upcoming events

Greetings All,

Below you will find info on upcoming permaculture and sustainability events in the near future in the central Virginia bioregion—info below on Dave Jacke’s Feb. workshop and upcoming Permaculture Design Courses.

For more information about permaculture events, see our website: www.blueridgepermaculture.net. 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
www.blueridgepermaculture.net


1.
Upcoming Blue Ridge Permaculture Network classes
Stay tuned here and on the website for information about 2011 permaculture classes

The Blue Ridge Permaculture Network will offer a spring Introduction to Permaculture workshop and a fall Permaculture Design Course over three 4-day weekends: Sept. 16-19, Oct 7-10, Nov 4-7, 2011 (with childcare).

Gardening Like the Forest Workshop with Dave Jacke, author of Edible Forest Gardens
near Charlottesville, VA in February 2011

Friday Evening Public Talk:
February 4, 2011, 7-9 PM; Suggested donation $10 at the door.
Gardening Like the Forest: Home-Scale Ecological Food Production
Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. Wouldn’t you like to grow an abundant food-producing ecosystem like this in your back yard? You can! Edible forest gardens mimic the structure and function of natural forests through all their stages of development and grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers, farmaceuticals, and fun. We can meet our own needs and regenerate healthy ecosystems at the same time! This talk introduces the vision of forest gardening with some scientific background, a few living examples, and a sampling of some useful perennial edibles you can use in your own garden. The ecology of forest gardening can also teach us some interesting things about how we might organize human societies. Contact Terry Lilley at tygerlilley@gmail.com or see the website www.blueridgepermaculture for more information.

Weekend Workshop with Dave Jacke:
February 5-6, 2011, 9 AM – 5 PM, with a Saturday evening lecture.
Gardening Like the Forest: Designing Perennial Polycultures
Effective perennial polycultures combine useful perennial plants into vegetation patches that minimize competition, create additive yields, and minimize the gardener’s work and outside inputs. Guild and polyculture design are the most interesting and challenging part of the forest garden design process. This in-depth, intermediate-to-advanced workshop explores the specific ecological theories behind polyculture design through experiential exercises and games. Participants will design perennial polycultures together using a variety of design processes. We’ll also explore the implications of what we learn for the design of ecological human cultures. No prior experience necessary!

The cost for the weekend is a sliding scale of $250-$295. A few work trade positions are available for partial tuition; inquire soon about work trade guidelines and availability.
Contact Terry Lilley at tygerlilley@gmail.com or see the website www.blueridgepermaculture for more information.


2.
New Community Project is pleased to announce we will be teaching a Permaculture Design Course in Spring 2011 in Harrisonburg. This 72-hour certification course will be headquartered at our new Sustainable Living Center, at 715 N. Main St. in Harrisonburg.

Based on patterns and processes of ecological systems, permaculture is the art and science of creating healthy and resilient human environments abundant in food, water, shelter, energy, and community. This course will focus specifically on exploring sustainability strategies for the Shenandoah Valley, and participants will emerge as a thriving practitioner network, each with the ability to design and build gardens, homes, and communities modeled on living ecosystems.

This ecological design course covers such themes as: permaculture ethics and philosophy, ecological system understanding, organic food production, design concepts and techniques, natural soil improvement, edible forest gardening, aquaculture, healthy buildings and human settlements, renewable energy systems, local economies, mushroom cultivation, and much more. Hands-on work and play, group discussion, site tours, lecture, design projects, and work parties will all be used to facilitate a dynamic learning environment.

The dates for the four weekend, 12 day course are: Feb 18-21, Mar 11-13, Apr 8-10, and May 14-15. Cost is a sliding scale from $500-800.

Please contact Adam at ncppdc@gmail.com for details, or to register or read more, see the website:

http://ncpharrisonburg.wordpress.com/perma/


3.
Project Coordinator - Shenandoah Valley Farm-to-Table, Posting number 0100982
Quick link listings.jobs.vt.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=192651

The Northern District Cooperative Extension office in Harrisonburg Virginia is seeking highly motivated candidates for the position of Project Coordinator - Shenandoah Valley Farm-to-Table. This is a grant-funded, full-time position with duties related to grant project management, community-based food system and water quality extension activities, and Buy Fresh Buy Local. This position will coordinate work and be a liaison for local farmers, producers, institutions (schools, universities, restaurants, grocery stores), and food-related businesses to promote more procurement and purchase of local food and farm products in the Shenandoah Valley. Will work closely with community viability extension specialist and appropriate agents to identify issues, opportunities and educational strategies, identify outlets and markets for Shenandoah Valley food and farm products, evaluate demand and supply for different products and evaluate deficiencies and inefficiencies in the local food system (e.g., processing, packaging, marketing, distribution). Will keep interested stakeholders informed about the Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction grant and Buy Fresh Buy Local through the development of educational materials, on-line resources and periodic newsletters. Other responsibilities include contributing to writing and preparing project reports for funding group(s), local food directories, presentations, manuscripts, posters, and grant proposals for seeking related funding opportunities, providing logistical support of the Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction grant, farm-to-table and water quality grant activities, Shenandoah Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local, and community-based food systems including setting up meetings, calls, workshops, conferences, tours and other educational outreach programs.


4.
Charlottesville Community Design Center
http://www.cvilledesign.org/

Housing the Future: Reinventing Where We Age | December 3 - January 31
By 2025 1 in 4 Charlottesville residents will be over 60. What housing options exist for Charlottesville's growing population of older adults? See innovative approaches to inclusive housing design from home remodeling to accessory apartments. Featuring work by the University of Virginia's ecoMOD project and the Center for Universal Design at NC State. Visit livableforalifetime.org for a complete listing of aging in place events associated with the Housing the Future series.

JRGBC Luncheon: Looking Back on LEED 2010
Tuesday, December 14 12-1 pm
JRGBC hosts a panel discussion with local green building professionals to review their experiences with LEED projects over the past year. The panelists will speak to their successes as well as challenges. They can introduce their favorite or most innovative LEED point or the ones they struggled to qualify for. Presenters include Jeff Sties of Sunbiosis who will bring a residential designer’s perspective; Lindsay Snoddy, the Environmental Compliance Manager for the Albemarle County school system will speak to school projects; and a representative from UVA will reflect on institutional scale projects. Free and open to the public. Register in advance on the JRGBC website.

Green Matters: Alternative Energy Solutions
Tuesday, December 14 from 5-7 pm
A home is a complicated machine that requires large amounts of energy to function. A panel will discuss environmental strategies and mechanical systems that will help you save money, preserve resources, and reduce your carbon footprint. Free and open to all.

Neighborhood Leadership Institute
The City of Charlottesville is accepting applications for the 5th Annual Pilot Your City Neighborhood Leadership Institute. Classes are on Wednesday evenings from 6-9 pm beginning January 12. Applications accepted until January 1, 2011, or until class is full. Download an application here.

Request for Proposals: Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center
The Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center is seeking a design build team to construct a LEED certified museum building that embodies the green principles they will be teaching in their programs. Download the full RFP: http://lewisandclarkeast.org/ or email lewisandclark@lewisandclarkeast.org for more information. Deadline is January 11, 2011.

If you have an event or announcement that you would like to appear in a future edition of our e-newsletter, please email us at info@cvilledesign.org.


5.
Start Your Vegetable Production Business Today
Attend the Growers Academy for Small-Scale Vegetable and Flower Growers

Those with a dream of providing flowers and organic herbs and vegetables to the region will want to attend the Growers Academy.

The Growers Academy is an 8-week learning series offered on Tuesday nights starting January 11, 2011, from 6 – 9 pm, at the VT Roanoke Center in the Roanoke Higher Education Building in downtown Roanoke. The Growers Academy is offered through VT EarthWorks in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension ( http://offices.ext.vt.edu/roanoke/).

Registration for the Academy is $215 per person for the 8-week series.
You can register online at http://www.cpe.vt.edu/grac/
Registration is requested by January 5, 2011.
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As many know, it is one thing to yearn to sell your backyard’s vegetable bounty to local stores and restaurants. It’s another to master the tools of business plans, loans, and market connections.

The Growers Academy is a learning series designed to build a peer cohort to help new and transitioning vegetable production businesses succeed.

Academy topics include production planning, low-input vegetable production, soils and cover crops, pest and weed management, business plan development, rotational plantings, equipment, marketing, and more. Each weekly session is presented by subject matter experts, including successful producers. Previous participants value hearing from the “local speakers who actually work in the markets, restaurants, and farms.” Participants complete the course with a preliminary business plan for their new enterprise and are provided an opportunity to sell directly at a nearby farmers market.

If you don’t have land and still want to pursue your vegetable production dream. No worries, graduates of the Growers Academy receive a preliminary membership to VT EarthWorks and are eligible to lease land through VT EarthWorks at the Catawba Sustainability Center in Catawba, VA.

For more information, contact Christy Gabbard, Director of VT Earthworks (tel. 540-767-6114; email: cgunnels@vt.edu), or Sheri Dorn, Virginia Cooperative Extension – Roanoke (tel. 540-772-7524; email: sherid@vt.edu) for more information or to receive a Growers Academy registration form.

Christy Gabbard
Director, Catawba Sustainability Center
- accelerating land-based businesses

Outreach & International Affairs
Virginia Tech Roanoke Center
108 N. Jefferson Street, Suite 701
Roanoke VA 24016

(540) 767-6114 - office
(540) 558-8010 - mobile
(540) 767-6110 - fax


6.
USDA_AMS_NEWS: Learn more about Specialty Crop Grants during the Dec. 16 USDA webinar. Register now! http://go.usa.gov/C67


7.
http://www.vabf.org/opportunities

Tenant Opportunity - White Hall/Free Union Farm
Tenant opportunity, September 1, 2010.
BEATUIFUL FARM IN WHITE HALL/FREE UNION SEEKS RELIABLE PERSON/COUPLE TO LIVE IN TENANT HOUSE. QUAINT (BUT BRAND NEW) 3 BEDROOM 2 BATHROOM AND VERY PRIVATE. MUST LOVE ANIMALS AND HAVE SOME PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH CATTLE and operating farm equipment. ORGANIC FARMING KNOWLEDGE A PLUS AND MUST BE COMFORTABLE WITH EMAIL. OFFERING EITHER PART-TIME HOURS OR FULL TIME HOURS DEPENDING ON YOUR SITUATION. THE BEST VIEWS IN THE COUNTY! RENT and utilities WOULD BE FREE IN RETURN FOR 10 to 15 hours a week of your time, including DOG-SITTING WHEN NECESSARY, FEEDING OF CATTLE and other farm animals ON WEEKENDS, and other chores. Excellent references required.
Please email susanbell92@gmail.com with a letter telling us about you and/or a resume.
Marisa Vrooman
Director, Farm Services & Development
Local Food Hub
PO Box 4647
Charlottesville, VA 22905
marisa@localfoodhub.org
(434) 286-2176 office
(434) 960-0155 cell
www.localfoodhub.org

Nelson County Farm
Richard Bean of Double H Farm is selling his Nelson County farm. They will keep their house and 5 acres.
For sale is a 25 acre, turn key farm with 8 acres under organic vegetable cultivation, 100 fine Berkshire hogs, 350 chickens, all the farm equipment, greenhouse, awesome signature delivery vehicle, and barns. There is a large trailer/house on the farm property. Richard, himself, would be available for transition consulting.
Price is $300,000
$30,000 down
$1,000 a month payments starting in year 2
$2,000 a month payments from years 3-10
Payment in full due at 10 years
Double H Farm - Home of Healthy Food is a very well respected local brand.
This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking to purchase an existing, successful and recognized farm business. Please contact Richard Bean if interested. His contact information is: 434-263-8704 farmily@ceva.net