aManda Greene

1056 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94608

www.newdharma.com

Dear  Permaculture  Designers, Educators, Activists and Visionaries :

The New Dharma Meditation Center for Urban Peace is excited to announce the development of a new ecological project.   New Dharma is seeking to turn its Center grounds into an educational and demonstrational site of urban sustainability. The construction will be completed in a workshop format, facilitating the local youth (and the Dharma community) in Urban Permaculture. design and construction.   

Both theoretical and practical classes will be   held , teaching youth new sustainable skills while empowering their voice and vocabulary in the reclamation of our collective future.

Participants are entering the seven-month process, starting in February  with the intention of developing an ongoing  “Permaculture Integration Agency” as phase two of the project’s completion.  The “Agency” will ultimately provide the city of Oakland and its surrounding areas with skilled permaculture  practitioners , assisting in the greening of the city while supplying  not only jobs,   but also empowerment for the community and it’s youth. 

While the details of the restoration will be left for the facilitators and students to plan and design, the on site projects proposed are:

 • Permaculture garden, including mandala garden beds and herb spiral

 • Composting

 • Removal of fencing from around the fig tree

 • Exchange pavement with native plants

 • Roof water catchment (for garden and for drinking?_)

 • Separation of grey and black water  and  grey water purification (recycling ?) system

 • Solar oven

 • Bicycle energy generation

 • Sustainable Arts and Crafts, including paper making

The Mission of the New Dharma Community: (keep this in bold)

New Dharma Meditation Center for Urban Peace (NDMC) is dedicated to offering wisdom teachings for individual and social change. We hold an abiding attention to the needs of people of color, and offer a place of refuge for all peoples to build and sustain a practice of body, heart and mind. Through transformative practice, trainings, education, programs and community, we inspire and empower the awakened nature that is within each of us towards social action for the benefit of all. (www.newdharma.org)

New Dharma recognizes your role and  experience  in the pursuit of sustainability and environmental justice and is calling out for solidarity in the  actualization of this vision.  We are in need of visionary’s, designers, facilitators, friends and anyone  who wishes to grab a shovel and see this vision/project through.  There is funding for this project, and a budget for facilitators is in process. If you have specific skills or ideas in the strengthening of this project we invite you to be creative.  Please distribute this letter widely to any who you feel might show interest or involvement. 

Thank you and we look forward to your participation,

Spiritual Director, Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams

Project Coordinator, aManda Greene

For any questions, comments, or further details please contact:

aManda Greene

vidaverde@artnetwork.com