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2008/11/10nov 10,2008
yesterday was our presentation and speech at the first annual eco-festival in ibihiro.the second or third largest city in hokkaido.it was held in the tokachi plaza.a very nice convention center in downtown near the train station.not many people came by for the event but it was the first such event.we setup a table to show our books,dvd's and calenders,etc.i baked 2 loaves of portugese sweet bread and konomi made organic tea to share with people as we tried to talk to them about what we are doing.we made pamplets of our mission and information about our csa.we got 5 people to sign up for our csa.yeah!now 20 more and then some more on our waiting list.we plan to have a csa meeting on dec.19 with a potluck dinner and talk about how we are going to do things and find out about each others needs and wants.more about the csa later next time.the speech was ok.there was about 25-30 people there to hear us.i talked and konomi translated and worked the slideshow as we talked.there was no standing ovation and then there was no egg throwing either so everything was ok with me.at the end they asked for questions.there was 2 questions.1 was from a woman for our village that wanted to know why we chose sarabetsu for our home.seems everybody in sarabetsu asks us that.why sarabetsu?i told her it was the best out of 3 choices we had and that we thought it had a lot of positive energy and it is close to the mountains.the second question was about what was the difference between usa organics and japanese organics.i answered that there is not much difference that things are the same in that there is good farmland and good farmers,but that there was no source of organic feed.we all know how i feel about the organic feed situation here.and then that was it.i wish i could answer that question again.the japanese organic farmers are doing there best but there is no one interested in buying organic produce yet.the people are not as interested in good health or the enviroment as much as i thought..organic farmers can grow organics but someone has to buy it.this organic and biodynamic movement starts with the people that want a change.either in their lifestyle or do it for the environment or for their childrens future.we are going to make these biodynamic preps so when there is a demand for them we will have them ready.we explained in our speech that we are making the preps and a little about how the preps can heal the earth,mostly how chemicals end up in our water and that all the water goes to the ocean.our preps are our way of farming without chemicals.we said by supporting us in our csa they will be doing something for the environment.another difference is in the marketing system here.there are no farmers market like in the usa and little or no csa's.there is only a few organic shops in the area.co co cafe' is 1.the farmers mostly are government farmers who listen to the government to do their farming and sell to the government.and there is not much organization or support groups as in the states.all in all it is the people that want organics that must stand up and ask for it.the culture here is very respectful towards their elders.the younger generation listens to the old generation.it is hard for them to say no to the old way of doing things such as using chemicals on their farms and converting their farms to organic methods and breaking away from the government.if the government would support the organic movement it would be easier for the culture to except the change.i know that there are people out there that are working hard for the environment and the organic movement.i want to thank them and tell them to keep up the good work and i will support them.it is hard for me to try to change things here i am new here.i can only support the ones who are trying to make a difference.i probably should keep my mouth shut.but i can't help but want to do something.but we are doing something by the way we live.we are doing a lot of things for our planet and humanity with our biodynamic movement.i dont know what its going to take to get the publics attention but i hope it isn't something bad.i think it only takes a little more time like in the states the organic movement was very slow to get started but now it is growing strong.im sure it will grow here too.it is a good thing that will happen for everyone when it starts.at this convention we met a lot of people who are doing something for the environment.yabuta-san is an organic gardener who is somewhat of a leader for the organic movement in the tokachi area was there to share information with people about organics and was sellig his organic produce.i was real happy to see him doing that.konomi was working her buns off trying to get people interested in our movement.she offered our bread and tea to almost everyone who walked by our table as did i.i couldn't speak japanese but i handed out a lot of pamplets and she did most of the talking and of course i supported her in everyway i could.we hope these pamplets will get some attention though maybe not now but maybe later.our greenhouse survived a terrible wind storm.so on to our next project and that is a front room like the greenhouse on the side of the house,for our toilet and firewood storage.then the greenhouse for the chickens.i hope i can get everything done before it snows too much.the chickens are safe and sound by our house although they wake us up early and we keep them up at night.sakura is leaving tommorow to go back to takeshi and michiyo in iwamizawa.sorry to see her go.she was good company for sara and betty.but it is one less cow to feed over the winter.our next event is an organic gathering on 16 nov.when and where i do not know yet.so i will give a report on that soon after it.i guess thats enough for now.love and peace.ben.
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Edited by ベン/ Ben Campbell 2008/11/10 21:40:17
Last Modified 2008/11/25 01:01:57