Larry Chang's Page

Social sustainability must include rehabilitation and restoration of marginalized and broken populations such as the homeless, substance abusers and the incarcerated. There are enough successful working models to show how this can be better done. Growing food and flowers seems to have a therapeutic effect on troubled minds, much in the way that working with animals, especially horses, seems to have on autistic kids. I'd love to see these ideas carried out at Hill East, where the DC jail provides… Continue

I came across this perfect approach to creating an Energy Descent Action Plan in my anthology of quotations, Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing. In Transition-speak it's known as fore- and backcasti… Continue

Gerri and Luci exuding the camaraderie and high energy which pervaded our booth.

GreenFestival DC, our first public interface, has come and gone. Kudos and much appreciation to the volunteers who rose to the occasion like troopers, some of whom i was meeting for the first time. With… Continue

An indispensible list for DC gardens

* Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) can take a lot of shade, and comes in a wide range of sizes.
* *Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is loved for its weeping habit and honeysuckle smell. Its maximum height is a manageable 20 feet. Requires full sun.
* *'Forest Pansy' redbud (Cercis canadensis") - the species grows to 40 feet but many smaller varieties are available.
* *Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) will still flower even in… Continue

A confluence of factors have influenced me into thinking about establishing my own sustainable home. I was granted permanent residence in the US a couple months ago and thought it might be good to put down some roots now that the specter of being rudely shipped out is that much less likely. I confess to being tempted in a weak moment by the prospect of picking up a foreclosure bargain, but the tightened mortgage market following the sub-prime debacle put paid to that notion.

Spring has brought… Continue