We have a permaculture/sustainability rockstar (from Cuba!) coming to our town.

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1970; Roberto Perez Rivero is an environmentalist, sustainability activist and international educator.

Roberto has been part of the Cuban Permaculture movement since its introduction in the country in 1993 after the so called “Special Period”, caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union when Cuba lost access to oil, fertilizers, pesticides, and virtually all trading partners that the small island nation depended on to survive, facing economic collapse overnight.

Formerly importing most of its food, Cuba’s agriculture is now 95% organic, with the city of Havana producing over 60% of its own fruits and vegetables within the city’s urban spaces.

Roberto has been instrumental in the Urban and Sustainable Agriculture movements, helping the island become a model for sustainability. In 2007, Cuba was identified as the only sustainable country in the world, by The Living Planet Report from the World Wildlife Fund.

Mr Perez will talk about Cuba’s progress and struggles in sustainable agriculture and sustainable living in the face of declining petroleum and other non-renewable resources in an event Sunday, August 18, 6:00pm-7:30pm at the downtown Food For Thought bookstore, 106 North Pleasant St, Amherst, MA, 01002. Donations of $10-$20, no reservations needed.

Mr. Perez is a featured interviewee in the internationally acclaimed film:

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
Watch it here.

For a flyer for the Amherst event click the image on the right.

More information: http://umasspermaculture.wordpress.com/.