QUINTESSENTIAL EUGENE

 PROGRESSIVE

FUNLOVING

ON THE MOVE

SMALL SCALE REGENERATIVE FARMING

 By Terry Bergdall

 

Gooseberry Acres in Dwight, IL

My first cousin and his wife (Garry and Deanna Atkinson) and the family of their son (Luke Atkinson, Meredith, and their 4-year-old son, Owen) have a small farm in Dwight, Illinois – a rural farming area about 40 miles south of Joliet. On the weekend of Sept 20-21 my wife Pam and I travelled an hour and a half on Amtrak from Chicago to Dwight. 

 

Eggs, Honey, Fresh Bread & More

Luke and Meredith have fulltime day jobs: he’s a grant-writer with a nonprofit organization in Chicago and she is an independent travel agent with an established list of clients who appreciate her personal attention. Both accomplish the bulk of their work through the internet. While their day jobs keep them financially afloat, their primary passion is addressing global climate change through small-scall regenerative agriculture.

 

Farmhouse with frame for greenhouse in front of garden.

Luke and Meredith moved from Oklahoma to Illinois four years ago, attracted to the Chicago area by a network of college friends. Two years ago, they obtained a vacant 100-year-old farmhouse on a 5-acre parcel of land near Dwight and moved from an apartment in Chicago to begin activating their vision. A year later, in anticipation of retiring from their work in Oklahoma, Garry and Deanna bought a house within five miles of Luke and Meredith. Soon they will begin living fulltime in Illinois, delighted to be close to grandson Owen.

 

Feast for egg-laying chickens

Surrounded by large scale commercial farmers that produce mono crops of soybeans and corn, Luke and Meredith grow organic food. They have established contracts to sell small amounts of organic produce to local schools where each week Meredith also provides 160 sourdough par-baked crusts for lunch pizzas. By raising a few chickens, they can also sell a small number of eggs. They have planted new apple trees, adding to a few existing fruit trees already on their property. Grandpa Garry is an experienced beekeeper and Luke and Meredith anticipate adding this to their regenerative farmwork under Garry’s guidance.

 

Regenerative garden and solar array. 

The photo above shows the enclosed garden Luke and Meredith have built where sweet corn, pumpkins, cherry tomatoes, squash, and other vegetables are grown. They installed solar panels behind the garden last year to electrify the house. (Barely noticeable in the distance are three wind towers on a nearby commercial farm.)

 

New greenhouse for winter veggies.

To the side of the garden, is a new “high top tunnel” greenhouse. This was done through an assistance grant they negotiated with the US Department of Agriculture in 2024. The greenhouse is about the same size as their garden and with durable plastic will provide a warm environment, allowing them to grow vegetables during most of the winter.

Open for business! 

It was all very exciting for Pam and me to be with a young family deeply devoted to an alternative lifestyle in order to fulfill a vision of caring for the future of Planet Earth. 

SUN DAY

NEW HOPE Accelerated Cheap Energy 

SUN DAY Sept 21, on the eve of the fall Equinox, was the brainchild of Bill McKibbns, founder of 350.org for young people and Third Act for those over 60. 

Here in Eugene, members of 350 and 3^rd Act organized a celebration and teaching venue with booths outside the Campbell Senior Center and tables & chairs inside. 

ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT    A Livable Planet 

Oregon needs to pass an Environmental Rights Amendment to preserve a livable planet for our children. OCERA is the Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights amendment. It is a voluntary committee working to qualify this initiative for the 2028 ballot.  

FEDERAL TAX CREDITS  Electrification Code   

To benefit from federal tax credits by 7/4/26, we need to take steps now to get new construction or complex canopy projects underway and secure commercial solar projects. 

By working with neighbors we can pass legislation changing Oregon’s electrification code to allow Balcony / Plug-In Solar arrays. If Utah did it, so can we! When enough states change their code, they can pressure for a national change that will allow lower income persons to reduce their electricity costs. 

TRANSPORTATION FEES 2027 / Legislation 

Recent state legislation imposes higher fees and road-use taxes on electric vehicles when it is the gas guzzlers that ruin the roads and pollute our air. This is not set to go into effect until 2027. We need to get busy NOW to get this gift to the oil and gas industry reversed.

   

SOLAR ARRAYS & WINDMILLS ARE THE 

FORESTS OF THE FUTURE

REDUCING CARBON & 

KEEPING PLANET EARTH 

LIVABLE FOR HUMANS

A World in Transition

A WORLD IN TRANSITION

Economically, today’s world is WORKERS vs BILLIONAIRES. On Labor Day in the US, there were over 1000 rallies in all 50 states. All were clarifying that it is workers who create an economy, not a small group of wealthy individuals. Globally, South Korea stood up for its workers who were snatched without warning from a Hyundai factory in Georgia.

Politically, today’s world is made up of Regional Alliances based on caring for all their citizens. Recently in the US, four west coast states have forged a partnership to ensure that their citizens have access to science-based information about health and available medicine. In Western Europe, countries in the European Union are bonded in support of Ukraine.

Culturally, the Solar Panel and Windmill have become symbols of a new era of cheap sustainable energy. The state of California gets 40% of its energy from solar and 20% from wind. Agrivoltaics (solar aiding agriculture) is cropping up all over the world, such as in Africa, Colorado, and recently in Japan where researchers announced that solar panels over rice fields have proven an effective way to grow a diet staple while also producing clean energy.

While oil and gas exporting countries (Saudi Arabia & Russia) and states (Texas) invest in clean energy for themselves, they are attempting to keep countries and states that need to import oil and gas from having the cheaper solar and wind power that is now available. The Trump administration has sold out US citizens, eliminating clean energy initiatives under President Biden and trying to get oil and gas companies to produce more just to keep making money for the already rich. 

SUN DAY CELEBRATION - September 21

At the equinox on Sunday September 21, we all have an opportunity to celebrate the hope and possibility solar energy gives us for a livable planet. Here in Oregon we will have electric cars and bikes available for attendees to try out, along with fun activities for kids and families. To take advantage of Oregon's rebate option which ends at the conclusion of September, people can access the rebate by signing a contract to buy an electric vehicle ... no money exchanges hands that day.

Let's make SUN DAY as significant as the first EARTH DAY was.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Migration

Migration is both a gift and a problem. It has contributed to the spread of ideas, some vastly helpful and some infinitely terrible. It can and has led to an ever-expanding view of the world and the enrichment of the human knowledge base. It has contributed to advances in health and medicine that have expanded the evolution of Homo Sapiens. 

A disastrous migration occurred when the Yamahaya tribes of the Russian Steppes developed a technology of horses, wagons and metal swords. They swept into Northern Europe, killing men and raping women as they first stole their agricultural crops and then the land itself. The Yamahaya established an illusion of blue-eyed, blond-haired, white-skinned masculine power depicted by Gods who control everything - including women’s bodies.

Since about 3000 years ago, this rape and ruin mindset has continued to march around the world, establishing a Western capitalist culture that marginalized and dominated non-white peoples. Using advancing technologies at every stage of humanity’s spread across the world, Western capitalism destroyed the natural relationship between humans and Mother Earth. Mediterranean Goddess cultures and their affirmation of Mother Earth were driven underground.

Mediterranean Goddesses Evolve 
by LiDoña Wagner 2025

Goddesses

In the 20^th century, as women in different parts of the world gained access to education, awareness of earth-affirming goddesses reemerged. Female archeologists began to unearth physical evidence of ancient clay and bone goddesses and their significance. More recently medical historian Cat Bohannon has shown How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.  So why does medical research base itself on the male body?

While coal, oil and gas industries of patriarchal capitalism continue to contaminate the land, water, and air that gave birth to and sustain humanity itself, newer technologies have emerged that align with ancient goddesses and their connection with a nurturing planet. 

Clean Energy Era

New clean energy technologies, especially solar and wind, ushered in the 21^st century. These technologies have matured and are rapidly spreading across the world, often in remote areas that have benefited from being ignored by Western capitalism. Every year these become cheaper to buy, easier to install, and more efficient in storage capacity and connectivity. Energy from solar and wind is now cheaper than that produced from coal, oil and gas. Moreover:

·     Large solar arrays installed over water reduce its evaporation while simultaneously sending energy into an area’s electrical grid. 

·     Medium sized solar installations over grass land provide grazing for sheep and goats and energy for associated ranches. 

·     In dry regions, even a small array of solar panels over crops will lower air temperature, increase humidity, and shield food plants from excessive sun. The energy produced increases a small farmer’s income. Called agrivoltaics, this form of crop production has taken root in parts of Africa and has spread into Colorado and Virginia. By 2030 this form of farming could account for 10% of global solar capacity.

The fourth largest economy in the world, the multi-cultural state of California, get 40% of its energy from solar and 20% from wind. No wonder the oil and gas industry, interested in profits versus people and doing what’s right, is trying to stop the advance of sources of clean energy.

Make A Difference

Maybe you don’t yet have solar panels on your roof and balcony or a small wind generator in your back yard (now available), drive an electric car, or subscribe to a community solar project, but you can use your voice and your vote to hold oil and gas companies accountable for the damage they inflict. You can raise awareness of the accessibility of clean sources of energy. 

 

LONGEVITY vs RETIREMENT

Evolution Lizzie by Judita Paz 2025
Dreaming Lizard turns into a bird.

Transitions Are Important

. Every end is a new beginning. If I am fixated on what I’m losing, I may miss the new beginning.

 . Make your life or it will be made for you … urgency can take over. 

 . There are developmental challenges over a life span … they are not preventable.     

 . In facing these adaptive challenges, there are no experts. Only you yourself can take them on and to do that you must look inside.

Nigerian Goddess of Life by Catherine Marsh 2025
Goddesses of Tea series - Water is the elixir of life.

Eight Areas to Consider 

When Planning Your Long Life

SPIRIT / Purpose & Meaning
What is going to get you out of bed in the morning? Look at big questions like living with compassion and contributing to society. Reassess your purpose: Will you Re-affirm what you did before retiring? Renew it in some way? Reinvent yourself?

BODY / Having the Energy to Do What You Want to Do
Look at genetic factors. Address nutrition: Eat well but with no extremes. (Mediterranean diet seems to work.) Get Medical Care. Think about your Lifestyle. Consider your environment: Pets? Plants? Bar in the bathroom? Good Sleep Patterns Are Essential.

HEART / Self Observation
Live with Optimism. See Hope & Possibility. Be adaptable. Develop Resilience: Be able to Survive & Thrive. Practice Reflection.

Angel by Monique Mulbry 2025
Nature is the ultimate provider.

CONNECTIONS / Relationships Count

Develop new friendships. Deepen existing relationships. Prepare to say goodbye to those who are/will be departing.

MIND / Challenge Yourself 

Think broadly and solve problems. Join or create elder social innovations such as The Third Act, Encore, and Raging Grannies. Two keys to good mental health: Setting a routine helps you meet difficulties as they arise. Engaging in creativity builds cognitive reserve (make art or music, learn woodworking, knitting …)

WORK / Contribute to Society

Your participation in society matters. Give your talents away through one form or another. 

Hawk by Share DuBois 2025
Be observant. Life is sending you signals.

PLACE / What Do You Want to Belong To?
Ask: Is there a community that will support and challenge me? Will you stay where you are but make changes to your home? Consider moving to your ideal place? In either case, within 3 years people leave because they don’t feel that they belong or fit in. Where will you have a sense of Being Home?

MONEY / What am I saving for?
Live within your means. Plan now for the future because financial acuity is one of first capacities to go. You will need a lifetime stream of income. 

Butterfly Spirit by LiDoña Wagner 2025
Where are you in the cycle of self-transformation?

The Sauce Is in the Details 

Part of TIAA’s research included a survey of the results from two 80-year studies of persons who lived long lives, one on creative people and another on male graduates of a major university. The long-life creative people said, ‘You must be conscientious – mindful of time.’ Long-life male graduates said, ‘Relationships were most important and must be nurtured.’

One of the long-life researchers was asked, “If you could live your life over, what would you do differently?”  He replied, “I wish I had paused and explored my options more often”.

This is a summary of a TIAA Research Institute webinar presented by Head Surya Kollari &  Managing Director, Strategic Leadership Mark Saine. 

Voice of the People 5

Instead of joining the (at least) 75,000 who rallied in the Loop, we walked up to be with our neighbors of at least 250 to vote for No Kings. 

This event was organized by the residents of the Breakers senior independent living high rise.   Jim T.  

DJT IS A LIAR

SENOIRS FOR TRUTH

THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH

RIGHT TO FAIR TRIAL

I WILL BE HEARD!

NEVER FORGET!

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE #4

 

PEOPLE POWER

AGAINST FASCISM

SERVICES AT STAKE

WAKE UP

MAKE A DIFFERENCE NOW