3/30/2010 5:44:00 PM Dr. Guy McPherson Talk Sustainable communities expert part of water awareness month series
Dr. Guy McPherson will talk on sustainable communities at the Sedona Public Library on April 7 at 6:30 p.m. as part of Water Awareness Month.
It is Water Awareness Month, and on April 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sedona Public Library, the Sedona WaterWise Alliance is hosting a talk by Dr. Guy McPherson, professor emeritus of the University of Arizona. In addition to the presentation, there will be group discussion and a mini-expo featuring local foods and wines plus information on green living options. The program is free to the public.
Most recently, Dr. McPherson served as professor at the UA School of Natural Resources and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. In 2009, he was recognized as Faculty of the Year. "We are fortunate to have Dr. McPherson lead off our discussion on this subject so important to us in the Verde Valley. People here were once pretty self-sufficient, but we've lost that today, and we have to get it back," said John Neville, president of Sustainable Arizona. "We're grateful to the Sedona Community Foundation for their continuing support that helps makes events like these possible."
Dr. McPherson recently left academia for other pursuits. As he put it in his popular blog, Nature Bats Last: "I departed university life for many reasons, among them to dedicate more time informing the world's citizens about the consequences of the way we live. My message centers on the twin sides of the fossil-fuel coin: global climate change and energy decline (commonly known as "peak oil"). ...These unprecedented phenomena impact every aspect of life on Earth, notably including our ability to protect the living planet on which we depend for our own survival."
As Albert Einstein once said, "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means." While Dr. McPherson might take exception to that thought, he decided to put it into practice. Today, he and his wife live in an off-grid, straw-bale house where they practice sustainable living by organic gardening, raising small animals for eggs and milk, and actively engaging with members of their rural community.
There is a parallel effort now underway in the Verde Valley. People are calling it an "Agricultural Renaissance." Homeowners are growing food in their own gardens. Neighbors are coming together to start community gardens. Gardens for Humanity operates several community gardens in the area. Local landowners are finding old ways to take advantage of their water rights: growing food. There are expanding farmers markets in towns across the Valley.
In addition, one of the original Verde Valley crops is undergoing a rebirth. Grape vines and wineries are bursting forth with wonderful wines that are gaining recognition across the country. Yavapai College is planting its own vines as part of new courses in viticulture and wine-making. This new, old cash crop can provide a meaningful stimulus to our regional economy.
Why is local agriculture important to a sustainable community? Think about it. What do all people need to survive? Before anyone needs a good job, everyone needs clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and healthy food to eat. Throughout history, people have come to the Verde Valley because there was clean air, good water and a place to grow food. In the past decades, we have given up control of our food production, and that has made us more vulnerable to the impacts of economic downturns, shortages of fuels, and the impeding impacts of climate change.
"Dr. McPherson is living in ways we can adapt to the Verde Valley. That, plus his knowledge of the challenges we're facing is why we asked him to contribute to our educational series," said Jawn McKinley, chair of the WaterWise Alliance. "We are a community blessed with creative people. Now, it's time we get creative about being a more sustainable community."
For more information about Water Awareness Month and living more sustainably, visit www.SustainableArizona.org.
