NYC Urban Permaculture Site Visits and Design Program
THE CENTER FOR BIOREGIONAL LIVING PRESENTS:
URBAN PERMACULTURE NYC
SITE VISIT AND DESIGN PROGRAM
http://www.homebiome.com
Permaculture Design Strategies with Urban Stormwater Management Systems
Join Andrew Faust for the first of an ongoing series of site visits that will be connecting some of the more
cutting edge, integrated, ecological, permaculture style initiatives in NYC (people, farms, projects, organizations and
businesses) through the lens of urban permaculture. We’ll contextualize and synergize what we learn from these visits
into a design visioning process in order to begin to create a full permacultural regional retrofit of New York City and the surrounding regions.
Each session will begin with a half hour talk setting the context of our visit. After each tour, we’ll take a half an
hour or so to review what we’ve learned from a permaculture perspective and offer our design suggestions to that site.
We hope you’ll join us as part of this movement to accelerate our evolution in this direction toward healing our city and our region.
SESSION #1 BROOKLYN GRANGE
JULY 12, 2011 3 – 5pm
Brooklyn Grange
37-18 Northern Blvd.
Long Island City
http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com
This workshop will explore permaculture design applications to rooftop farming at the Brooklyn Grange, an
extraordinary commercial farm project that grows an amazing variety of vegetables, keeps bees and raises chickens.
The farm covers an acre on top of a six-story warehouse and is in its second season of operation. We’ll focus on
creative, plant based and integrated ways of maintaining soil fertility in a rooftop production landscape. We’ll also
consider the bioregional function of urban food production, its social networks, market relationships and ecological
potentials. Co-founder and head farmer, Ben Flanner, widely recognized as a leader in rooftop urban agriculture, will be
available to answer questions and to discuss with us whatever new ideas we generate during this session. Produce from the farm will be on sale, so bring your bags!
For more info and reservations, contact: ransilv@hotmail.com $30 – 60 sliding scale, with a percentage going to our host.
*****AFTERWARDS at 6:30 come hear Andrew speak at:
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection presents: A Sustainable Future: Green Innovations Free Summer Speaker Series
Andrew Faust, Permaculture Designer, founder of The Center for Bioregional Living Paul S. Mankiewicz, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Gaia Institute
John McLaughlin, Director, Office of Ecological Services, Bureau of Environmental Planning & Analysis, DEP
Newtown Creek Visitor Center
329 Greenpoint Avenue
Greenpoint, Brooklyn NY
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/environmental_education/newtown_visitors_center.shtml
SESSION #2 THE QUEENS BOTANICAL GARDEN (Date TBA)
The Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY
http://www.queensbotanical.org
The Queens Botanical Garden demonstrates a trailblazing, community-oriented, publicly accessible laboratory
for sustainable design. Its LEED platinum visitor center and botanical collections function simultaneously as components
of the garden’s water conservation and stormwater management system, which incorporates a native plant green roof,
a cleansing biotope, bioswales and a constructed wetland. We’ll discuss and analyze the effectiveness of these designs
in order to further develop our own ideas for designing similar systems and how to even possibly enhance this one. This
event will include a design charette activity, and any and all of the suggestions we evolve can be presented to the Garden’s staff.
SESSION #3 NEWTOWN CREEK WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT (Date TBA)
Newtown Creek Visitor Center
329 Greenpoint Avenue
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/environmental_education/newtown_visitors_center.shtml
This session will dig into how one of the largest sewage treatment facilities in the country creates its own
energy with a biogas generator. We’ll examine the potentials for biogas in NYC as part of a mosaic of ways to address
energy and air quality issues with integrated solutions of permaculture design applications in the urban landscape as well
as the aquatic health issues represented by the challenges of combined sewer overflow. We’ll tour the facility with
plant supervisor Jim Pynn, who will bring his special expertise and first hand knowledge to our conversation and questions. We’ll also visit the Newtown Creek Nature Walk.
SESSION # 4 STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE MATTERS (Date TBA)
To delve further into our discussions concerning sustainable stormwater management practices, we’ll meet with
Kate Zidar, environmental planner for the Newtown Creek Alliance and coordinator for the Stormwater Infrastructure
Matters Coalition. S.W.I.M. approaches stormwater, which is currently viewed as waste, as a resource. This citywide
organization of public, private and non-profit partners dedicated to ensuring swimmable, fishable waters around New
York City gathers for public meetings to work on issues of green roof tax credits, workforce development, public
notification and fundraising. With Kate, we will design and develop a site specific project combining permacultural
analysis with the criteria being applied for the next round of municipal green infrastructure grants.
Each session is $30–60 sliding scale.
Andrew Faust is one of the premier permaculture teachers and designers in North America with nearly two
decades of experience in the field. Andrew is now teaching the Permaculture Design Certification course here in NYC and is developing The Center for Bioregional Living in Ellenville, NY.
To learn more about Andrew Faust, permaculture, his workshops in Ellenville and upcoming PDC courses in NYC, go to http://www.homebiome.com
If you’d like updates about our upcoming programs and events, let us know. For more info contact: ransilv@hotmail.com
Upstate NY Permaculture Network 