpose to the present, as the present too will become past.  And if the past is neglected, it suggests an element of futility to the present . Often it is a song or a smell that does the trick, or a walk to a forgotten favorite childhood tree, to bring you back to a more agreeable balance with the now.

A reflection and update from my end.

I am well.  My time away from Hawai'i has been very good for me.  As much as I love the island, the culture, the people and all my experiences there, I was very ready to create space and engage with the rest of the world.

My experiences in Asia, mostly in Nepal,have shed a lot of light on the different cultures in the world and the adversities they all face, the deities they believe in, the interactions with the government and the powers of the surrounding nations, and how easy it can be to breathe and smile.  (It is crazy how complicated the developed world and the mind that grows up inside of it as opposed to a developing nation). Each history of these landscapes and each culture that inhabits them are drastically different from the last.  And in this modern world, each puzzle piece fits in differently than it used to, while many are already established on the global network, others' doors are being gently or harshly knocked on to join.

In the last 5 years, I have lived on conservative and liberal farms.  Farms owned by Mormons, Jews and Atheists.  Farms in the desert, in the mountains and the rainforest.  Farms involved in a local,state, national and international agricultural movement.  Farms with money and farms without.  Farms in nations with money and nations without.  Each one has taught me much and brought me to the next place.    

The world is large and diverse and there is much to observe and learn.  There are many ways to pursue these studies.  Some is through a direct classroom, and others through a walk in the woods or planting a seed.  The common thread is showing up.  Being present with the intention of wanting to familiarize yourself and improve your interactions with the surrounding environment, both people and plants.  

Keeping in mind the different approaches to engaging with this world, I am now faced with two paths.  They both commence in August and share many similarities.  I have been accepted into Warren Wilson College in North Carolinato pursue Environmental Studies with a focus on Sustainable Agriculture.  I can also pursue a 5 month program called Sustainable Israel, including a 2 month "Green Apprenticeship /Permaculture Design Course" in the Arava Desert in Israel at Kibbutz Lotan.  Lots of very interesting and impacting research is being done at both of these places.  Both pursuits engage in theoretical and practical work and each affects their local environment positively and invites International Students and Travelers to their campuses to study, learn and apply these skillsback in their homes. (An environment / community that I would love to create and build in the next 10 years)

I will be reaching a decision sometime this week and would love to hear advice or stories of being in a similar situation.  I miss the Hawaiian islands though a trip back does not seem imminent.  I will howeverbe in New York in July if anyone is around.  

Would love to hear how all of you are doing,

Wishing you a warm spring, enjoy the vibrant new growth all around you,

Matthew

All Landscapes Worthwhile

After Annaporna I began a time quite unusual for me.  It was spent
mostly in Suburbs and Cities and around friends and friends’ families.
 I had a vibe of a reluctant and confused tourist being in countries
where I could not speak the native tongue, and was dependent upon
others for directions, ways to occupy my time and translation.  I also
had some great experiences during this time, eating great food and
saying farewell to Nepal and exchanging my rupees (sad day), being
welcomed into Israel with clean cities and clear roads, celebrating
the holidays by spending Pesach Seder camped next to the Sea of
Galilee, seeing friends of friends in the old city of Jerusalem,
visiting an expert in Israel on Post Harvest handling of Vegetables,
Herbs, Fruits and Flowers, and being with a family (embracing the
feeling of family) and having large and delicious meals.

Much of the delights and sensations could be summed up with food.
From Labaneh to Hummus, Eggplants Dishes to Poyke Pots, Baklava to
Kanafe, fresh salad galore and many bread dishes (up until Passover).
And I tasted a good beer finally, my first in over 6 months, in an
arab village, Tarsheha, in the north!  What a moment that was!

And then the next part of the journey began, where we headed South to
the desert, to camp on the beach, float in the dead sea (from world’s
highest lake Tilicho at 5000 meters in Nepal to lowest 400 meters sea
level), swim in fresh pools running through arid canyons, see a music
concert in the middle of night in the middle of nowhere, and then onto
the Eco-Farms and Villages and kibbutzim and research centers studying
and applying sustainable practices that is being implemented
throughout Israel, and in neighboring countries in the world.

It was great timing as I was feeling a bit antsy to get my hands in the dirt!
And ahhhhh, the desert! The stillness that is not really still.  The
blank canvas that is filled with subtle life.  The warm caressing
breezes, and the beating sun that never quits.  The hovering flies,
dry leaves, date palms, desert blossoms, composted thick top soil,
buried drip lines, endless sunsets, digesting biogas bins, mud domes
and earthen walls. Beautiful desert, it is so nice to return to you
from the tropics of Hawaii to the Mountains of Nepal.

But the desert I return to is hardly the one I have recognized in the
past.  It is not like the Bedouin Village I visited 4 years ago and it
is not like the 4 months I spent in Nevada in the Mojave Desert.  It
is not just the artistic designs that are woven beautifully into the
earthen walls either that makes this place unfamiliar.  Nor is it the
large greenhouses and shade structures lining the roads.  It is the
greenery that surrounds this place, the biodiversity and flourishing
of life that strikes me.

Something that happened to me:

My second day on the Kibbutz and I woke up at 6 and even though it was
‘holiday’ I started to work in the nursery area and weed the floor and
the pots and do some organization. I accumulated a large pile of weeds
and left them there as I went over to see who was working in the
chicken run giving them fresh water to find out the schedule for
feeding, and what the diet of the chicks included.

It was Mike, the bad ass English Permaculture guy who my friend had
gotten me in touch with. He told me how it is difficult to accommodate
people who are here for a few days (such as myself) and need to be
baby sat and this and that.  He works around 14 hours a day and still
feels like he is falling behind, so this is a more than understandable
comment.

We talked a bit while I helped him water the container gardens and
clean the bathrooms for the eco-tourists arriving today. Next he began
to search for food for the chickens and I told him about what I did
that morning and he decided the material was perfect food for the
chicks for the next few days.  One man’s problem is another chicken’s
breakfast.  This was all very serendipitous.

We continued our conversation about other kibbutzim and interesting
projects and research happening throughout Israel.  I wrote down a
list of places to visit and then shared over breakfast the history of
agricultural practices and my background in Hawaii.  Both the desert
and the rainforest attract people with certain ideologies determined
to live in extreme conditions.  And they both are isolated in a way
that stresses the importance of togetherness and creating a network
among farmers and communities.

Mike has lived here for 28 years. He grew up with a permaculture
garden and used to be a part of a punk band in England. The younger
guy, Josh, grew up in a dome and gave me the tour of the kibbutz after
picking me up from the junction. He is American who has lived in
Israel for 8 years, has a masters in international development, has
worked with Friends of the Water, and is charge of Natural Building
and Marketing and Networking for Kibbutz. Walking around and learning
of the projects going on from Josh was very inspiring.  You can check
them out at www.kibbutzlotan.com/

There is such a diversity of people and programs here on this kibbutz
and in the Arava. There is a year program here for Israelis before
they join the army, there are continual 2 week, 1 month and 2 month
Ecological and Permaculture Training courses, there are 6 month and
year long green apprenticeships, there is a kibbutz volunteer program,
and there is much expansion to come as well.  The kibbutz also hosts a
large Dairy and a Date Farm.

There are talks of future projects such as creating a food forest
model for a CSA. Building 5-10 more housing structures with natural
building. And they have done much in the past for Israel too. Kibbutz
Lotan hosted the first CSA in Israel, helped install various recycling
methods in practice today, and possibly more soon to be in practice,
including city-wide composting bins across the country.  Their alumni
from the long term programs are out there in the country and around
the world imagining and implementing such practices and systems
learned on the Kibbutz.

I will be in Israel another few months, continuing to check out
innovative projects and communities.  After which, I hope to return
home to North America for July and be with family.  If anyone is on
the East Coast in July or August, please get in touch!  It would be
great to catch up.

And then in August, I buckle down, study, work, learn, and give what I
can back, either to a community in the blue ridge mountains of North
Carolina or a kibbutz in the desert of Israel.  Keeping the doors
open, and letting in the breeze.  All landscapes worthwhile.