Thursday, June 9, 2011

upcoming events

Greetings All,

Below is a great collection of info on upcoming permaculture and sustainability events in the near future in the central Virginia bioregion, including a local food listening session tonight. 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
Virginia Farm-to-Table
Listening Session- An Opportunity for Public Input

As part of a grant-funded study by the Virginia Food System Council, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Virginia State University and UVA’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2011 at 6:00-7:30PM
Registration and Refreshments at 5:45pm

JABA, 674 HILLSDALE DRIVE, CHARLOTTESVILLE, 22901
(Behind Fashion Square Mall)

What do YOU think?
• What does a healthy, safe food system look like to you?
• What are the challenges, opportunities and priorities for strengthening Virginia’s local food system?
• What is needed to increase production, distribution and consumption of local food?

Who should attend?
• Consumers
• Farmers, food entrepreneurs, chefs & restaurants
• Anyone interested in sustainable community health and nutrition
• Local government, community planners, and economic development officers
• Environmental conservation groups, farmland protection agencies
• Farm and food cooperatives

This is a listening session to gather your input about Virginia’s food system; we will not attempt to reach consensus at this meeting, but rather record your opinions and input. Information gathered will be used to develop a state farm-to-table plan by the Virginia Food System Council.

For more information, contact
Judy Berger, jberger@jabacares.org, or Lynda Fanning, lef5h@virginia.edu


2.
Workshop - Home Cooling Strategies to Save You Money
LEAP Event
When: Thu, Jun 9, 2011 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: ecoREMOD: The Energy House (608 Ridge St.)
Download the event flyer.

It's Getting Hot Out There!
With the heat and humidity of summer already here, join us for this LEAP workshop, "Home Cooling Strategies to Save You Money."

Speakers will include:
-- Tom Kavounas of Albemarle Heating and Air
-- Leslie Burns of Leslie Burns Design
-- Guy Caroselli, one of LEAP's building science experts

Light refreshments and tours of ecoREMOD will be provided.

RSVP: annie@leap-va.org


3.
The Garden Grants application process is open. A partnership between Cville Foodscapes and the Quality Community Council , the Garden Grants program awards free gardens to low-income households. Please help us get applications to people who could use this support. Also, we welcome tax-deductible donations, which can be made to the Quality Community Council. Visit their website to donate through PayPal, or send a check to the address below.

The application is attached. Applications are due May 20th. The only eligibility criteria is the household must already qualify for some kind of income-based assistance. The garden awarded includes a prepared and planted bed, a compost bin, a rain barrel, as well as a garden care guide and 2 follow-up visits.

The application can also be found on the Cville Foodscapes website <.http://cvillefoodscapes.com/garden-grants/>. You can mail or drop of the applications to:

Quality Community Council
327 W. Main Street, Suite 101
Charlottesville, VA 22903


4.
Permaculture Design Certification Course August 18-30, 2011 Sundays off

Students will design a food forest, terracing pools and botanical sanctuaries for this woodlands site in Victoria, VA. Instructors Cliff Davis and Matthew English, formerly with The Farm in Tennessee, have 20 years of experience living and practicing permaculture. Comprehensive curriculum focuses on design principles and problem solving for temperate climate zones. Demonstration gardens will be constructed and field trips are included in the registration. You may register for a 3 day orientation and those who complete all 72 hours and individual project assignments will receive an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certificate. Look forward to 11 days of shared inspiration that will reduce your carbon footprint and prosper your permaculture practice!
REGISTER: www.naturesfriends.ning.com OR wearenaturesfriends@gmail.com for more information
--
"bringing heaven to earth"... www.naturesfriends.ning.com

Rev. Marjani Dele
POB 497 Victoria, VA 23974
(434) 696-2439


5.
Homestead Intern sought to help with various farm projects including organic garden, chickens, pig, tree planting, water catchment, light carpentry, stone masonry, forestry, mushrooms, food preservation including canning, fermenting, and solar drying.
Work 16 hours per week for your room and board in our passive-solar home 6 miles north of Staunton.

Learn while you work - you are not expected to know how to do everything. This opportunity is about learning how to live more sustainably, not how to make a living. A good work ethic is more important than experience.

Contact Holly Parker at
hparker@augustamed.com


6.
What: Transition town meeting -Transition Charlottesville/Albemarle Transitioncville.org

When: 7 PM on the third Monday of each month, 20 June

Where: Unitarian Church, 717 Rugby Rd Charlottesville, VA

Questions: Hfcusa.org@gmail.com - Phone (434)987-1026


7.
Sally Nash is seeking permaculture design assistance in the Falls Church area for an outdoor sloped area. Please contact her at sallynash53@gmail.com if you are interested in doing a permaculture design.


8.
New Blog:
You can find it at www.HomeplaceEarth.wordpress.com or go to my website at www.HomeplaceEarth.com and click on the blog link. I'll be writing at least every couple weeks and sometimes every week. Next week's post is about starting your own sweet potato slips. Homeplace Earth is also on Facebook now. Imagine that!

Hope you enjoy it.
Cindy
Cindy Conner
Homeplace Earth


9.
Great One Day Classes for beginners and then some

Permaculture and the Herb Garden
Saturday, June 11
9:30am – 2:30pm
Join Kathleen for a day of instruction on how to set up medicinal gardens and botanical sanctuaries. We will begin with sheet mulching, look at garden layout and simple design and talk about the needs and growing conditions of common herbal medicines. We will wander back to the woodland sanctuary that has been created and talk about conservation and ecological harvest issues as they relate to United Plant Savers. We will also look at drying roots, flowers and leaves of our favorite plant allies.

Herbal teas will be provided at all the one day workshops. Please pack a bag lunch.
Fee for the class is $75. Deposit $30.
www.sacredplanttraditions.com
________________________________________
Kitchen Apothecary
Kitchen Apothecary - First Harvest
Sunday, June 12
9:30am – 2:30pm
This class can stand alone or be a wonderful conclusion to the garden class taught the day before. In this class, participants will actually harvest and make herbal preparations that are safe and time-honored recipes to be used for the family. We will learn the art of making salves, tinctures, oils and teas as well as how to stock our family medicine chest. This is an excellent class for those that are interested in learning sustainable ways of keeping selves and families healthy.
Herbal teas will be provided at all the one day workshops. Please pack a bag lunch.
Fee for the class is $75. Deposit $30.
www.sacredplanttraditions.com
______________________
Energy Medicine with Phyllis Light
July 1, 2, & 3, 2011
We welcome Phyllis back this year with a very special offering. As those that have been coming for the past five years to our weekends with Phyllis know, two days only leaves us wanting more. To remedy this, we have planned on a three day intensive.
There are two ways to participate in this class. You may come to just the weekend, $295 or participate in all three days for $395.

www.sacredplanttraditions.com

10.
Welcome to Sacred in Permaculture

A Global Certificate Course
Goals for the Global Certificate Course

1. Study, observe and articulate one’s individual relationship to the sacred in permaculture;
2. Investigate and map how this individual awareness of the sacred can facilitate a more holistic permaculture practice at the family and community levels.
Please join us and share your ideas of the sacred. Some of the pages are viewable only after you Register and become a Member. Please visit Course Requirements & About Us for details on the course plus facilitator bios & contact info. The site and educational experience is yours to help craft and share with the community, especially in the Groups & one-on-oneconferences via Skype.
– Melissa Miles & Willi Paul

http://sacredpermaculture.net/


11.
Tim and Frances (Miller) Crowhill Sauder are looking for a temporary care-taking farm position while they begin to search to purchase their own farm somewhere in proximity to Harrisonburg/Staunton (location is flexible). They will be moving from Pennsylvania in early September. They are interested in diversified sustainable agriculture. Tim has 7 years of experience with dairy farming, plus 5 years experience on a diversified farm in Germany including 2 years of farm school (in Germany). He also has carpentry skills and mechanical skills. Frances has 6 years of experience working on organic produce farms and has studied permaculture design. Their ideal scenarios would be: 1. to apprentice at a farm with draft horses 2. a rent to own situation. 3. Or any temporary situation that will give them time to find land. They are also open to buying a place as early as this fall if the perfect situation comes up. Frances is also a musician and a grad student at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg.
Contact: francesemiller@hotmail.com


12.
Live Sustainably on an ACRE
2977 Hardware Rd. Scottsville, VA 24590
Live sustainably and comfortably on a beautiful 1.12 acre lot only 600 yards from the confluence of the James and Hardware River and less than 400 yards from the James River Wildlife management area and boat launch.

Outside amenities include 4000 square feet of gardens, with irrigation, partly surrounded by a deer fence. There is a barn that also works as a two car garage or workspace, a chicken coop with fencing and a tool shed. Want some livestock? There is a quarter of an acre fenced in that is suitable for a few goats, a miniature cow or a lama or perhaps just a great space for some dogs. Entertain with a cedar arbor and pergola, in ground fire pit, and horseshoe pit. Inquire about a list of herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables on the property, many of which are ready for you to eat.
Inside, the house has been newly redone and the basement was finished this winter. The house comes with two wood burners, one a soapstone that is 92% efficient and heated the house throughout the last winter, helped by the new insulation in the attic. The house also has an oil fired furnace and an electric water heater and well. The floors are a mixture of bamboo, tile (some recycled) and carpet. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and the total livable space is 1800 square feet. All appliances are included.

This is a well taken care of house that is ripe with possibilities for your sustainable home or retreat. Into fishing, hiking, gardening? You can do it all!
Vegetable garden #1 Basement/family room Pasture and outbuildings
For more information contact:
Peter Lee of Roy Wheeler Realty Co.
434-951-5142 or 434-960-6486
peterlee@roywheeler.com


13,
I have a 49.75-acre place about one mile from Lost River State Park in Mathias, WV. This is about an hour west of Strasburg, Va., 45 minutes NE of Harrisonburg, and 1.5 hours SW of Winchester. The place is mostly hilled/forested, with some flat areas that would be suitable for pasture and/or a greenhouse and gardens. It has a livable hundred-year-old farmhouse (2-3 bedrooms, living room, large dining room/kitchen, full bath, attached solarium), detached cold house/root cellar, large outbuilding w/loft, and small outbuilding. Heat source is a wood stove, but there is a propane stove that can also be reconnected for heat. A large stream (Jenkins Run) bisects the property at the base of the hills and two smaller streams run down to meet it. It's quiet, picturesque -- with many distinct microclimates and a mix of evergreens and hardwoods -- hikable, and has great energy. Wildlife includes deer, bears, a variety of birds, reptiles and amphibians (no copperheads ever seen, just the resident black snake, along with spotted salamanders), and plenty of spiders, butterflies, and praying mantises.

And the price has just been lowered to $159,900.

If you or someone you know is interested, please contact me at 410/757.4070.

Many thanks!
Leigh

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