Thursday, March 31, 2011

A taste from Sunday's event on "Crises, nature and local commuinities"



What might be the connection between a small village perched on a mountain slope that is known as Anavra in Greece and is located in the prefecture of Magnisia and Marathon? No one in particular.

The presentation of Anavra though as part of the proceedings of the event that took place on Sunday 27/3/2011 at the ORCC of the National Park of Schinias at Marathon which dealt with crises and sought positive examples and solutions, through its who told us the story, along with film screenings and the participation of the organic farmers at Marathon in the afternoon meant a lot for the audience.

People were inspired and applauded our honored guests Dimitri Tsoukalas and Mahi Karali who allowed us in the phenomenon of the village with no unemployment, high environmental standards and income known as Anavra

Where do these remarks lead us?

To the conclusion that in Greece, currently mired with several crises (economic, environmental and social to name a few) bright exceptions do exist! Besides, during the day event the presence of SARCHA, the friend non-profit organization that seeks solutions for the thorny issue of the Athens historic center made a difference.

The evening meeting between organic farmers, organizers and the audience was a preparatory stage for the Ecofestival being planned for the first time in Marathon!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Crises, nature and local communities



A day event of social exploration: Κυριακή 27 Μαρτίου 2011

There is an urgent need for investigating the sustainability factors of our societies under the current and future pressure of crises. Societies and sustainable future are being examined from the perspective of the multi-level environmental, economic and social crises we are experiencing today internationally. These are already being felt very strongly in greek communities and urgently require investigation.
Climate change, economic, energy and food crisis and access to environmental resources such as drinking water, all form a great challenge for us and for future generations. In this workshop we will learn from best practices both from Greece and from abroad to do workshops and initiatives by the local community and every participant. We will examine what we have as natural and cultural assets and environmental resources as well as concepts of specific bearing capacity and discuss issues of social justice and everyday lifestyles.
This knowledge is useful in order to understand some problems that may lie at the heart of the crisis experience and knowledge may also include their solutions.

The presentations, discussions and screenings will focus on how different communities and individuals approach the issue of current and upcoming crises and how resilience, autonomy and social cohesion as tools to counteract crises may be sought.


Examples of good practice in Greece and abroad:
11:00 to 14:00

The period of crisis, causes and responses
The case of Anavra
Dimitris Tsoukalas and Mahi Karali, (former President of Community and Architect, respectively) are behind the phenomenon of Anavra and will introduce the concepts, processes and history of a success story of this particular experiment of a holistic sustainable society with tangible and impressive results.
The Transition movement
Nicholas Anastasopoulos, co-founder of TREE and currently President of the Management Agency of the Schinias Marathon National Park will make an introduction to the principles and ideology of the movement.

Questions and Discussion.

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Screenings:
16:00 to 17:00

1. How much food can I grow around my house (Peak Moment Series Episode 87 / 28 ')
2. An experiment in backyard sustainability (Peak Moment Series Episode 51 / 26 ')
3. Power of Community: How Cuba survived the Peak oil crisis, (The Community Solution, 2006 / 53 ')


The videos are in English, without subtitles, and there will be simultaneous translation if necessary

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From theory to practice
17:00 to 20:00

Open discussion with organic farmers in the region Marathon.
Coordinated discussion of initiatives for the public and the input method for speakers with Open Space thechnology. empowerment of groups, initiatives and development objectives and development of methodologies for the achievement of individual actions will be proposed.



The events will take place in the Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Center at the National Park of Schinias at Marathon under the aegis of the National Park