My name is Zeratha Young and I am a graduate student through Goddard College’s ‘Socially Responsible Business and Sustainable Communities’ program. My area of focus is whole systems design and participatory sustainable development. Currently I am working on a thesis project which will result in a participatory public ecological art restoration installation’. The installation itself will serve as a visual, interactive, educational, restoration focused whole systems map of the Portland area bioregion including components of social, natural and economic systems and capital. It is titled: Art as a Transformative Environmental Education Process: A Participatory Community and Systems Based Approach to Place Based Ecological Art Installations and Restorations.”
Please see the attached project proposal for further explanation and details.

Currently in this process I am seeking collaborators from the community at large, non-profit organizations, businesses, artists, students, educators, restoration ecologists, permaculturalists and others who may be interested in being involved. The project will hopefully be put into motion this coming Spring of 2008, most likely during the month of May so that plantings done as part of the project will thrive and so that there will (hopefully) be good weather. I am seeking involvement from all sectors of the community as every step of the project will be inclusive and participatory.

I am writing to you because I feel that you and/or your organization might be interested in becoming involved in this project. I believe that this could be a rewarding and beneficial experience for both you and/or your organization, the community at large and myself as the project coordinator. Some of the specific things I am seeking in the community:
*Feedback, ideas, input
*Volunteers
*Donations (native plants, cob materials, other hardware, applicable materials
*Support
*Research and Design Collaboration
*Speakers, musicians, artists, videographers for the day of the event

Benefits for you and/or your organization might include:
*Publicity for Your Organization and/or Yourself
*An Educational, Inspiring and Creative Experience which benefits the
community and ecosystem of installation placement
*The chance to create and build new strategic networks and relationships
*An opportunity to directly or indirectly participate in a project that serves multiple functions:
-community building
-artistic/creative opportunity
-restoration, planting, permaculture
-education
-networking, relationship building

I would love to meet with you and start a conversation…
Feel free to email (mooglicious@gmail.com)
Sincerely,
Zeratha Young