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S.O.S. ACTION GuIdeBased on an art project by Tattfoo Tan to create a Sustainable. Organic. Stewardship.

Presented by ecoARTspaceas part of an Art & ecology Learning Guide Series addressing environmental issues through replicable social practice art projects

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4-6 Getting Started 4 Overview/What participants will learn 5 The Story of the S.O.S. project 6 Letter from Tattfoo Tan

7 Climate Change and Food Security

8-9 Sustainability 2.0 (includes timeline)

10-11 S.O.S. MOTTO 1: BE PREPARED l develop mastery in stewardship Get certified in composting, pruning, permaculture, and recycling

12-15 S.O.S. MOTTO 2: BUILD CHARACTER l What is your identity in the world13 uniform 14 Badges 15 S.O.S. Pledge

16-19 S.O.S. MOTTO 3: Be A GReeN CITIZeN l Activate your community 17 S.O.S. Mobile Garden 18 S.O.S. Mobile Classroom 19 S.O.S. urban Farmer

20-26 S.O.S. MOTTO 4: TAKe ACTION l Invite others to develop skills 21 S.O.S. Herbarium22 S.O.S. Free Seeds Library 23 S.O.S. GReeNade 24 S.O.S. GReeNraid25 S.O.S. 5.P.M.26 S.O.S. Black Gold

27-28 History of Art and Food

29-32 Supplemental Activities for K-12 30 Motto 1 - S.O.S. Headquarters - Worm Palace - Swap-o-rama - Hack Lab Green design Collaboratory30 Motto 2 - S.O.S. design Lab - Pocket Collecting - S.O.S. Comic Book S.O.S. Cinema30 Motto 3 - S.O.S. Radio - Vertical Gardening - Moss Graffiti - S.O.S. Brigade Weather Station - Native Plant Archive - Bug emporium - energy Machines31 Motto 4 - Creative Activism Toolbox - Micro-Greens Market - Farm-to-School

32 Common Core Standards

33 Resources

34-35 Credits/Acknowledgments

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OVERVIEW

The S.O.S. ACTION Guide was developed to accommodate a wide range of participants including nonprofit organizations, school groups, and individuals. It can easily be used for a weekend workshop, an entire semester, or annual project of self- exploration, certifications, and community projects. The guide is considered to be a reproducible tool for anyone interested in taking action addressing issues around sustainability.

Sustainability science has emerged in the 21st century as a new academic discipline. However, it was on March 20, 1987 that the Brundtland Commission of the united Nations first published a report titled “Our Common Future,” which stated “sustain-able development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This idea of sustainability has changed over time although it was built on the fundamental pillars of ecology, economy, and equity. Participants of this guide will develop their own understanding of the term as they explore ways they can contribute to developing adaptation processes for their local communities.

Activities found in the guide have been broken into MOTTO’s, which can be executed individually or all together, and at the depth that corresponds with the learning goals of an organization or institution. Included in each S.O.S. Motto category are ACTION STePS to create your own placed based S.O.S. project. At the end of the guide are ReSOuRCeS and SuPPLeMeNTAL ACTIVITIeS sections that can be aligned with Common Core Standards.

PARTICIPANTS WILL TAKe ACTION IN THe FOLLOWING AReAS:

GeTTING STARTed

Skills Mastery & Certification

Self-Identification & Character

Stewardship & Skill Sharing

Community Engagement & Placemaking

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S.O.S. (Sustainable. Organic. Stewardship.) is a multi year project that Tattfoo Tan began in 2009 to address how we can live more sustainably. By acknowledging the shortage of food on a global scale, his S.O.S. projects such as S.O.S. Pledge, S.O.S. Free Seeds Library, and S.O.S. urban Farmer ask that we consider more closely what we are eating and where our food is coming from. Tan truly believes that in order for us to live more sustainably that we will need to grow at least some if not most of our own food. This way we can ensure through hands on gardening that what we are eating is good for our health and well-being, while also reducing environmental impacts of industrial agriculture including the use of pesti-cides, C02 emissions from transporting goods, air pollution and soil depletion.

S.O.S. began as a local grassroots project and was closely linked to the neighborhoods of St. George, Stapleton and Clifton/Park Hill in Staten Island. Staten Island is New York’s often forgotten borough when it comes to progressive food programs aimed to cut across class and neighborhood lines. Borough representatives and residents are rarely integrated in city-wide conferences, events, and policy development. This exclusion is due in part to Staten Island’s unique geography, low overall population density, limited public transit system,

and unfamiliar neighborhood characteristics. Thus program-ming and initiatives that might apply to other New York City neighborhoods are rarely extended to the borough.

S.O.S. is the logo or brand that the artist wears as a merit badge on his coveralls while performing eco-actions such as activating his S.O.S. Mobile Classroom while working with school age children. It is his motto and is part of his “do-gooder” identity or invented boy scout persona which he incorporated into his art practice after taking certificate courses in composting, pruning, permaculture and neighbor-hood leadership in New York City. Tan’s eco-actions have been primarily local, however, his goal is to do good for the entire planet. And, since Tan is only one person, he is now inviting anyone around the world to recreate or replicate his vision for a sustainable future in their own backyard and communities.

THe STORY OF THe S.O.S. PROJeCTABOuT THe ARTIST: TATTFOO TAN

Tattfoo Tan is an ecological artist who lives on Staten Island in New York. For over a decade he has created numerous pub-lic art projects, both temporary and permanent. His artworks are community-based and inspire participants to consider what actions they can take in their daily lives to create positive environmental changes in the world, such as composting, seed saving, and growing your own food to name a few. His art practice is immediate, direct, and explores effective ways of relating to the individual in society, collapsing the categories of both ‘art’ and ‘life’ into one. Within his hybrid art prac-tice both minds and bodies are engaged in actions that transform the making of art into a ritualized and shared experience.

Tattfoo’s work has been shown in various venues and institutions including: Queens Museum of Art, The City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, The Center for Book Arts, Bronx River Art Center, Project Row Houses and The Laundromat Project. He was recognized for his artistic contri-butions to the community as a recipient of a Proclamation from The City of New York, and was also given the Twen-ty-Eight Annual Award for Excellence in Design by the Public Design Commission of The City of New York for his super graphic on Bronx River Art Center.

www.tattfoo.com

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dear S.O.S. Stewards,

I am so glad that you will be participating in the S.O.S. projects. Inside of you is a seed waiting to germinate. Think of this guide as another force to push you to take the right actions in your daily life, in your family, and in your community-at-large.

When I first started to investigate climate change, food politics, social equality, I found that it is all connected, a large entangle web weaved by us humans to gain power and wealth. It can be profound to comprehend, as I too have noticed this pressure in my own life and financial situation.

I hope you will be motivated by the examples in this guide and that you will continue to investigate further on topics that you are passion about, learn more about them, find solutions, and share these skills with others. Learn. Practice. Teach. This is an effective formula that I used in my art practice.

The biggest hurdle you will face is actually in your own mind. What stops you from doing these actions is yourself. do not ask permission, listen to your heart, find what is right and then do it. define your own social norms, think like a young child, behave like one, and have faith that you can influ-ence the next generation to set them on the right path.

So, welcome to the S.O.S. movement of ONe! Because the only person you have absolute power to change is YOuRSeLF.

In earth we trust,

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Scientific advances particularly in genetic modification of seeds have resulted in the patenting of staple foods like corn and soy. Meanwhile the increase in food production has also impacted both soil health and water quality, with agricultural run-off as one of the major sources of river pollution.

By 2012, 88 percent of corn (maize) and 94 percent of soy grown in the united States were genetically mod-ified. And, now, instead of farmers collecting their own seeds from each year’s harvest for the next year’s plant-ing, they are buying GMO seeds every year and are paying for the intellectual property of what was previously natu-ral and free of cost.

The 1948 declaration on Human Rights includes the right to food (Article 25), and there are several organization’s with mandates on food production at a global level including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). These organizations were created to protect food production and public health for all.

ReAd: Can We Feed the World & Sustain the Planet? Smithsonian magazine http://www.geog.psu.edu/sites/default/files/Scientific%20American%20Article.pdf

With a world population expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, the question of whether there will be enough food to go around is a challenging proposition. Food security touches our everyday lives in several ways. It’s important that food is readily available through sustainable distribution channels, and that we have access to food through affordable means, as well as know how to utilize food nutrients best for our health. uncertainty about food is one of our greatest fears.

Over the last century, supermarkets have become our main source of food supply. However, it is a business model that is ripe for failure, as its scale is not sustainable. An average American grocery store is around 46,000 square feet, approaching the size of a football field. Inside, thousands of food products are stock-piled from around the world. And, the price of all that abundance is a lot of waste: The uSdA estimates that supermarkets lose about $15 billion annually in unsold fruits and vegetables alone, and throw away, on average, 12 percent of produce and 7 percent of meat and poultry.

Food security connects with a range of environmental issues in very direct ways. Food is central to human survival and food production is dependent on weather or changes in climate.

Food is a climate change issueFood production contributes approximately 30% of greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change. However, food production being compromised by the need for more energy sources. Land is being used to grow crops which are turned into biofuels. And, while biofuels reduce the carbon impact of trans-port, they also put pressure on food security.

Food is a health issueThe food we eat, along with other habits and lifestyles, deter-mines our health. The media swings from reports of starvation

in Africa to reality TV shows about obesity and anorexia in North America and europe. In reality 30% of the world’s population is malnourished and another 30% is obese. developed countries waste 30%-40% of food. This happens at every stage from farm to fork and, and like with energy, food waste is where individuals can make a difference.

Food is a land use issueFood production uses approximately 40% of the world’s land and 70% of fresh water. The amount of land available for food production is under pressure from residential and industrial development. Now that more than 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, we are more reliant on food being transported to us for purchase rather than growing our own food. However, it is estimated that 20% of our food needs can be met by urban agriculture.

Food is an economic and employment issueWorldwide, 60% of farmers are small-scale and they produce 50% of the world’s food. In the developed world we have industri-alized farming, which means that fewer people are growing food. In North America and europe this has created a disconnected from food production and is seen as part of a wider disconnec-tion from nature.

“After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy. As for health-care reform, the chronic diseases forcing spending ever upward are rooted in the way Americans eat.

You cannot expect to reform the health care system, much less expand coverage, without confronting the public-health catastrophe that is the modern

American diet.”

MICHAeL POLLAN (2014)

CLIMATe CHANGe ANd FOOd SeCuRITY

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Sustainability is based on a simple principle: everything that we need for our Sustainability, and more specifically Sustainable development, to create a thriving planet and home for humanity, can be approached by looking at the balance of natural resourc-es, economic access and social equality in order to “meet the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

In 1968 the united Nations economic and Social Council was urged by Sweden to hold a conference on human interactions with the natural environment. The resolution passed. In 1972

Sweden would host the united Nations Conference on the Human environment, bringing the issues of human impacts on the environment into international politics. It was a decade later, following the formation of The International union for Conser-vation of Nature in 1980, that world leaders would push for the

formation of an organization to raise awareness of the need for “sustainable” development as developed nations recognized their responsibilities for environmental issues stemming from their industrialization and resulting economic growth.

Originally called the World Commission on environment and development, the Brundtland Commission was founded in 1983 with Norway’s Prime Minister Gro Halem Brundtland as the chair. Its mission is to unite countries to pursue sustainable develop-ment together, especially in light of the rising tide of globalized economic growth and the acceleration of global degradation of the natural environment which begun to come into sharp relief at the same time. This commission gave us the current common definition of sustainability and sustainable development in its seminal report, Our Common Future, published in 1987.

It was the Brundtland report which first advocated the idea that the “environment,” previously considered separate from human action in relationship to “development,” is really inseparable. Before that they had been concerned solely with political goals and economic growth. The report identified these as linked: “...the ‘environment’ is where we live; and “development” is what we all do in attempting to improve our lot within that abode.” Howev-er, twenty five years later, the website of the u.S. environmental Protection Agency states: “Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in pro-ductive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.” Again, giving more weight to development.

Sustainability is based on a simple principle: everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. The development, growth and longevity of our societies and economies are inexorably linked with the natural environment.

SUSTAINABILITY

eCONOMIC SOCIAL

eNVIRONMeNTAL

1866 - The word “ecology” was coined by the German biologist ernst Haeckel

1886 - Audubon Society founded

1892 - Sierra Club incorporated with John Muir as President

1955 - Air Pol-lution Control Act of 1955 is passed

1967 - environ-mental defense Fund is created to pursue legal solutions to environmental damage

1962 - Silent Spring by Rachel Carson published alerting us to the dangers of chemicals

1970 - Clean Air Act passed & First earth day celebration

SuSTAINABILITY TIMeLINe

SuSTAINABILITY 2.0

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sus.tain’abil’i.ty:n. the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

PRINCIPLeS OF SuSTAINABILITY

1. Maintain or improve the quality of the environment and environmental systems

2. Maintain or improve quality of life for humans in balance with non-human life.

3. Improve local economic vitality and equal access to economic resources

4. Promote and improve social inclusion and equity

KeY SuSTAINABLe PRACTICeS

1. Leave resources which need to be pulled out of the ground in the ground

2. use renewable and responsibly harvested resources and energy

3. Avoid toxic, non-biodegradable chemicals and products derived from those chemicals

4. Buy locally grown and manufacture products

5. Buy fair trade

6. Be transparent

7. Give back to the environment and society

IMPORTANT TERMS/ CONCEPTS

Sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental policies and practices that meet the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Systems Thinking: understanding how things influence one another within a whole. examples include ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive or perish. Within sustainable development this may include considering how economic policy, such as tax code, will affect the environment by encouraging or incentivizing types of investment. Or, it could include how environmental policy pertaining to resources might affect politics and social change, such as water rights negotiation impacting indigenous populations.

Wicked Problems: describes a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incom-plete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. Not evil but re-sistant to resolution. Many key issues in sustainable development are viewed as “Wicked Problems” as they look at the social, economic and environmental factors and how they are interrelated.

Life-Cycle Assessment: A technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life from-cradle-to-grave and give a more complete view of it’s environmental impacts.

Benefit Corporations or B Corp: An incorporation model in the united States which is designed for for-profit corporations to include and weigh social and environmental concerns, in addition to profitability, in their decision making process. Previous models of incorporation effectively forbid companies from prioritizing social and environmental issues if they were to negatively impact profitability. Similar emerging models include low-profit limited liability corporations (L3Cs), and flexible purpose corporations.

For a more In depth Sustainability Timeline go to: http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2012/sd_timeline_2012.pdf

1972 - Water Pollution Control Act is passed

1983 - World Commis-sion on environment and development, the Brundtland Commission, founded

1992 - The united Nations Conference on environment and development (uNCed), also known as earth Summit con-venes 172 countries and resulted in Agenda 21 (a non-bind-ing, voluntarily implemented action plan for sustainability), as well as the formation of the united Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (uNFCCC).

1973 - endangered Species Act is passed

1987 - Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, is published

1995 - Parties to the uNFCCC meet in Berlin at the 1st Conference of Parties (COP1) to outline specific targets on emissions

1997 - At COP3 the parties establish the Kyoto Protocol in Kyoto, Japan, in which they agree to the broad outlines of emissions targets

1998 - Leadership in energy and environmental design (Leed) Green Building Rating System developed by the u.S. Green Building Council

2002 - Russia and Canada ratify the Kyoto Protocol to the uNFCCC bringing the treaty into effect on February 16th, 2005

2011 - World popula-tion reaches 7 Billion and is increasingly interconnected

2008 - World food, fuel and financial crises converge, food prices increase by 43% in one year

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NYC Master Composter

Tattfoo took the Master Composter Certificate Course in 2009, which aims to train an enthusiast to be a compost expert and spread the compost knowhow, making a meaningful impact in the community! The train-the-trainer course is designed to pro-mote the practice of home composting and the reduction of our city’s solid waste and consists of 21 hours of classroom training (including two field trips), and 30 hours of volunteer outreach service in compost education and promotion. The course is free and is funded through the New York Compost Project by the NYC department of Sanitation Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling.

Neighborhood Leadership Institute Certificate

In the Fall of 2010, Tattfoo took Skills-Building Workshops through the Citizens Committee for New York City for volun-teer-led groups and individuals interested in working on commu-nity improvement projects. In this Workshop he learned: Basics of Community Organizing: Bringing neighbors together to work on issues that matter to you; Group Structure: Build and maintain an effective neighborhood association or community group; Nav-igating City Government: Learn how government functions, who is responsible for what, and how to have your community issues addressed; and Grassroots Fundraising: Supporting your group’s work with community fundraising efforts.

Recommended Resource:

NYC Compost Projecthttp://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/ compost/compostproj.shtml!

Neighborhood Leadership Institutehttp://www.citizensnyc.org/workshops

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Recommended Resource: How to Build Character through Integrityhttp://www.wikihow.com/Build-Character-Through-Integrity

Military l Boy Scouts l Girl Scouts l Nurses l Judges l eco-warrior l Super Heroes

A SPeCIAL NOTe:

While this guide may reference the language of a formalized club, Tattfoo’s S.O.S. project is not associated with any uniform wearing organizations or trades. The S.O.S. project is an open and inclusive platform for all people of all backgrounds to engage in creative placemaking and for identity building activities regardless of race, class, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Tattfoo and ecoartspace invite you to join us in building a more equitable and sustainable world that is affirming for all people.

I’m an artist. I’m a designer. I’m a gardener. I’m learning. I’m look-ing for solutions. I’m you and you are me. We are all one, con-nected and interdependent in a closed system planet call earth. Our only home.

top: LA urban Rangers, Los Angelesbottom: Fallen Fruit, Los Angeles

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Merit Badges

Merit badges are typically used by organizations to acknowl-edge or reward participants for completing a set of activities that teach them valuable skills. In recent years Boy Scouts of America have required mandatory badges in both Citizenship in the Community and Environmental Science. And, they also have a new sustainability badge.

Like Tattfoo, as an individual artist making an artistic statement, you can also create your own unique badges to acknowledge your accomplishments, good deeds or skills learned by collaging words on pin-back buttons or by cutting and sewing fabric to make your own hand-stitched version. For Tattfoo’s Master Com-

poster Badge, he redesign the “Caduceus” symbol of divine providence altering the embryo of life from a serpent to a red worm and placed the icon of the earth at the background to show that composting save the planet. Because Tattfoo is also a graphic designer, he designed his badges himself and then had them professionally produced.

How-Tuesday: Embroidered DIY Merit Badges https://blog.etsy.com/en/2013/how-tuesday-make-a-merit-badge/

Build Character

Sue Spencer-Knight, an international leadership coach from the United Kingdom who works with businesses and organizations believes that ultimately, sustainability can only be built on the transformation of human character.

To illustrate this concept she created the iceberg model, which proposes that behaviors (what people say and do) are determined by what is below the surface (purpose, identity, beliefs, values and capabilities). Point being that we cannot change behaviors sustainably without changing the sub-surface drivers.

Spencer-Knight states that the transformation of character which is essential for true sustainability will naturally emanate from below the surface where economic motivations of extraction and exploitation of the natural environment will be supplanted by those of human contribution and service.

These drivers that underpin sustainability can translate, over time, to the transformation of character. But can we change?

Spencer-Knight says we definitely can, and that for eons, humanity has been driven mostly by survival drives. When the survival drive is our default mode, more elevated and altruistic expressions of character, innate in humans, are suppressed.

As more of us begin to see that our ancient embedded drives are actually counter-productive, and compromising our survival, she believe we will refine our character and generate sustainability drivers for the benefit of our businesses and communities. As we improve our character, a more sustainable environment is a more compatible ecosystem to work and live in. Over time, we learn that sustainability is in our self-interest. As we reach a tipping-point where these drivers become more common, there will be multiple unintended beneficial outcomes.

ABOVE THE SURFACE (WHAT YOU SAY AND DO)

BELOW THE SURFACE

behaviours

Purpose, identity, beliefs,values & capabilities

S.O.S. MOTTO 2: BUILD CHARACTER

SEE FRACTURED ICEBERG (Sustainability in Resources)

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The S.O.S. Pledge is modeled after the The Pledge of Allegiance. It was transformed by Tattfoo into a more eco conscious pledge to ensure that we work as a team and that every small effort counts in effort to save our only home, Planet earth. It is a unique artwork that is based in a concept, a mis-sion, a promise that carries its message and virtue formlessly across all mediums and platforms to suite any budget, aesthetic, size and location. It and can be proudly displayed in a public area.

Tattfoo has created the pledge as a marble mural in a school, on a plywood board in a community garden, on a handkerchief for portability, as an online petition and even as a temporary tattoo.

Below the S.O.S. Pledge is made available for your use to spread the message. This particular stencil font, with a break in the face is also great for silkscreen, stencil, vinyl cut, CNC milling and laser cut.

#SOSPledge

SIGN HeRe dATe

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MOBILE GARDEN

#SOSMobileGarden

S.O.S. Mobile Garden can be a discarded shopping cart retrofitted into a mobile edible garden that Tattfoo uses to parade around to engage the public. discarded shopping carts can be found in many different places and are utilized by individuals who have survived through economies of recycling. These wire frame vehicles often represent a lifestyle of consumption and excess as much as the objects they contain, and also seem to be subject to the same fated disposability. While shopping carts are often a sign of homelessness, urban decay or neglect, they can also be a symbol of renewal and transformation of our food system. Anything with wheels and room to grow will work!

ACTION STEPS

1 - Log on to craigslist.org and search the free items posting or dumpster dive

2 - Look out for items that can be easily roll around like office chair, luggage, stroller, shopping carts, skateboard etc.

3 - Contact donor and pick up items

4 - Fix any broken parts and convert the item to a planter

5 - Be creative and design your mobile garden

6 - Remember to put some holes at the bottom for drainage

7 - Place edible plants into Mobile Garden

8 - Now you have a living sculpture

9 - Start a Mobile Garden parade with your friends and neighbors

S.O.S. MOBILe GARdeN

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SLOW DOWN

S.O.S. MOBILECLASSROOM

Bike culture is growing in America and this idea piqued Tattfoo’s interest to investigate further into the cargo capability of a bicycle. In India there are vendors who use bicycles to fulfill one’s livelihood. Velocommerce is business that is dependent on the bicycle (from the French word ‘velo’ referring to bicycle). It is about the mobility of property, and it challenges notions of ownership and private capital. It is special because it exists at the intersection of entrepreneurship, mobility, sustainability, grassroots innovation, cultures, local economies and decentralized.

S.O.S. Mobile Classroom was created from a unique multi-usage cargo bicycle, which functions as a mobile classroom when parked on the street or doing a workshop in a school or community event. It is a catalyst for an interesting green conversation and for spreading the message of sus-tainability. Tattfoo’s mobile classroom engages participants while doing workshops and provides a real-to-life scale model of what a mobile garden and a compost bin would be by hauling all the necessary equipment along.

#SOSMobileClassroom

ACTION STEPS

1 - Adapt or re-build an old bike working with your local bike shop or organization

2 - design and plan activities you will present from your mobile classroom

3 - Gather materials for your activities from donations or reuse/recycle centers

4 - Invite local community members and friends to help you assemble your mobile classroom

5 - Finalize your designs and assemble, paint, decorate your classroom

6 - Collaborate with local schools or nonprofits to bring the mobile classroom to them!

S.O.S. MOBILe CLASSROOM

see resources

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Garden Designs and Tips

Planter Boxes Garden: Many urban gardens use raised beds or planter boxes to grow crops, herbs and other edibles on top of pavement or asphalt. You can usually buy soil at your local botanical garden, recycling center, or farmers market.

Creative Structures: Consider using recycled urban artifacts to help construct your garden. A discarded bicycle can be repur-posed into a trellis, wooden pallets can be used to create raised beds, and dried branches can become a barrier to hold leaves or start a compost heap in the corner of your garden.

Creating Edge: There are no straight lines in nature and there is more life on the edge where two systems overlap. A wavy edge is a preferred design because it can provide more edge for this hab-itat. use this “edge effect” and other natural patterns to create synergies between the landscapes.

Habitat Gardening: Leave some areas of your garden wild, allow-ing wildflowers and weeds to remain. Many beneficial insects, birds and butterflies are host-specific and will feed or lay eggs only on certain plants that may not be common in a garden. Plant lush border gardens to encourage diversity and incorporate herbs into your flowerbeds. Include a bird bath to encourage birds and beneficial insects to linger.

Permaculture is an approach to gardening that mimics ecologi-cal patterns in the environment to establish self-sustaining sys-tems. Permaculturalists think holistically when designing their gardens, considering the ethics and possibilities of their design to maximize growth and reduce ecological footprint.

#SOSurbanFarmer

urban gardening has become increasingly popular in cities across the united States. As food prices continue to rise and the ecological impacts of industrial farming become more apparent – people are starting community gardens, rooftop farms and greenhouses in a variety of ways. In our urban environment, we may be lacking of land that has exposed soil but don’t let the concrete pavement stop you from enjoying gardening. Recycle urban artifacts such as a discarded bicycle to be repur-posed into a trellis. Reuse dried branches as a barrier to hold fall leaves in a corner of the garden to make compost.

S.O.S. urban Farmer is what Tattfoo became when he decided to plant his food garden, and what he refers to as a “third place.” This is a place where people can come to meet in their community outside of work and home, for good company and lively conversations. Tattfoo’s garden includes a winding path that offers the artist both a meditative path to walk each day and a way to slowly work through, harvest and maintain the garden. The garden provides food and a gathering place, as well as a space to brainstorm and contemplate future art projects.

S.O.S. uRBAN FARMeR

ACTION STEPS

1 - Find a sunny spot in your yard or community property

2 - Make sure the soil is healthy and not contaminated with toxins

3 - design your garden - use water color, pen, paper

4 - use soil amendments such as compost, fertilizer and top soil

5 - Create walking paths so you have easy access to your growing foods

6 - devise a watering plan in case you are not available to water daily

7 - Fence out critters with chicken wire so they do not eat your foods

8 - Also include raised beds or planter box gardening

9 - Plant your seeds in the areas you have mapped out

10 - Water, weed, observe, repeat

recommended resource: the third Place (Ray oldenburg)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd1_jNIn-qw

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Wild foraging of native and non native plants assists in understanding how plants travel the planet and trains the eye to know which plants are edible or not. Although some plants are considered weeds, they can also provide medicinal value that we can benefit from. Creating an herbarium is a great way to learn about plants and share your knowledge or just to get your hands dirty.

S.O.S. Herbarium is a collection of dried plant specimens that are preserved for identification and collected during a plant walk in your community. For anyone unfamiliar with plant identification it’s recommended that you be careful of any harmful species such as poison ivy by consulting a plant Id guide and online resources specific to your bioregion. It’s also good to know the local regulations for what can be legally harvested in the city and state parks in your area.

#SOSHerbarium

S.O.S. HeRBARIuM

ACTION STEPS

1 - Gather materials for plant collecting (plant press, plastic bags, trowel, small notebook, tags, camera)

2 - Collect good representatives of species (with leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, roots)

3 - Take no more than ten at at time to really learn about each species and properly press them

4 - If collecting small plants, group them on one page

5 - Collect plants during dry conditions, mid-morning, after dew has dried before heat of the day

6 - Record date collection number, location, habitat, and special characteristics

7 - Take photographs of your species habitat

8 - Make a press with plywood and newspaper, strap tightly with buckles

9 - delicate flowers can be laid out on tissue paper

10 - After completely dry, mount plants on thick paper

11 - use water soluble glue to attach to the paper

12 - Write plant information on the paper at the bottom

13 - Store finished papers with plants in storage box

14 - Collect as many as you want and share with others

You can easily make a plant press with spare plywood and newspaper, and a vice or a belt strap that can wrap around your press. You’ll need two pieces of plywood and a sturdy surface in a shady cool spot to press each specimen.

see resources

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S.O.S Free Seed Library is a d-I-Y seed-sharing program modeled on the Little Free Library system where participants make bird feeder boxes for distributing seed packets instead of library books. The bird feeders are placed in public locations where seeds can be traded freely. For this project Tattfoo conducted workshops where participants designed and printed seed packets, and built their own bird feeder box stands as an exercise in community food justice. Place these units on your front yard and maintain, replenish and promote your Free Seeds Library with your community. These seeds are for anyone and everyone to take, plant, share, consume, admire and exchange. By saving seeds, we control the destiny of our food and promote ecological diversity.

recommended resource: How to Save Seeds http://www.howtosaveseeds.com

#SOSFreeSeedsLibrary

ACTION STEPS

1 - Find a location to host your seed library (anywhere)

2 - Set a date for a seed saving event and advertise with flyers

3 - design, build, adapt your seed library container (be creative)

4 - design seed packets using recycled materials

5 - Make signage

6 - Place seeds in your library

7 - Monitor your library to catalogue your seeds

8 - Spread the word!

S.O.S. FRee SeedS LIBRARY

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S.O.S. GReeNade is an activity that borrows from military vernacular and permaculture strategies (seed balls) to reverse acts of destruction into ones of growth and abundance. For this project Tattfoo invites community members to become S.O.S. Commanders, leading an all out guerrilla gardening offensive to seed abandon lots, lonely tree plots, and empty planters in communities everywhere. The main weapon is the Flower Bomb which can be rolled into balls or made to look like grenades, and once dry, can be planted into places in need of restoration and renewal. As flowers mature they become habitat for butterflies and bees, pollinators for our food gardens.

Seed balls are an ancient method of plant propagation widely promoted in the 1970s by natural farming innovator Masanobu Fukuoka. They are simply seeds mixed with equal proportions of dried compost and clay, formed into small balls, and dried for later sowing.

ACTION STEPS

1 - Assemble materials

2 - Invite your community to attend a GReeNade workshop

3 - Host a series of workshops to make GReeNades

4 - discuss tactics for planting and creating a greener community

5 - encourage participants to bring their own clay, compost, and native seeds

6 - Invite participants to hold their own workshops and seed ball collectives

recommended resource:http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Seed-Bomb

Flower Bombs/ Seed Balls Recipe

5 parts clay, 3 parts soil, 1 part native/regional wildflower seed.

Mix well with water, form balls or desired shapes and leave to dry in the sun.

Throw them over fences, along roadsides and places in need of color and restoration.

Bomb responsibly! Stay clear of parkland and places that are maintained and landscaped.

Fun for all ages! Start your own flower bomb collective! Spread love in your area!

#SOSGReeNade

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S.O.S. GReeNraid is also a guerrilla gardening activity that Tattfoo uses to transform the landscape. Making paper planes from recycled junk mail to disperse wildflower seeds provides the ability to fly them over rooftops and to pass over chain-link fences. The paper plane is folded in various designs to further enhance the experience of this seed disbursal campaign. Guerrilla gardening is a global regeneration movement first used by Liz Christy in 1973 in Lower Manhattan that brings colour and life to desolate and forgotten urban areas. You don’t need a garden to participate. You can take it upon yourself to brighten up your neighborhood roadsides and vacant lots.

#SOSGReeNraid

ACTION STEPS

1 - Collect junk mail from the post office and your neighbors (let them know why and invite them to come make handmade paper with you)

2 - Find a good paper making recipe online (see resources)

3 - Get all your materials together (invite people to bring their own materials)

4 - Add your native seeds from the seed library to your paper

5 - After the paper dries, fold them like airplanes and go out to vacant lots and Green Raid!

For this green militia offensive we are recruiting you to be a part of the Sustainable Organic Stewardship (S.O.S) movement! unlike other militia offensives, planting wildflowers is helpful to everyone and harmful to no one! They are beautiful to look at, help clean and aerate the soil, great for the birds, bees and butterflies and offer a fresh perspective on our often under utilized landscape. We ARe HeRe TO ReCRuIT YOu. TIMe IS RuN-NING OuT. eVeRYONe MuST dO THeIR PART FOR OuR MOTHeR eARTH. Bee STRONG. Wear your best Camouflage outfit.

read: Gorilla Gardening http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerril-la_gardening

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Before taking on this project, Tattfoo recommends asking yourself the following questions:

Is owning your own flock cheaper than buying eggs?

Where should you place my coop?

Can the chickens survive outdoors through the harsh cold winter?

Will the coop attract rodents?

How will you dispose of the manure?

Will you have surplus eggs to sell?

Can the hens roam free in your garden?

Can your dog and cat harm the hens?

Can you eat the egg-laying hens?

There are many resources online to investigate answers to these ques-tions.

S.O.S. 5p.m. is a great way to bring your community one step closer to growing food that is local and sustainable by raising chickens. The number 5 refers to the number of chickens Tattfoo keeps and “pm” stands for Poop Machine, because that’s what chickens do - they eat, they poop, and they lay eggs. Chickens need a chicken coop, which takes a great deal of planning and design, although is manageable with the help of community members and friends. Tattfoo reduced his upfront cost by using recycled and found materials like canvas stretcher bars and even his paintings, which he uses as barriers. He has also created a hencoop at The New Children’s Museum in San diego called S.O.S. 5pmWest for the exhibition titled Feast: The Art of Playing with Your Food. You can follow the number of eggs his urban flock are laying on Twitter @tattfoo #eggcount

Build Your Own Chicken Coop

Tattfoo built his chicken coop with recycled woods. Accord-ing to some estimates, more than 46 percent of the total u.S. hardwood lumber produc-tion is used in making moving pallets and approximately 200 million pallets end up in Amer-ican municipal landfills each year. Pallets are a great source of free, usable wood available to everyone.

FYI: Chickens LOVe Pine Shavings

recommended resource:

urban Chickens Podcast, The Art of the Chicken Coop http://www.urbanchickenpodcast.com/ucp-episode-007/)

#SOS5pm

ACTION STEPS

1 - do your research or take a class on urban chicken farming

2 - Research zoning and permitting requirements in your municipality or city

3 - Identify a site for your chicken coop in a grassy area

4 - Locate and assemble materials (wire, wood, nails, screws, fencing, heat lamps, water system)

5 - Purchase young vaccinated ready chicks from March till July

6 - Build your coop and invite friends and community members to assist in exchange for eggs

7 - Monitor your chickens health and progress daily

8 - Include neighbors, friends and family through the whole process

S.O.S. 5P.M.

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S.O.S. Black Gold references the phrase which has connections to oil drilling, to re-branded forms of jewelry, and even political forms of corruption. Coincidentally, gardeners also call compost Black Gold because of its value in improving garden soil for growing foods. Approximately 12% of our garbage is food waste, and when this is thrown into landfills it is a costly waste of a valuable resource. When Tattfoo learned this he decided to can his worm casting from his compost to make it available for sale as art. His point was that if it was purchased as an artwork, it would confront or cause the dilemma for the art collector to then use the compost as a plant fertilizer. If the soil were used, then it would lose its status as a work of art. Tattfoo also decided to price S.O.S. Black Gold at the same price as the current gold value, as a way to make a statement that we should value our soil, where we grow our food, at the same level or price that we value gold.

Vermicomposting is composting with worms which accelerates the natural process of decom-position creating worm castings or worm manure including humus with high absorption abilities and more nutrients.

#SOSBlackGold

ACTION STEPS

1. Identify a location in your garden or on your patio or balcony for a medium to large compost bin

2. Construct a bin with recycled woods or purchase one through your city or county Bureau of Sanitation

3. Find a smaller counter top size container with lid for your food scraps (only raw, uncooked, no oil, bread, fish or meat)

4. Make sure you have a mixture of green waste from your kitchen/yard, brown waste such as recycled non glossy papers/leaves, water and air at all times (too much moisture or too dry is not good, and keep it stirred up every week)

5. If you want you can add worms, but make sure your bin is designed to collect liquids at the bottom which you can use as fertilizer called worm tea

6. Harvest your compost to amend soil in your flower beds or pots and your food garden (this can take up to six months or more)

7. Once you get a fine black soil at the bottom of your bin, you can place it in glass jars and sell it like Tattfoo as an artwork and also a way to educate others about composting

S.O.S. BLACK GOLd

recommended resource: How to composthttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/inside-nature/infograpic-how-to-compost/8281/

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Food holds a special place in visual culture and has been depict-ed in art dating back to paleolithic caves in France and Spain with paintings of hunting wild animals. egyptians also made drawings of food in the pyramids on the walls of tombs as offerings to the dead. And, Romans painted large frescos with fruits placed in glass bowls on the walls of Pompeii. during the 16th and 17th Centuries, still life paintings of over flowing plates with prepared foods were also portrayed to represent opulence or wealth. And, food itself was used to make art with for street festivals through the 19th-century in europe. The list goes on and on.

The bottom line is that eating is an indispensable human activity and the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history. It is responsible for the structures and institutions we call “civilization,” and has been an integral part of religious identity. Food historian dr. Ken Albala states “Food is a driver of Human History” and has connected the entire world through trade.

With artists having such a long history of depicting food in art, it makes sense that today we have a number of contemporary art-ists addressing food issues with new more pressing perspectives. These artists are not so much concerned with portraying food as a way to show wealth as they are interested to ensure that we do not lose the quality and quantity of foods that we need for our human survival globally.

In 1971, artist Gordon Matta Clark along with Tina Girourard and Carol Gooden opened an artist run restaurant in Soho, New York City called FOOd to bring together artists and local community members, to provide a space for dialogue and conversation as well as a living piece of art. And, in 1979, Suzanne Lacy created a simultaneous world wide dinner happening titled International dinner Party, a project that publicized networks of feminist orga-nization on the eve of another artist, Judy Chicago’s exhibition titled Dinner Party at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

More recent projects similar to FOOd and International dinner Party are:

The Waffle Shop (2008-2012) was a neighborhood restaurant organized by Pittsburgh artist Jon Rubin that produced and broadcast a live-streaming talk show with its customers and op-erated a changeable storytelling billboard on its roof. The project functioned as an eatery, a TV production studio, a social catalyst, and a business.

More about this project there: http://culturalcapital.co/the-waf-fle-shop/

HISTORY OF ART & FOOd

Agnes denes, Wheatfield: A Confrontation, 1982, downtown Manhattan, NY

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Soul Food Pavilion (2012) was presented by Chicago artist Theaster Gates to create an opportunity to convert a space for Sunday dinners to provide a forum where soul food could be consumed while its complex flavors and histories are discussed, questioned and celebrated. Guests from all backgrounds and places were invited to the communal dinner table where they openly discuss issues of race and inequality while sharing food, memories and performances.

More information on the project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=king4z1kTKI

In 1970, San Francisco artist Bonnie Sherk performed her Porta-ble Parks Series l – lll with partner Howard Levine transforming three barren, sterile, urban “dead spaces” into green, living en-vironments replete with sod, palm trees, and live animals. Later in 1982 artist Agnes Denes grew a two-acre field of wheat titled Wheat Field - A Confrontation on a former landfill, now the site of Battery Park City and the World Financial Center in New York City. Her intention was to perform for the financial district a growing concern of misplaced priorities in an attempt to end world hun-ger by putting human value in perspective.

Other more recent projects similar to Bonnie Sherk, Agnes Denes, and more recently Tattfoo Tan’s SOS projects, include:

Victory Gardens (2007) was developed by artist Amy Franceschi-ni and her Future Farmers collaborative who joined with the City of San Francisco’s department for the environment by offering

tools, training and materials for urban dwellers to encourage a city-wide transformation of underutilized backyards - turning them into productive food growing spaces. The project drew from the historical model of the American Victory Gardens that were encouraged by the Federal Government to subsidize farmers who were off fighting for our country during WWI and WWII.

More information on the project here: http://www.futurefarmers.com/victorygardens/

edible estates is an ongoing initiative founded by Los Angeles artist Fritz Haeg to replace domestic front lawns with kitchen gardens, allowing families to grow their own food. The project was initiated on Independence day 2005 in Salina, Kansas, the geographic center of the united States. Since then the artist has created sixteen gardens around the world.

More about his project there: http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/about.html

Fallen Fruit is an art collaboration originally conceived in 2004 by artists David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young that began by mapping fruit trees growing on or over public property in Los Angeles. Fallen Fruit uses fruit as a common denominator to change the way you see understand public resources.

More information on the project here: http://fallenfruit.org

HISTORY OF ART & FOOd

Bonnie Sherk, CROSSROAdS COMMuNITY (the farm), 1974-78, San Francisco, CA

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MOTTO 1: BE PREPARED

S.O.S. Headquarters – designate a space at your school or organization as an “S.O.S. head quarters” to display, map and showcase any sustainability projects. This is a perfect place to display your S.O.S. pledge, seed packets, brochures or badges created throughout this Action Guide.

Worm Palace - Vermicomposting uses the power of worms to break down organic waste into compost for your garden. To create a vermicomposter, transform a small plastic storage container or wooden box by drilling holes to provide aer-ation, and then covering with wire mesh or screen. Next create bedding from shredded cardboard, newspaper or peat moss. Wet with a spray bottle, and then add a handful of redworms (eisenia foetida). Feed your worms kitchen scraps like chopped veggies, fruits and coffee grounds. Avoid anything with oil, citrus, dairy or meat and read Worms eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof for more in-depth instructions!

Swap-o-rama-rama – Organize a swap-meet in your community or school inviting friends, family and students to trade clothing, toys, electronics and other items that would oth-erwise end up in the landfill. Combine the event with a potluck gathering or musical performance to build community.

HackLab – Set up an electronics drive to collect obsolete technology and e-waste. Invite a local fixers collective, AV club, hacker space or science teacher to lead a workshop on repur-posing these materials into new inventions, musical instruments or sculptures. Bring the items that could not be used to an e-waste facility for recycling.

Green Design Collaboratory – Organize a design charrette at your school or workplace to map the flow of waste and other resources such as water or electricity. Identify the origin of materials used and where items like paper, plastic bottles, cans, or organic wastes end up. Brainstorm ways to reduce your material stream through better signage, clearly marked bins and a fun visual campaign to encourage participation. If a recycling plan doesn’t exist, talk to an administrator about initiating one.

MOTTO 2: BUILD CHARACTER

S.O.S. Design Lab – Create a space at your school or community center to work on your S.O.S. costume and character. Invite local designers to work with donated fabrics, second hand clothing and thrift-store materials to create a uniform and badge for your S.O.S. project. display your design process and create re-usable patterns to upload online for others to share.

Pocket Collecting – design a cape for kids or adults with pockets sewn into the back of each cape. Organize a series of neighborhood walks inviting participants to wear their capes while they look for local specimens and natural artifacts. encourage participants to place their findings in their cape pockets and create a small exhibition of your collection by hanging each cape on a hook for display.

S.O.S. Comic Book - use your S.O.S. character to inspire a comic book exploring ecological themes or issues. Start with a simple story board and begin to sketch out your character in their new setting. Illustrate your first chapter with an exciting story and setting inspired by where you live. Craft your comic into a small zine to share with others or launch a digital blog to share your creation.

S.O.S. Cinema – use your phone or a video camera to create a short film or performance inspired by your S.O.S. character. To begin, storyboard your film around the idea of encour- aging a sustainability initiative in your com-munity. Add some humor with special effects and invite guest stars from local non-profits or community groups to share their mission for a greener world. With everyone’s permission, upload to Vimeo or YouTube and post to social media.

MOTTO 3: BE A GREEN CITIZEN

S.O.S. Radio – Create an internet-based radio platform and invite students, family members and communities to broadcast alive from their school or community space. use the S.O.S. Action Guide as a prompt for conversation and interview ses-sions. Ask participants about local social or environmental issues, ideas for encouraging local food systems and building community.

S.O.S. ACTION GuIde SuPPLeMeNTAL ACTIVITIeS

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Vertical Gardening – using Britta Riley’s Windowfarm project as inspiration for a vertical garden in your window to grow herbs or lettuces or for your kitchen. Collect 2 Liter plastic soda bottles. Invert each bottle and place holes throughout for plants to grow. Install a pole or dowel rod to hold each container and fill with soil after securing firmly to your window. Plant seeds, water and grow!

Moss Graffiti – Rather than using spray paint harness the power of moss to communicate an S.O.S. message. To create your growing medium you’ll need a clump of moss, 2 cups of buttermilk or yogurt, 2 cups of water, a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of vegetable oil. Blend all ingredients well and then spread on a cement or brick surface. depending on climate, moss will begin to grow where you’ve spread your medium.

S.O.S. Brigade - In order to cultivate sustainable citizenship start an SOS Brigade in your community to build interest in a more sustainable future. Consider some of these suggestions to guide your process:

• A Portrait of Your Community – Create a snap shot of your hometown and local community. What are some of the pressing social, cultural or political issues specific to your region? What’s the history of region or city? Who’s in charge, who are the mover and shakers? What do residents have concerns about and why? Create maps, flow charts and lists of relevant information to identify themes and focus areas.

• Making it Political – In order to be a good citizen, you have to know how your community is politically oriented and activated. Are there any local organizations, clubs or spaces that are working toward sustainability or social justice? What are ways you can be involved in local politics, community decisions, zoning and planning in your area? Create a website or blog to document possibilities and begin to experi-ment with friends and neighbors.

• Getting Involved on Your Own Terms – Now that you have a better understanding of your local socio-political landscape, get involved on your own terms and start small. Maybe attend a community board meeting or a city-spon-sored event. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Organize a meet-up group for folks interested in ecological stewardship. It’s always better to have a collaborator – so try and get involved with someone who will hold you accountable to your participation in civic matters.

• Creating a Groundswell – After getting your feet wet, its time to begin your own initiative or collaborate with an ongoing campaign. useart/ design strategies to motivate others to get involved and create a groundswell of support and community activism using online tools, workshops and neighborhood gatherings.

Mobile ClassroomIn section three Tattfoo shared his mobile classroom project. To help inspire a personalized version, use some of the suggestions below to guide your design:

• Weather Station: create a mobile classroom that measures rainfall, wind speed, temperature and can chart climate change trends

• Native Plant Archive: assemble an archive of native plant seeds, pressings and live plants that you can showcase to your community

• Bug Emporium: create a traveling bug and critter show that allows youth and communities to touch and view local insects and animals • Energy Machines: offer ways to demonstrate the power of renewable energy by providing solar and wind charging stations

MOTTO 4: TAKE ACTION

Creative Activism ToolboxTaking “action” in your community can take many forms. Small gestures like hosting a potluck or talking with neighbors can go a long way. In holding ourselves accountable we open space for collective decision-making and collaborative work toward a more socially just world. To get started, consider some of the sugges-tions below:

• Identifying Key Issues: Identify local ecological and social issues that are threat- ening the health and sustainability of your community. Visit local non-profits, talk to neighbors, conduct research online and develop a list of focus areas

S.O.S. ACTION GuIde SuPPLeMeNTAL ACTIVITIeS

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COMMON CORE Standards AlignmentSubject Grades K – 5 Grades 6 – 8 Grades 9 - 12Area

Science NA CCSS.eLA-LITeRACY.RST.6-8.1; CCSS.eLA-LITeRACY.RST.9-10.3; RST.-8.3; RST.6-8.9 RST.9-10.7; RST.11-12.3; RST.11-12.7

Math CCSS.MATH.CONTeNT.K.Md.A.1; CCSS.MATH.CONTeNT.6.SP.A.1; CCSS.MATH.CONTeNT.HSG.MG.A.3 2.G.A.1; 2.Md.A.4; 3.Md.d.8; 6.G.A.4; 7.G.B.6 5.Md.C.3

Language CCSS.eLA-LITeRACY.RL.K.10; CCSS.eLA-LITeRACY.RL.6.1; CCSS.eLA-LITeRACY.RL.9-10.6; Arts RL.2.3; RL.3.6; RL.5.7 RL.8.2 RL.11-12.1

Social NA CCSS.eLA-LITeRACY.RH.6-8.7; CCSS.eLA-LITeRACY RH.9-10.4;Studies RH.6-8.6; RH.11-12.7

Source: http://www.corestandards.org/

S.O.S. ACTION GuIde SuPPLeMeNTAL ACTIVITIeS

• Building Solidarity Networks: Make a list of strategic partners, friends and community members that can assist in your campaign or initiative. Invite them to a special dinner or potluck to build relationships. Solidarity NYC is a great example: http://solidaritynyc.org/

• Developing Creative Strategies: Using this Action Guide as inspiration, develop strate- gies and interventions for sustainability in your neighborhood. experiment, pilot or test project ideas with friends and expand your efforts through research and conversation. Visit the Center for Creative Activism’s database of strategies for helpful tips and ideas: http://artisticactivism.org/

• Documenting Progress: Document your activi- ties using a video or photo blog, twitter and other social media. Invite friends online to view and comment on photos to get them involved in your crusade for a greener world.

Micro-Greens Market – use your workplace or school to organically grow herbs and sell them to local restaurants or spaces in your commu- nity. Involve local youth, develop a business plan and procure growing space to start a small crop of herbs like basil, thyme, rosemary or mint. Grow, harvest and distribute to local restaurants and use the funds to further sustainability projects in your community.

Farm to School – develop a farm to school program in your school district. use the Center for Nutrition’s online tool kit (http://toolkit.centerfornutrition.org/) as a guide for partnering with local farmers and producers around the region. Start small by replacing frozen food items with a few farm-fresh produce items. Organize cooking classes and work-shops to engage students and families.

The table below outlines a collection of Common Core learning goals in science, math, language arts and social studies that align with the S.O.S. Action Guide’s activities and concepts. Learning goals specific to each grade area were selected based on their relationship to citizen science, interdisciplinary forms of collaboration, science and technology integrations (STeAM), and creative approaches to communication in both informal and classroom settings. Although this table is by no means comprehensive it provides a touchstone for teachers to build and adapt their own lesson plans around state-required content. For a full list of Common Core standards visit http://www.corestandards.org/

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SUSTAINABILTY

Sustainability explained through animation (video)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0

Steps to Sustainability (fractured Iceberg)http://stepstosustainability.com/?p=1191

can we feed the world, Sustain the Planet? (Scientific american)http://www.geog.psu.edu/sites/default/files/Scientific%20Ameri-can%20Article.pdf

food: an atlas (collection of maps, by the Guerilla cartography community - Jan 2013)http://guerrillacartography.net/Food%20%7BAn%20eAtlas%7D.pdf

CERTIFICATIONS

cSa citizen Science academyhttp://www.citizenscienceacade-my.org/courses

ecology Centerhttp://ecologycenter.org

occidental art & Ecology centerhttp://www.oaec.org

Daily acts (Permaculture Design certification)http://dailyacts.org/home-grown-guild

Solar Living Institute (courses in Sustainable Living)http://www.solarliving.org

IDENTITY

the Empathic civilizationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AWnfFRc7g

custom Patcheshttp://www.custompatchesonline.com

working Person’s Storehttp://workingperson.com/work-wear-1.html

DIY merit Badgeshttps://blog.etsy.com/en/2013/how-tuesday-make-a-merit-badge/

Boys Scouts of america Sustain-ability merit Badge workbookhttp://www.usscouts.org/uss-couts/mb/worksheets/Sustain-ability.pdf

URBAN FARMER

open Source Beehiveshttp://www.opensourcebeehives.net/

Real time farms (crowd-source nationwide food guide)http://www.realtimefarms.com

farm Hack (open Source commu-nity for Resilient agriculture)http://farmhack.net

Raft - Renewing americas food traditionshttp://www.albc-usa.org/RAFT/resources.html

civil Eats (Daily News Source on american food System)http://civileats.com

Just food (training community leaders in NYc city farming)http://justfood.org

Greenhorns (supports alternative young american farmers)http://www.thegreenhorns.net

center for Nutrition farm to School toolkithttp://toolkit.centerfornutrition.org

Permaculture Institutehttp://www.permaculture.org/permaculture-resources-2/

ReSOuRCeS

BICYCLE

Bullitt by Larry vs. Harryhttp://www.larryvsharry.com/custom bicycle of metrofietshttp://www.metrofiets.com/

Yuba Bicyclehttp://yubabikes.com/

madsen Bicyclehttp://www.madsencycles.com/

Bicycle trailer at REIhttp://www.rei.com/

HERBARIUM

How to make a plant presshttp://www.botany.unimelb.edu.au/herbarium/files/MakeHerb-Spec.pdf

DIY Herbarium part 1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhspYfnQM9M

DIY Herbarium part 2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBgkLd5_GkQ

PAPER MAKING

DIY recycle papermakinghttp://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-and-Recycle-Paper/

BACKYARD CHICKENS

the chicken chickhttp://www.the-chicken-chick.com/p/chicken-resources-direc-tory.html

Backyard chicken Basicshttp://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-live-stock/backyard-chick-ens-zm0z11zgri.aspx#axzz36ss-RofYl

How Do Your Eggs Stack Up?http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/best-eggs-com-parison.aspx#axzz36ssRofYl

How to Decode Egg cartonshttp://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-live-stock/how-to-decode-egg-car-tons.aspx#axzz36ssRofYl

the Lexicon of Sustainability | the Story of an Egg | PBS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2vyU-hilrY

Project Design - chicken coopshttp://www.projecthdesign.org/toolbox/tool/chicken-coops/

SEED LIBRARY

How to: Build a DIY, Pop-Up Seed Swapping Station http://magazine.good.is/articles/how-to-build-a-diy-pop-up-seed-swapping-station

Rio Salado Seedshed Library http://rsssl.org/whats-a-seed-library/

COMPOSTING

Vermicompostinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ver-micompost

Build your own compost Binhttp://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Compost-BinNUTRITION

NUTRITION

Nature Matching System a project by Tattfoo Tanhttp://issuu.com/tattfoo/docs/nmscurriculum

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Acknowledgments

Guide Authors:

Patricia Watts, Lead AuthorTattfoo Tan, S.O.S. ArtistIan Garrett, Sustainability sectionChris Fremantle, Food Security sectionChristopher Kennedy, Action Steps, Supplemental Activities and Core Standards Alignment

Special thanks to Melanie Franklin Cohen, Staten Island Arts

Supported in part by individual donors from the S.O.S. Indiegogo campaign

CC Attribution-Non-commericial 3.0 LicensedFor more information: creative commons.org/license/by-nc/3.0

design credit: Tattfoo TanecoARTspaceArt & ecology Learning Guides

ecoartspace Art & ecology Learning Series 2013-2015

CRedITS & ACKNOWLedGMeNTS

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ecoartspaceArt & ecology Learning Guides

The S.O.S. ACTION Guide is the second in series of ten guides that will be developed in 2014–15 by ecoartspace, a nonprofit platform for artists addressing environmental issues. each guide will support both learning institutions and community organizations that are interested in educating youth and adults about the principles of ecology through aesthetic experiences in the natural and built environments.

ecoartspace was founded in Los Angeles in 1997 by Patricia Watts, who partnered with Amy Lipton in New York City in 1999. They created one of the first websites that offered information on artists who, through their artworks, teach about our interdependence with the natural world . In 2000, Watts and Lipton developed an art and nature program, bringing artists into classrooms in Malibu, California, and New York City . This project was the initial inspiration to develop arts activities for both in school and in after-school programs .

The ecoartspace Art & ecology Learning Guide Series is not meant to be a replacement for federal or state standards-based curric-ula. In fact, these guides are just that—guides for educators to teach science and art using aesthetic expression as a facilitation tool for dialogue and visualization.

Studies show that approximately 65 percent of the population are visual learners, and yet the arts are often an afterthought in edu-cational institutions . The learning guides aim to address this by sharing stories about the artists’ projects in the public sphere, and to generate similar placed based projects in communities globally, thereby reducing human impacts on the environment .

Tattfoo Tan’s S.O.S. project has inspired many children and their families and has brought forth the idea that artists can make a difference in educating the public about a range of important issues. Although Tattfoo does not see his work as a performance, it does display a performative aspect that creates unique opportunities for learning by participants. This form of art, known as Social Practice, sees knowledge as a key component of community regeneration and part of a wider lifelong learning agenda .

We hope that you find this guide valuable for yourself and for all participants. Please also find our first guide, eve Mosher’s HighWaterLine ACTION Guide, at the link below.

Your feedback is always welcome

Patricia WattsFounder and West Coast curator ecoartspace.orghttp://ecoartspaceactionguides.blogspot.com

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S.O.S. Mobile Classroom at Miami Beach during Maimi Art Basel, Self-portrait, 2010