Civic Ecology – Damascus Style!

On Saturday 12 February 2011, the City of Damascus (Oregon) hosted the first of its two Civic Ecology Workshops at Damascus City Hall. The workshop was facilitated by staff from SERA Architects and CH2M HILL as part of on-going sustainability planning efforts for the City.

The premise behind Civic Ecology is that attaining sustainability requires careful attention to planning, constructing, and managing a comprehensive framework of community systems. Energy flows, local food production systems, local-global economic webs, social networks, community governance, resource sharing networks, and integrated land use and transportation are just some of the community systems that, when synergized in a specific place, constitute a complex human ecosystem or “Civic Ecology.” Nurturing this web of relationships and flows affords communities opportunities to enhance their local wealth (environmental, economic, and cultural), resilience, and competitiveness, and to take control of designing and managing their future.

The goals of the first workshop were to introduce community members to the Civic Ecology model and have them brainstorm initiatives and projects that could both serve local needs and be championed by empowered groups and individuals (with the option of partnering with the City if appropriate). As such, this workshop also was intended as a networking venue for a diverse constituency.

The majority of workshop attendees were from Damascus and the surrounding communities; attendees represented a range of community groups, professional disciplines, and personal talents. The workshop stimulated lively discussions on a broad range of sustainability topics, with a strong emphasis placed on potential initiatives that could be community-conceived and led. Participants envisioned a diverse range of system flows within their community. Brainstorms included connecting systems that could localize and secure wealth, energy, and food production; capture and reuse available resources; and form beneficial community networks. The projects that resulted from this exercise included a community recycling center, community-scaled compost, an agricultural co-operative, a new community center / city hall, and an organization to facilitate jobs and knowledge sharing.

The motivation derived from February’s workshop inspired City staff to host a follow-up workshop to provide interested participants the opportunity to focus on the advancement of projects and the organizational steps necessary to get them started.

On Saturday 16 April 2011, participants reconvened to work on projects conceived at the previous workshop, and to introduce and explore new project ideas. (Numerous community members also reported on some of the local initiatives that had gained steam since the first workshop.) Working in groups, participants determined the finer points of each project, such as potential partners, feasibility, and benefits to the community. Each project was categorized by how it would impact surrounding community systems like water, food, waste, social capital, and the local economy.

The group finished the workshop with four strong projects:

1. Community Supported Agriculture – An opportunity to connect farmers and consumers with a local resource: fresh food. A cooperative could form to build a community around food, offer education in agricultural skills, help to provide for increased food security, and strengthen the local economy while being more inclusive of all income levels (by offering local food goods in exchange for bartering and / or ‘Damascus Dollars’).

2. Algae Farm – Algae ponds are often used as a tertiary treatment in alternative wastewater systems. This process generates biofuels that can be harnessed for energy as well as algae chaff which can be a rich fertilizer for agricultural soils. The treated water can be used for non-potable needs such as irrigation and toilet flushing in buildings. This natural system could become a valuable, self-sustaining local resource and business.

3. Joint Community Center / City Hall – Linking community needs to available resources, this collaborative venture potentially may occur in a repurposed Middle School to continue to serve the people of Damascus by providing them with a physical/social hub to continue to develop community goals. The center could provide a space for children, elders, and general citizens interested in furthering the community’s vision for neighborhood networks, transportation solutions, resource conservation, health care, affordable opportunities, education, local food production, and more.

4. The Purple Bucket – Similar to the “Purple Pipe” which reclaims usable water for non-potable needs, the Purple Bucket collects agricultural and food waste and turns it into compost. The Purple Bucket reduces waste sent to the landfill, improves local soil which benefits local food production, strengthens community bonds, and creates an emerging business opportunity.

 

Workshop participants have begun to take great strides to put these ideas into place. A major milestone was reached when the Civic Ecology participants repurposed an existing community-based non-profit to focus specifically on the implementation of these projects.

Do you live in Damascus and want to get involved? Contact Kevin Reedy at Reedy Enterprises.

{By Anneliese Sitterly}