NEWS

CONNECTING PEOPLE, ART AND THE ENVIRONMENT

OPA recently arrived in Brazil and officially started its work in Salvador of Urban Permaculture and Arts. Today OPA is proud to share some exciting news from down south with our friends.

A little background

OPA, Organization of Permaculture and Art, is a non-profit organization based in the city of Salvador, capital of Bahia, in the northeastern coast of Brazil that believes in the infusion of Art and Permaculture as means of creating skills and solutions towards a sustainable future in the social and environmental area, empowering people and their communities. OPA was created in 2004 by Multicultural Artists, Educators and Permaculture Designers who believe that through the Arts and Permaculture the ability to open one's mind to new possibilities is greatly improved, generating innovative ideas, solutions and positive results towards sustainable development and a better quality of life.

OPA's arrival in Brazil

Upon arrival in Brazil, OPA's first project was to convert a diesel pick up truck to run on recycled vegetable oil with the support of IPA - Institute of Permaculture of the Amazon, and to drive 3.000 km from Manaus to Salvador testing its endurance and spreading information about this sustainable way of running diesel motors. The trip was a success and set OPA off to start it's applied work of Urban Permaculture in Salvador.

Pick up Truck Conversion to Veggie Oil at IPA

Circo Agua Viva

Kids Circus Performance in Candeal

OPA founded Circo Agua Viva, an Environmentally Conscious Kids Circus in 2004 in the community of Arembepe. 50 at-risk children participated in a series of workshops that culminated in a public performance with water as a theme. This year, 2005, was the second year of the circus. Circo Agua Viva II happened in the community of Candeal in Salvador on the day of the environment in Brazil, June 5th where 60 children participated and created an amazing performance about what they learned on Permaculture in the city. Circo Agua Viva II attracted a huge crowd to the main square in Candeal that became filled with colors, laughter, talent and lots of applause.

Urban Permaculture in the neighborhood of Candeal

building an herb spiral in an urban square

OPA joined Pracatum, a non-profit educational, cultural and community development organization and music school founded by the famous Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown in the underserved neighborhood of Candeal in Salvador. We took our work out to the streets of Candeal to implement an educational project of Urban Permaculture and Circus Arts in May and June of 2005. The project consisted in the transformation of a local square into a living outdoors classroom and demonstration of Permaculture techniques and Circus. Through Permaculture local children put their hands in the earth to plant, some for the first time, they learned to make good use of empty spaces in the neighborhood and turn them into productive environments. They begun to look at trash in a different way, using materials that would be filling landfills like old tires and broken concrete slabs to make gardens and create functioning growing spaces. In the Circus Arts the children learned stilt walking, juggling, clown and acrobatics. They worked their mind using critical thinking to create theater scenes with environmental themes, built masks and giant puppets with recycled materials and learned to work in a group with mutual accords, respecting one another, and participating of consensus decision-making process. OPA believes this project has an excellent format to implement innovative visions in urban communities based in the principles of sustainability, working with youth and children to make a difference in increasing the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

EcoSurfistas

1st day of EcoSurfistas Project at Diogo

EcoSurfistas is an educational project that combines Surf and Permaculture with underprivileged youth in Bahia developed by OPA with the support of Fokust Alliance, a budding California clothing company that brings together the efforts of snowboarders, surfers, artists, hip-hoppers and activists. "Our priority is creating projects which effect positive change, and using the clothing as a declaration of our work and philosophy" say founders Jason Privett and Kawika Campbell. "EcoSurfistas bring together art, surfing, youth and sustainability. It's perfect." No Enemy, a Santa Cruz surf clothing company has donated organic fair trade clothes for the kids. Participants enter a program, which includes Surf Training 1st day of EcoSurfistas Project at Diogo and Environmental Awareness through Permaculture techniques. The main objective of this project is to support a healthy life style through the practice of surf while educating and opening new doors to low-income youth, encouraging them to open their minds to new ways of looking at problems and generate their own solutions. The surfboards used in the program have the "ecosurfista" logo with the intention of creating an Environmentally Conscious and Socially Aware Surf Team that will grow together, enter competitions and pass on information they learned through the program to other surfers and the community at large. This project has been launched in the community of Diogo, a small fishing village in the surroundings of Salvador that faces rapid expansion due to rapid expansion due to its amazing natural surrounding and recent business and tourism investments in the region. OPA believes that the EcoSurfistas Project will be a positive force in helping Diogo towards a more sustainable future. Our goal is to expan this program to other areas of Bahia.

New Member

OPA's family is growing. We are happy to inform that we have a new member joining our organization, Leslhie Medeiros da Silva. She came from IPA, Institute of Permaculture in the Amazon to add with her expertise in Permaculture, Agriculture Techniques and Sustainability.

UP AND COMING

Permaculture Course OPA in partnership with the renowned Capoeira Angola Master Cobra Mansa offered a 4 day Permaculture Course as a follow-up to the International Capoeira Angola Seminar in August, 2005 in Bahia. The course introduced capoeira practitioners to Permaculture techniques such as the creation of agro forests, composting toilet, water catchment system, alternative building techniques, garden and compost, among others.

The second phase of this course will happen in December, 2005, with an emphasis on Urban Permaculture and Alternative Energy. Please contact us for more information.

OPA's Urban Demonstration Center

We are extremely happy to announce that OPA will soon have an Urban Permaculture and Arts Center in Salvador. We are in the fundraising process to retrofit the building in a sustainable way. The building is an old historic house built in the 1800's that will become a center accessible to all that demonstrates sustainable examples in the city and serves as a multi-purpose art and educational center. The center is located in the old historic neighborhood of Santo Antonio in Salvador with an amazing view of the All Saints Bay. Please contact us if you are interesting in becoming part of this innovative urban experience.

OPA’s upcoming urban center in Salvador

Little Note from us

We are excited in this beginning stage of new possibilities, new members and projects that are presenting themselves in Brazil, and looking forward to the months ahead. OPA's co-directors will be going to the States in September and October to attend Bioneers and other events.

Please check our website for updated information. OPA is looking for donations and volunteers interested in helping retrofitting our beautiful Urban Center in Salvador.

Thanks for your support. OPA is a non-profit organization that relies on tax-deductible donations. Any and all contributions are useful and valuable towards our mission of creating sustainable urban environments and the cultural paradigm that can support them. OPA is fiscally sponsored by PAL - Permacultura America Latina, a US based 501c3 organization that has introduced Permaculture to Latin America.

OPA - Organization of Permaculture and Art
Caixa Postal 7801
Salvador, BA 41900-970
Brazil

Ph. 55-71-9146-4349
e-mail: info@opabrazil.org

Circo Agua Viva in Arembepe - 2004

Many thanks to all the people and organizations that have supported us and believe in our work. Thanks to PAL - Permacultura America Latina, Greensong, Powako Foundation, Pracatum, Projeto Axé, Wise Fool NM and all the friends, family and volunteers that helped us get here. And the path continues...