Here's a comment by Jan Steinman in response to a posting about an Escape From Suburbia screening in Burlington, Ontario, by Relocalization group Sustainable Burlington (http://www.relocalize.net/escape_from_suburbia_scrreening_in_burlington_...):
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Where we are...

If anyone is interested, we're the couple in the film who were moving from the Portland suburb to an "ecovillage." We didn't end up at O.U.R. Ecovillage (which the film implies), but have formed a co-op and purchased a small farm as a "starter ecovillage" on an island in southwest BC.

We're doing pretty good with energy security right now, making biodiesel on-site and harvesting local deadwood for winter heat. (We leave every third tree standing for the woodpeckers and other critters.) We're still on-grid for electricity, but it's all hydropower here, and very cheap. That may or may not continue, but it makes it harder to justify making it a priority in the short term. We have a small stream with about 10 meters of drop from a former pond with a breeched dam. It may be next summer's project to turn that into nano-hydro. I estimate we can produce about 5kw during the winter.

Water security is next on our list. We're taking delivery of 80,000 liters of storage this month, and hope to be hooked up to a 1,200 square foot metal roof before the rainy season. We should be able to collect and store 1,000 liters for every centimeter of rain that falls.

Food security is longer in coming. We need to invest thousands into a perimeter deer fence before we can get serious about food. For now, we have some deer-resistant perennials (lavender, rosemary, sage) that we can use to generate income, eight fruit trees, and a tiny deer-fenced area for some winter greens.

Societal security isn't talked about much. The film implies that community and joining forces is important, but I don't think it is actually said. Either people form or join a community, or they "hole up" and try to go it on their own. I don't think "holing up" is going to work over the long haul, and part of our choosing an island was for the enhanced community aspect. People who live on islands have a sense of self-sufficiency. This is totally delusional, of course -- our island supplies only 3% of its own food -- but it's something that I'm hoping will make people pull together in times of crisis. Either way, once the locals discovered we were staying over the winter, and were going to do organic farming, we've been pretty much welcomed into the community, and have quickly developed a rich network of friends and business relationships. (We have better friends in one year of living here than we had in a decade of living in a Portland suburb!)

Our goal is to make this a Permaculture demonstration site, so we can attract more people (with some money!) and purchase a larger site of perhaps 100 acres, suitable for ten or more families. I'd be happy to correspond with anyone who has further interest. or see the link below for more information.

:::: Jan Steinman, Communication Steward, EcoReality. ::::

Greetings,

My group subMedia is screening 'Escape from Suburbia' in Vancouver on Friday August 17th at :30 p.m.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church - 154 East 10th Ave (10th @ Main) Below is our press release of confirmed speakers for the forum that will take place following the film. For tickets or more information go to http://submedia.tv/escape/

“Escape from Suburbia” Post-Screening Panelists are Confirmed
The public and a wide variety of experts to engage in a lively post-screening discussion

VANCOUVER (August 7th, 2007) — What do a politician, a journalist, an activist, a businessman, an engineer and a film subject have in common? They will all be on the post-screening discussion panel at the premiere of “Escape from Suburbia: Beyond the American Dream.” The film and panel discussion will take place in Vancouver on Friday, August 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ukranian Orthodox Church, located at 154 East 10th Avenue. Advanced tickets are available for $10 at www.submedia.tv/escape. “Escape from Suburbia: Beyond the American Dream” is the second film in a trilogy by Toronto documentary filmmaker Gregory Greene.

The confirmed panelists include Richard Balfour, Ifny Lachance, Justin Roller, Conrad Schmidt, Jan Steinman, John Stonier and Rex Weiler.

For media inquiries or to schedule an interview with Director Gregory Greene please email escapesuburbia@gmail.com or call (604) 630-2441. For more information on the film or to view a trailer visit www.submedia.tv/escape.

Richard Balfour is educated in Engineering, Sociology and Architecture. He has spent over 35 years working in the planning design and construction professions in British Columbia. As a council member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, Balfour has served on professional committees and task forces dealing with community and government affairs. Recently he served as vice-chairman of the Design Panel for the Corporation of the District of Surrey. Balfour is particularly sensitive to the concept of community and is concerned about the complex issues that affect a community’s growth and change. He is a founding member of the Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition, and a director of the New City Institute. Since 2004 he has been a member of the Vancouver City Planning Commission (VCPC) and is currently Chair of the Strategic Sustainable Planning Committee of the VCPC.

Ifny Lachance is an organiser, adventurer and sustainability advocate. Currently she is Founding Director of Vancouver's FREE GEEK Community Technology Centre, promoting ethical computer recycling, community empowerment, and free and open source software. She hosts the Pedal Revolutionary Radio Show, touting conscionable transportation and creative re-calibration. Her projects are designed to reclaim/explore public space, celebrate sustainable culture, and build solidarity. She co-founded the Bicycle Bee, a series of community-based bicycle skills-shares, and marshals Vancouver's Ride of Silence, a yearly ride commemorating automobile casualties. Each equinox, she curates Bicycle CARcass, a day of catharsis for cyclists.

Justin Roller is a fuel cell engineer with Canada's National Research Council working on materials development for PEM and Solid Oxide fuel cells. He is a graduate of Georgia State University in Chemistry and is currently a Master's Candidate at UBC in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to working for the NRC he was an analytical chemist for BioLab and a process development engineer for nGimat in Atlanta, Georgia. He is passionate about the environment and in changing the way humans perceive their interaction and connection with the biosphere. As a grass roots activist he is interested in the "big picture" and how to move beyond our current relationship with the planet to a consciousness beyond sustainability.

Conrad Schmidt is an internationally known social and environmental activist. He is the author of Workers of the World Relax: the Simple Economics of Less Industrial Work. He directed and produced the documentary film, “Five Ring Circus: the true cost of the Vancouver Olympic games.” He is also the founder of the Work Less Party, a civic, provincial and federal political party that advocates reducing the workweek for the purpose of reducing our ecological footprint at the same time as maintaining effective employment rates.

Jan Steinman and his wife Carol are featured in “Escape from Suburbia.” They have outgrown the constraints of their suburban home and cross the border to establish an eco village on Salt Spring Island in BC.

John Stonier is the Vice President of Finance of Day4 Energy Inc, a Canadian company based in Burnaby, BC, which manufactures photovoltaic modules using its unique and industry leading technology. John has over 20 years experience in senior financial officer and entrepreneurial roles in the telecommunications, internet and alternative energy sectors. He was active in the startup of two notable BC companies, GT Group Telecom (1996) and Day 4 Energy Inc. (2002). John is a Chartered Accountant (1987) with KPMG in Vancouver and Toronto, and received a BA (Economics, 1980) from the University of BC. John is has a broad scope of experience in renewable energy, building and vehicle energy efficiency, and sustainable building systems. He is an active advocate of the battery electric car, and is currently in the process of converting a late model gasoline production car into a full battery electric for daily urban driving. Ultimately he plans to recharge his electric car using electricity generated from a solar PV array. He is also a Director of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association.

Rex Weyler is a journalist and ecologist. He was a cofounder of Greenpeace International in 1979 and editor of the Greenpeace Chronicles . He is the author of Greenpeace: The Inside Story (Raincoast, 2004). His book Blood of the Land, a history of the American Indian Movement, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His photographs and essays have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and newspapers including the Vancouver Sun, New York Times, Rolling Stone, New Age Journal, and National Geographic. Weyler has served as an environmental consultant on issues of sustainable forestry, water quality, and toxic waste disposal. He is a founder of Hollyhock education centre on Cortes Island and lives in Vancouver, B.C. with his wife and three sons.

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Director/Producer
http://submedia.tv