Beyond 'An Inconvenient Truth'

Submitted Tue, 2008-05-27 18:22 — pekadillo

Seminar/Forum
4 June 2008 05:30 pm - 08:00 pm
Griffith University Eco Centre, Nathan campus

In 2007 Adjunct Professor David Hood and Ms Delwyn Langdon travelled to Melbourne to train with Al Gore as part of his global leadership program on climate change. As part of the leadership program, Professor Hood and Ms Langdon will be giving a presentation expanding on Mr Gore's film/slideshow 'An Inconvenient Truth' which was released in 2006. The presentation will update the information contained in the original slideshow as well as discussing climate change impact on Australia.

Topics discussed will include:

• Climate Change
• Peak Oil
• Biodiversity collapse
• Population explosion
• Global impacts
• Australian impacts
• What's happening within the Australian government
• How you can make a difference

Professor Hood is a Chartered Professional Engineer and is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of the Built Environment and Engineering at Queensland University of Technology and Deputy President of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC). Ms Langdon is the Manager of the Griffith University EcoCentre.

Event title:
Beyond 'An Inconvenient Truth'

Start:
2008-06-04 17:30 (Calendar)

End:
2008-06-04 20:00

Location:

Location(s)

Brisbane, QLD
Australia

Event Website:
http://www3.griffith.edu.au/03/events/view.php?eventID=4263

• Speaker presentation
• al gore
• slide show

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June 4th Luncheon Celebrating Nash Huber!

Submitted Wed, 2008-05-14 10:31 — Sidroney

Dear Farming Friends,
Exciting news! Nash Huber received the prestigious national award from American Farmland Trust as the nation's "2008 Steward of the Land". A little information about Nash is presented below. There will be a celebration luncheon on June 4 from noon to 2:00 pm at the Sequim Prairie Grange (Macleay Hall) on Macleay Rd. To attend you need to RSVP by calling 1 800-886-5170, ext. 263. Hope to see you there. Curtis Beus

PCC Farmland Trust Farmer Named
“Steward of the Land” by American Farmland Trust
First Washington state farmer to receive award

Sequim farmer Nash Huber has been selected as the 2008 recipient of the Steward of the Land Award by American Farmland Trust (AFT), the nation’s leading advocate for farm and ranchland preservation. Part of Huber’s operation, the 97-acre Delta Farm, was acquired in 2001 by PCC Farmland Trust (Trust), a Seattle-based nonprofit, in an area of the state very threatened by development.

The $10,000 award was established in memory of AFT’s founder, Peggy McGrath Rockefeller, an avid farmer and conservationist. Now in its twelfth year, the Steward of the Land Award recognizes the American farmer or farm family that best demonstrates leadership in protecting farmland and caring for the environment. Nash Huber is the first farmer in Washington State and the first organic vegetable farmer ever to receive the prestigious award.

The preservation of farmland has long been a critical focus in Nash Huber’s life. He was a founding member of Friends of the Fields, a Clallam County citizens’ group dedicated to protecting irreplaceable agricultural lands, and he has worked extensively on farmland preservation issues with private individuals, nonprofits like the North Olympic Land Trust, and county and state agencies.

Nash was the firstborn of seven children on a multigenerational family farm in south central Illinois, and he worked hard on the farm from an early age. When he went to college, he studied chemistry and eventually worked in the same chemical industry that agriculture has become so dependent on since the 1950s. After a few years, he became discouraged and left the Midwest. “I drove as far to the north and west as I could go and still remain in the U.S.,” he says. “When I saw the fertile Sequim-Dungeness Valley in 1968, I knew I had to farm here.”

In 1979, he obtained his organic certification and started Nash’s Organic Produce, selling vegetables at local farmers markets and wholesale to Seattle. Gradually the business grew and in the early 1990s, he’d reached the point where he could purchase 10 acres in Dungeness with his wife Patty. They built a packing shed and ever since the business has grown as strong and healthy as the sweet carrots the farm is so famous for.

“A truly healthy farm has to be diverse and livestock is a critical component,” says Nash. “We grow our own organic barley, triticale, and rye for cover crops to fertilize the land and to feed pigs and chickens. We also do a lot of composting. Using natural soil amendments is a win-win for our farm, the environment, and our carbon footprint, instead of the industry tradition of fertilizing with chemicals derived from petroleum.”

Nash also works intensively with the Organic Seed Alliance and Washington State University to develop seed crops such as spinach and chards for the Northwest. On his own, he has developed a new curly purple kale using breeding methods that farmers have utilized for thousands of years. Nash is also investigating wheat varieties with WSU that might grow well in the unique climate of Dungeness. “We have a year-round growing season, which is incredibly rare. The winters are mild and summers are dry. We grow certain seed crops here that are only grown in one or two other places on the planet.”

It is the unique climate that has led to the development that has poured into the Valley, causing the loss of 1,000 acres of farmland every year. “We don’t have a lot of time to preserve some of this incredible farmland,” says Nash, “but if we don’t, we throw away our food options for the future.”

To protect a critical farm in Dungeness, Nash convinced one of his vendors, PCC Natural Markets in Seattle, to purchase the 100-acre Delta Farm in 2001. “PCC had faith in our farm when many others were skeptical. The Delta Farm is the crown jewel of the 400-acres we currently farm, and our long-term lease enables us to plan for a time when the young farmers can take over the business.”

Training the next generation of farmers is a major focus for Nash, and several of his farm crew have been working with him for years. “The young people who find their way to my farm get hooked on producing top quality organic food to feed their community. I can’t think of another profession that offers so much satisfaction to a person who is willing to put in the work.”

Nash and his crew are also dedicated to farming practices that allow wildlife to thrive around the farm, including leaving some grains crops in the ground to provide food and shelter for over-wintering waterfowl. The farm is also certified “salmon-safe.” In 2006, Nash received the Vim Wright “Farming in the Environment” Award. A video of his operation can be found at www.farmingandtheenvironment.org.

Kelly Sanderbeck
Communications & Development Director
909 NE 43rd Street, Suite 208
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 547-9855 / www.pccfarmlandtrust.org

PCC FARMLAND TRUST
“Saving Local Organic Farmland Forever”

To eat with a fuller consciousness of all that is at stake might sound like a burden,
but in practice few things in life can afford quite as much satisfaction.

-Michael Pollan

Event title:
June 4th Luncheon Celebrating Nash Huber!

Start:
2008-06-04 12:00 (Calendar)

End:
2008-06-04 12:00

Location:

Location(s)

Macleay Rd. Sequim Prairie Grange (Macleay Hall)

Sequim (Clallam County), WA, 98382
United States

See map: Google Maps

Contact Email:
aleo@farmland.org

• Celebration
• Nash

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A Garden Path Workshop

Submitted Mon, 2008-06-02 03:54 — AdrianD

Organic Edible Gardening Workshops: Food Security/No Food Miles Caralyn Lagrange, author of Gardening and Eating for Living, will show you how to set up an organic edible garden with a focus on environmentally friendly living and gardening for health and wellness. Times: 9.30 to 2.30 – Bookings essentialTea/Coffee included; BYO LunchCost: Weekends $88, cons. and weekdays $55,   Venue: Shambhala Place, 16 Nelson Street, Bedfordale.Telephone: (08) 9498 1555Website: www.bedfordale.comemail: agardenpath@bedfordale.com 

Topics:

Organic growing methods including using raised garden beds;

Seed saving and germination; herb harvesting and drying;Composting and worm farming; inputs suitable for organic gardeningEstablishing micro-climates; pest and disease prevention

Plant selection for health and wellness; gardening with injuries, illness and disability

Specific requirements for Certified Organic horticulture; bush tucker;

Convert your pool into a fish farm; grey-water gardens;

Fire-retardant/bird and insect attracting/fodder plants.

 ‘A Garden Path’ is a Certified Organic (NASAA) Environmental Education Venue. It has been featured on ABC TV Gardening Australia program (2005), Channel 9’s The Garden Gurus, (2007) and the Channel 10 Environment Award program (Winner April 2008).  In 2007 Caralyn Lagrange won the Individual Achievement Category of the WA Government Environment Awards. She is a Finalist in the 2008 Channel 10 National Environment Awards. 

Event title:
A Garden Path Workshop

Start:
2008-06-02 03:47 (Calendar)

End:
2008-10-02 03:47

Event Website:
http://www.bedfordale.com

Contact Email:
agardenpath@bedfordale.com

• Workshop
• organic fish farming
• organic gardening
• permaculture
• sustainable living

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6th Annual Two-Week Design Course in Paoli, IN

Submitted Wed, 2008-01-02 11:14 — Keith Johnson

June 1 - 15, 2008, 6th Annual Two-Week Design Course in Paoli, IN
(3 credits available for Indiana University students http://www.indiana.edu/~llc/permaculture.shtml)
Contact Andy Mahler to register, 812-723-2430 andy@blueriver.net
This course will take place at the Lazy Black Bear Retreat Center in Paoli, Indiana, located in the beautiful Hoosier National Forest.

Participants will be camping outdoors for the duration of the 2 weeks. Bathroom and shower facilities are available. Course fee covers food, lodging, and course materials. Students who successfully complete the course will receive certification in Permaculture, which enables them to practice or teach the art and science of Permaculture.

Event title:
6th Annual Two-Week Design Course in Paoli, IN

Start:
2008-06-01 12:30 (Calendar)

End:
2008-06-15 17:00

Event Website:
http://permacultureactivist.net/DesignCourse/PcSyllabus.htm

Contact Email:
andy@blueriver.net

• Training
• permaculture
• Permaculture Design Course

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72 Hour Permaculture Design Course

Submitted Wed, 2008-04-09 10:50 — Sidroney

Hello,
I would like to let you know about some upcoming events which address issues of sustainability. Toby Hemenway, author of the best selling Gaia's Garden- A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture is coming to town. He is an articulate speaker on ecological design and permaculture. Permaculture is the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. It is built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways. With the many environmental concerns we face permaculture is timely and has some useful and fascinating insights into how we can think and design anything from our houses and backyards to our neighborhoods, businesses and cities. It began in the 1970s, originally being applied to the 20 acre homestead, but more and more the ideals, ideas and methods of permaculture can and are being applied to the urban and suburban ecologies. He offers both vision and practical solutions in his lectures and workshops. It would be wonderful if you could list the events below on your event calendar. Also, if you know of any other organizations or people who you think would be interested please pass this on.
Thank you,
Faith Van De Putte
206.818.8937

Lecture- How Permaculture Can Save Humanity and the Planet But Not Civilization
Friday April 18th at 7:00
At the Good Shepherd Center Room 202, Seattle, WA
$10 tickets available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/31549

Workshop- Permaculture For Sustainable Cities
Saturday April 19th from 10:00am-4:00pm
At the Good Shepherd Center Room 202, Seattle, WA
$40- Preregistration required at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/31555 or email faith@ecologyofhealth.com .
Bring a bag lunch and dress weather appropriately for outside forays.

72 Hour Permaculture Design Course
One weekend a month for 6 months beginning June 2008
Location TBA
The Permaculture Design Course encompasses:-Localized food Production-Organizing Eco-Neighborhoods-Simple Steps toward Sustainable Lifestyles and Communities-Natural Building and Property Development-Adding Beauty and Value to your Home-Strategies for Energy Descent and Peak Oil-Green business Strategies and Finding your Right-Livelihood

Event title:
72 Hour Permaculture Design Course

Start:
2008-06-01 09:00 (Calendar)

End:
2008-12-31 17:00

Location:

Location(s)

TBA

Seattle, WA
United States

See map: Google Maps

Contact Email:
faith@ecologyofhealth.com

• Training
• permaculture

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Permaculture Design Course at Ashevillage Institute (AVI)

Submitted Mon, 2008-03-17 17:11 — vanvalli

This year  Ashevillage Institute will be hosting classes and internships that provide you with real solutions to Peak Oil and the climate crisis.   Our course offerings are taught by a dynamic team of instructors and take place at an educational community dedicated to permaculture and regenerative ways of living. Join a lifestyle and a worldwide movement with over 100,000 Design Course graduates!

Contact Information:
Kimchi Rylander
Registration Coordinator
email AVI@kleiwerks.org or call 828.225.8820


April 25-27, May 30-June 1, June 27-29, July 25-27, Aug. 29-31, Sept. 26-28, Oct. 24-26
Permaculture Design Course at Ashevillage Institute (AVI)
with Patricia Allison  and other nationally renowned instructors

This course will introduce you to the essential principles and practices of permaculture, an ecological design system for creating abundant regenerative human habitats.  It takes place at Ashevillage Institute, an emerging urban education center and living laboratory for sustainable solutions in action.  AVI is located in a cluster of houses in a neighborhood a few blocks from downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Students receive a Permaculture Design certificate upon completion. 

This course:
• Includes 72 curriculum hours
• Has an urban, neighborhood, and residential focus
• Allows you to use the word 'Permaculture' professionally
• Is hosted by Kleiwerks, an internationally-renowned organization
• Offers practical, intellectual, cultural, social, and spiritual aspects of sustainability
• Has an outstanding team of pioneering guest presenters from around the country, with over 200 cumulative years of teaching experience!

The weekend course format allows for more hands-on projects, social networking, and cultural sharing. It runs  the last weekend of every month from April thru October, and begins with Friday evening presentations hosted by Ashevillage Institute.

Course fee: $1400 (does NOT include food and lodging)
For details on registration, fees, discounts, course info, and other details, click here: http://www.kleiwerks.org/avi/workshop_details.php

For details on all 2008 educational events at the Ashevillage Institute, click here: http://kleiwerks.org/events_projects.php
 

Additional Week-end Sustainability Workshops
For more info or to register email AVI@kleiwerks.org or call 828.225.8820

Introduction to Permaculture with Patricia Allison & guests: March 27 & 28
Residential Rainwater & Greywater Harvesting with Brad Lancaster (Author of 'Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond'): April 24 & 25
Bee-Keeping with Chris Mathis (WNC Bee School & Spicewood Farm): May 29 & 30
Natural Building with Janell Kapoor (Kleiwerks), Steveo Brodmerkel (Kleiwerks), Lydia Dolman (City Repair), Mark Lakeman (City Repair): June 26 & 27
Wild Food & Fermentation with Sandor Katz (Author of 'WIld Fermentation' & 'The Revolution Will Not Be Micro-waved') & Frank Cook: July 24 & 25
TBA (tentatively Bio-Dynamic Wkshp): August 28 & 29
TBA (tentatively Raw Food Wkshp): September 25 & 26
Natural Finishes - Earthen Plasters & Paints with Janell Kapoor (Kleiwerks): October 23 & 24

Event title:
Permaculture Design Course at Ashevillage Institute (AVI)

Start:
2008-04-25 08:00 (Calendar)

End:
2008-10-24 17:00

Location:

Location(s)

Asheville, NC, 28802
United States

See map: Google Maps

Event Website:
http://www.kleiwerks.org/avi/workshop_details.php

Contact Email:
AVI@kleiwerks.org

• Workshop
• certificate
• ecology
• natural building
• permaculture
• sustainable

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