Sustainability the plan at Spiral Living center
From our weekly issue dated May 12, 2010
For most of this country“s history, people achieved self-sufficiency by growing their own food and living off the land.
But these days, many people lack the skills and knowledge to live as their ancestors did.
At the Spiral Living center (SLC) in Takilma, executive director Deb Lukas is looking to change all that.
SLC was founded in 2006 to serve Illinois Valley needs for sustainable living, Lukas said. It is located at the Frog Farm off Takilma Road.
“We“re trying to help the people in our community,“ explained Lucas.
The core mission of SLC is to empower individuals and families in the area by building the infrastructure for basic human needs.
As situations like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 have demonstrated, citizens cannot always rely on entities like the Federal Emergency Management Agency in tragedies.
“We can“t count on the government to rescue us from these kinds of disasters,“ Lukas said.
In the event of a major catastrophe, she said, at least two weeks worth of food would be required for survival.
But if everyone already has learned skills like canning and fishing, Lukas said, the community would be more self-reliant and stronger.
“We can only have community security if all our neighbors are going to be fed,“ she said.
For example, she noted that there are many people in the area who have farming equipment, irrigation rights and fences, but cannot shoulder the operating costs of a farm. But through the establishment of partnerships and community gardens, Lukas said, valley residents can obtain greater food security.
To help educate the public about its philosophy and efforts, SLC routinely hosts events at Frog Farm. A spring seed swap was held in March, and was followed by a skill share in mid-April. The skill share featured workshops on such topics as tool-sharpening and repair, raising goats for fiber and meat, and making sourdough bread.
Projects at SLC under way include a tool-lending library, where smaller implements like shovels can be rented for a nominal fee.
There“s also I.V. Gleaners, which harvests and distributes fruits and vegetables that otherwise would go to waste, and I.V. Bike Space. The latter involves providing functional bicycles and bike repairs for young people, the working poor and the jobless.
Bicycle maintenance and repair workshops are offered for free, Lukas said, with parts sold at cost.
SLC has raised more than $600 in donations for the bicycle project, and already has purchased tools and parts.
Once perfected, the bike program and tool-lending can be duplicated in neighborhoods throughout the valley and beyond, Lukas said.
A book-lending library is set to open at SLC by the end of May. Through that program, people will have access to 14 volumes of material about sustainable living.
On Saturday, May 15, an event will be held at SLC instructing attendees on how to grow their own garden seeds.
That workshop is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m.. There is a fee. June 24, the Farm Skill Share will return. It has been a popular event in the past, Lukas said, but has not been held for the last couple of years.
Also planned is a farm and garden festival, tentatively set for Sept. 11 at Jubilee Park in Cave Junction.
For more information, phone SLC at 541-592-3642.
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