Sustainability as Entertainment Too

I love to hear authors read and discuss their books. It gives another dimension to the work, adds a story beneath the story.

This week has been a field day of authors speaking in the bay area on topics of farming, sustainability and activism.

Saturday night at Toby's Feed Barn in Pt. Reyes Wendy Johnson with her new book, Gardening at the Dragon's Gate, Allstar Organics Janet Brown, and Sara Tashkar, the Organic Farm Manager of Green Gulch Farm spoke about Food, Farming and the Future.

There was a passionate discussion of the politics of the light brown apple moth aerial spraying. There were committed young female farmers, a raffle. There was a wild nettle and chard dip on fresh baked bread.

My favorite statement of the evening was that farming isn't sustainable unless it's passed on to the next generation. I know it sounds obvious but I'd never thought of it.

Monday night Bill McKibben was at City Arts and Lectures discussing his new book, Deep Economy. He talked about the power of people taking action across the country, his new project 350. He talked about being neighborly in every sense of the word. I loved that.

Tuesday night Michael Pollan's taped January appearance at City Arts and Lectures was on the radio. I'd been at the event but listened again because I always hear something new. This time I gave him much more credit for supporting local foods.

And tomorrow night Diane Wilson is speaking at the Dance Palace in Pt. Reyes about her book an An Unreasonable Woman, which I lived and breathed this week. I started talking like she writes. I laughed and cried and hid under the covers in despair reading the book.

And I finished with hope that persistence and truth can eventually save the day or in her case save the bay. I can't wait to see her.