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The DIY Field Guide to a Science of Cities for the People
In conjunction with ‘Urban Ecology Arts Exchange’, part of the Philadelphia Area Creative Collaborative initiative, Haverford College presents a field-based workshop at Bartram’s Garden led by Scott Kellogg, Educational Director of the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center located in Albany NY, titled ‘Urban Ecosystem Justice – The DIY Field Guide to a Science of Cities for the People.’
A roundtrip bus will be provided free of charge from Haverford to Bartram’s Garden, for travel details please contact PACC Program Manager, Stephanie Bursese at .
The first 20 attendees will receive a FREE COPY of “Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A do-it-Ourselves Guide” by Scott Kellogg & Stacy Pettigrew
This event will be held at Bartram’s Garden, in the Bartram’s Barn, at 5400 Lindbergh Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19143. The event is free and open to the public.
This event is part of a Philadelphia Area Creative Collaboratives (PACC) project called ‘Urban Ecology Arts Exchange’. This collaborative group consists of artist Li Sumpter, Suku John, Executive Director, East Park Revitalization Alliance (EPRA), Tommy Joshua, Executive Director, North Philly Peace ParkPili X, Director of Community Partnerships, North Philly Peace Park, Paulette Rhone, President of the Friends of Mount Moriah CemeteryJonathan Wilson, Assistant Professor of Biology, Director of Environmental Studies at Haverford College, and Joshua Moses, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Haverford College, and Stephanie Bursese, PACC Program Manager at Haverford College.
About the workshop:
With a growing awareness of the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems, there is an increased recognition of the idea of cities as ecosystems. Until recently, the field of urban ecology was centered on the study of ecology in cities as opposed to the ecology of cities. This new paradigm sees urban environments as complex adaptive systems, hybrids of human and non-human co-evolutionary processes. Much of the field of urban ecosystem studies is still dominated, however, from a top-down planning and government perspective that has little relevance to the lived experience of the average urban resident. What would it mean to merge the concept of urban ecology with a social justice analysis? How do questions of access, equity, and fairness apply to the biophysical dimensions of urban ecosystems such as soils, watersheds, biodiversity, waste cycles, and atmospheres? Is it possible to construct an ethic of ‘urban biocultural diversity’ where mutually symbiotic relationships are created between the human and non-human elements of a city, capable of meeting the material needs of residents while simultaneously regenerating the socio-ecological health of the urban ecosystem? Drawing upon both theoretical possibilities and real-world examples, this workshop will frame these questions and propose solutions.
Topics to be explored include:
- DIY river remediation: floating restorers
- Resilient airsheds: reclaiming urban atmospheres
- Community-based bioremediation of contaminated soils
- Ecologically Regenerative Micro-Industries: turning wastes into soil
- Urban biocultural diversity: biodiversity and social justice linked
Lessons and experiences will be drawn from the past five years of running the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in Albany, NY, an urban environmental education center that integrates an urban ecosystem justice youth curriculum into a demonstration site of sustainable tools and technologies.
Scott Kellogg is the co-author of the book “Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A Do-it-Ourselves Guide” (South End Press) and the primary teacher of R.U.S.T. – The Regenerative Urban Sustainability Training, an intensive weekend workshop in urban ecological living skills that has been attended by over 700 people since it was first taught in 2006.
Currently, Scott is the Educational Director at the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, an urban environmental educational center in Albany, NY. It is a demonstration of environmental technologies and sustainable micro industries applicable in today’s cities. Radix contains a solar heated bioshelter greenhouse that contains an integrated food production system involving fish, plants, rabbits, worms, chickens, ducks, silkworms, and black soldier flies.
Please contact Stephanie Bursese, PACC Program Manager with any questions at .
