Field Trip: Santa Monica & Oceanview Farms

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.” -Greek Proverb

This field trip of the spring semester revolved around the Santa Monica area with 2 major stops. First stop was the Santa Monica farmers market which was a sensory stimulating experience. With the freshest and most colorful of fruits and vegetables accomponied by an abundance of free samples, it was a perfect start to the day.

With the ocean providing the all-loving backdrop, the scene is one of these which synchronizes perfectly with the imagination of what one visualizes the california lifestyle to be. Beautiful people, organic food and lots of words combining to create an ever evolving sculpture, the Santa Monica farmers market.

The second stop was a nonprofit community garden called Ocean View farms. A beutiful plot of land located on a hill in Santa Monica, the community garden is thriving with over 300 indiviudal plots and about 450 people on the waiting list. Shown around by an amazing gentlemen named Ed, we were granted access to a relatively private enviroment which we were thankful for. The attention to detail and beauty of it all was truly inspiring as tending to a small plot of land is an activity that offers little reward in the typical sense of the word when relating to the current societal context. The main driver of work is solely monetary these days and it gave great hope as to the positive shift in mindset which is occuring between the earth and the human species, which has temporarily taken itself out of the laws of nature and believed to exist outside of that which is naturally so. With the impacts becoming more evident, a recoil movement to harmonizing with the natual laws is in full effect and orginazations like Ocean View farms and the Myra House are creating amazing enviroments for learning and self expression.