Greetings all,
Happy 2013! Below is an amazing collection of upcoming permaculture and sustainability
events in the central Virginia bioregion, including a talk with Eric Toensmeier
next month and several upcoming conferences.
If you know anyone else that would like to sign up for this newsletter,
or if you have an announcement, email us at blueridgepermaculture@gmail.com for the next update, which are sent monthly.
Best,
Christine and the BRPN team
www.blueridgepermaculture.net
www.blueridgepermaculture.net
1.
The Blue Ridge Permaculture Network presents a
PERENNIAL VEGETABLES & GARDEN DESIGN workshop
With Eric
Toensmeier, author of Perennial
Vegetables & coauthor of
Edible Forest Gardens
Edible Forest Gardens
Saturday. February 23rd,
2013, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm in Charlottesville, VA
cost: sliding scale of $75 - $100
For more information and to register
contact: Terry Lilley at: tygerlilley@gmail.com
2.
Permaculture Design
Course in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah
Permaculture in partnership with Greenfire Institute and Dancing Star Farms
would like to announce a comprehensive 72 hour course in Permaculture
Design. Join us for 4 weekends this
spring to earn your passport to food security and a meaningful future. The course will take place on February 22-24,
March 2-3, April 6-7, with the final weekend being April 20-21.
Learning to build food systems to
mimic healthy natural systems allows us to produce our food with increasing
productivity AND increasing fertility, without working ourselves to the
bone. With thoughtful planning and
design, your garden can do the work, while you reap the benefits.
Aside from earning certification in Permaculture Design,
students will gain experience in…
·
Significant reskilling and hands-on work to gain
confidence moving forward towards a more sustainable future.
·
Medicinal Herbs: your pharmacy in the back yard,
or a lucrative crop
·
Water harvesting/restoration
·
Design tools for sustainable building
·
Tools for productive interpersonal relationships
and community building
·
Organic gardening techniques
·
Principles for thoughtful design of property and
productive community systems
We invite you to join instructors:
Ted Butchart:
Physician, Herbalist, Homeopath, Straw Bale Construction Expert
Ryan Blosser:
Permaculture Farmer, Coordinator of Project GROWS, Co-Owner Dancing Star Farms,
Individual and Family Therapist
Dave O’Neill: Permaculture Farmer, Owner Radical Roots
Community Farm
Meghan Williamson:
Director of h(OUR) Economy; The Valley’s Community Time Bank, Former Executive
Director of Staunton Creative Community Fund
Trevor Piersol:
Senior Fellow and Farm Manager, Allegheny Mountain School
And other Shenandoah Valley Permaculture experts as we explore the possibility of
radical culture change through gardening.
The course is being offered on a sliding scale from 750$
-1050$. You can reserve your seat in the
course with a 200$ deposit.
For more information:
or email Dr. Ted Butchart or Ryan Blosser at shenandoapdc@gmail.com
3.
Community Solar webinar - Weds. 1/23
The Center for a New
American Dream presents a free webinar about how everyday people can work
with neighbors to bring solar energy to their community. Topics include solar
cooperatives, bulk purchasing, group net metering, and more. Wednesday, Jan.
23, 2-3pm.
4.
Film screening
Friday, February
8th, 2013 at 6:30 pm, Whole Foods Market in Charlottesville is hosting a
community screening of "Queen of
the Sun: What are the bees telling us?"
The event will be in
the auditorium at Buford Middle School (1000 Cherry Avenue) in Charlottesville,
VA with lots of free food and activities for kids starting at 5:00 pm.
Join us for this wonderful documentary by two extraordinary filmmakers!
5.
From Transition
Cville
January Transition Town Meeting - VISION - Mon. 1/28
What will a resilient, “Transitioned” local community really
look like? We all have a vision to share about the future we’re working toward.
This month we will invite a time of dreaming and imagination to build a picture
that inspires and guides the work of Transition Charlottesville-Albemarle in
2013.
When: Monday, Jan. 28. 6pm Potluck, social time, and
orientation for newcomers. 6:45-8:30pm Meeting.
Where: McIntire Room, 3rd Floor of Jefferson-Madison
Regional Library
Central Branch, 201 E. Market St., Charlottesville, VA 22902
*******************
350 Central VA 1st meeting - Tues. 1/29
The mission of 350.org is
strategic campaigns and programs to mitigate climate change and keep earth
habitable for both the short and the long term. A new 350 Central Virginia
chapter is forming to focus on local and regional actions. For more info please
read Marcia
Geyer’s blog post at www.transitioncville.org.
When: Tuesday, Jan 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
Where: Friends Meeting House, 1102 Forest Street,
Charlottesville
*******************
Help wanted.... share your skills!
Skill
Share Working Group plans monthly reskilling workshops in collaboration
with the Charlottesville Trade School. Contact Melissa Wender, melissa@ic.org or 327-8805.
Edible Yards
is a new initiative to replace local lawns with edible abundance! Contact Stevo
Johnson, genuinesmile29@gmail.com.
Transition
Cville Initiating Group provides strategic direction for the local
movement. We’re looking to form new working groups for Awareness
Raising/Monthly Meetings, Communications, and Crisis Response (building local
action campaigns). Contact Joanie Freeman, freeman.joanie@gmail.com or
987-1026.
6.
Virginia Biological Farming
Conference
February 8-9th, 2013
Healthy Soil, Healthy Crops,
Healthy Livestock.
The 2013 Conference will take
place in Richmond at the Holiday Inn-Koger Center. This year’s schedule is packed with knowledgeable speakers,
informative sessions, and outstanding networking opportunities. View the Conference flyer here.
Early bird registration is just
$120. Available for members only, this rate ends December 31st. (Deadline
extended due to delay in printing the full brochure. Remember: You
can become a member at any time!)
One-Day Farm
School courses (one
for Beginning/Aspiring farmers, and one on Advanced Vegetable Production for
farmers currently growing for commercial markets) will be held February 7th, 2013 in Richmond. Registration
begins in October. Stay tuned here for early-bird rates!
VaBioFarming Conference
flyer (Feb 8-9)
VABF Farm School/Farm Tours (Feb 7)
7.
Sacred Plant Traditions weekend workshop
with
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Phyllis Light
and Southern Appalachian Wisdom
February 1 - 3
2013 in Charlottesville,
Virginia
Signs of
the Times: Astrology for Health. -- Friday, Feb 1 ~ 9am –5 pm
Food Is
Medicine -- Saturday & Sunday, Feb 2 & 3
Saturday
Night Medicine Stories will include teachings of Inca Prophecy and
other tales of guiding wisdom.
Fee for all
three days is $325 and $225 for the weekend which includes Phyllis’s famous
Saturday night medicine stories. Friday is $125. To reserve a space,
please send a non-refundable deposit of $50 (for 1or 2 day) or $75 for 3 day
to SPT. Upon receipt of deposit, registration information will be sent.
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8.
Piedmont Landscape Association Seminar: February 20-21, 2013
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9.
Creative Works
Farm is forming a non-profit Children’s camp in Augusta County, VA. Their 162 acre farm is going to be a
sustainable LEED platinum or Net Zero facility, with a solar farm and organic
gardening, as well as many other opportunities.
Please see the
link below to learn more about this exciting opportunity.
10.
Native Plant Landscape Symposium sponsored by Albemarle County, VA, promoting our recently created regional
native plant database, www.albemarle.org/nativeplants.
February 27,
2013; 1:00 – 3:00 PM, Albemarle County Office Building, 5th Street
Extended; 1600 5th Street, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902.
A symposium to
present marketing strategies and local incentives, in the spirit of a “buy
local” campaign, for the area’s unique native plants.
11.
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Allegheny Mountain School Fellowships
for 2013
Allegheny
Mountain School (AMS), located in Highland County, VA, is a not-for-profit
experiential fellowship program designed to serve our region’s
communities in developing a more secure food system. In the spring of
2013, Allegheny Mountain School will assemble its third cohort and we are
currently accepting applications for these roles. AMS is a two phased
program. In Phase I (April 28 – November 1, 2013), AMS Fellows will
study sustainable food production, land stewardship and community development
in an intensive, hands-on, cooperative learning residency. Work and
study both take place on the farm and at community projects in surrounding
areas. Workshops and seminars will occur both on and off campus.
In the year following (January 1 -- December 31, 2014), AMS Fellows
enter Phase II and will work in the service of Partner Organizations in our
region and focus on activities such as building community gardens, advocating
sustainable land use and teaching nutrition and cooking for a healthy
lifestyle.
AMS Fellows
learn sustainable food cultivation and restorative, nourishing
traditions. For more information,
visit www.alleghenymountainschool.org/apply-2013
or email us at: info@alleghenymountainschool.org. Allegheny Mountain School is a
program of The Highland Center in Monterey VA. You can reach The Highland Center at (540) 468-1922.
Save the
Date: January 30–31, 2013 for the VCU Energy and Sustainability Conference
The Virginia
Commonwealth University, a leader in sustainability, is excited to host the
2013 Energy and Sustainability Conference: Advancing Business with Leadership
in Sustainability, on January 30–31, 2013 at the Greater Richmond Convention
Center in Richmond, Virginia.
This conference
provides commercial and institutional organizations with the opportunity to:
•
Learn
about the economic benefits of sustainable business policies and practices;
•
Share
information on the positive bottom line of owning and operating high
performance buildings;
•
Network
with cutting edge Green Technology and product companies; and
•
Find
out how to utilize sustainable policies for competitive advantage, economic
development and job creation.
The conference
will bring together attendees from virtually every market segment, including
manufacturing; healthcare; K-12 and higher education; commercial real estate;
and local, state, and federal government.
Plan to
participate in this new business and sustainability conference in Virginia as
a sponsor, exhibitor, or attendee. Find out more at www.vsbn.org/vcu-esc2013
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13.
Mason Sustainability Institute (MSI) at
George Mason University – Permaculture Design Course
On March 9th –
16th, 2013 MSI will be hosting a 72-Hour Permaculture Design Certificate
Course, taught by Wayne Weiseman of the Permaculture Project LLC. The
course will cover such topics as Plant Propagation, Grafting, and Seed Saving;
Healthy Use of Animals in Permaculture Systems; Aquaculture and Aquaponics;
Renewable Energy; the Waste Stream; and many more.
This intensive course will take place from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm with
breaks for lunch and dinner, with some additional evening activities. Catered
lunch and dinners from Everlasting Life Café will be provided. The total cost
for this course is $1,000, and there are some partial and full scholarships
available from the Office of Sustainability.
This course is
ideal for anyone who would like to learn more about how they can be more
sustainable, particularly individuals who have access to a garden. In addition
to earning the certificate in Permaculture Design, participants will earn 7.2
Continuing Education Credits through the Office of Continuing Professional
Education (http://ocpe.gmu.edu/).
This course is also available for 3 undergraduate art credits as an
independent study for an additional fee (totaling $1777.50 to cover tuition).
Wayne Weiseman is
certified by The Permaculture Institute of Australia and the Worldwide
Permaculture Network as an
instructor of the Permaculture Design Certificate Course. He is also certified
by the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) and the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA) to teach continuing education in Permaculture to
licensed architects and landscape architects.
More information on
Wayne Weiseman can be found here: http://www.permacultureproject.com/
You can register for the workshop here: http://www.tinyurl.com/PDCC-GMU/
I hope to see you
there, and please feel free to share this with anyone who you think may be
interested! Please email me if you have any questions, or for scholarship
information.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Souther
Program Coordinator, Mason Sustainability Institute
Office of Sustainability, George Mason University
Jsouthe2@gmu.edu 703.993.5301
http://msi.gmu.edu/
14.
2013 Local
Food Networks Conference
Tuesday,
February 26, 2013 - Virginia Farm Bureau Office in Richmond, Virginia
This conference
is co-sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Foundation for
Agriculture, Innovation & Rural Sustainability (Virginia FAIRS) and
Virginia Farmers Direct Marketing Association (VFDMA,) in partnership with USDA
Rural Development and Lulus Local Food. It will focus on best production,
harvesting, and handling practices for food safety, and on networking buyers
and sellers in local markets and food systems. The cost is just $20
including meals. To register, visit https://vafarmbureau.org/Agriculture/LocalFoodNetworksConference.aspx
and complete the registration page.
Questions? contact Chris Cook at Virginia Farm Bureau Federation (
804.290.1111 , email ccook@vafb.com),
or Martha Walker 434-766-6761, cell 434-709-1084, e-mail walker53@vt.edu.
15.
Forrest Green Farm, in Louisa County,
Virginia
Whole Living -
Winter Learning Series
Compass and
Orienteering –
February 10, 2013 – $65 ea. or $100/family Time: 12 to 4pm
Orienteering is
using navigation with maps and a compass to find various points in unfamiliar
terrain. In this course, you will learn the basics of topographical maps and
how to read a compass. We will have hands on activities/games to
reinforce these skills.
Mushroom
Logs – February 24,
2013 – $65 ea. or $100/family
Time: 12 to 4pm
- Shiitake and Oyster Mushroom logs
(hands-on to inoculate and take one home)
Seed Starting
Intensive – March 10,
2013 – $65 ea. or $100/family Time: 12
to 5pm
This class will
teach you the basics of growing your own herb and vegetable plants by seed
starting. You will take home a sown flat of your choice of herbs and/or
vegetable seed to tend in your setting. This is a very hands-on class and
you will get a chance to make and formulate various potting soils and have
practice sowing seeds.
Much of what is
studied in this class will need to done outdoors. Participants need to be
prepared for seasonal weather elements.
Please Contact
Us in advance to register.
16.
Sunnyside
farms has launched their Kickstarter campaign for Homer's Speedy Seeder, which is a
low-cost, easy-to-use, farmer-designed way to seed rows of small seeds
(lettuce, carrots, etc.) and block weeds at the same time.
The campaign runs
until February, and they must get fully funded to receive any funds. Watch
the video, check out the rewards, and pledge what you are able!
Pass on the link
to your friends and colleagues who might grow vegetables, flowers or herbs
from seed.
For more
information, see below, or visit the Sunnyside farm blog: www.sunnysidedru.com
17.
ALBEMARLE COUNTY
AGRI-BUSINESS MARKETING CONFERENCE, in Charlottesville
A conference that will bring together resources to assist
Albemarle County-based farmers and foodies with marketing resources
DATE:
January 28, 2013
TIME:
8:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
LOCATION:
Albemarle County Office Building,
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, VA
22902
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Albemarle Farmers: Vineyards, Crop farms & Livestock
farms
Albemarle Foodies: Value-added food producers, food
marketers/aggregators &restaurateurs
& caterers serving local
PARTNERS:
Local Food Hub, Piedmont Environmental Council,
Farm Bureau &
Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce
REGISTRATION:
Registration Fee: $10. Register online HERE!
NOTE:
Registration is limited to 65 attendees, so register early!
**The first 15 to register are also invited to attend a
hands-on seminar session on “Developing your
Focused Marketing Plan” immediately following lunch!
**Ten additional participants will be randomly selected to
receive a 1-hour one-on-one marketing counseling session!
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please contact Susan Stimart at sstimart@albemarle.org or
434-296-5841 Ext: 3263
18.
The next issue
of Permaculture Activist, #88 (Theme: Earth Skills and Nature Awareness), comes
out in May and deadlines for submissions are March 1st.
19.
Start Your Own Edible Garden - online class available
NOW from PVCC
Provide your family with nutritious food, save money, get
some exercise, and be more self-sufficient. This course will give you the
skills and knowledge you need to be on your way to a successful harvest. $99
for 12 lessons with interactive discussion. Visit: http://www.ed2go.com/piedmont/online_course/seg/detail/Start_Your_Own_Edible_Garden.html
Check http://digital.pvcc.edu/i/97583
for other class listings. Lots of cool agricultural classes on pp. 14-15 of the
digital course catalog: chickens, bees, herbs, mushrooms & more.
20.
Charlottesville City Staff will be presenting the
Stormwater Utility Ordinance to City Council at 7pm on Tuesday, January 22.
That presentation will include an overview of the Water
Resources Protection Program and associated Stormwater Utility,
followed by a public hearing on the proposed ordinance.
The Piedmont Group of the Sierra Club urges citizens to
attend this meeting and express support for this plan which will help clean up
our rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay. If you are unable to attend,
please send an email to council@charlottesville.org.
21.
RSWA Board Meeting - Tues. 1/22
Rivanna Solid Waste Authority and Albemarle County are
working to determine the future of local waste disposal. Big changes may be
coming, and the fate of the McIntire Recycling Center hangs in the balance. The
RSWA Board will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2pm at Moores Creek Wastewater
Treatment Plant, 695 Moores Creek Lane, Charlottesville 22902.
Please sign the online petition to keep McIntire
open: https://www.change.org/petitions/elected-officials-and-rswa-board-of-directors-keep-the-ivy-transfer-station-and-mcintire-recycling-center-open
If you’re an Albemarle resident, please also take the time
to contact the Board of Supervisors and let them know that recycling is
important to you: bos@albemarle.org.
22.
Public hearing: proposed Stormwater Utility Ordinance -
Tues. 1/22
7:00 p.m. at City Council Chambers, City Hall, 605 E. Main
Street.
The ordinance under consideration would fund the City's
Water Resources Protection Program including regulatory compliance, stormwater
infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation, drainage system improvements,
strategic planning, and water quality protections. The proposed stormwater
utility would allocate costs to owners of developed property in the City based
on the amount of impervious area (such as roofs, driveways, and parking lots)
on their property; impervious surfaces prevent rainwater from soaking into the
ground and increase water runoff during storms, which carries harmful
pollutants to waterways.
More info: www.charlottesville.org/stormwater
23.
Fiscal Reality of the Western “Bypass” - Weds. 1/23
The Taxpayers for Common Sense transportation analyst and
the former editor of Virginia Business will discuss the financial reality of
building a $240 million highway through the population centers immediately west
of Charlottesville.
10:30 a.m. Jan. 23 at C’ville Coffee, 1301 Harris Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903. (434)
817-2633.
24.
Virginia Forage and Grassland Council Winter Conference
Series
January 22 through 25 2013.
These events willI be hosted at several (four) locations
across Virginia with participation by leading producers and research
specialists.
For more information, visit: http://vaforages.org/ - or see the attached
pdf flyer, which includes a registration form.
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