Earth, the Garden of Eden
“All the world’s problems can be solved in a garden”
Geoff Lawton, world renowned permaculture consultant, designer and teacher
I remember when I stumbled around wondering how on earth the world was going to be repaired. I remember feeling overwhelmed in the idea that healing the world was out of reach, yet, having a persistent voice inside me nudging me on with the belief that it was somehow possible.
Since then, I’ve not only done a lot of soul searching, I’ve also been exposed to a great many empowering people doing invaluable things for humanity, such as Geoff Lawton (quoted above), and my good friend Cathe’ Fish, (of www.practicalpermaculturel.com), who studied with Geoff; turned me on to permaculture - and a lot of other vital knowledge like the Weston A. Price Foundation, and the Ringing Cedars of Russia.
The Ringing Cedars of Russia series of books gave me renewed inspiration towards the possibility of saving the world through our personal dedication to gardening, and the creation of food forests, (permaculture), by describing a Vedic lifestyle purported to have been lost not too long ago. Rich in genius for bringing life on earth back to a place of peace and abundance this book series deepened the notion for me that our world’s problems could indeed be solved with gardens.
Now, who remembers the First Earth Run of 1986 where a torch of peace was carried around the world (involving 45 countries, 65 heads of states and 25 million people) bringing a vibrant and hopeful message that touched and inspired many people the world over.
This remarkable journey has had lasting, beneficial effects for all.
One of the benefits born of the incredible task of bringing a living torch of peace around the world is a Peace Game that deeply inspires - and creates opportunities for those of us focused on saving our planet, and its beautiful inhabitants, which the game achieves through the tried and true wisdom of the 7 Actions that made the First Earth Run such a splendid success.
This game is called the Peace on Earth by 2030 Game, and here, in Crestone Colorado, we sport one of the original pilot teams.
Now I know we’re writing about our personal experiences with gardening on this #GARDENJOURNAL, and if you give me a sec I’ll get to that. I’m sharing with you about the Peace Game because it’s how my not so great gardening skills (and resources) have been able to grow, and how I’m now a key facilitator of the PermaPeaceFest
(a permaculture/peace festival happening in Crestone Colorado May 2021).
As a pilot team playing the Peace Games, Crestone started out with two teams: youth and elders. The elders asked the youth what they wanted the actions towards peace to be and the young people, who had been aghast at seeing classmates attending school hungry, chose to aim for ending hunger in Crestone.
Doing the actions of the game the elder and youth teams joined forces with local food resiliency groups and participated in seeing community gardens grow, and greenhouses being utilized, while adding other measures that, combined, created enough extra food to triple the local food bank.
Since joining the Peace Game I’ve been able to learn from Ginny, a garden wizardess, by volunteering in the greenhouse. I’ve been exposed to resources I wasn’t aware were available to me for my own plodding-along garden (which should greatly improve as a result). And I’ve become instrumental in the planning and creating of our fabulous PermaPeaceFest, where we'll be hosting world class instructors for Permaculture Certification Design, Growing Money with Permaculture, and holding a Permaculture Olympics, with a Festival of music, arts and crafts, fun and games activities for kids, and more - all winding up the 18-day learning-planting-dancing shindig.
This is a picture of me (left), and Ginny (middle), in the greenhouse with her good friend Lorrie (right), after tending the baby plants that have recently sprung up, while making plans for our upcoming PermaPeaceFest which is being kicked off with Ginny’s Crestone Garden Festival and Community Garden.
Check out the PermaPeacefest website and consider joining us in the remarkable San Luis Valley for an enchanted, educational and experientially lucrative time: www.permapeacefest.earth
And for those of you who’d like to take advantage of the empowering skills developed in the Peace on Earth by 2030 Game check out the website here: www.peace2030.earth (There’s a great video about the First Earth Run that will bring tears to your eyes, and inspire you to the depths and heights of achievement.)
I’ll keep journaling as plantings and events continue to unfold on this grand adventure that I hope some of you will join in on!
If a garden can help save the world, big or little, what a joyous and fruitful way for us all to make a difference!
Many thanks to:
Garden Journal Challenge hosted by
Lotus Garden newsletter:
