Global Trends-Local Choices is a project by Ravi Logan and Jan Spencer, both of Eugene.

Presentation Dates in Western Oregon

Bend Friday, July 22, 6:30 PM-9 The Environment Center sponsor, Amnesty International

Corvallis Tuesday, August 9, 7 PM Public Library sponsor, Corvallis Public Library, NW Earth Institute, Natural Step

Newport Saturday, August 13, 5 PM -7

Ashland Tuesday, August 23, 7 PM Metaphsical Library sponsor, The Metaphysical Library

North Bend-Coos Bay Wednesday, August 24, First Methodist Church in Coos Bay 123 Ocean Blvd., 6:30

The presentation is intended to give practical and programatic direction to a fundamental culture change. The premise is that our existing market based economic system and the consumer culture, its most notable product, has delivered to us intolerable degradation to the environment, the human spirit and the entire world community.

Global trends such as climate change, peak oil, population increases, economic disequity, affluence/militarism and many others clearly spell out a compelling need for a deep culture change. Added to those reasons is the humanistic perspective that the economic system and the consumer culture is contrary to many core values and ideals that contribute to healthy people and culture. The need for change goes far beyond modest adjustments.

The presentation describes practical and progammatic approaches in the form of zones of application based on classic Permaculture principles. The presentation will describe thoughtful changes from one's self outwards to one's home, neighborhood, community, bio region and beyond. These changes relate to democratic decision making, personal accountability, economic conversion, education/communication, environmental restoration, urban land redesign and more.

It is understood these suggested changes are profound. The trends mentioned above will likely create, embedded within a great deal of social/political/economic instability, an opportunity for positive movement towards a culture that is equitable, democratic, peaceful and can exist within what the planet can provide. In this way, the decline of the current system is setting up a chance to pick up the pieces and put them back together again in a healthy way. The presentation is designed to help articulate a new paradigm so there are multiple common denominators between us we can make use of for this hopeful change.

The second part of the program will be a narrated slide show that will illustrate real life examples of good works representing the "zones" described earlier. These good works can serve to inspire others to adapt positive ideas and strategies. Many of the elements of New Culture take place everyday all around us. What they need to grow is recognition, nurturing and replication.

The slide show will touch on urban land use, suburban renewal, local culture, environmental restoration, "green" economics, local food security and much more. Images will be drawn from Eugene, Portland, Berkeley/Oakland, Berlin and the Santa Rosa area.

Finally, we will invite Oregon friends to the 9th Annual Northwest Permaculture and Bio-Regional Gathering in Eugene, September 9-11. the Gathering is a wonderful occasion for learning all manner of skills relating to Eco_Logical living. Topics will include intro to Permaculture, appropriate technology, urban redesign, food preservation, ecovillages, alternative currency, tours of nearby Permaculture sites and much more. This year there will be a track on Living Bio Regional, downsizing and localizing the way we live. For more info, go to http://www.heliosnetwork.org/epg/9th-Annual-Gathering.htm

Bio Jan Spencer

Jan Spencer has lived in Eguene for 13 years. He is active with community affairs as a board member of his neighborhood association, a member of the Metropolitan Policy Organization Citizen Advisory Committee on transportation. He is on the steering committees of both the Eugene Permaculture Guild and Citizens for Public Accountability, a Eugene activist group focusing on land use, water quality and public process. Jan initiated the first "Citizens State of the City", a progressive citizens' version of the mayor's yearly report on the state of Eugene. A former speaker at the Citizens' State of the City is now mayor.

Past years have included nearly five years out of the country in New Zealand, all over Europe, Central America, East, Central and South Africa. These travels reflect a keen interest in global politics and Geography, in which Jan has a BA degree. Not to mention surfing.

Other highlights include living 2 years in a rural commune in the Arkansas Ozarks, bike touring in France, Austria, Greece, Sardegna and Corsica and converting his 1/4 acre suburban property in Eugene into a Permaculture Shangri-la featuring solar redesign, permaculture land scape/garden, rain water storage, driveway removal and much more. Jan is a professional artist, painting both murals and framed art.

In more recent years, Jan has gained a keen interest in urban land use along with enhanced focus on global trends. He is a consistent advocate, well known in Eugene, for thoughtful community and personal responses to those trends such as downsizing one's lifestyle and being an active participant in promoting a humanistic and ecologically sensible culture. He is a primary organizer for this year's NW Permaculture and Bio Rgional Gathering in September and participant in witing the South Willamette Valley Green Paper. He has made numerous presentions, been on panels, has written published articles on a variety of contemporary political, economic and cultural issues. Jan is the organizer for Eugene's popular Lane Use Bike Tour, a bike tour visiting local New Culture Sites in Eugene.

contact
Jan Spencer
541 686 6761
spencerj@efn.org


Bio Ravi Logan

Ronald (Ravi) Logan is a yoga and meditation teacher with a deep interest in social transformation. In addition to teaching practical techniques for the integrated development of vital, spiritually receptive human beings, he is also well-versed in the perennial wisdom of yoga philosophy.

Ravi has deep interest in the relevance of spiritually-oriented humanism to social renewal. He is the author of PROUT: A New Paradigm of Development, a forthcoming book on a new political paradigm which is based on spiritual-humanist values.

Ravi has lectured internationally on yoga and on new paradigm social theory, including presentations at the annual convention of the American Association of Transpersonal Psychology, and at symposia in Copenhagen, New Delhi, and Birobidzhan, Russia. In the early 1990s, he traveled internationally presenting the seminar, "Future Visions".

Ravi is the cofounder and program director of the Dharmalaya Center for Human Development in Eugene, Oregon, a unique facility that promotes wholesome human development in personal and social spheres of life, as well as modeling sustainable living practices. In addition to offering programs at Dharmalaya, he is an adjunct instructor in the University of Oregonâ?Ts Mind-Body Program.

His current community involvements include: steering committee member, Eugene Permaculture Guild; organizing committee, Northwest Regional Permaculture Conference; co-host, Global Trends talk show; staff, Oregon Country Fair Community Village; and co-author of the South Willamette Green Paper. And he is on the leadership collective of the Prout Institute, which is responding to global problems by giving vision, hope, empowerment, and constructive solutions on the basis of a new paradigm of development.

Contact Information:

Ronald (Ravi) Logan
356 Horn Lane
Eugene OR 97404 USA
541-344-0553
ravi@dharmalaya.org