A
destination island…the lovely tropical isle to which you and a million others
fly for your vacation getaway… if earthquakes haven’t shaken it into the sea. Hawaii,
fortunately, survived their recent quake without much assistance from outside.
Had it been worse, they could have expected help from the mainland. But what if
there was no mainland? For all the natural disasters Americans in my lifetime
have endured, there was always someone else to come to the rescue (albeit
criminally short and late for New Orleans.) Even when a cinematic White House
is destroyed by aliens, we see it being rebuilt as the film ends. But when it
comes to self inflicted global disasters like nuclear winter, a supervirus epidemic, or a combination of global warming’s
many manifestations, from where will the rescuers come?
What
of the refuge island and its safe harbor from the storm? The Amish live on an
island of simple living and nonviolence in an ocean of consumerism and militarism.
But it was not far enough from the cultural mainland to protect them from the
gunman who murdered five of their own in a Pennsylvania schoolhouse. You might
think they need a bigger island, or a bigger isolating sea. But that won’t be
enough. Ultimately, we’re all in this mess together, and prevention is the cure;
we need to set sail for the seed islands.
Over
the past few weeks I’ve been reading about Pala, the fictional setting of Aldous Huxley’s final novel “Island.” It’s a marvelously rich story about a utopian
society inhabiting an island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Though a combination
of good fortune and enlightened leadership, the people of Pala create a culture
that blended the best of the modern and the ancient. As I read, for the second
time in 35 years, I am again impressed with the depth of his knowledge and
insight. And I wonder, what can we do to move his
“Island” way of life from fiction to fact?
Books
like Huxley’s Island -- and Ernest Callenbach’s “Ecotopia”, Starhawk’s “The Fifth
Sacred Thing” and Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Pacific Edge”– define the seed island,
the island of influence. These works, and others like them, have an important
role in advancing our progress toward sustainable living. First, they contain specific
ideas for doing things differently, the seeds of a richer harvest. More
important, these stories do what any good story does: they come alive in your
mind, burrow into your soul. Having internalized these stories, I hold a deep
and unshakeable belief that a far better world is possible because,
subconsciously, I have been there. My work on behalf of our earth is a journey
home, not to a strange land but a place I know and love. Most of what I do in this
community is my attempt, however feeble, to bring our imperfect world closer to
those models of perfection.
With
that in mind, I’d like to bring your attention to a local island, one which
could be an island of destination, refuge and influence, one that is threatened
with immersion under the tide of conventional development. Sunny Hill is seven
acres atop the ridge just south of McNear School. It rises nearly 200 feet above downtown
Petaluma, with views in all directions. Its patchwork of oak-bay woodlands and
meadows provide fine habitat for a variety of animals, including hikers and
school kids. Think Oak Hill Park, but with more trees and better views (see
photos at bruce-hagen.com/sunnyhill.html).
The property is in probate, and the
owners could be convinced to sell to a “conservation buyer.” I’m thinking: Sunny
Hill could be a park, and more. Just blocks from several schools, it could be a
living lab for nature study. There are sunny terraces for a good sized community
garden. An enlightened designer could blend a good number eco-homes
into the south-facing hillside, as part of a co-housing development (which
would help pay for the acquisition yet leave the woodlands intact.) Some
residents of that development could manage the rest of the property, which
could include a small spiritual retreat facility. If you want to know more,
please contact Nile Heath (one of the owners) at heathbear88@aol.com
or 707-338-8288.