Outreach Programs & Services

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Path to Freedom's goal is to be a real-life working urban homestead model and to share the skills, motivation and ideas behind that lifestyle with fellow travelers by offering a wide range of events, classes in urban homesteading and sustainability, film screenings, lectures, workshops and more. 

We design our events not only as an opportunity to learn, but also as an occasion to build a community network of like-minded people who can inspire and support one another in their quest for sustainable choices and a simpler way of living.

Homegrown community

We reach out to the community by hosting film screenings, workshops and get-togethers.  We strive to make each event as eco friendly as possible by encouraging carpooling or alternative transportation. Not only that, we've instituted a "low or zero waste policy" by providing compostable plates, cups, and utensils to ensure there is no unnecessary waste. All other waste (e.g., plastic wrappers, glass bottles, and food containers) and food scraps are recycled, reused, composted or fed to our citified farm animals.

We have successfully hosted events with 100+ attendees and ended up with a small trashbag full of recyclables in the end.

At each Path to Freedom hosted event, we encourage people to "eat closer to home" with our 100 Mile Potlucks designed to bring the world's food situation to awareness.

Exhibits at eco-festivals and events

As our schedule and circumstances allow, we enjoy the opportunity to meet like-minded folk and talk about our journey towards a more sustainable way of life. Since 2002, Path to Freedom has participated annually in many community events, Earth Day festivals, conferences, and school environmental fairs.

Our informative and colorful exhibits on urban homesteading, biodiesel production and more have been seen by thousands -- from young children to adults.

Presentations at conferences and to community groups

Jules Dervaes, founder of Path to Freedom, gives illustrated lectures and workshops to a wide range of audiences using stunning photographs of his Southern California garden and homestead. A lively and engaging speaker, Mr. Dervaes's presentations can cover all aspects of homesteading, gardening and seed diversity, as well as broader environmental issues.

Some previous engagements have included:

• Four-hour urban homesteading workshop to a sold-out audience at the 2009 Georgia Organics conference
• Participation in John Thackara urban planning workshop
• Composting and gardening workshops at the upscale garden retailer Smith & Hawken
• Greywater reclamation and rainwater collection presentation at the City of Pasadena "Greening Your House" workshop series
• Lectures on seed diversity at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• Presentations on homesteading to a variety of groups, including Ten Thousand Villages in Pasadena; Sustainable Sundays at Natural History Museum, Los Angeles; Sustainable Claremont; Co-opportunity in Santa Monica; Global Green panel in Santa Monica; Community Dialogue in Pasadena; California Rare Fruit Growers - Foothill and Orange County, All Saints, Pasadena; Burbank First United Methodist, 2003 Eco-Farm Conference

Invite our "citified" farm animals

Invite Path to Freedom''s personable, trained, and gentle "citified" farm animals to your school, event, fundraiser, etc. Our hand-raised ducks, chickens, and leash-trained miniature goats are great for education use, childrens'' outings or for "Heifer International" fundraisers.

Q&A with Dervaes family (Film screenings)

To invite the Dervaes family to attend a screening (in person or via Skype™ ) of feature documentary "HomeGrown"  by Director Robert McFalls, contact both Mr. McFalls (http://www.homegrown-film.com [6]) and us (via our contact page [7]).

For the 15 minute film short, Homegrown Revolution, visit our site  http://www.homegrownrevolutionfilm.com [8]. to make your request.