APPLE Nevada County CA

Harvesting Water the Permaculture Way screening at Ananda Village

Gryphon — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:18:51 -0700

Start: 2008-08-25 19:30

End: 2008-08-25 21:00

APPLE Nevada County CA

Home-scale Permaculture Site Evaluations

Gryphon — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:06:52 -0700

I am now offering home-scale permaculture site evaluations for anyone who is interested in applying permaculture principles to their home sites.

For a $150 fee, I will spend two hours at each site with the owners/tenants to assess residents' needs, evaluate their site, and determine suggested design elements and systems that will maximize sustainability for the long term. This evaluation is not a complete permaculture design, but rather serves as a springboard of ideas which each homeowner can take and begin to implement as time and resources allow.

Design considerations include:
- Site orientation & solar access
- Water flow, catchment & storage
- Sustainable food systems
- Energy flow and renewable energy systems
- Natural building materials & methods
- Animal systems
- Waste management & sanitation

This special rate is offered for a limited time to residents of Grass Valley, Nevada City and adjacent areas.

To schedule your site evaluation today, please call Paul Racko of Sierra Permaculture Design at 530-613-4181. Visit Sierra Permaculture Design online at http://SierraPermaculture.com

Paul Racko has been studying and applying permaculture for over ten years. In 2007, he received his Permaculture Design Certificate from the Regenerative Design Institute and provides design and consulting services through his company Sierra Permaculture Design.

What is Permaculture? Visit Wikipedia to find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

APPLE Nevada County CA

Download presentations from California State Uni. Conference - March 2006

Shelby Tay — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:00:28 -0800

APPLE Nevada County CA

Emergence: The Sierra Permaculture Guild - 8/25 @ 6:30pm

Gryphon — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:46:24 -0700

Please join us at the inaugural meeting of the new Sierra Permaculture Guild! And pass the word on to other permies!

Saturday August 25, 6:30-8:30pm
at
The Sacred Bee
1451-A East Main Street
Grass Valley, CA 95945
venue phone: 530-272-6427

Agenda:
Introductions
Discuss format of group
List possible activities & speakers
Appoint secretary to keep minutes
Schedule future meetings
Other topics?
Community announcements

Bring seeds or garden surplus to share if you have any!

Please RSVP to Paul at paul@sierrapermaculture.org

The Sacred Bee is located between Brunswick Road and Dorsey/Sierra College Drive. Use Bus Route #1, get off at corner of Joerschke Dr. and Nevada City Hwy. or corner of Dorsey Dr. and East Main Street. Parking is available in the front lot next to the 'Bee' or all the way at the back of the lot past the sycamore tree. Please do not park directly behind the building as these spaces are reserved for tenants only.

APPLE Nevada County CA

New Legislation Would Bring Wind Power to 'Grinding Halt'

Gryphon — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:03:36 -0700

APPLE Nevada County CA

Peak Oil Requires a New Economic Paradigm

Gryphon — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:42:48 -0700

Let's face it. Capitalism is doomed.

If you're an adherent of Peak Oil theory, then you also realize that the success and future of capitalism is fully dependent on cheap and abundant energy. Without such accessible energy, there can be no economic growth, and without growth, capitalism collapses.

Clearly, those of us in the relocalization movement need to start planning for an alternative economic paradigm now.

Local currencies are obviously part of the puzzle, but while doing some research online recently, I discovered a fairly unknown socio-economic system called Prout: Progressive Utilization Theory. I thought to myself, this -- or a version of it -- is what will very likely end up replacing global capitalism.

Take some time to read up on it and find out more:

Prout World: ProutWorld.org
Prout in 60 Minutes: Download Here
The book After Capitalism: details
World Prout Assembly: WorldProutAssembly.org
Prout on Wikipedia

Share your thoughts here on my blog or via the rest of the Relocalization Network.

It's never too soon to start planning for a new future.

Namaste.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Sierra Permaculture blog

Gryphon — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 17:32:10 -0700

Hey now. Just wanted to let you all know about my new blog at http://sierrapermaculture.blogspot.com

I'll be covering all our permaculture design efforts on my family's 13 acres on the San Juan Ridge plus other interesting local projects. First off, well be creating a keyline swale system on the slope in front of the house to which we'll add a branched greywater system and then plant with a variety of fruit trees and perennial groundcovers and vines.

Later this spring & summber, I'll be helping a friend build a cob cabin which I hope to cover for the blog as well. If you know of any other cool alternative building, renewable energy, or permaculture projects that are happening and would like some coverage the blog, just give a holler and let me know.

Gryphon

APPLE Nevada County CA

Sierra Permaculture Guild Listserv

Gryphon — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:28:47 -0700

APPLE Nevada County CA

Regional Localization Network Conference Videos are here!

Sarah Smith — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 15:36:16 -0700

APPLE Nevada County CA

Award winning author Richard Heinberg speaking at the Henry Miller Library on Tuesday August 8th 6:PM

Linda Parker — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:36:25 -0700

Start: 2006-08-08 12:08

Teaser:

Peak Oil: The Challenge and Opportunity of Petroleum's Waning Days

Contact email:
surite@sbcglobal.net

Los Angeles Post Carbon (CA)

APPLE-Nevada City CA videographers blogging from Eugene Visit

janaia — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 15:59:45 -0700

A Full Peak Moment Day in Eugene

by Janaia Donaldson, Sat, 2006-06-24 22:59.

Bathed by nice sunny weather, we set up for our Peak Moment interviews in a thick-walled Straw Bale Studio at "Maitreya EcoVillage" in residential Eugene. We interviewed Melanie Rios, who learned of the Limits to Growth (including but much more than oil) with Donella & Dennis Meadows thirty years ago.

Melanie emphasized the social and *joyous* aspects of life post-peak oil, and the communication skills we'll all need to learn and practice in our groups and in a post-carbon societies--including conflict resolution. Also an entertainer, Melanie's original skit "The Three Little Pigs Meet Peak Oil" has gotten a number of showings in Oregon and is continually being modified. There--a new art form!

Our next guest Krishna Khalsa brings his devotion as a Sikh to service in entrepreneurial projects and ideas. He also brought us some really yummy, "gunchy" (substantial) kitcheree and yogi tea, saving us from midday hunger pangs. (Recipes to come). Krishna is interested in food security, and wants to see people really reconnect with the earth, with this apple tree -- Being to Being.

He envisions turning upside down the current relationship between capital and labor, with collectives of people (labor) hiring capital (farmland) for mutual benefit. He's working with a farmer who has offered his 450 fruit trees to the community--to prune, harvest, care for the trees and share the bounty.

Doug Black talked with us about the work of Post Carbon Eugene, which [with the work of Eugene Permaculture Guild] brought Richard Heinberg to town last January to a crowd of 1500 people. Doug's penchant is for the one-on-one canvassing and educating. He's working on a Peak Oil resolution to bring to the Eugene City Council, but recognizes it'll take awhile to achieve it. Doug is the "hub" person who connected us with the locals we're interviewing here for Peak Moment.

Doug is an avid biker, as are many people in this "bike-friendly" town where there is one mile of bike trail or lane for each five miles of roads. We enjoyed seeing people of all ages biking around town -- today going to the [Farmer's] market filling an entire block in the middle of downtown.

Doug persuaded Fraeda Scholz to lend us a bike for a ride tomorrow. Her family builds bikes of all types right there in Eugene--a local business building something essential for the future. She's lending us a Bike Friday, a foldable lightweight bike--and told us of others even lighter and smaller--you can carry them on the bus.

Our day ended with a tour of Maitreya Ecovillage with its owner, green builder Rob Bolman. We saw the straw-bale studio with compressed dirt floor, a lovely wood triplex and their own home, lovingly made of "gently harvested" and re-used materials and their own hand-made windows and doors. There are around 25 residents in the multiple buildings on these several city lots being reclaimed from suburbia. My favorite was the cob house, made of wood chips and clay slip, sculpted more than built. The lovely ceiling was thin aspen branches beneath burlap sacking. Felt so organic and homey, right up to the oval windows. The Hobbits surely live in a Cob house!

We ended the day with a delicious low-key homemade potluck with about eight or ten permaculture-post oil friends, and we talked of post-carbon futures and responses, conferences and get-togethers, Permaculture and the Peak Moment show, what we're learning from various groups as we take Peak Moment "on the road." And now off to bed--another full day of tapings tomorrow!

*******************************

Cooperatives and Perma-Cultures in Eugene

by Janaia Donaldson, Mon, 2006-06-26 00:02.

==House Cooperative, Car Cooperative===

Our first Peak Moment conversation this morning was set in the living room of a lovely Craftsman style home in a spacious neighborhood in east Eugene, Oregon. Dark-wood panels, framing the wall of windows that open onto a view of a tree-shaded three-story Victorian, built to house larger families a century ago. In our coming era of energy-decline, I think many will find themselves living in larger homes with extended "families." The Walnut Street cooperative is one place where that is happening now. It is a living community, a shared household, one of many intentional communities arising throughout North America and the world.

I had an animated conversation with Tree Bressen about the 6-year-old housing cooperative living in two large early 1900's houses now joined to be one house. The ten members pay for food--they rotate making dinners weeknights-- rent, phone, utilities, insurance, etc. for just over $500 month per person!

A beautiful model for sharing more and consuming much less.

Tree not only shares a home, she shares a car. She is a member of a three-year-old car coop whose 7-9 members share a biodiesel Mercedes. They've even developed scheduling software that is available to others wanting to start a car coop. (See www.biocarshare.org.)

Tree facilitates and teaches communication skills for other intentional communities, co-housing groups. She may be coming to Nevada City in April...hope so! She's got a lot to share with us.

====Suburban House Permaculture Transformation===

Our second taping was a walkabout in a "suburban reclamation project." Nope, it's not what you might imagine with those words. It was Jan Spencer's permaculture-based reworking of a fifty-year-old suburban home.

A big back yard filled with vegetable-and-flower gardens. Berry bushes and cherry trees. An "edible hedge" along the fence, fruit trees above, berries beneath. Three hens making manure for the compost. A south-facing solarium bringing heat for winter. Solar hot water on the roof whose gutters collect rain then stored in two tanks--1600 gallons-- about half of Jan's irrigation needs for a season. The concrete driveway broken apart has reappeared to line "water features" little ponds to soften the landscape. A bungalow-being built a garage-now-studio increasing suburban density. Like Tree's cooperative sharing more consuming less.

***=== Hear Ye! Hear Ye! ===****** Jan is coordinating a Permaculture Bioregional Gathering on August 25-27 in Eugene. Jump into your carpools, the prices are way low, they're going to have a lot of good workshops, see how to do it on the ground. See eugenepermacultureguild.org.

==== A New Paradigm for Development====

Just around the corner from Jan is Ravi Logan's serene Dharmalaya center. A serene Nepalese Quan Yin greeted us in an alcove by the front door of the octagonal sanctuary.

This is a spiritual center and permaculture model. All the resources here are folded back to nature --bioswales to recharge groundwater, composting toilets for fertile soil, gardens blooming from these riches.

Our too-brief hour conversation with Ravi and Jason Schreiner of Cascadia Commonwealth Institute covered a lot of ground: the need for a paradigm shift towards a solutions-oriented, comprehensive model of development based on balance. It's a model of decentralized democratic control: Not corporations, not governments, but cooperatives, and entrepreneurs.

Meet the essential needs locally, while retaining global networks like telecommunications as this new global consciousness enfolds us all.

=====Collapse--Ancient Civilizations and Ours===

Anthropology Instructor Dr. Guy Prouty is drawing comparisons between prehistoric civilizations and our own -- looking at the patterns and what's likely ahead for us. Every civilization goes through expansion -- increasing energy input and complexity, and then collapse -- which means returning to less complexity.

Collapse can come from overreach, like the Roman Empire's military occupations, and now America's. It can come from overpopulation, environmental decline. We're seeing all these factors at play now, Guy said, and the transition to a less-complex phase could be bumpy.

We can smooth that transition by knowing it's a natural cycle for civilizations. Begin to simplify now. Get out of debt, build community ties with your neighbors, toss out your television, start your gardens.

Less complexity will be easier now when it's voluntary, and bumpier if we wait until we have to. He's optimistic about our having a richer, more connected life on the other side of "collapse."

=======WHEW!!=====

It's been a very full two days (only TWO days??!?) with rich conversations and visits with generous, caring people. I feel like we are meeting family.
We're also pooped! Setting up in each new location requires us to assess lighting, background, sound, furnishings, the movement of the sun, how many cameras to use and dozens of other variables. In Eugene it included noisy weed-eaters in the background, and a skylight needing a cover. Robyn likes to live-mix with three cameras so there's much less editing at the other end. And that takes about 2.5-3 hours of setup.

So we've schlepped
our crates of cables
and cases of cameras,
Adventure and new learning are a constant
within the variables of each new situation
We got wonderful interviews
We met wonderful people
We learned new things
Folks encouraged our Peak Moment work
We are privileged to be capturing
These beginnings
And sleep will feel very very good tonight.

APPLE Nevada County CA

A New Day is Dawning

solar — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 13:59:27 -0800

Hi, my name is Greg Nicholson. I have been reading Home Power magazines for more than 10 years. I recently saw the movie, The End of Suburbia. Found it facinating and frightening. But it has move me to want to get involved and work on ways to get ourselves through this mess. I am about to sell my home in the next month and I plan to purchase a small home and property and design a system where by all of the houses energy needs come from the sun and wind. I've installed a few solar systems and get great satifaction doing so.
I am looking for like minded persons to have meaningful discussions and to create a network or tribe. Because we can not do this on our own. Hope to here from you,

Sacramento Post-carbon Action Network (SPAN)

The Simpler Way

Gryphon — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 22:35:19 -0800

Aussie Ted Trainer has written an excellent how-to guide for transitioning from a consumer society to a simpler, more cooperative, just and ecologically sustainable society. Be sure to check it out at http://socialwork.arts.unsw.edu.au/tsw/.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Methane hydrates

caver456 — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 13:41:49 -0800

The December 2005 issue of Wired had a big article generally on peak oil - "Why $8 gas is good for America" or something to that effect. They generally acknowledge that without more breaktrhoughs, either in drilling technology or new energy sources, that cheap energy is in jeopardy - but their stance is more towards 'start funding research like mad'. They glance at several possible petroleum alternatives. One is Methane Hydrates. Apparently there's several gazillion billion trillion cubic feet of the stuff but it can't be accessed yet. Other possible alternatives are glanced at too, but none in great detail (detail we not the objective for this article). Has anyone heard what the environmental impacts of methane hydrate use would be? Releasing unspent methane in huge amounts into the atmosphere would be ... bad, no? What's the enviro-impact at the source (extraction / packaging / etc) and what's the impact at the destination (tailpipe / power plant / etc)??

APPLE Nevada County CA

Tompkins County Has A Plan...

Gryphon — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 13:47:18 -0700

Well, they're starting on one anyway, and what they've currently got up on their website at http://ibiblio.org/tcrp/doc/project.htm is pretty impressive and should make excellent food-for-thought for any relocalization effort. Check it out.

~Gryphon
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SierraPermaculture/

APPLE Nevada County CA

New Web Site for APPLE

sunwolf — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 20:32:00 -0700

APPLE (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy) now has it's own local web site at www.apple-nc.org. The site is very new and under construction so please be patient. We will post to both the Post Carbon outpost and our local web site to keep everyone informed of our activities.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy (APPLE)

sunwolf — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 20:27:50 -0700

Geographic scope:
Western Nevada County California Focus:
Relocalizaton Teaser:
Citizens gathering to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and transition to a more self-reliant local economy Website:
http://www.apple-nc.org

APPLE Nevada County CA

The Next Gold Rush: Linking Sierra Assets to the New Economy

Gryphon — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:09:07 -0700

Start: 2005-10-21 08:00

End: 2005-10-22 18:00

Teaser:

The conference will address 3 major topics through its track outline. The first focuses on Sustainable Business and Development Practices. National and regional experts, consultants, and innovators will present a wide range of valuable conceptual and practical information on sustainability. The Sierra Business Council believes that vibrant communities, a healthy environment, and a strong economy are critical components of a sustainable Sierra.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Contact Info

sunwolf — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 22:52:39 -0700

APPLE, Nevada County
PO Box 784
Grass Valley, Ca. 95945
(530) 265-3014

APPLE Nevada County CA

"End of Suburbia" presentation

sunwolf — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 23:32:21 -0700

Start: 2005-10-16 19:00

End: 2005-10-16 22:00

"End of Suburbia" film showing, Sunday, October 16th, 7pm. Depending on group interest, we can also show "Peak Oil - Imposed by Nature" or other speakers on this topic. We'll have an opportunity to talk about people's concerns. Many people have expressed a desire to see these films, so please invite friends, especially those who haven't yet seen them. We're meeting in a private home, so if possible bring your own chair (BYOC!). (Seating limited to 15 people).

Directions: 261 Woodpecker Lane, Nevada City. From SPD in Nevada City, take Zion Street north towards downtown. Take the first left onto Reward Street (before Miner's Clinic). Go about 2 blocks and take the first right onto Woodpecker. (Watch closely; the street sign is a post with vertical letters). After about the second house on the left, look for aÂ mailbox with a large bird on the left; turn left into the driveway just before the mailbox and park straight ahead. Please carpool due to limited parking. If you get lost, our host's home number is 265-4389.

APPLE Nevada County CA

APPLE Listserve - apple@postcarbon.org

dahveed — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 19:31:10 -0700

APPLE Nevada County CA has a listserve that is integrated with this site. To send and receive emails, you will need to sign up. If not have not already done so, register at http://www.postcarbon.org/user/register. Then come back to http://www.postcarbon.org/groups/apple and click the Join link on the left.

Note: You must enable email notification
To recieve emails when content is posted to the site or people send an email to the listserve, click the My membership link in the box on the left titled Membership Features. (Or you can just go directly to the link: http://www.postcarbon.org/groups/manage/431.) Select enabled and click Submit.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Club of Rome hears call for Relocalization

Gryphon — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 22:52:13 -0700

"There is a great need for a culture of guerilla relocalisation â€

APPLE Nevada County CA

Weekly Meeting this Wednesday

sunwolf — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 22:49:05 -0700

Start: 2005-09-21 19:00

End: 2005-09-21 21:00

On Wednesday, September 21st, we will meet at Peaceful Valley Farm Supply in Grass Valley at 7 pm.

Directions to PVFS: from Idaho-Maryland Road, turn onto Centennial Drive (a right turn just after Spring Street if you're coming from downtown GV or the freeway). Centennial goes uphill and makes a sharp bend to the left. Shortly thereafter, you'll see Peaceful Valley's building on the right, at the corner of Clydesdale Court and Centennial.

We're looking for folks to help produce the Richard Heinberg talk in November...to publicize, to create interesting posters for the workgroups. And also to help put together a booth for the Briarpatch Harvest Faire on October 9th. Give me a call 265-4244. Thank you!

APPLE Nevada County CA

bio fuel in nevada county

stacy mora — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 08:55:45 -0700

I hope this is the correct forum....

I am in the midst of researching biodiesel...or any reliable alternative form of fueling a personal vehicle.

If anyone can help simplify and point me in direction of fuel, cars most dependable and/or info regarding fuel alternatives to dino oil.

Think I would need a local source of bio fuel--Nevada county. Think I would like to have a barrel in my yard. How do people go long distances in a world that has gas stations?

What about the idea of going to fast food places for fuel/recycle oil. The grease.com makes me feel taht i could filter the oil directly in my car filtering.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Richard Heinberg's September Museletter

sunwolf — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 18:14:48 -0700

This issue has some great comments on "what should I do to survive peak oil" motivated by the events following the Katrina disaster. It's 11 pages long so attached here.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Weekly Meeting this Wednesday

sunwolf — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 19:40:04 -0700

Start: 2005-09-07 19:00

End: 2005-09-07 21:00

We are still meeting at the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools conference room near Ridge and Zion, across from the Imaginarium/NCTV. Meeting time is 7 p.m.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Weekly meeting this Wednesday

sunwolf — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 11:51:16 -0700

Start: 2005-08-24 19:00

End: 2005-08-24 21:00

We will meet at the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools conference room at 7 p.m., near Zion and Ridge Road, across from NCTV/Imaginarium. See you there.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Permaculture featured on the Beyond Organic radio show

Gryphon — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:23:02 -0700

'Permaculture'

Permaculture, said Bill Mollison, the inventor of this food/farming/environmental concept, is being able to look out your backdoor and see your friends gathering food.

A permaculturistâ€™s skills may include straw bale house building or edible forest gardening. They may have set-up a rainwater collection system on their roof, or turned their livestock fences into a food source. All this is part of a design concept that takes its cues from the workings of a healthy eco-system.

The good news is youâ€™re probably already practicing some of permacultureâ€™s principles.

Join host Jerry Kay, publisher of the Environmental News Network as we talk to three prominent practitioners and learn to think like a permaculturist.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Richard Heinberg Presentation

sunwolf — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 20:41:19 -0700

Start: 2005-11-15 19:00

End: 2005-11-15 22:00

Teaser:

Richard Heinberg "Peak Oil: How it will change your life"
Richard is America's foremost Peak Oil Educator, and author of The Party's Over and Powerdown.

APPLE Nevada County CA

Weekly meeting this Wednesday

reinettesenum — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 14:54:57 -0700

Start: 2005-08-16 04:48

End: 2005-08-17 21:00

Our regular weekly meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday at the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools conference room, near the corner of Ridge and Zion, across from the Imaginarium (NCTV).

APPLE Nevada County CA

Biodiesel Availability

obmac_zero — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 11:28:08 -0700

I'm considering a new diesel generator. Does anyone know who is selling biodiesel (esp. on "the ridge")?

APPLE Nevada County CA

Seeds Of Life

reinettesenum — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:37:24 -0700

Kathy Irvings Seeds of Life Garden kit

APPLE Nevada County CA

APPLE Nevada County CA

janaia — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:03:58 -0700