Below you will find info on upcoming permaculture and sustainability events in
the near future in the central Virginia bioregion.
For more information about permaculture events, see our website:
www.blueridgepermaculture.net (check out the blog as well). If you know anyone
else that would like to sign up for this newsletter, or if you have an
announcement, email Christine at christinegyovai@gmail.com for the next update,
which are sent monthly.
Best,
Christine and the Blue Ridge Permaculture Network team
1.
The website has been updated with member projects! Thanks to all of you that
submitted your projects. If you would like to add your project to the
“Members work” section of the Blue Ridge Permaculture Network website (link
below), email Christine at christinegyovai@gmail.com a photo, a description of
about 120 words, and a website link (if applicable) to your permaculture or
sustainability project to be included on the website.
http://www.blueridgepermaculture.net/members.html
2. Upcoming Blue Ridge Permaculture Events and classes
We are planning our courses for the spring of 2009. Please check the website
(and the newsletter) soon for dates, locations, and other details. Below please
find information on upcoming community talks for the Fall of 2009.
The Blue Ridge Permaculture Network will have a table at the Heritage Harvest
Festival at Monticello on Saturday, September 12 - come on out and say hi. We
will have food preserving displays and books for sale. Dave O'Neill will give
a talk "Permaculture: Design for Abundance: from 3:00 - 4:00 pm. For more
information, see the website: http://heritageharvestfestival.com/
3.
Christine Gyovai will give a talk on the Principles of Permaculture at the
Green Building Institute Principles of Permaculture, Saturday, September 26,
2009 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon near Baltimore, Maryland. For more info,
see: http://greenbuildingnetwork.groupsite.com/calendar/soonest/131647
A description of the talk is below.
Permaculture is an ecological design method that includes topics such as
observation and patterns in nature, and strategies to improve soil, grow food,
harvest water, utilize renewable energy and regenerative building techniques,
and build sustainable communities. This workshop will focus on fundamental
permaculture ethics, principle and strategies to live more sustainably in your
home, neighborhood or community. Participants will leave the workshop energized
and with ideas that can be implemented in their home or community.
4.
TONIGHT:
An art opening for Soula (a permaculture grad) documentary photo exhibit at
Clementine is next Friday Sept 4, from 5-7pm (during First Fridays).
A highlight of First Fridays for September (Sept 4), local artist Soula
Pefkaros is opening her new show "Transitioning: From Disempowered Dependence
to Empowered Interdependency" from 5-7 pm at Clementine Cafe. A documentary
photography exhibit about small, ecologically conscious farming, it features
several Shenandoah Valley farmers. Soula and the documentary participants will
be available for discussion, and she has teamed up with the Clementine chef to
provide complimentary appetizers featuring produce provided by the showcased
growers. Ongoing activities include potting your own herbs and mini-tutorials
in sheet mulching. Come for the beauty, thoughtfulness, and lively discussion.
http://web.me.com/soulapefkaros
click on the "transitioning exhibit" link on the homepage.
5.
Heritage Harvest Festival
Organized by Monticello and the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, the Heritage
Harvest Festival at Monticello is an annual celebration of local food, heirloom
plants, and sustainable gardening. Thomas Jefferson championed vegetable
cuisine, plant experimentation, and the value of sustainable agriculture and
the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello continues that legacy.
The 2009 festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept.12 on
Montalto, Thomas Jefferson’s “high mountain,” overlooking his historic
home and gardens, the city of Charlottesville, and the surrounding Virginia
Piedmont.
There will be fruit and vegetable tastings, chefs demonstrations, informative
workshops, talks, children’s activities, and much more – all to promote
regional food, organic gardening, and the preservation of traditional
agriculture. Local vendors will offer meals and snacks, as well as seeds,
plants, garden supplies, etc.
For more info: http://heritageharvestfestival.com/
6.
Introduction to Urban and Community Food Gardens
Autumn is the perfect time to prepare your soil and site for a Spring garden...
Spend a weekend learning the basics of urban gardening, garden design and
starting a community garden. Learn how to winterize an existing garden and
prepare an area now for a new garden in the Spring. Discussion on basic
theories of how to design with nature will be mixed with hands-on activities.
(Course is similar to an Introduction to Permaculture class).
* Location: Common Good City Farm, an urban community farm and education
center in downtown D.C.
* Instructors: Steve Gabriel, Educator and Program Coordinator at the
Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute and Liz Falk, Director at Common Good City
Farm
* Host: Common Good City Farm
* Sponsor: Seeds of Change, organic seed supplier and promoters of
sustainable agriculture since 1989
* Schedule: Friday, October 23rd 6-9pm, Saturday, October 24th 9am – 5pm
& Sunday, October 25th 9-4 with break for lunch.
o Course is outside Saturday and Sunday and will be taught rain or
shine - please dress appropriately.
o Lunch and snacks provided
* Course Fee $200, however, scholarships are available to DC residents who
are low-income and unable to pay any or all of this fee. For a scholarship
application please call or email Liz at 202-330-5945,
Liz@CommonGoodCityFarm.org. If you can afford the entire fee, please consider
sponsoring a neighbor who cannot.
Payment and Registration: Register online at www.commongoodcityfarm.org. All
payments must be received by October 9th, 2009. These classes tend to fill up,
so reserve your space early.
_____________________________
Liz Falk, Co-Director
Common Good City Farm
2025 3rd Street, NW
Washington, D.C.
www.CommonGoodCityFarm.org
202 330 5945
Common Good City Farm is a productive community food garden that increases
fresh food access to low income DC residents. Participants learn to grow, cook
and market produce. Common Good unites diverse communities through the
provision of local food production.
7.
Charlottesville Community Design Center
CCDC's 5th Anniversary Celebration!
Saturday, September 12 beginning at 7 pm
On September 12 CCDC invites the community to join in a celebration of 5 years
of community design in Charlottesville. Whether you have been involved with
CCDC since the beginning or are curious about what goes on here, consider
joining us for a fun evening that begins at 7 with drinks and socializing
followed by a celebrity edition of Olio beginning at 8. Olio presenters include
Katie Swenson, Bill Morrish, Serena Gruia, Jennifer Tidwell, Greg Kelly, Noah
Bolton & Bill Atwood. At 10 grab your second wind and get ready to dance the
night away at the Dance Like You Give a Damn dance party with DJ Western Front.
Tickets for the dance party are $10, all proceeds benefit CCDC. The rest of the
evening is free and open to all.
JRGBC Luncheon: Passive House Design and Construction: Towards a Carbon
Neutral Future
September 8 from 12-2 pm at CCDC
Soaring energy costs, rapid climate changes, and the demand for high indoor air
quality all call for effective solutions from the building sector. With
unparalleled superenergy efficiency and superior air quality, Passive House
design provides a solution that puts true carbon‐neutrality within reach.
Join JRGBC-Charlottesville for a lunchtime presentation by John Semmelhack,
principal of Think Little, as he discusses how passive house design offers an
intruiging option for new and retrofit construction. Lunch will be provided.
Admission is $3 for JRGBC members and $5 for non-members. Reservations can be
from the JRGBC website: http://www.jrgbc.org/
www.cvilledesign.org
8.
The Art of Fermentation
One-Day Class: Saturday, September 12
10am – 2:30pm
Learn to make delicious lacto-fermented foods in this hands-on workshop.
Fermentation is a traditional way of food preparation that not only preserves
the harvest but also yields greater nourishment, a healthier digestive system,
and thus increased vitality. We will make kimchi, brined garlic,
lacto-fermented beets and ginger carrots, all of which can be easily
incorporated into meals. We will also make some fermented and cultured
beverages including kombucha, honey wine and sodas that are actually good for
you. There will be a wide array of samples and you will leave with the skills
necessary to begin lacto-fermenting foods at home.
This class will be taught by community herbalist, Suzanna Stone
Herbal teas will be provided at all the one day workshops. Please pack a bag
lunch.
Fee for the class is $75.
Sacred Plant Traditions, LLC
PO Box 1313
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.295.3820
http://www.sacredplanttraditions.com/
9.
“CANNING AND FREEZING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES”
Preserving food is a great way to stretch your budget and help the environment
by buying local and in season.
You can prepare recipes such as a tomato sauce which you can enjoy later by
just opening a jar.
Methods on how to quickly defrost foods will also be covered.
Learn how to can and freeze your favorites like…
• Fig-ginger preserves
• Canned tomato sauce with herbs
• Frozen caponata which includes eggplant, onions, tomatoes, garlic,
etc.
September 10th , 2009 – JABA Greene County Community Center
222 Main Street Stanardsville, Va. 22973
6:00 – 8:30 PM
September 15th , 2009 – JABA 674 Hillsdale Drive
Charlottesville,Va 22901
6:00 – 8:30 PM
“HOW TO HAVE YOUR CAKE & FEEL GOOD, TOO!”
Enjoy a guilt free holiday season. Learn how to make delicious desserts that
use high quality,
seasonal ingredients including whole grain flours, natural sweetners and fresh
fruits
The healthy, scrumptious menu includes:
• Apple, Date and Walnut muffins
• Dark chocolate Bundt cake
• Pear Crumble with maple and ginger
October 15th, 2009 - JABA Greene County Community Center
222 Main Street** Stanardsville, Va. 22973
6:00 – 8:30 PM
October 20th, 2009 - JABA 674 Hillsdale Drive
Charlottesville,Va 22901
6:00 – 8:30 PM
Instructor: Sarah Lanzman, Chef/Certified Natural Health Professional
TO REGISTER, CONTACT EMILY DAIDONE AT edaidone@jabacares.org
Cost: $35.00 PER CLASS or $90.00 for ALL THREE CLASSES IF PAID BY AUGUST 10TH
All proceeds benefit JABA Community Center Programs. www.jabacares.org
10.
Market Central is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the
Charlottesville City Market and the local growers who vend there. Ultimately,
we'd like to lead the movement to secure a permanent home for the market. We
believe that our "first class city" deserves a first class market venue, as a
testament to this community's commitment to local producers and to preserving
our agricultural assets. Our programming focuses on familiarizing the
community with the importance of farming in the local economy, and providing a
link between producers and consumers/community supporters.
Our 2009 Farm Tour is scheduled for Monday, September 7, 2009 (Labor Day), and
includes five local farms who sell vegetables, eggs, meats and flowers at the
Charlottesville City Market. Tickets for this tour go on sale August 8, and
are $5 per carload. With a ticket purchase, guests receive a map of the area,
designating the participating farms on the tour. There will be clear
directions, and a description of each farm and what guests can expect to see.
Some of the farms will offer
on site sales of produce, meats and eggs as well. Tour hours are from 10:00 am
to 4:00 p.m. Visitors can go to as many farms as they like, and at their own
pace.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, August 8, and are available:
(1) at the Market Central booth at City Market (next to the market manager's
tent)
(2) by mail order, to the below address.
Thank you for supporting our wonderful City Market, and please introduce
yourself the next time you're at the Market!
Kathy Kildea, Secretary
Market Central, Inc.
P.O. Box 6459
Charlottsville, VA 22906
marketcentral@bnsi.net
(evenings-home) (434)244-5624
(cell) (434) 531-3957
11.
Please Join Us Friday, September 11 at 5 pm
The students of Montessori Community School in Charlottesville want to share
their excitement about their garden to table program with you.
Growing and preparing their own fresh food is just one of the ways our students
are learning to make the world a better place. Students from preschool through
middle school come to MCS each day eager to make the most of everything our
hilltop sanctuary has to offer. Students who run a business know how to work
together toward a common goal. Kids who compost with earthworms know that waste
equals food. Children who maintain an Audubon International Cooperative
Sanctuary know how living things are adapted to find food and shelter in their
environment. Students who serve the very old or the very young know the joy of
giving.
Thanks to the support of the BAMA Works Fund of the Dave Matthews Band in the
Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, the David Greenewalt Charitable
Trust, and a dedicated crew of parent and student volunteers who spent their
summer constructing a Growing Dome atop Pantops Mountain, our students will be
able to grow their own produce throughout the school year. They will know the
value of the resources that go into their food. They will know how it is cared
for and prepared and shared.
Please to: lacarver@montessoripantops.org and plan to stay for a picnic on the
grounds following the ceremony if you can. We hope to see you there. We will
gather at the MCS Middle School (located in the former American Legion building
at 1462 Richmond Road - enter just west of Rolkin Road).
12.
Permaculture email listserve (different from this newsletter listserve)
Vicky Peterson, a grad from the first Permaculture Design Course, has set up a
yahoo group for discussion of all things relating to permaculture in the
Central Virginia region. From Vicky: With your help, the group will be a
place to ask questions, share information and help permaculture take root in
our area.
Here is a link to follow if you would like to join:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BRPermaculture/
There should be a blue button that says "Join this Group!"
If you know of anyone else who might be interested in joining, please feel free
to pass this info along.
Other questions? Email me.
Thanks!
Vicky Peterson
vickycp@ntelos.net
13.
Benefit Party for Ian McConkey
Saturday September 19, 2009
7:30 – 11:30 PM
Rockfish Valley Community Center
Music by:
- Abbey Road
- Jimbo & Kim Carey
- Michael McConkey
Make checks payable to Friends of Ian McConkey
$20/ticket
bring finger foods to share
For more information call:
Larry Stopper
434-361-1323
141 Heartwood Circle
Afton, VA 22920
Lstop@mindspring.com
14. (Last post - a long one regarding upcoming regional classes)
Sept 23 – Oct 1, 2009
Hosted by the Regenerative Design Institute, Bolinas, CA
DESCRIPTION
Holistic Resource Management offers land stewards a way to make grazing, land
management and financial decisions that positively impact land health and
productivity. At present, agriculture and many other businesses are struggling
to maintain viabilty. Decreased income often leads to a focus on increased
production and harder work. Presently, many people involved in agriculture do
not realize they are working against "nature's rules" and that their efforts
are likely to be unsuccessful until they learn to work with this process. In
the end, nature always wins and our production systems must change to be
sustainable. Too often, conventional agriculture focuses almost solely on
achieving production goals and solving specific problems, which can create
unforseen and unintended consequences that eventually detract from land health,
personal and family time and, ultimately, profitability.
Holistic Resource Management brings the abundance and diversity of natural
systems to large-scale permaculture systems. Managing land holistically
integrates land planning, financial planning, grazing planning and biological
monitoring to find ways of being efficient and creative with your resources to
achieve the environmental and financial results that make for a sustainable,
long-term business. Holistic management is effective because the resouce base
ultimately supports the financial goals and those of the people involved who
depend on the business for their livlihood. It teaches land stewards to define
their unique whole, to define their unique holistic goal, and to make decisions
that are economically, environmentally and socially sound towards that goal.
EAST & WEST CARBON FARMING SERIES:
Hands-on Training for Ecological and Economic Resilience
http://LivingMandala.com/Living_Mandala/Carbon_Farming_Series_Bioregional_Congress.html
CARBON FARMING SERIES EAST
Broadacre Permaculture and Holistic Management for Carbon Negative Agriculture
Exploring Soil, Water, Carbon, Energy & the Economy
Darren Doherty - Elaine Ingham - Eric Toensmeier
Brad Lancaster - Kirk Gadzia - Joel Salatin
Hosted by the Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm, Summertown, TN
August 25 – September 16, 2009
COURSE INFORMATION
Visit http://LivingMandala.com/Living_Mandala/Carbon_Farming_09.html for more
information
CARBON FARMING SERIES WEST
Building Resiliency: Managing Land to Conserve Soil, Water, and Energy
Exploring Soil, Water, Carbon, Energy & the Economy
Darren Doherty - Kirk Gadzia - Terry Gompert - Elaine Ingham
Paul Taylor - Brad Lancaster - Brock Dolman - Penny Livingston - Joel Salatin
Hosted by the Regenerative Design Institute, Bolinas,CA
September 23 - October 29, 2009
COURSE INFORMATION
Visit http://www.regenerativedesign.org/courses-events/carbon-farming for more
information
TOPICS COVERED
HOLISTIC DESIGN; PROJECT MANAGEMENT; WATER HARVESTING; IRRIGATION SYSTEMS;
MYCOFILTRATION; MYCOREMEDIATION; ECOLOGICAL PEST MANAGEMENT; SOIL MICROBIAL
ANALYSIS; DROUGHT-PROOFING; COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT; INTEGRATED LIVESTOCK
SYSTEMS; SOIL REHABILITATION; EROSION CONTROL; PRODUCTIVE WINDBREAKS; FIRE
CONTROL; ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT MODELS; GIS/CAD DESIGN; ADVANCED PERMACULTURE
DESIGN; KEYLINE DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION; FOOD FOREST GARDENING; ECONOMIC
LOCALIZATION
DESCRIPTION
The Carbon Farming Course Series will launch the nation’s first holistic
curriculum for carbon negative agriculture, and will be the first event in a
national campaign to spread this cutting edge curriculum throughout the United
States. Taught by leading global experts in sustainable agriculture and carbon
sequestration, this professional training course will encompass all of the
design elements needed to create a carbon sequestering agricultural
system—returning carbon to the soil while increasing food production.
The audience for the upcoming Holistic Carbon Farming Course Series will
include farmers, permaculturists, biologists, policy makers, grounds keepers,
land-owners etc. interested in regenerating thriving local ecosystems
throughout the world.
These courses are in direct response to the current challenges experienced by
producers & communities across the globe by a variety of climatic, agronomic &
economic conditions. Studies have shown that permaculture-inspired soil
building techniques lead to signficant carbon sequestration, while also
increasing soil fertility and water retention. This course will provide
participants with an opportunity to learn these techniques in order to create
resilient, drought proof, soil-rich, carbon-negative agricultural systems that
produce organic food as well as additional income through the international
carbon market.
FORMAT
This course will be offered through four interrelated modules constituting the
nation’s first holistic curriculum for carbon negative agriculture.
Participants can choose to attend the entire course, individual modules or
combined selections. (Read more details online at
http://LivingMandala.com/Living_Mandala/Carbon_Farming_09.html )
Carbon Farming East
Module 1: Aug 25-30 - Holistic Management® Training with Kirk Gadzia
Holistic Management applies systems thinking approach to managing land
resources that builds biodiversity, improves production, generates financial
strength, and improves the quality of life for those who use it. The whole
system design integrates financial planing and land use to create profitable
and sustainable agricultural systems.
Module 2: Sept 1-6 - Keyline Design with Darren Doherty
Keyline Design is a corner stone of landscape regeneration, soil building and
water retention. It is applicable in all climates and provides an holistic
framework for integrating soil building, animal management and watershed health
and agroforestry.
Module 3: Sept 8-12 - Earthworks and Food Forestry with Brad Lancaster and
Eric Toensmeier
This module focuses on landscape regeneration using permaculture design to hold
water in the landscape, and create integrated ecosystems that provide food,
fuel and fiber while increasing biodiversity and resilience. Together,
Earthworks and Food forestry provide key building blocks for local food and
water security as well as climate change mitigation and carbon sequestration.
Module 4: Sept 13-16 - Soil Food Webs and Relocalization with Dr. Elaine
Ingham, Soil Food Web Inc. and Joel Salatin
Improving soil health and community health go hand in hand to creating
resilient local food systems that reinforce biodiversity.
Carbon Farming West
Module 1: Holistic Management: Sept 23 - Oct 1- Instructors: Kirk Gadzia and
Terry Gompert
Module 2: Soil Food Web Analysis, Technologies and Applications: Oct 3 - 7 -
Instructors: Elaine Ingham and Paul Taylor
Module 3: Broadacre Permaculture Design Course: Oct 9 - 21 - Instructors:
Darren Doherty, Brad Lancaster, Brock Dolman & Penny Livingston-Stark
Module 4: Pathways to Relocalization: to be announced - Instructor: Joel
Salatin
Module 5: Soil Building and Water Management Systems: November 1 - 3 -
Instructors: Darren Doherty, Penny Livingston-Stark and Lisa Lurie
MORE INFO
Visit
http://LivingMandala.com/Living_Mandala/Carbon_Farming_Series_Bioregional_Congress.html
for more information
Check out our new blog at: http://carbonfarmingcourse.blogspot.com/
Join us on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?sid=5ce2b36c9e05a9cd4b6df9b6ed4781a7&eid=84581496075&ref=search
Join us on WiserEarth at:
http://www.wiserearth.org/event/view/58fef6120823c3212465aa1d510be64d
Phone: 707-634-1461
Email: carbonfarming@LivingMandala.com
