Living by example is an ideal that is easy to fall short of. The Dervaes family has worked steadily since the mid-80s to transform an ordinary city lot in Pasadena, California into a shining example of permaculture principals in action. Their urban homestead supplies the family of five with food all year long, in addition to providing fresh salad greens to local restaurants. Check out this video by TreehuggerTV.com. In the Dervaes’ pursuit of more independent and efficient systems, they have developed energy efficient appliances, a biodiesel processor and purchased solar panels to diminish dependence on the earth’s non-renewable resources.

“This project evolved from our commitment and conviction to live a simple, self-sufficient and holistic lifestyle,” says Jules Dervaes, founder, “It
is an entire life’s journey and we have many more miles to go–the
journey is by no means over! We are proving that we can attain our goal
if we advance in stages whatever the circumstances. Our hope is that by
documenting our personal experiences we can offer encouragement to
those who are on the same journey towards a simple, self-sufficient
lifestyle whether they are in the city or country.”

Many of their ideas are simple, common sense approaches to daily living, and the transparency of their process is inspiring. The location of their 1/10 acre garden in the middle of an urban environment, points to the productive possibilities of using the space and energy as it is. Growing over 6000 pounds (three tons) annually, they should know.

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