EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT!!!
REGISTER ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 15 AND RECEIVE A $40 DISCOUNT TO PAY $555 FOR THIS AMAZING 6 DAY WORKSHOP
REGISTER ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 15 AND RECEIVE A $40 DISCOUNT TO PAY $555 FOR THIS AMAZING 6 DAY WORKSHOP
Regenerative Farm Enterprise Planning
With Eric Toensmeier, Rafter Sass Ferguson, and Elizabeth Ü
With Eric Toensmeier, Rafter Sass Ferguson, and Elizabeth Ü
At Shannon Farm Community in Afton, VA (45 minutes from downtown Charlottesville, VA)
October 18-23, 2014
October 18-23, 2014
Scaling up ecological agriculture is one of the critical challenges we face in addressing climate change and the global food crisis. Integrated perennial farm businesses are a key part of the solution when planned and managed effectively; join us to learn and practice how!
This 6-day course integrates time-tested farm business planning tools with the holistic landscape planning of permaculture and cutting-edge creative financing strategies. Experienced leaders will guide participants through an intensive planning/design process, from initial visioning, through successional enterprise budgeting, to design of the farm landscape. In this dynamic course, participants will design in teams working on a shared project, with structured time for participants to integrate what they are learning with their own goals and projects. Special sessions will bring in the insight of experienced permaculture farmers.
TOPICS include:
- identifying and prioritizing values and goals
- land location and capability and land use planning
- enterprise selection strategies with a focus on...
regenerative farming practices and production systems: perennial and tree crops, managed grazing and livestock integration, and other practices - financial modeling, record keeping, and optimising financial sustainability
- financing regenerative enterprises through community supported models, crowdfunding, and other creative methods
- start-up and long-term development strategies on US permaculture farms
- budgeting for integrated perennial and livestock systems
- market research and strategies
Participants will come away with the skills necessary to build their own regenerative enterprise scenario, and a roadmap for fleshing it out into a full farm and business plan.
Cost for the course is a sliding scale of $595 - $895. Limited scholarships, work trade, and group discount options are available. To register or for more information contact Terry Lilley at tygerlilley@gmail.com or download the registration form.
www.blueridgepermaculture.net
www.blueridgepermaculture.net
2.
The 2014 Heritage Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, September 13, at Monticello:
See many great permaculture presentations, including Christine Gyovai, Ben Kessler, Emily Axelbaum and many others! The 2014 Heritage Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, September 13, at Monticello: on the West Lawn, in the vegetable garden, and in the LEED-certified Visitor Center. The venue provides a beautiful showcase for the restored gardens and features the wealth of Monticello’s programs in not just gardening, but also natural history, foodways, and the roles of the entire plantation community. On Friday, September 12, there will be additional premium programming, including the Festival Keynote Presentation & Chef’s Harvest Dinner. http://heritageharvestfestival.com/ |
3.
Saturday, August 16, 9:00 am
Native Plant Walk
Ivy Creek Natural Area, 1780 Earlysville Rd, Charlottesville, VA
Walk with Tana Herndon to see the spectacular late blooming wildflowers of summer. Cardinal Flower, Horsemint, Ground Nut, Boneset, and Jewelweed are among the flowers that bloom in August at Ivy Creek. We’ll also keep an eye out for lady tresses Orchids and Goldenrod. Co-sponsored by the Ivy Creek Natural Area. Meet by the kiosk near the parking lot. Free and open to the public.
--
4.
Position Open- Veteran Farmer
Position Open- Veteran Farmer
Temple Hill Farm in Ivy, Virginia - Inquiries received through September 15, 2014
Seeking a Veteran-Farmer to establish farm business on 41 acres in central Virginia, west of Charlottesville. Applicant shall have recent military experience with an honorable discharge, be drug-free and have a comfort level with small-scale farming. Owner will consider options for farm production from vegetables to small-scale livestock, farmed organically or as close to natural as possible. Ideas for alternate enterprises are also welcome: native plant production, beekeeping, medicinal and culinary herbs, mushroom cultivation and/or farmed flowers.
Please note: This is not a farm manager listing, rather an opportunity for a young, willing farmer to build a farm business on land under a long term agreement for it's use. See attached flyer for full details!
Please send cover letter, resume and 2 references (name, phone, and email) to:
Laura Farrell, templehill1790@gmail.com.
5.
From our friends at Transition Cville:
5.
From our friends at Transition Cville:
********************
Thursday 8/14 Thinking Outside the Jar: In-home Canning (with a twist!)
5:30-6:30 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 115 North East Street, Culpeper
Interested in prolonging the shelf life of those tasty local berries that you picked or purchased at the farmers market? Join Caroline Mello of Caroline’s Specialty Foods as she gives the basics of home canning, with the added twist of unusual flavors that enliven the palate. Come sample some of the flavors, such as Blueberry Lemon, Peach Balsamic, Cherry Amaretto, and Apple Jack (Daniels), and have a jam session about other unique flavor combinations. Free. http://www.pecva.org/events/thinking-outside-the-jar-in-home-canning-with-a-twist
********************
Friday 8/15 Literature Reading
Lindsey Turner and Rebecca Taylor are the featured August readers at The Bridge PAI, located at 209 Monticello Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22902
********************
Saturday 8/16 The 3rd Annual Bike Walk Play JPA: A Charlottesville Open Streets Event
9-noon at the 1 mile stretch from the JPA Bridge to the Harris/Camellia/JPA Ext. intersection
JPA will be open to any form of active travel and recreation: walking, biking, jogging, unicycling, skating, 'strollering', etcetera. JPA will be closed to vehicle traffic, which will make a safe environment for kids and families to play, run, walk, and bike in the street. Organized activities will be grouped at 5 activity areas along the route, plus food and vendor stations. Bike Walk Play JPA is open and free to the public, accessible for any age group or physical ability level, and on mostly flat terrain. http://bikewalkplay.com/
********************
Saturday 8/16 Better World Betty's "Giving Grill"
11:30am-2pm at Whole Foods Market outdoor patio
Enjoy a lunch of grilled vegan or beef burgers and hot dogs and 100% of the proceeds will help Better World Betty: one of your favorite local sources for living lighter on the planet. It’s move-in weekend for UVA students, so she'll have plenty of great college tips as well as back-to-school tips for students of all ages! http://www.betterworldbetty.org/events-2/
********************
Tuesday 8/19 Workshop: Natural Plant Dyes
4-6pm at Bellair Farm, 5575 Bellair Farm
As part of Bellair Farm's summer workshop series, this event will be led by Pat Brodowski, Monticello vegetable gardener. $25. Register at bellairfarm@gmail.com.
********************
Tuesday 8/19 350.org Climate Action Potluck
6:30-8:30pm at the Friends' Meeting House, 1104 Forest. St.
Listen to the Green Grannies sing and discuss chapter plans for this fall. With the issue of fracking and new pipelines in Virginia heating up, what different kinds of climate activism should the chapter focus on? Bring your favorite dish for the Pot Luck! http://350centralvirginia.org/
********************
Wednesday 8/20 Heirloom Tomato Dinner
6-9pm at The Market at Grelen at 15091 Yager Rd., Somerset
The Local Food Hub and The Market at Grelen are excited to announce their first collaboration! Together, they are creating a series of small farm to table dinners that feature and celebrate Virginia’s local produce, meat and cheese. Their first dinner is scheduled for August, and celebrated Chef Paul Deigl, of Real Food Catering, will be preparing a wonderful four-course “heirloom tomato dinner.” Local wine pairings for each course will be included. Space is limited so please sign up early. Cost is $125 per person and a portion of the profits will be donated to Local Food Hub. Register herehttp://www.themarketatgrelen.com/store/p46/Heirloom_Tomato_Dinner%3B_Wed.%2C_August_20th%2C_2014.html
*******************
Saturday 8/23 - 1st Jamaica Fest
5:30 - 9:00pm at Lochlyn House, 480 East Rio Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901
Featuring Darryl Rose, who played with Bob Marley and the Wailers. Cary and Jay will be opening the evening with reggae sounds. Authentic Jamaican cuisine by Rochelle. Donations welcome.
*******************
Saturday 8/23 Seed Saving Workshop
1-4pm at Living Energy Farm, 1022 Bibb Store Rd., Louisa
Living Energy Farm is holding a Seed Saving Workshop, following a work day in the morning where they will harvest their seed crops (and probably do some construction). The workshop will teach about growing, harvesting and cleaning open pollinated seeds using both wet and dry processing methods. They will likely be cleaning pepper, watermelon, or okra seeds. Please RSVP a week in advance if you plan to attend. http://www.livingenergyfarm.org/
********************
Saturday 8/23 Carpentry for Women
12-4pm at Heartmoor Farm Education Center, 801 Perkins Rd. Kent Store, VA 23084
$50.00 cost for class covering the basics of tool use, safety, fundamentals, hand and power tools.
********************
Friday 8/29 - Monday 9/1 Twin Oaks International Communities Conference
If you live — or want to live — according to the ideals of sustainability, cooperation and equality, come to the annual Twin Oaks Intentional Communities Conference this summer for a celebration of communal lifestyles and resource-sharing. Network and learn about communities of all kinds — co-housing, co-ops, communes and ecovillages — at one of the best-known intentional communities in North America. At the conference, you can attend workshops and camp in a beautiful forest alongside fellow participants and be a part of a temporary, once-in-a-lifetime intentional community. More information and registration at http://www.communitiesconference.org/workshops/
********************
Wednesday 9/13 Through the Garden Gate
9:00- 12:00pm at Piedmont Master Garderners Cooperative Extension, Albemarle Co. Office Building #5 - 2nd Floor, 460 Stagecoach Rd. Charlottesville, VA 22902
The 13th annual visit to local gardens in and around Charlottesville. No registration needed. Just show up. $5.00 entry to each garden.
********************
9/19 - 9/21 Transition Fall Equinox Women's Retreat
Friday night to Sunday morning. Camping, meditation, herbalism, storytelling, learn new skills, sing a long by the campfire. A great chance to renew yourself for fall and make some new friends. Interested in planning or or being a part of it? Contact freeman.joanie@gmail.com
********************
Sunday 9/21 People's Climate March?
The Central Virginia chapter of 350.org is looking for an indication of how many people want to go up to New York for the national 350 rally with Bill McKibben at the UN's next WTO meeting. The Steering Committee wants to know the amount of interest in Charlottesville-Albemarle, so if you, your family, or friends are thinking of going, please email350cva@gmail.com with "NYC rally" as the subject line. They are considering carpooling and buses, so please state your preferences (such as if you would like to be a driver or passenger and how many you passengers you could take). A local solidarity rally is also under discussion.
********************
Volunteers Needed for Earth Week/Eco Fair Team
The Earth Week and Eco Fair teams are looking for volunteers to help on their board and on with other facets of their April events. Roles include but are not limited to Volunteer Captain, EcoFair Captain, Rest-of-year Events Captain, Fundraising Captain, RaffleMaster, Marketing Captain, Webmaster, Secretary, Treasurer, MC, Education Planner, Vendor Coordinator, Photographer, Site Layout, Registrar, and Publicity. If you're interested in helping a key Charlottesville event, then contact Eric Murphy at ewmurphy74@gmail.com .
********************
Volunteers Needed for Better World Betty 9/12 CLIPS Beer & Film Night
Better World Betty is excited to once again be the non-profit beneficiary of the CLIPS Beer and Film Night. New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale, is once again bringing its beer-toting, film-traveling, nonprofit-benefiting show to our backyard. The best part is that 100 percent of beer sale proceeds will go to local nonprofits Better World Betty and Charlottesville Area Mountain Biking Club. Betty could really use the help -- along the lines of 35 volunteers! Please help to make the event a success by contacting Betty athttp://www.betterworldbetty.org/contact/
********************
Mini Eco Grants Available from Earth Week!
Earth Week is looking to keep the eco-energy going year round, and as
part of that effort launched the Mini Eco Grants program last
year. Mini Eco Grants are small cash grants given to organizations
looking to start or continue great environmental projects. The
application is one page, making it easy to apply for if you're a
first time grant writer. So, if you know someone who's got a project that needs a little jump start, please let them know that they can apply for a $100 Mini Eco
Grant between now and August 1. Earth Week will do the same thing again each
month for the rest of the year. Click here to download the application, and remember to keep it down to one page!
********************
Help End Pesticide Use in Charlottesville City Parks and Schoolyards!
The Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club recently launched a campaign for Pesticide Free Parks & School Grounds. Please sign the petition which states: "We request that the Charlottesville City Council end the use of lawn & garden pesticides on all parks, school yards, athletic fields and other city-owned properties." To sign, simply send an email to jcruickshank4@gmail.com. Then forward this information along to your friends!
********************
Help 350 Central Virginia get solar power installed on Albemarle Schools!
Sign their petition and help move our community closer to a sustainable future:
