This is where you will find all of the presentations and presenters
for the 2019 Northwest Permaculture Convergence.
If you would like to present for 2020 Convergence we are currently taking applications here.
for the 2019 Northwest Permaculture Convergence.
If you would like to present for 2020 Convergence we are currently taking applications here.
2019 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Friday Keynote Presentation
with Shaelee Evans, Tiffany Y'vonne, and Abby Colehour
with Shaelee Evans, Tiffany Y'vonne, and Abby Colehour
Community Keynote - The Permandala Project
With the Permandala Project, we share what permaculture design principles, ethics and/or values look like IN ACTION/PRACTICE in our lives. This is documented visually through art and narrative. Our community effort supports an emerging digital networking-directory and interactive resource map so we may be a light and resource to each other.
With the Permandala Project, we share what permaculture design principles, ethics and/or values look like IN ACTION/PRACTICE in our lives. This is documented visually through art and narrative. Our community effort supports an emerging digital networking-directory and interactive resource map so we may be a light and resource to each other.
Saturday Keynote Presentation with Lowell Dietz
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How to Turn Garbage into Food
A spiritual quest led to new friends who helped re-discover ancient permaculture methods that could feed communities cut off from traditional modern food supplies. Those who understand and practice these techniques before disaster strikes will know how to sustain themselves and others when it does. Lowell Dietz is a carpenter who learned about mushrooms after joining the Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society over thirty years ago. He started cultivating mushrooms in the late 1990s After moving to Sequim Washington in 2007 he became interested in organic gardening, bio-char, and permaculture. He has been a member of the North American Mycological Society’s mushroom cultivation group since its inception. Lowell has served as chairman of Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society for four terms, the Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society for two terms, and the Kitsap County Libertarian Party for two years. He was a presenter at the Radical Mycology Convergence in 2012 and the Jefferson County Master Gardeners’ yard and garden lecture series in 2012 and 2015. Other lecture venues include the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Festival in Lacey, Quimper Grange, Organic Gardeners and garden and orchard clubs in Kitsap, Jefferson and Clallam counties. He was mentor to the Clallam County Master Gardeners mushroom cultivators. When he was 4 years old, he learned to site read music at the Red Top Mennonite Church. He loves vocal harmony and sings bass with the Peninsula Singers, a non-profit that provides scholarships to local high school seniors. He is currently serving as treasurer for the Singers. Lowell promotes mushroom cultivation zealously, and promotes other decomposers, including bacteria that eat fungus, worms that eat bacteria, and soil bacteria that eat worm castings. He has unlocked methods used by ancient Amazonian gardeners to provide comfy quarters for bacteria in topsoil by adding bio-charged charcoal. This increases yield dramatically, improves the quality of produce, and helps plants fend off pests and diseases. His website is dietzfarm.com |
Sunday Keynote Presentation with Tao Orion
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Reclaiming the Commons: Capitalism, Climate, and the Quest for a Regenerative Future
This presentation will discuss the historical economic, political, social, and ecological decisions that led to where we are today. Understanding these patterns can provide us with guidance for moving forward into uncertain times by working to create a regenerative future for all. Tao Orion is the author of Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015). She holds a degree in agroecology and sustainable agriculture from UC Santa Cruz, and grows fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, animals, and soil on her southern Willamette Valley homestead, Viriditas Farm. When not running around with her two homeschooled children, Tao consults on holistic farm, forest, and restoration planning through her business, Resilience Permaculture Design, LLC. |
PRESENTATIONS
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Navigating Systems
with Misty Burris Tools of awareness to overcome the misconception of the public/social identity system. Realizing that the system of citizenship is like a river of opportunity and seeming progress and order. Learning to recognize synchronicity in the system offers insight to navigating the system. Misty Burris founded the Oregon Institute for A Better Way in 2016 after a 6 year field study based on how our brains learn, and the measurable data that something evolutionary is occurring to us physically and spiritually. Misty studies the effects of these occurrences in individuals, partners, families, organizations and industry. Misty is a facilitator, motivator and opportunity enthusiast always seeking the largest stone to toss into the pool of change and progression. |
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Revolutionary Ecology: Linking Permaculture to Radical Social Change
with Max Wilbert Despite the success of permaculture, global indicators of ecological health are trending down. This workshop with longtime grassroots activist Max Wilbert looks at how permaculture and serious political resistance can cross-pollinate and cooperate, and become more effective together. Max Wilbert is an organizer, writer, and wilderness guide who grew up in Seattle's post-WTO anti-globalization and undoing racism movement. |
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Soils, Seeds, Survival
with Mike Brunt The recent IPCC report stated the key importance of regenerative agriculture at scale. We will show how to use tools and techniques to bring permaculture principles to larger scale operations and focus on remediating and maintaining optimal soil health and tracking seeds from germination to planting and transplanting, and harvesting to seed-saving. |
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Biological Resilience During Climate Change
with Harry MacCormack Do climate trends induce new stresses into dynamic soils and plants? Water as a limiting factor; Food production management rethinking and design: The Biogenic Food Web; Health in a world of pollution and disease; Succession: Passing on what we've learned. Harry MacCormack is a retired Organic Farmer Sunbow Farm, Philosopher, Poet, Playwright, Author of 15 books and hundreds of articles, retired OSU Instructor, co-founder Oregon Tilth and 1st Executive Director, founding Board Ten Rivers Food Web and past President, founder of two farmer's markets, (the whole story and books available at www.sunbowfarm.org ) |
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Regenerative Agroforestry: Urban, Suburban, Homestead and Broad Acre Scale
with Penny Livingston-Stark www.PennyLivingston.Net www.RegenerativeDesign.Org In this era of unchecked global warming, deforestation, and industrial agriculture, we need to act quickly in order to regenerate ecosystem processes and feed a growing populace. Regenerative Agroforestry is a holistic approach, which provides fully integrated solutions that restore our environment while simultaneously feeding people. Regenerative Agroforestry deepens the alignment between people and nature, delivering a land restoration model to sequester carbon, catch and infiltrate water, revegetate landscapes, produce food, grow medicine, generate timber, and generate SURPLUS resources for all of creation. Penny Livingston-Stark is internationally recognized as a prominent permaculture teacher, designer, and speaker. She holds an MS in Eco-Social Regeneration and a Diploma in Permaculture Design. Penny has been studying the Hermetic Tradition of alchemy and herbal medicine making in Europe and the United States for 4 years. Penny is co-founder and director of Regenerative Design Institute www.regenerativedesign.org and has been teaching permaculture and community resiliency internationally as well as working professionally in the land management, regenerative design, and permaculture development field for 25 years. |
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Biochar Workshop
with Kelpie Wilson, BS, Mech. Eng Email: kelpiew@gmail.com Phone: 541-218-9890 Learn how biochar can increase soil productivity, reduce wildfire risk, and slow climate change. Kelpie Wilson will provide a history and science of biochar followed by a demonstration of how to make biochar from your burn piles using a simple “flame cap kiln.” Kelpie Wilson is an engineer and analyst with 30 years of experience in renewable energy, sustainable forestry and resource conservation. As a consultant, Kelpie works directly with forest managers, farmers and conservationists to develop systems for making biochar from waste biomass. She researches and teaches techniques for using biochar in compost and manure management, and presents many biochar workshops each year. |
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Earth Care, People Care: Small changes for the most results
with Charlotte Anthony 001 787-366-9344 541 579 8607 www.handsonpermaculture1.org In systems theory we talk about small changes to systems that can bring the most results. We believe that microbe inoculations will often be that factor. Microbe inoculations can increase organic matter drastically, so that soil can hold 250,000 gallons of water per acre. In India this means that soil holds the water for plants to grow with no irrigation for 5 months after a one month monsoon. "All soils have everything the plants needs." (Elaine Ingham). With microbe partners, everything in the soil becomes available. This is a how-to workshop, not theoretical. Charlotte Anthony comes from many generations of Danish farming stock. The primary things she brings to the table are farming skills and how to know the soil. She has spent much of her life honing these skills. She has used these skills to work in diverse situation such as the aftermath of Katrina; working in India, Puerto Rico, and Columbia; and starting 650 gardens in Oregon. |
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Fungi are the Missing Function!
with Peter McCoy Fungi are keystone players in the world's ecosystems, offering unique and vital means to cycle nutrients, sustain soils, and enhance the health of plants and animals. In this presentation, Peter will walk through the major roles fungi fulfill in the environment, and show how insights from fungal ecology can be easily incorporated into permaculture designs and site assessments. Mushroom Cultivation Demonstration with Peter McCoy In this demonstration, Peter will walk through the two essential mushroom skills every permie should know: Growing Shiitake (and other) mushrooms on logs, and growing Oyster mushrooms on used coffee grounds. This workshop is designed for complete beginners, though experienced cultivators are welcome to share their experiences and ask questions as well. Peter McCoy is an interdisciplinary mycology educator with 17 years of experience, and is considered one of the most prominent voices in the modern mycology movement. He is co-founder of the grassroot movement, Radical Mycology, and the author of the book by the same name. In 2017, Peter founded MYCOLOGOS, the world's first mycology school, which is based in Portland, Oregon. Apart from his work with fungi, Peter is also a community organizer, permaculture designer, writer, and artist. |
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Newly-designed, Higher-power Level Rocket Stove Meets Homestead or Village Requirements for Heating and Hot Water
with John Zielinski & Dr. Larry Winiarski Eight million rocket stoves are used worldwide for cooking and are credited for significantly reducing lung disease and deforestation. The Rocket Stove Institute designs and builds higher-power level rocket stove systems. Inspired by the courage of the Standing Rock effort to safeguard our water, the SR100 rocket stove provides continuous heat to keep people warm in their homes, heats greenhouses and workspaces, and provides hot running water for kitchen, showers and bath. Rocket Stove Institute founder, John Robert Zielinski, B.S. Degrees in Chemistry and Physics, M.S. Degree in Computer Science. Technical advisor: Dr. Larry Winiarski, inventor of the rocket stove and author of the Principles of Combustion. The Rocket Stove Institute is a research, manufacturing, and educational organization with the purpose of allowing mankind to understand and use fire properly without all the pollution, and significantly less fuel use. |
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How to make more plants! Intro to propagation
with Noah Seely Fruitmonger Learn simple skills and species-specific techniques for multiplying our many plant allies. Noah is a fifth generation resident in the Cascade foothills in southwest Washington State. Staying close to home has allowed him years to develop skills for planting a locally resilient future. He manages Abundant Earth Design and Nursery based in Brush Prairie WA. |
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Growing Resilience: Permaculture for Emergency Preparedness
with Daphne Singingtree With a focus on growing and making herbal products to have on hand for a variety of unexpected or emergency situations. Also discussed will be which permaculture plants to grow to increase your self-reliance if there are breakdowns in accessing usual resources. Herbs for emergency situations like smoke from wildfires, trauma and stress, first aid, and disorders seen in these circumstances. Daphne Singingtree is a retired midwife and the author of numerous midwifery publications, an Herbal Medicine Maker, the owner of Eagletree Herbs, and has a small permaculture urban homestead in North Eugene where she grows a lot of the herbs used in her medicines, using organic, regenerative and biodynamic techniques. She is a member of the Standing Rock Lakota tribe and was very active during the protests, operating one of the herbal clinics at the Rosebud camp. |
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Embracing the Inevitable: Humankind's Reluctant-Yet-Certain Transition to Genuine, Meaningful Sustainability
with Robert Bolman What is commonly called "sustainable" isn't really sustainable. When looked at through the lens of a more rigorous set of criteria, one discovers that genuine, meaningful sustainability is a dauntingly complex, remote, far-flung ideal. But humankind WILL achieve it because we have no choice in the matter. Whatever we don't do voluntarily, we WILL do involuntarily. Robert Bolman is a long time natural builder and the founder of Maitreya EcoVillage in Eugene. |
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Permaculture of Human Relationships
with David Ahlgren In this class we will explore how we can metamorphosize our human interactions by establishing new patterns of relating that are truly symbiotic, regenerative, and that build abundance. We will discover how the philosophies of permaculture apply to all relationships including community, home, friendships, partnerships, sex, parenting, business, and any area of relating that is on your heart to share in the discussion. Permaculture of Birth, Aging and Death with David Ahlgren As a group we will venture into the culturally veiled spaces at the beginning and end of the human life cycle. We will explore at Nature’s flow during these seasons and the degenerative practices our culture has adopted in their place. Earthworks and Water Flow Introductory Course with David Ahlgren We will meet on the site of an earthworks project just completed by a pre-convergence advanced workshop. We will touch on every main aspect of earthworks including ponds, dams, swales, keylines, access, flooding, and appropriate technology. An Advanced Earthworks course will be offered by David Ahlgren prior to the convergence. For more info, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/499741644171055/ David Ahlgren is a world renowned Large Scale Earthworks Designer, Waterflow Choreographer, Land and Human Pattern Researcher, Symbiotic Educator, Holistic Life Coach, budding Lorax, and Friend. David purposes both in research and consulting flow with patterns of nature and the design science/Philosophy of permaculture to develop systems what create an exponential growth of abundance.. David teaches lives and develops patterns on symbiotic abundance. Today David consulting portfolio includes the design and harmonious water flow of over 26,000 acres of land around the world. See more at DavidAhlgren.com Trade Blanket: David Ahlgren will lead people with items to trade in the trade blanket historical reenactment with real trades. The Trade Blanket event is modeled after the trading relationships French trappers established with the Native peoples of the Northern New England area in the 1600 and 1700’s. These were opportunities for traders to obtain the tools, materials and other items necessary for everyday life. Traders would sit around an open space, usually a “blanket” or other ground covering and offer items for barter in a fairly organized fashion. Bring items to trade for other items. Cash and all illegal items will not be allowed in any trades on the blanket. |
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Scaling Up Permaculture to Feed the World
with David Ahlgren, Penny Livingston-Stark & Benjamin Crandall What commercially viable strategies could help permaculture scale up to feed billions of people and help solve the global climate crisis? This panel discussion including David Ahlgren, Penny Livingston-Stark, and Benjamin Crandall, will explore making permaculture mainstream and creating long-term global food security in the current political and economic landscape. David Ahlgren is a world renowned Large Scale Earthworks Designer, Waterflow Choreographer, Land and Human Pattern Researcher, Symbiotic Educator, Holistic Life Coach, budding Lorax, and Friend. David purposes both in research and consulting flow with patterns of nature and the design science/Philosophy of permaculture to develop systems what create an exponential growth of abundance.. David teaches lives and develops patterns on symbiotic abundance. Today David consulting portfolio includes the design and harmonious water flow of over 26,000 acres of land around the world. See more at DavidAhlgren.com Penny Livingston-Stark is an internationally recognized permaculture teacher, designer, and speaker. She holds an MS in Eco-Social Regeneration, three Permaculture Diplomas, and is a student of the Hermetic Tradition of alchemy and herbal medicine. She has studied from, and taught with, Permaculture co-founders Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Penny has worked professionally in regenerative land management and design for over 25 years, and has extensive experience in ecologically sound design and natural building. Benjamin Crandall is a social entrepreneur, regenerative agriculture innovator, designer, and software developer. He is the Business Development Lead for Oregon-based permaculture design firm, TransTerraform, and has been involved in sustainability and social entrepreneurship for most of his life. He is also the founder of the Oregon based non-profit organization CommonGoods Network, and a co-founder of the local resource sharing site, Kindista.org. |
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Gaviotas and Appropriate Technology
with Charlotte Anthony and John Zelinsky 40 years ago in the Llanos in Columbia, scientists began a project to form a city of the future. A good description is in the book Gaviotas, a Village to Reinvent the World. I cried for joy, I cried in sadness and pain. I was inspired: imagine a place on earth where when a child says that a fulcrum could be the part of a seesaw, someone listens, and a seesaw that pumps water emerges. We have a whole generation of young adults with skills for reinventing the world. As a culture we have ceded our creativity for comfort. In order to survive we need to learn ways to invent a new future. I believe we need to establish 8 centers for appropriate technologies around the US, and many more around the world. I am calling these appropriate technology incubation centers or hubs. I think it could fund itself after initial startup with products that are made to be sold and used. This workshop is more of a focus group, for people who are interested in contributing ideas for how it could work, than an information download. |
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Zone 00: Intrapersonal Ecosystems & Systems for Self-Care
with Miku Lenentine The intrapersonal ecosystem is all about you and how to help create a conscious design for your own life. Zone 00 is critical to the functioning of a healthy system overall, and this workshop will give you the tools you need to create thriving systems for tending your internal world. Miku Lenentine holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in the Human Dimensions of Environmental and Forest Sciences and a master’s degree in Natural Resource Management from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She is trained in Social Permaculture and Social Forestry, having completed certificates and programs with Hazel (Tom Ward), Starhawk and Pandora Thomas. Miku is also an experienced meditation practitioner and circle facilitator. She has guided weekly meditation and community dialogue circles since 2013 and facilitated a number of workshops at permaculture communities, urban international communities, farms and festivals over the years. In 2014 Miku co-founded the Soulshine Intentional Community house in Seattle which has now transformed into the community-based non-profit, 道Vibrantly. She currently works as an instructor with Wildly Vibrant Permaculture and Ancestral School as a Forest Bathing and nature therapy guide and a lecturer in environmental studies at the University of Washington. Early Morning Hatha Yoga Join us for an inspiring and nourishing morning Hatha flow practice. This gentle practice is designed for everyone. Balanced between yin postures and flowing breath and movement this practice will simultaneously help you wake up and support relaxation and integration of this gathering. Please bring a mat or blanket if you have one, I will provide lavender eye pillows and extra blankets. No experience needed, all levels, all welcome! General Description of My Style: 道Vibrantly Community Yoga is a hatha flow style of yoga that strikes a balance between energetic flow and vibrant stillness. The flow, though guided, comes from each unique practitioner as they find their own rhythm for what works best for them in each moment. The foundation for these classes is based on sun-salutations and breath-directed movement. Each participant is also guided to move from and with their center. This practice is open to all, though it is designed for people who have some familiarity with yoga already (beginners welcome!). Here is a link to my Yoga Bio: http://mikulenentine.com/yoga/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thegreenlakeyogalady/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreenlakeyogalady/ |
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Botany & Bees
with Fanta Molyneaux Explore the Ancient kinship between People, Plants & Bees while arriving at practical land management techniques to regenerate and enhance habitat, health and well being through bee centered land ethics, plant propagation and remembering our own place in the web of life. Fonta Molyneaux of Wild Everlasting Farm on the River and Sun Queen School of Apiary Arts, is a Mother of 3, organic Farmer, Beekeeper and Master Herbalist. She is on the board of directors for the Lane County Beekeepers Association, recipient of the 2019 flagship farm for the Oregon Bee project and Oregon dept of Agriculture, and teaches classes all over the Pacific Northwest on her varied interests. Find her on Instagram @Beekeepingbotanist Or FB @wildeverlastingfarm |
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A Guide to Multi-functional Hedgerows
with Jude Hobbs A hedgerow is a beautiful, functional and biologically diverse component of rural and/or urban landscapes. These multi-tiered assemblages of trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines, grasses, flowers and herbs can border fields, waterways or city lots. During this workshop you will learn how to design, implement and maintain any size hedgerow with the options to provide soil stabilization, windbreaks, encourage beneficial Insects, shelter and food for wildlife and people, privacy screening, reduce noise and other pollutants as well as ways to diversify your income. The concepts of soil preparation, plant selection, planting techniques, irrigation, and ways to lessen maintenance will be discussed. Budgets, timelines and a host of resources will be offered. Workshop: On Site Experience - Installation of a Hedgerow at Lost Valley Design and implement a Hedgerow planting at Lost Valley and begin the process of Designing a Hedgerow for your own site. Jude Hobbs is an internationally recognized permaculturist with 35 years’ experience in utilizing whole-system design techniques as a land consultant and educator. Through her business, Agro-Ecology Northwest, her focus is to generate environmentally sound solutions that inspire sustainable actions in urban and rural settings. Jude specializes in encouraging farm management practices for optimizing resource conservation, biodiversity, watershed enhancement and income diversification. Jude co-tends Wilson Creek Gardens a 7.5-acre Permaculture demonstration site in Cottage Grove, Oregon where there are abundant micro-climates from which to learn. www.cascadiapermaculture.com |
Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People
with Lion Waxman
In this class, attendees will learn about the unseen interaction of life in the soil and its connection to plant nutrition and ultimately our own health. Starting with healthy soil identification, and continuing to give an overview of regenerative management techniques and practices aimed at cultivating and caring for Healthy Soil that you can implement at home, on the farm or in the garden.
Lion Waxman is an ecological consultant & educator specializing in regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and sustainable gardening practices. Through his business, Good Earth Gardens, he seeks to support people, farms and communities on their path towards a resilient lifestyle. Based in Grants Pass, when not working you might find him mountain biking, swimming in the river or just sticking his nose deep into a handful of soil, connecting with life.
with Lion Waxman
In this class, attendees will learn about the unseen interaction of life in the soil and its connection to plant nutrition and ultimately our own health. Starting with healthy soil identification, and continuing to give an overview of regenerative management techniques and practices aimed at cultivating and caring for Healthy Soil that you can implement at home, on the farm or in the garden.
Lion Waxman is an ecological consultant & educator specializing in regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and sustainable gardening practices. Through his business, Good Earth Gardens, he seeks to support people, farms and communities on their path towards a resilient lifestyle. Based in Grants Pass, when not working you might find him mountain biking, swimming in the river or just sticking his nose deep into a handful of soil, connecting with life.
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Social Forestry Stand Exam Walk About
with Hazel of Little Wolf Gulch This will start in front of the office buildings and walk through swamp stands, clearcut recovery and second growth firs to discuss opportunities and sequence for tending forest resilience. Bring binoculars, hand lens and compass if you have such. Social Forestry works to put folks back into the forest instead of more machines and industrial extraction. We use hand tools and craft guilds to allow cultural remembering. Social Forestry brings human communities back into reciprocation with the natural gifts of forested landscapes, also referred to as ecological services. Hazel participated in the Quaker Medical relief efforts sending supplies and aid to Vietnam and was forced to leave her traditional Adirondacks and flee as a political refugee to the Bay Area in 1969. Auntie Hazel was an Agriculture Instructor at DQ University in the Mid 80s, which was at the time the only multi-tribal institution of higher learning on the planet. She is a graduate of the New York College of Forestry and holds 2 Bachelor of Science degrees, one in forestry and one in systematic botany. Hazel is also the author of Greenward Ho, and a forthcoming book on Social Forestry. She was also invited to help Bill Mollison teach the first Permaculture Design Course on the West Coast in 1982 at Evergreen State College. Hazel helped create the foundation for the permaculture curriculum now used in the United States. Some of Hazel’s students include Toby Hemmingway, Diane Leaf Christian, and Penny Livingston. Auntie Hazel is currently the cottager forester at Wolf Gulch Ranch, in the Little Applegate Canyon of the Siskiyou Mountains, Dakubutede Territory, working to restore the Pine Oak Savana, via traditional wild-tending and reducing excessive fuel hazards, to return fire to the land, to support the return of salmon to the river and beaver to the headwaters. |
Tool Lending Libraries: How to Reduce Consumption and Create a Community in your Neighborhood
with Christina Hahs
10 years ago, the West Seattle Tool Library opened with a collection of two hundred tools and two dozen members. Now, with over a thousand members and 2500 tools in our collection, we've completed more than 40,000 loans, saving our members money and keeping excess tools and packaging out of the waste stream. Learn how to launch a library, the types of funding to get you going, how to build a volunteer base, best practices, and more.
Christina Hahs is a founding member of the West Seattle Tool Library and current President of the Board for the organization. She previously served as the president of Sustainable West Seattle, the original organization that launched the Tool Library, for two years. When not at the Tool Library, she's on her farm, hanging out with her 50 pigs, 7 sheep, and a constantly fluctuating number of poultry The sole proprietor of Gray Sky Farm, a pastured meat and egg operation on 15 acres just outside Seattle, currently sells at two Seattle area farmers markets.
with Christina Hahs
10 years ago, the West Seattle Tool Library opened with a collection of two hundred tools and two dozen members. Now, with over a thousand members and 2500 tools in our collection, we've completed more than 40,000 loans, saving our members money and keeping excess tools and packaging out of the waste stream. Learn how to launch a library, the types of funding to get you going, how to build a volunteer base, best practices, and more.
Christina Hahs is a founding member of the West Seattle Tool Library and current President of the Board for the organization. She previously served as the president of Sustainable West Seattle, the original organization that launched the Tool Library, for two years. When not at the Tool Library, she's on her farm, hanging out with her 50 pigs, 7 sheep, and a constantly fluctuating number of poultry The sole proprietor of Gray Sky Farm, a pastured meat and egg operation on 15 acres just outside Seattle, currently sells at two Seattle area farmers markets.
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Citizen Scientist’s Role In Biochar Production & Use
with Francesco Tortorici An overview of biochar history, production and uses, including local examples (Jefferson and Clallam counties). Biochar is produced in simple micro-gasifier stoves, kilns and industrial processes. Examples of these different processes will be discussed. Uses of biochar will be presented such as soil amendment and remediation. Attendees will receive samples. Francesco Tortorici is an engineer and long-time appropriate technology advocate. He was the co-founder and Director of the Norwegian Center for Appropriate Technology in the 1970s. His interest in those technologies led him to attend the ETHOS (Engineers in Technical and Humani-tarian Opportunities of Service) Conference in 2011. Through that experience, he worked with several NGOs which promote clean cook stoves that also produce biochar. |
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Grow The World You Want To Live In - Transforming Urban Spaces
with Plaedo Wellman In this presentation, Plaedo shares the successes, setbacks and ultimately, the learning lessons gathered and cultivated from over ten years experience as a grassroots gardening activist. This inspiring and informative presentation focuses on practical tips and ideas to help others effectively work with and within the mainstream to enact change. It will share wisdom on how to work with various organizations, from radical organizations to mainstream organizations, non-profits, schools, and city governments. Plaedo Wellman is an educator, organizer and artist (Or as he says: a story telling hippie hop, philosopher of play.) A former TedXBend Speaker on community gardening, Plaedo co-founded the Eugene Avant Gardeners as well as developed The Lettuce Grow Together Gardening Club (and garden) through the city of Eugene. He has over ten years experience on the ground as an activist and has spoken on many podcasts, at many schools, conferences, festivals and universities. For more info, go to: www.plaedo.com |
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Some Pearls of Island Wisdom for Living Sustainably Within a Small Blue Planet
with Jose Lorenzo Zamora I have lived in islands most of my life, and have seen that things are very different in the big continents - especially in the way that people relate to resources, to each other and to their ecosystems. And I'd like to share some of the parallels I've seen between island culture and the potential permanent culture that our small planet with limited resources needs from us. Jose Lorenzo Zamora has been teaching Permaculture for 8 years, with a special focus on ReWilding and ecosystem regeneration and how to apply those principles for anything that needs re-designing - from your community’s interpersonal dynamics to getting the resources you need in a way that also nourishes your whole landbase. He co-founded the international Integral Permaculture Academy and the 8thLife EcoVillage Project in the Canary Islands. He also co-wrote “Permaculture = Relationship” for the Decolonizing Permaculture issue of Permaculture Design Magazine. |
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Pollinating the Permaculture Paradigm
with Anna Simone Combi Bloom and Anahata has travelled globally with her organization, the Blooming Biodiversity Permaculture Network, living at and visiting a rich diversity of Eco-villages, intentional communities, indigenous farms, and Permaculture projects. Through their slideshow presentation, you will have the opportunity to dive into their journey and experience vibrant photos and videos of the Permaculture gems they have been to. They will share best practices, innovative inventions, inspiring models, and paradigm shifting lessons they have learned from the multitudes of positive impact centers, followed by an open solutionary discussion counsel and action plans. www.BloomingBiodiversity.org Earth Activist Song Writing and Eco-Poetics Workshop with Anna Simone Combi This an interactive participatory experience that engages the five senses and grounds our collective creativity into word flow, free-styling, vocal/instrumental improve, stream of consciousness and song co-creation. We write our own songs & poems, weaving in collectively shared ideas, visions and words, and then perform our creation to the group in a supportive environment with music to back us up. You will emerge from this workshop with a new song to share with the world, and a newfound inner songbird ready to sing! Bio of Anna Simone Combi Anahata is a permaculture teacher and designer, earth activist musician, herbalist, yoga teacher, bodyworker, and co-founder of Blooming Biodiversity, an organization focused social-environmental regenerative community projects, centers, events and tours. She designed her own B.A. interdisciplinary degree in Cross-Cultural Social Work and Sustainable Development from University of Redlands and Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. She has been traveling, living, and working in a variety of ecovillages, intentional communities, permaculture and biodynamic farms/gardens and healing arts/yoga/meditation centers in California, Oregon, New York, BC, Hawaii, Alaska, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, Bali, Australia and New Zealand, sharing her gifts and collaborating with passionate healers, activists, and farmers. |
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Food Forests: A Tool for Climate Stability and Community Resilience
with Marisha Auerbach In these times of concern for stability and ecological health of our planet, the food forests offer an opportunity to pair the cultivation of food and medicine with environmental stewardship. Here we enhance biodiversity, increase carbon storage in our soils, rehydrate the landscape, and provide for wildlife and pollinators. We can enhance the diversity of our diets while preserving heirloom varieties and decreasing our grocery bills. This workshop will highlight various scales of food forests, from the home scale to public, that demonstrate enhanced ecological function while providing joy and connection for the extended community. Marisha Auerbach is an internationally recognized permaculture educator, designer, and speaker based in Portland, OR. Marisha has lived and practiced permaculture in both urban and rural environments. As an avid gardener and herbalist, Marisha specializes in food production, ecology, and useful plants. Marisha believes that it is possible to respond to the current environmental challenges, lower our ecological footprint, and continue to live equally delightful lives through permaculture design. This passion is what drives Marisha's active teaching schedule throughout the year. |
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Case Study of Mistakes During Farm Start-up - Do's and Don'ts
with Muhammad and Lizzie Ayub https://www.facebook.com/DancingGoatsandSingingChickens Using photos, graphs, poster-boards and drawings on whiteboard, farmers Lizzie and Muhammad Ayub will demonstrate the common pitfalls to avoid during land-search, closing the sale, business start-up, difference between "hobby farm" and "market farm", fencing, infra-structure, goats, chickens, ducks, hugelkultur beds, tractor purchase, greenhouse construction, rain collection systems, honey bees, earthship "HOBBIT" house, outdoor classroom, tool-shed, and various other projects. They started this farm 3 years ago, with a goal that the farm should make enough money to pay the mortgage and their living expenses. Without shame or embarrassment, they are willingly sharing all the "faux-pas" so that other amateur farmers can learn from their mistakes! If you are looking for no-nonsense, clear-cut, easy-to-follow session with entertainment and education, be sure to circle this one on your schedule! Near the Nisqually Indian reservation in Yelm, Washington is an amazing 12 acre tract known locally as the Dancing Goats and Singing Chickens Organic Farm. Its main focus is educating children from near and far using the much beloved petting zoo as a focal point of instruction. The volunteers of the community hold Open Houses conducting training in greenhouse construction, solar panels, wind turbines and composting with contagious enthusiasm and passion. Knowledge of hugelkultur, honey bees, rain water harvesting, earthship homes, sustainable living, lowering our foot-print and responsible financial investments is shared in our workshops open to all. |
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Co-creating a Food Forest
with Christine and Netsah From a promise to Bill Molson to bring Permaculture into form comes the city and community nonprofit food forest. From bare land to abundant layers of trees, vines, shrubs, and berries. From dedicated board members to gentle homeless people, come our volunteers. We have pictures from the beginning until today, and we’re grateful to share this labor of love. Christine Pace, Co-creator, current Pres. of the board Netsah Zylinsky, Co-creator, past Pres. of the board Imagine is located in Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island. It is made up of primarily fruit and a few filberts, with multiple stacking vines and understory of berries, herbs, and bulbs, with nitrogen fixers on each layer. We are a volunteer group serving many people without permanent homes. Happy to share positives and challenges. Peace. |
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Skillshare: Biochar for Planetary Regeneration
with Ryder Coen This skill share will be a workshop and demonstration on biochar. We will cover the history of biochar, the benefits of biochar, how to make it, and how to use it. My framing of biochar is heart centered and focused on how working with fire in this way can bring balance to the elements and to the planet. Ryder Coen grew up in the beautiful St. Croix river valley of Minnesota, with an abundance of nature connection his whole life. At a young age he began to see and feel the destruction and desecration being done to nature and the planet by humans who didn't understand the sacredness and interconnection of all life. Ryder has now been studying environmentalism for over 7 years, and permaculture for 4. He has a background in Landscape Architecture and worked the last year as Garden Manager at a small urban intentional community. Now Ryder lives at a off-the-grid 40 acre community and nature sanctuary where he continues to explore what it means to live a life devoted towards reciprocity and integrity with life and the planet in this dynamic time. |
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Creating Green and Resilient Homes, Culture, Economy and Lifestyle
with Jan Spencer This presentation will touch on one earth lifestyles, state and city planning goals and the wisdom of the world's great spiritual traditions. They all point towards transforming our lifestyles, homes, neighborhoods, economy and culture. The presentation will show and tell examples from the Pac Northwest of that illustrate social, economic and personal transformation. Regenerating Cities and Towns - Pushing Back on Automobiles with Jan Spencer Automobiles degrade the urban landscape - they pollute, run over people, create unhealthy noise, take up too much space and money. This presentation will overview pushing back on cars by describing a home scale depave project, then critical mass bike rides, parking day, Sunday Streets, Block Planning, Parklets and Community Plazas. The Vougan Neighborhood in Freiberg, Germany and super blocks in Barcelona will receive special attention. |
How to Create a Food Forest Seminar
with Jye Dawes
Learn the theory behind nature's methodology and how to use these understandings to create a food forest, where every layer of canopy and every plant produces and works together to supply most of your needs in abundance, while also being relatively self-maintaining, much like a natural forest.
Jye Dawes is a leading Permaculturist and food forest pioneer in Australia. After finishing his studies in horticulture in 2010, Jye went on to study at the Permaculture Research institute of Australia (PRI) where he completed a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) under the world leading Permaculturist and food forest pioneer, Geoff Lawton. A year later he became the youngest nursery manager at the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia at age 19. After a year working and learning under the best in the fields of mycology, biology, regenerative earthworks, and permaculture at the PRI, Jye experimented and created an alternative method of nursery management called naturalised nursery practice which uses organic living soil potting and seed raising mixes, and natural methodology that greatly increases productivity and lowers overheads as opposed to traditional chemical dependent nursery practices.
Jye is the author of the book Food Forests; the Ideal Human Habitat written in 2016.
with Jye Dawes
Learn the theory behind nature's methodology and how to use these understandings to create a food forest, where every layer of canopy and every plant produces and works together to supply most of your needs in abundance, while also being relatively self-maintaining, much like a natural forest.
Jye Dawes is a leading Permaculturist and food forest pioneer in Australia. After finishing his studies in horticulture in 2010, Jye went on to study at the Permaculture Research institute of Australia (PRI) where he completed a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) under the world leading Permaculturist and food forest pioneer, Geoff Lawton. A year later he became the youngest nursery manager at the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia at age 19. After a year working and learning under the best in the fields of mycology, biology, regenerative earthworks, and permaculture at the PRI, Jye experimented and created an alternative method of nursery management called naturalised nursery practice which uses organic living soil potting and seed raising mixes, and natural methodology that greatly increases productivity and lowers overheads as opposed to traditional chemical dependent nursery practices.
Jye is the author of the book Food Forests; the Ideal Human Habitat written in 2016.
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Skillshare: Sew Your Own Reusable Menstual Pads
with Khyla Allis This workshop will be an interactive sew your own "Yoni Hugger" reusable menstrual pad, from sustainable material and recycled fabric. Every year there is significant waste going to landfills and a waste of money due to one-use products, also the chemicals and plastics that are used in the process of making these products are very harmful to our reproductive health. Together we will hold space, honoring our blood and wombanhood; an act of self love and care for our sacred spaces, sewing your prayers into the space we bleed and give back to the earth. Khyla Allis is a traveler and resident of Lost Valley. She is a permaculture and intentional communities activist, energy creatrix, and womb healing free bleeder, hoping to empower those who feel called to begin a new relationship with their "sacred space" and in relation to Mother Earth. |
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Skillshare: Tree Pruning
with Diane Emerson A demonstration of tree pruning techniques and tools. You will learn how to prune efficiently for the plant’s health and productivity, and additional resources. Diane Emerson obtained her Permaculture Design Certificate from Starhawk’s Earth Activist Training in 2012. In 2013 she attended the New Zealand Permaculture Convergence. In 2014 she organized a PDC course on Vashon, WA, taught by Nick Tittle, Gregory Crawford, and Michael Laurie. In 2015 she began work as an organic landscape gardener on Vashon Island, WA, and joined the organic gardening organization Garden Green. Since 2015 she has published numerous newspaper articles, 12 educational fact sheets on garden pests, a Green Gardening calender, and Green Gardening Ways That Work! Diane presented 15+ times on various aspects of organic gardening, including at the 2016 NWPCC. Her property includes a SunMar compost toilet, rain catchment systems, green roof, rain garden, hugelkulture, food production, drip irrigation, a licensed plant nursery, and 260 plant species. It's one of twelve medicinal plant sanctuaries in Washington and Oregon, registered with United Plant Savers. |
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Permaculture Funding
with Hannah Apricot Eckberg What funding opportunities are available for permaculture and regenerative projects? How can we better pool our resources and support each other in more meaningful ways? Come explore these questions and hear from different emerging opportunities around the world to both give and receive support from. Hannah Apricot Eckberg has studied and reported on permaculture for over 20 years. She co-founded Permaculture Magazine, North America, and now helps run the Abundant Earth Foundation. She travels the world visiting permaculture sites and events. She helped develop WeaverNetwork.org as way to better unite the Permaculture Movement. |
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Skillshare: Edible/Medicinal Outdoor Walk
with Heiko Koester Come together to meander among the edible and medicinal plants that live in Lost Valley's cultivated and wild spaces. During this workshop, we'll discuss the ID, use, and harvest of native plants as well as weeds with an emphasis on ethical wildcrafting principles. Heiko Koester is a permaculture designer and teacher who specializes in assisting clients with home landscape conversions. For 20 years he has applied unconventional gardening techniques to creating lush jungles filled with food, medicine, and beneficial habitat. He has experimented with a huge diversity of useful plants, creating his own model for bioregional landscaping. Heiko's plant skills classes focus on edible, medicinal, and native plants, and offer comprehensive training on uses, cultivation, and wild crafting of useful plants. |
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Skillshare: Animal Fat Wizardry
with Andy Howell It lights the room, it softens the skin, it washes the pot, it nourishes within. Explore an historical and nutritional chat about the wondrous world of animal fat. Cut it, heat it, render it clean. Soap it, candle it, and much in between. Dispel the myths and big fat lie, and sustainably use lipids throughout your life. Andy Howell is an educator focused on research and development of post-fossil fuel technologies. His exploration into rewilding and traditional lifeways unearths low-tech solutions for human resiliency amid climate change. He's best known for his classes on the myriad uses of sustainable animal fat as a local and regenerative ingredient for land-based living. He also teaches wilderness education to youth, covering subjects such as bushcraft, primitive skills, and homesteading. |
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Skillshare: Becoming Place-Based Artists with Stone Paints
with Hosanna White Like many ancestral skills, the process of collecting, grinding, and preparing local stones for pigment connects us intimately with the Earth, our riverways, and ancient time. Color from the land, made by hand, is an accessible craft for all ages and inspires deeper teachings needed in these times of transition away from the fossil-fuel industrial complex. In this class, we will discuss the process of making crude-to-fine pigments from locally sourced materials, and binders for various applications. Hosanna White is passionate about living with the cycles, seasons, and elements of the Earth, shedding the cultural conditioning of consumption and dependence on convenience, and cultivating creativity and community. She lives close to the land on an off-grid homestead with fellow cultural creatives, and engages most of her time with youth in place-based education, resiliency skill building, and mentorship with Nature’s Mystery Awareness School. |
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Skillshare: Seed Saving Techniques
with Mike Brunt Seeds along with healthy soils are a key to the survival of many forms of life. If we save our own seeds over many seasons we will almost certainly end up with better, locally adapted seeds. This skill-share from Mike Brunt will demonstrate needs, tools and techniques to improve seed saving. Mike Brunt began a deep interest in permaculture in 2011 whilst living on a small island called Waiheke in New Zealand. In 2014 he successfully attained a Permaculture Design Certificate whilst residing in Los Angeles, and In 2014 he also moved to Eugene OR and began 5 consecutive permaculture projects there. |
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Green Your Garden with Greywater
with Laura Allen Learn how to reuse your household greywater to grow a beautiful and bountiful landscape, while conserving water. We'll talk about simple and effective greywater systems, which soaps are "plant friendly," how to filter the water with woodchips, and code considerations. Laura Allen is a founding member of Greywater Action and has been exploring low-tech, sustainable water solutions for 20 years. She is the author of The Water-Wise Home: How to Conserve and Reuse Water in Your Home and Landscape (Storey Press, 2015) and Greywater, Green Landscape (Story Press, 2017). She has a BA in environmental science, a teaching credential, and a master’s degree in education. Laura leads classes and workshops on rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, and composting toilets. She also works to legalize sustainable water practices through revising building codes. |
Shifting from a Linear Economy to Reciprocity
with Ashley Bonn
How can we live in reciprocity with the ecosystems that sustain us? Ashley Bonn, founder of Conscious Growth, describes how organizations can redirect their inputs and outputs to circulate as mutually beneficial feedback loops. By healing our relationships with humans and the natural world, we can create regenerative and resilient lifestyles.
Ashley Bonn is a 26-year-old Eco-Educator and Community-Builder from St. Louis, Missouri. In 2016, she moved to Oregon and enrolled in Portland State University’s Leadership for Sustainability Education Program. Two years later, she obtained a Masters of Science in Education, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. After graduating, she completed a School Garden Teaching Certificate through Growing Gardens, and an Urban Permaculture Design Certificate through The City Repair Project. In April 2019, Ashley founded a nonprofit organization called Conscious Growth, with the vision of cultivating resilient communities and regenerating ecosystems through reciprocity. The mission of Conscious Growth is to strengthen relationships and heal our planet by developing educational programs, restoration projects, collaborative working areas, and holistic events. Find out more information at www.consciousgrowth.org.
with Ashley Bonn
How can we live in reciprocity with the ecosystems that sustain us? Ashley Bonn, founder of Conscious Growth, describes how organizations can redirect their inputs and outputs to circulate as mutually beneficial feedback loops. By healing our relationships with humans and the natural world, we can create regenerative and resilient lifestyles.
Ashley Bonn is a 26-year-old Eco-Educator and Community-Builder from St. Louis, Missouri. In 2016, she moved to Oregon and enrolled in Portland State University’s Leadership for Sustainability Education Program. Two years later, she obtained a Masters of Science in Education, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. After graduating, she completed a School Garden Teaching Certificate through Growing Gardens, and an Urban Permaculture Design Certificate through The City Repair Project. In April 2019, Ashley founded a nonprofit organization called Conscious Growth, with the vision of cultivating resilient communities and regenerating ecosystems through reciprocity. The mission of Conscious Growth is to strengthen relationships and heal our planet by developing educational programs, restoration projects, collaborative working areas, and holistic events. Find out more information at www.consciousgrowth.org.
Of Faith and Deeds: The Metamorphosis of a Church Garden Project into a Neighborhood Agriculture Network
with Christina Phillips-Clark
The presentation is an update on 2018's NWPC Faith-based Urban Farming (food security) Initiative. The audience will (hopefully) come away knowing enough to duplicate our efforts in their own urban, suburban or rural communities, with a good understanding of the players/parties and practices involved, while incorporating, of course, sustainable/renewable practices for more resilient communities worldwide.
For over 15 years combined, Christina has been a commercial farmer, suburban homesteader, "recovering" plant hoarder, and much more. Since 2013 she has been pursuing a vision of establishing a network of micro (organic/permie) farms focused on true local food security. She has spoken at a handful of related events, including the Community Resilience Festival in August and last year's NWPC, sharing the vision with others in the region, and leading a group of community members who are beginning to collaborate for taking this vision to the next level. Since 2017, the vision has really started catching on at a small church in north Eugene trying to serve their neighbors through a 1/4-acre market garden and farm stand. Sharing the vision of this hyper-local food and farming system she developed which can increase food production by as much as 450% (at very low cost!) has become Christina's most recent and near-future foci.
with Christina Phillips-Clark
The presentation is an update on 2018's NWPC Faith-based Urban Farming (food security) Initiative. The audience will (hopefully) come away knowing enough to duplicate our efforts in their own urban, suburban or rural communities, with a good understanding of the players/parties and practices involved, while incorporating, of course, sustainable/renewable practices for more resilient communities worldwide.
For over 15 years combined, Christina has been a commercial farmer, suburban homesteader, "recovering" plant hoarder, and much more. Since 2013 she has been pursuing a vision of establishing a network of micro (organic/permie) farms focused on true local food security. She has spoken at a handful of related events, including the Community Resilience Festival in August and last year's NWPC, sharing the vision with others in the region, and leading a group of community members who are beginning to collaborate for taking this vision to the next level. Since 2017, the vision has really started catching on at a small church in north Eugene trying to serve their neighbors through a 1/4-acre market garden and farm stand. Sharing the vision of this hyper-local food and farming system she developed which can increase food production by as much as 450% (at very low cost!) has become Christina's most recent and near-future foci.
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Skillshare: Acorn Culture
(2 part workshop on oak trees and the use of acorns) with Melanie Mindlin & Jon Carlson Oak Trees (Part 1 ): Balanoculture is a society that derives significant sustenance from acorns. Oak trees are found in abundance and great variety throughout the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, and as William Logan claims in his book Oak; the Frame of Civilization, acorns were the staple food of the original peoples in all the areas where the great ancient civilizations were born. Eating acorns may become a significant food source again with climate change and food insecurity. Reviving these traditions is a valuable skill for transitional times. In this workshop, we will discuss our research and personal experiences with acorn collecting, processing, cooking and nutrition. Jon Carlson and Melanie Mindlin have been experimenting with acorn use for the past couple of years and look forward to sharing their experiences. Use of Acorns (Part 2): a hands-on demonstration of equipment and techniques for working with acorns including hulling, sorting, grinding, leaching and milling. Learn to interact with oaks in your area and participate in acorn culture revival. We will be bringing a variety of equipment, both purchased and home built, to demonstrate. The workshop will be “cooking class” style, so we will have acorns at various stages so you can experience doing each stage of the process. We have a limited supply of acorns from last year and the new crop will probably not be ready yet in our area. If you have acorns, please bring them along. Melanie Mindlin has been a teacher, facilitator and designer for Siskiyou Permaculture since 2008 and more recently became the administrator for the Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA). In 2003 she founded and built the Ashland Cohousing Community where she is living a permaculture inspired lifestyle with other communitarians. Melanie has also devoted herself to being an avid gardener and utilizer of home grown and gathered foods for many years. Jon Carlson is the founder and principal instructor of the Vitalist School of Herbology. Over the last 20 years he has taught extensively on herbal medicine, wildcrafting, nutrition, and our relationship with plants. As an avid permaculture homesteader Jon is also extensively involved in home food processing, preservation and recipe creation using both wild and cultivated foods. |
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Earth, Ovens, Art!
with Kiko Denzer Everybody uses mud to make useful, beautiful things, from mud-wasps and beavers, to humans everywhere but in the arctic realms. I started building with mud about 25 years ago, built a cob cottage for myself, a lot of ovens and other earthen things for other folks, and wrote a little how-to book about building earthen ovens. Here I'd like to offer a brief photographic tour of places, people, practical applications, and other stories about creativity and its fruits, and the world's most common material. Skillshare: Carve a Spoon from a Branch with Kiko Denzer Learn essential hand & blade skills. Practice creative problem solving. Sculpt a wooden spoon from a branch of a beloved tree, to feed you food -- and the truth that you, too, were made unique and irreplaceable, from a beautiful whole. Every bite from your wooden spoon will help compost disconnected corporate practices that suck oil, spew toxic plastic, denial, and the lie that we’re all “production units” in a mechanical and unfeeling universe. Kiko Denzer. I grew up with an artist mom who knew how to use tools, how to make bread, beauty, and other things, and how to live well on little money. She didn't garden, however, so I had to learn that on my own - later, with help from a lovely gardener wife and now two teenage sons - and you all! We recently moved out of our rural cob cottage to an acre in town where we had to build to code - but also, ironically, where we have more space to develop and share our practices. I'm currently focused on hand-crafting wooden wares and developing local markets for local cottage-craft-industry, and always, COMPOST! I teach at primitive skills gatherings and other venues, publish books at handprintpress.com, sell wares where and when I can, and post on IG @hand.print.press. |
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Movie Night & Discussion - The Biggest Little Farm
(trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfDTM4JxHl8) with Patricia Newkirk How do we flip the narrative and tell the story of regenerative farming? The true story is that regenerative farming can feed the world - and restore the natural balance of life. Two California dreamers created this beautiful film about the difficulties and triumphs of collaborating with nature. The movie will be followed by a discussion about how we flip the narrative. Patricia Newkirk spent 8 years as the garden manager of Songaia Co-housing Community, transitioning the garden to permaculture practices. She is also a founding member of the Woodinville Permaculture Meetup group. She is currently engaged in "flipping the narrative" - the one that says the only way to feed the world is through conventional agriculture. We know the only way to feed the world is through regenerative agriculture. Lots of organizations around the world are telling the new story through books, movies, you-tube films, etc., promoting that new story until it becomes the dominate story is all she thinks about. |
From Micro to Macro
with Ryan Flesch
A facilitated open discussion on the interconnectivity of life through the lens of microorganisms to help us understand our individual and collective purpose. Through this information share, we are reminded that we are already a part of a community, and encouraged to explore the ways in which we give and receive for mutual prosperity.
Ryan Flesch is a student and teacher of life who, after having his life transformed by his experience at Standing Rock, has spent the last three years diving deep into microorganisms, permaculture, philosophy and consciousness.
with Ryan Flesch
A facilitated open discussion on the interconnectivity of life through the lens of microorganisms to help us understand our individual and collective purpose. Through this information share, we are reminded that we are already a part of a community, and encouraged to explore the ways in which we give and receive for mutual prosperity.
Ryan Flesch is a student and teacher of life who, after having his life transformed by his experience at Standing Rock, has spent the last three years diving deep into microorganisms, permaculture, philosophy and consciousness.
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Fractal Permaculture: local, bioregional, global
with Mark Rabinowitz Fractal Permaculture: local, bioregional, global focuses on how to scale up permaculture design from the smallest to the largest levels. It is partly inspired by permaculture co-originator David Holmgren’s “Future Scenarios: How Communities Can Adapt to Peak Oil and Climate Change.” Mark Robinowitz, publisher of PeakChoice.org: cooperation or collapse, highlights how permaculture design can be scaled up to the largest levels. Practical approaches can help families, neighborhoods, bioregions, and civilization "transition" to adapt to the limits to growth on our round, abundant, finite planet. Mark has advocated for understanding these limits and opportunities since the early 1980s, integrating deep ecology, energy literacy, grassroots activism to prevent highway expansions, food irradiation and other toxic technologies. He is especially interested in political and psychological obstacles that prevent widespread recognition of “Peak Everything”, and what it might take to convert world war to global cooperation. |
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The Medicine Wheel & Dragon Dreaming: Social Permaculture Diversity Tools
with Jillian Hovey The medicine wheel helps us to connect with aspects of life that are beyond just doing, and allows us to see patterns of our whole existence. Dragon Dreaming is from the Australian Aborigines who are connected with dream time. Come and have fun exploring human diversity through these two frameworks with an advanced Social Permaculture space-holder, where we will connect with difference in people in creative ways, and become better community members and permaculturalists. Jillian is a Permaculture & Ecovillage designer & educator, who has supported people in a wide range of projects in 35 countries across 5 continents. As well as traditional biophysical design skills, Jillian has almost 30 years of experience in facilitating community process and the development of literacy in Human Ecologies. |
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Creating Funding and Community Resilience with Permaculture
with Hannah Apricot Eckberg Tapping into the 3rd ethic of permaculture, how can we better fund and support the global permaculture movement through funding and stronger communities? Learn about emerging opportunities to both give and receive support and watch the new film "Response," to highlight the power of community in recovering from disaster. Hannah Apricot Eckberg has studied and reported on permaculture for over 20 years. She co-founded Permaculture Magazine, North America, and now helps run the Abundant Earth Foundation. She travels the world visiting permaculture sites and events. She helped develop WeaverNetwork.org as way to better unite the Permaculture Movement. |
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Decolonizing Turtle Island Permaculture & Foodways
with Esteban Orozco An overview of food decolonizing values, ideas, practices, and major ancestral crops. Including Waffle Beds, Chinampas, Seed Rematriation, Three Sisters, lunar planting, and how TEK is increasingly becoming valued. Report backs on 20 indigenous food sovereignty groups. Small group exercises for participants to decolonize their foodways. Esteban Orozco is a holistic nutrition coach, based in Huichun territory (Oakland CA). He’s the son of a Huichol midwife and stepson of an Aztec (Mexica) medicine man. He grew up primarily on the west coast and has degrees in Cultural Anthropology, Nutrition, Ethnic Studies, Solar Energy and Permaculture. He has worked in the natural health, coaching, healthy cooking, and permaculture industries. All of his various trainings and organizing has inspired him to write an indigenous permaculture cookbook. It's due to be published in the Winter of 2019, called “7 Generations Forward”. He’s presented aspects of the book at several conferences: the MEChA Nationals 2019 Conference in LA, the Chingonas, Badasses and Goddesses Conference in Oakland; the first Environmental Students of Color Conference at UC Berkeley, and the New Moon Mycelium Summit in upstate NY. |
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Korean Natural Farming Overview
with Preston Smith This workshop will give an overview of Korean Natural Farming (KNF) and teach age old techniques for implementing this system into your garden or farm. Learn to source localized materials for Input creation for your Plants, Animals, and Bee’s and Learn to Integrate these techniques w/ Permaculture & other regenerative systems. From small backyards to large commercial farms Preston Smith has worked to implement Regenerative systems specializing in permaculture design and Korean Natural Farming methods. He is a Certified Herbalist, Wild crafter, and avid fermentation enthusiast working w/ native plants to craft remedies for plants and people. He is now teaching level 2 Korean Natural Farming workshops in the Pacific North West. Currently He is Living and practicing in the Rouge Valley of Southern Oregon. |
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Lost Valley Site Tour: Permaculture Systems on the Physical Level
with Colin Doyle This walkabout will visit the prime examples of permaculture in action onsite, such as natural building, perennial food production, and solar power. These have been gradually added over Lost Valley's 30 years. Note: this tour does not cover sustainable social systems, community membership or decision making, or internal permaculture. Real Sustainability, Fully Considered with Colin Doyle Sustainability has a technical meaning, which is getting lost to PR co-opting of the term for profit. We will explore the spectrum of sustainability, broaden the discussion to other realms such as the economic and social, and consider what the most sustainable thing in the world is. (Hint: it's not solar panels or veganism). Colin Doyle has been at Lost Valley Education & Events Center for nearly 9 years, as resident and core staff member. He has run the educational programs since 2011, as well as coordinating outside events (the conference center business). Colin has organized many PDC courses, now as part of the three-month Holistic Sustainability Semester. Prior to living in Oregon, he taught outdoor science school in California and New Hampshire, and led wilderness trips with teenagers. Colin has lived in 6 countries on 4 continents, and has degrees in anthropology and religion. |
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Social Permaculture Principles for Community Organizing
with Clare Strawn Details coming soon. |
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Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share in Intentional Communities: The Problem Is the Solution
with Chris Roth The editor of Communities magazine surveys the contemporary intentional communities movement, offering inspiring examples and hard lessons about ICs as laboratories for a more permacultural world, and exploring the idea that the problem in all of these experiments and in our broader planetary crises (people) is also the solution. Intentional communities combine idealism and pragmatism with varying degrees of success. The most inspiring permaculturally-designed ecovillage can disintegrate if elements of “people care” and “fair share” are ignored. Groups of any type can become demoralized by poor governance and insufficient attention to group and personal well-being. Communities that focus exclusively on the “human” without accounting for their relationships within the landscape and the planet can also find themselves adrift in times of huge ecological and social change. Ego, power issues, unresolved personal trauma, societal wounds, poor acculturation (or too effective acculturation into an ecocidal and dysfunctional culture) can all take their toll on efforts to create and sustain viable intentional communities that encourage and facilitate responsible planetary citizenship. How do we unlearn counterproductive patterns and ways of being and relating, and learn new skills and attitudes? How can intentional communities be vehicles for transformation on a larger scale? How can they best embody permacultural ethics and principles? This presentation will incorporate not only examples gleaned from three decades living in ICs and 12 years editing Communities magazine, but also discussion and chances for participants to offer their own lessons from exploring intentional communities. Chris Roth has lived in intentional community for most of his adult life, first encountering Permaculture as a new resident at Aprovecho Research Center/End of the Road House in 1986. He took his Permaculture Design Course at Lost Valley Educational Center in 1994, later joining the community there (where he has lived all but one year since) in 1997. During his years as an organic vegetable garden coordinator and teacher, he wrote and published The Beetless’ Gardening Book: An Organic Gardening Songbook/Guidebook. He has written for and edited three community-based publications: News from Aprovecho for five years, Talking Leaves: A Journal of Our Evolving Ecological Culture for eight years, and Communities: Life in Cooperative Culture (see www.ic.org/communities-magazine-home) since 2008. |
Homestead Dance Aerobics Part 1
with Abby Colehour
Get your dork on in this permaculture workout class! Exercises are focused on building strength and energizing our bodies to do practical permaculture and homestead activities. Great for kids and adults alike.
Homestead Dance Aerobics Part 2
In this version of homestead dance aerobics, the exercise routine will be co-created by permaculture and homestead activities that participants choose.
Abby Colehour presently is a project manager for Long Tom Watershed Council, and has previously worked for Aprovecho as a Residential Steward – maintaining social harmony, wholesome eating, administrative duties, program development, and a forest technician. She has lived in a variety of ecovillages and co-ops and is fascinated by the range of human dynamics that express themselves in these environments. She is especially passionate about trees, forests, and woodland crafts.
with Abby Colehour
Get your dork on in this permaculture workout class! Exercises are focused on building strength and energizing our bodies to do practical permaculture and homestead activities. Great for kids and adults alike.
Homestead Dance Aerobics Part 2
In this version of homestead dance aerobics, the exercise routine will be co-created by permaculture and homestead activities that participants choose.
Abby Colehour presently is a project manager for Long Tom Watershed Council, and has previously worked for Aprovecho as a Residential Steward – maintaining social harmony, wholesome eating, administrative duties, program development, and a forest technician. She has lived in a variety of ecovillages and co-ops and is fascinated by the range of human dynamics that express themselves in these environments. She is especially passionate about trees, forests, and woodland crafts.