The City Repair Project's 12th Annual
Village Building Convergence (VBC 12)
Ten Days & Nights: Friday, May 25 to Sunday, June 3
"To build the change that they wish to see in the world!"
Don't miss it, because there is nothing else like this event anywhere!
All across the city of Portland, and bigger and better than ever, the annual 10-day Village Building Convergence is back. A six-month process of organizing, gathering, designing, and funding is about to culminate in forty-community extravaganza of constructive action and celebration to transform our whole city! The vast scale of this project includes the implementation of a dazzling spectrum of sustainable urban features, including 8 new public squares, numerous urban agriculture and permaculture installations, ambitious building projects that exhibit new sustainable technologies and more. Each of these projects builds community by bringing people together to combine their voices and their strengths, "to build the change that they wish to see in the world". Each project is being developed as an educational opportunity, and each is being created with locally sourced materials.
That's during the day! At night all of the communities will converge at a central location where fabulous dinners made with the most local ingredients will be served. Then speakers, performers, dancers and musicians will take to the main stage and delight the crowds into the night. Like a great pulse of vision into action, people will work together during the day, and come together at night, as they learn with their minds and move with their bodies.
Here are some highlights of the neighborhood projects for 2012:
• 13 Intersection Painting Projects
• 6 School Partnerships
• 15 Natural Building, Ecological Installations, and Workshop Spaces
• 8 Gardens and Planter Boxes
Here are some of the speakers for 2012:
• Ianto Evans: Founder of modern natural building processes in the USA
• Nala Walla: "Body Ecologist" teacher of movement and dance across the world
• Paul Cienfuegos: International leader in developing innovative democracy
• Nance Klehm: Leader in teaching and implementing sustainable practices
• Oliver Kelhammer: Canada's leading permaculture teacher and public artist
• Jenny Pell: Leading permaculture teacher, and designer of international projects
• Starhawk: Renowned author and global activist
• Mark Lakeman: Founder of City Repair and Communitecture, Inc.
• Karen Hery: Visionary & Founder of Sunnyside Swap Shop
Some Musical Performances:
• The Max Ribner Band
• Tapwater Band
• Harmonica Pocket
• And much more!
Major Sponsors include:
City & Regional Agencies
• Portland Bureau of Planning and Sutainability
• The Portland Bureau of Transportation
• The Bureau of Environmental Services
• Metro Regional Government
Local Businesses
• The Redirect Guide
• Communitecture, Inc.
• M Realty
• Hankins Hardware, True Value
Local Non-Profit Organizations
• The City Repair Project
• The ReBuilding Center
• KBOO Community Radio
• People's Food COOP
*** This year the VBC will combine it's last three evenings with the Community Built Association's annual national conference in Portland.
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