La Loma Development Company

Our idea is to design, build, and operate a community center for the advancement of sustainable landscaping and permaculture jobs through green education, environmental resources, urban agriculture demonstrations and local food security programs. We would use $100,000 wisely to complete our center, ramp up programming, and open our doors to the broader public. We currently are located in a 30,000+ sq. ft. property in an Enterprise Zone, an underserved neighborhood (food desert), formerly a historic truck mechanic. For nearly six months we have been using our cash flow from La Loma to convert this location into a base of “post-industrial eco-renaissance.” We have also formed a non-profit, named Zanja Madre, to handle the education, training, and pro bono work we do for the community, schools, and institutions. For the La Loma Center, we have floated names like “Sustainia” and “Ecodepot,” but most importantly we have the place and people to do this now. The facilities would be perfect for job training, professional certification courses, events and even conferences. With creative reuse of the giant garages, mechanic bays, and grounds, we will be able to exhibit techniques and technologies, as well as provide the resources for the public to mimic the cutting edge demonstrations. We also have an adjunct vacant lot in LA where we demonstrate natural techniques on the land. Our idea clearly impacts nearly all of the indicators listed, however we will focus on income and employment after going through the rest of them. Education will be improved by providing classes at various levels in collaboration with local schools and universities, as well as professional certification and job training programs. We have active relationships with local high schools and community colleges, and the Art Center College of Design, Environmental Charter Schools, and LAUSD. Environmental quality will be impacted directly by the tools and resources we provide. Our jobs increase watershed awareness, irrigation conservation, rainwater harvesting, and planting appropriate trees. We design, build, and maintain organic gardens, as well as ecological restoration projects. We will demonstrate how individuals can improve their immediate surroundings through the landscape. Health has been shown to improve through environmental quality, practicing horticulture, and eating good local food. Our facilities and programs will improve people’s health by getting them to improve their lifestyles and connections to nature and community. Also, we are in contact with the director of the public health department to create the first local organic food commissary, hosting qualifying food trucks, food carts, and mobile farmers' markets. By providing access to local organic food we will eliminate food deserts and improve the health of the community. Social connectedness is one of our primary goals at the community center, networking between organizations and individuals to synergize the local sustainability movement. We already have become a hub for the permaculture world, making it feel like a small world with all of the relationships, and being invited to give talks at various conferences including Bioneers, Permaculture Convergence, Urban Ecology, and the Arboretum's Garden Show. Arts and cultural vitality will radiate from our center with the look and feel style of the place, arts exhibitions focused on land art, green building, and creative expression. We are a land based organization that believes our work is art and culture tied to the land. We are not your average mow and blow or construction contractor, we are a design-build firm with a social mission and a vision for the future. Moreover, La Loma provides jobs and income. This year alone we have created thirty jobs with no budget allocated to job creation, simply by employing and training a diversity of local workers in real green projects. We intend to dedicate our center to the creation of local wealth and sustainable livelihoods, by providing the tools and opportunities to do good for the local community and local environment. We are fully confident that La Loma Center will become the leading place to acquire knowledge, credentials, and opportunities for increased incomes and job creation. This is evident in our record of offering gainful employment, engaging workers' coops, and acting as an important stepping stone for dozens of careers.