Masanobu Fukuoka Quote on Treating Mother Nature with a Little Humility

"If we throw mother nature out the window, she comes back in the door with a pitchfork."

Masanobu Fukuoka - "The One-Straw Revolution"

Homegrown Revolution - Award-Winning Short Film

"I knew early on that we needed to settle the food problem because if you can grow food it's empowering. In fact I believe growing food is one of the most dangerous occupations on the face of this earth because you're in danger of becoming free."

Ah! The Dervaes family!! An inspiration to so many in the world.

Source information:
Check us out at: http://www.urbanhomestead.org
The Dervaes Family on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dervaes
The Urban Homestead on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/urbanhomestead
For more on the film: http://www.homegrownrevolution.com
To purchase a copy for public screening: http://www.peddlerswagon.com/p-282-homegrown-revolution.aspx

This film features: Jules Dervaes, Justin Dervaes, Anais Dervaes and Jordanne Dervaes Homegrown Revolution is a short introduction to the homegrown project that has been called a new revolution in urban sustainability.

In the midst of a dense city setting in downtown Pasadena, radical change is taking root. For over twenty years, the Dervaes family have transformed their home into an urban homestead and model for sustainable agriculture and city living.

Through the creation of the "Urban Homestead" the Dervaes family shows that change is possible -- one step at a time. They harvest 3 tons of organic food annually from their 1/10 acre garden while incorporating many back-to-basics practices, solar energy and biodiesel in order to reduce their footprint on the earth's resources.

Through the creation of the "Urban Homestead" the Dervaes family shows that change is possible.

Homegrown Revolution is a short film that was never created for a film festival circuit but has a true homegrown, homemade story behind its creation.

The original version of Homegrown Revolution was made in three days for a lecture Jules Dervaes gave at the University of California Los Angeles in October 2007 on the topic of Slow Food (see the original version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89HRDnYRLzY). It received a wildly enthusiastic response from the students and, subsequently, attracted an avid following on YouTube, with over 500,000 views to date.

This new version of Homegrown Revolution was created in 2009 and went on to screen at many film festivals throughout the world. It is a collaborative project done by Jules, Anais, Justin and Jordanne with each member taking part in the filming, editing and structure of the film. No one had any previous film editing / filming experience but they hope the passion and enthusiasm of their lifestyle and project show through any technical flaws.

Made in-house on computers powered by solar/green sources. All transportation was done in a biodiesel-fueled car and All camera/mic batteries were rechargeable and charged with solar energy. Waste was kept to a minimum -- paper composted or recycled and all publicizing materials printed on post consumer paper.

Some of the honors Homegrown Revolution (2009) won are:
• WINNER Best Environment & Ecology Film
North America, Swansea International Film Festival, UNITED KINGDOM
• Prize of the Mayor of the Capitol City of Slovakia
Ekotop Film Festival of Sustainable Development, SLOVAKIA
• Best Short Documentary
Southern Appalachian International Film Festival, TENNESSEE
• El Capitan Film Award
Yosemite International Film Festival, CALIFORNIA
• Best Sustainability Film
Green Screen Environmental Film Festival, CALIFORNIA
• Robert T. Nanninga Award for Excellence
Cottonwood Creek Film Festival, CALIFORNIA

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• HONORABLE MENTION - Westpac Award Best Short Film Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, NEW ZEALAND
• NOMINATED Best Film - Climate Change & Sustainable Technology CMS Vatavaran • Environmental & Wildlife Film Fest, INDIA 
• FINALIST - European Spiritual Film Fest, FRANCE
• Clips were also feature on OPRAH's 2009 Earth Day show.

Bill Mollison Quote on Contentment and Harmony

"Sitting at our back doorsteps, all we need to live a good life lies about us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds and plants surround us. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos."

Bill Mollison

Humus: The Essential Ingredient. Graeme Sait at TEDxNoosa

Humus is undoubtedly the fat of the land. The layer of soil essential for healthy food production which is being gradually depleted by unsustainable farming practices. Graeme Sait a lifelong human and soil health educator explains how 467 billion tonnes of carbon has been released from the soil into the atmosphere, and that we urgently need to return that carbon to the soil, and start replenishing the humus in order to reverse the impact.

Geoff Lawton on the Importance of Soil Life

"It's not the soil itself - it's the soil life that is the most important element."

Geoff Lawton "Permaculture Soils"

Tree Grafting with a Cleft Graft

Tree grafting to those who've never looked into it seems like a magical thing; a complex skill beyond the capability of those who haven't studied horticulture or born with "green fingers". This video is shows how straight-forward it really is, and you'll be wanting to go out and do it immediately! Imagine the fruit trees you could have growing around your home...!!

YouTube Source: Grafting Local Apriot Scion Wood onto Rootstock with a Cleft Graft

From permacultureVOICES's YouTube video description:
Cory Krell chair of the North County San Diego CRFG Chapter grafts up a local apricot variety onto some St. Julian 'A' rootstock using a cleft graft. The goal of this project was to distribute a few varieties of apricots to CRFG members that we know perform well in our area, but are not commercially available. The trees will be scattered throughout San Diego county in a variety of climate zones.
Periodically we will collect data on these trees to see which varieties perform better than others in any given area. The project preserved and spread out the genetic material for some rare varieties and injected 100 trees into the communities providing food for people and wildlife, shade, and something pretty to look at. All of the grafting was done in front of the members as a learning demonstration. Members were able to learn as several long time grafters used a variety of grafting techniques.
For more info on our chapter you can visit: http://nc.crfgsandiego.org/

Bill Mollison on Being Proactive

"The greatest chance we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone.

Hence the futility of the revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter."

Bill Mollison.