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Current Newsletter News and Events - 2008  Apple Blossom time!! CONTENTS
ARTICLES EVENTS Several years ago, Griggs transformed his backyard in Wallingford into a "personal p-patch", where a handful of neighbors can grow organic food, compost food scraps, and share garden knowledge and resources. I was lucky enough to meet Griggs and score a plot just when I became interested in vegetable gardening. The joy and awesomeness of that experience for all involved led us to start wondering how we could encourage more of this sort of collaboration throughout the many neighborhoods of Seattle, and perhaps beyond. We talked about the massive amount of food generated and energy saved in the famous WWII Victory Gardens, and the ironic parallels with today's global issues of climate change, natural disaster, food security, economic downturn and oil dependence. We did a bit of research and discovered some exciting new movements popping up across the country, including several "Food Not Lawns" chapters throughout California, nine prototype "Edible Estates" stretching from Austin to Baltimore, an Iowa group called Backyard Abundance, and a project in San Francisco called Victory Gardens 2007+. We believe that Seattle, with its extended growing season and amazing wealth of gardening and permaculture knowledge (Seattle Tilth rocks!), is a natural spawning ground for the movement. We aimed to create an Abundant Yards model here that could be used as a springboard for similar movements in cities and towns across the nation. We began talking and brainstorming with many of you, and were floored by the outpouring of enthusiasm and great ideas. We put together a nice little starter website: abundantyards.org (thanks Josh!), which many people have stumbled upon and contacted us. We also observed and blogged a couple 'pilot gardens' last season, while we let the ideas percolate. Now I feel we have gathered enough information to begin providing real support and resources for people who are interested in turning all or part of their lawn/rooftop/parking strip into a food garden. My current vision for helping a person/people do this is to organize a workparty or two for them, inviting the person's neighbors as well as AY team members and their shovels/seeds/know-how. I think it will be relatively easy to obtain donated materials from local garden supply stores, as well as donated refreshments, and perhaps AY could help people apply for small neighborhood improvement grants in certain situations as well. I believe that mentoring relationships and collaborations will naturally grow out of these workparties. I also see the involvement of local companies such as Seattle Urban Farm Co. and Cascadia Edible Landscapes as being potentially very beneficial for all. Hope to see many of you later this week to catch up and hear more of your ideas! I'm planning to be at *Chaco Canyon Cafe* in the U-District (southwest corner of 50th and 12th Ave) on *Thurs 5-6:30pm* and *Fri 10-11:30am*. I'd love to see you there, even for a short time. You are invited to an Introduction to Permaculture Design talk at the Blue Bottle this Wednesday, Aug 27th starting at 7:00 PM This talk introduces the Permaculture Design method which individual people and Eco-Villages around the world are using to become more sovereign and self-sufficient at home and in their local community. A full certification program in Permaculture Design is beginning Sat. Aug 30th here in the Yelm area. Copurse participants will have participate in design team practicums and learn to develop proven strategies, technologies and patterns for sovereign living. Upon completion of the course, graduates will be invited to participate in a permaculture design society Dancing Spirits Permaculture which will sponsor workshops in applied permaculture. The primier project at Dancing Spirits Permaculture will be forming a buyer's club for alternative energy technology. The core group of people committed to developing the models for their own sovereignty will be able to buy Solar and other renewable energy technology at wholesale prices. Hope to see you on Wednesday at the Blue Boittle Bruce Weiskotten for Dancing Spirits Permaculture for further information call Bruce (360) 400-1350 or Satora (360) 446-0052 Harvest Fair, Saturday, Sept. 6 from 10 am to 5 pm Find us in Meridian Park at Meridian Ave N and N 50th St. in Wallingford Vendors & Tasty Food Seattle's Original Organic Farmer's Market Community Village - get involved Live Music & Square Dance - everyone's welcome to participate! Chickens, Mini Dairy Goats & Honey Bees - meet these food producers & friends Workshops & Demos - compost food scraps & yard waste, cook better, Garden Activites - worm bin, face paint, herb crowns & parade Learn Something New at the Fair "Preserving the Harvest: Canning, Dehydrating & Easy Freezer Jams" by Personal Chef Lesa Sullivan "Wildlife Friendly Gardening: Your Natural Pest & Disease Control" by Garden Educator Emily Bishton "Growing Your Own Food & Global Sustainability" by Marra Farm Coordinator Sue McGann "Edible Wild Plants" by Plant Guru Arthur Lee Jacobson "Turn Your Food Scraps Into Black GOLD" by Master Compster/Soil Builder Jonathan Chen "Why Compost is HOT: Compost Your Yard Waste in 8 Weeks" by Master Compster/Soil Builder JJ Jacobi "Eating Local for Better Health" by Nutritionist Acacia Larson PCC Cooks -- Chef demos all day for tips on cooking with fresh food Washington State Permaculture Convergence, Sept 12-14 2008 at Sahale Learning Center, on the Kitsap Peninsula. Camping or rooms available. Contact Christy 360-820-8586 The convergence is a way to strengthen information flow and cooperation between permaculturists in the state of Washington; and to work on a vision of how permaculture can better serve the people and land of Washington state. How are permaculturists making their living doing consulting, installation, teaching, etc? This convergence will have some aspects of an organizational meeting for the permaculture community. The convergence will also be an educational event on gardening, water catchments, forest gardens, terra preta soil, wildcrafting, bio-diesel and other topics of interest for seasoned permaculturists and interested members of the general public. The final format of the event will evolve depending on who shows up. We expect that there will be advanced as well as basic level workshops. The convergence is for professional permaculturists, permaculture design course graduates and people newly involved. Weekend Permaculture Design Certification Course - Vashon Co-Housing, Vashon Island, WA Please note: This is the second listing of three possible Permaculture Design Certification Courses offered this fall. The instructors, locations, and times vary but the curriculum is the same.
Friday Evenings: 7 - 9 pm - Saturdays: 10 am - 5 pm - Sundays: 10 am - 5 pm Facilitated by Marisha Auerbach, Dana Schuerholz, Adam Rawson, Kelda Miller, and friends The objective of this course is to provide a comprehensive overview of sustainable futures, based on permaculture philosophy, techniques, and strategies that one could incorporate into their everyday life, or enhance their career. This course will provide diverse hands-on experience. The intention is to facilitate a systems approach to thinking about different issues, encouraging care for the earth and its inhabitants as a diverse community. This course will meet two weekends per month. There will be suggested readings and we will visit and network with others using permaculture principles in their lives and careers. Topics include:
The tuition for this course is $900 - $700, sliding scale. We are open to work/trade possibilities. For more information, or to register, contact: Marisha Auerbach (360) 943-5262 or queenbee@herbnwisdom.com To learn more: check out our websites: http://www.herbnwisdom.com or http://www.vashoncohousing.org Come and experience A permaculture advanced certificate course and plastering workshop in southern oregon. Facilitated by Tom Ward and Rob Van Arsdale Seven days Friday October 3rd through Thursday October. 9th 2008 Cost: Seven day advanced PC certificate $700 - $750 (sliding scale). Includes: Three day natural building intensive Oct 3rd- Oct 5th $400-$450 An advanced certificate is available for Permaculture Design Course graduates who complete the week. Others can have the certificate held until they have a PCDC certificate. Open to all who have a working knowledge of Permaculture. Tom Ward will discuss and illustrate Regenerative Forestry through topics including Co-evolution and human managed forests, Understory opportunities, Reading the forest, Complexity and metastability, Wildlife and landscape cycles and more…. We will do hands on with willow rods, fir poles and charcoal. Anyone is welcome to attend the first weekend of plastering and natural building. The Natural building component of the course is focused on site preparation, adobe floor creation, hands on plastering and finishing techniques and restoration work as we will be working on Tom’s forestry research station. Contact rob@earthenaccents.com or tomward@mind.net October 17 - 19 - Seattle Bioneers Conference - Washington State Convention and Trade Center - 800 Convention Place, Seattle, WA 9:30 am - 5:30 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday The Northwest Environmental Education Council is pleased to announce their second year of support for the Seattle Bioneers Conference! Now in it's 19th year, Bioneers brings together some of the world's most renowned and innovative people to present their ideas and experiences. They speak to a well educated, interested, and progressive audience willing to discuss solutions to current environmental and social justice issues. This conference features a live satellite downlink of the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, CA for each of the morning plenary sessions. Visit http://www.nweec.org/seattlebioneers/ for the list of 2008 plenary speakers. We are currently accepting applications for speakers, sponsors, and presenters. Follow the above links to see where you can best fit in to this awesome event! Please visit the Bioneers website at http://bioneers.org for more information about the Bioneers Conference and our partnership. November 26 - December 9: Winter Permaculture Design Course, Lost Valley Education Center, Dexter, OR with Jude Hobbs, Rick Valley, and Marisha Auerbach (See the June 16th-Aug 8th course for further information. ) Please note: This course is a Permaculture Design Course and does not include the Ecovillage and Community Curriculum offered in the longer Summer Program. ORGANIZATION OF THE GUILD
Non tribe members can send event info to seattlepermacultureguild@gmail.com. This info will be compiled by a rotating volunteer twice a month and posted to the permaculture website, the tribe, and emailed to the guild list. If you've planned an event, and didn't make the newsletter, take advantage of tribe and post your event there.
check out the Seattle Permaculture Guild at http://tribes.tribe.net/seattlepermacultureguild and join the tribe.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS Hi, my name is Alex Epstein and i am the VP of the permaculture club at the University of Puget Sound. We are pretty much brand new but have big aspirations. I noticed your site and knowing the nature of guilds felt that it would do us good to get in contact with you folk. Right now we have a grant application in at the University, which we feel very hopeful about, asking for the resources to convert an empty lot on campus to a permaculture and native plant garden. We would have somewhat limited resources but one of our hopes was to hire a permaculture expert who knows the puget sound land and could help us plan the garden. If you know of anyone who might be up to the task we would be very grateful. Any suggestions or ideas or comments would appreciated as well. contact: aepstein365@gmail.com Hi. My name is Justin. I have a whole bunch of tree seeds; paw paws, ginkgos, stone fruits, nuts, etc. I usually grow them in pots in a green house for the first season, then break 'em up and transplant them. I have pots, but I am looking for: 1) Greenhouse space 2) Bed space Along with the "pots in a greenhouse" tech, I'd like to tuck some seeds in a bed someplace, and see what my success rate is. I've done pretty well outside in the past; want to try different soil types, top dresses, depths, amendments, etc. I dun run out uh space! Know of any space I could use/lease/contribute to? I'd be happy to donate some fruit trees, teach propagation techniques, do some small-scale design, contribute to current projects etc. in return. I would want the greenhouse space through Spring, and the bed space through Fall. Justin Hanseth 206.849.1980 Want to buy land for an eco-agriculture community? by Michael Pilarski(09/10/07) In my search for land to live on, one possible avenue is for me to link up with other people and purchase land. If you are interested in purchasing land for a small farming community devoted to research and education, get in touch. I am researching possibilities in Okanogan County. friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com Hey there all, For those interested in the guerrilla gardening project, we have 3 beds completed along the Burke Gilman next to I-5, there are 2 vegetable beds and 1 herb bed (the Tea garden) but room for many more. I also want to let you know that we have gotten web space for the guerrilla gardening project, which we have been calling the U-Farm. The site is http://www.U-Farm.org and so far we have a forum up and working. We are going to have regular updates of what has been going on, as well as scheduling for work parties, watering and other topics. To join the forum click the 'register' link at the top right and follow the directions. So please feel free to start discussions, and advertise work parties. Hope to hear from everyone soon, -Josh What's the difference between a smelly old outhouse and a Composting Toilet? Interested in Composting Toilets? Workshop location and materials available for July or Aug workshop if anyone with expertise or a special sort of passion wants to see one built in NE Seattle. I got the some books from the library, anyone have any recent info or been involved in building one locally? Contact Lacia 206-356-7768 or email preferred LLB101@excitecom with "composting toilet" in the subject so the junk mail filters don't get you.
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