Upstate NY Permaculture Network

Hello friends of Upstate New York!

I am exploring moving to Upstate New York for my next project. For one year I am going to grow and forage 100% of my food to help and inspire people to start growing their own food and become a part of the local food movement. I will be helping people turn their lawns into gardens, planting community fruit trees, and volunteering with local nonprofits. I am incredibly excited to get involved with many of the great movements here and be of service.

I am looking for a person or community with some space where I could live for about 2 years (spring 2021- winter 2022), setting up my garden and building a tiny house, or living in existing structure. I have the Ithaca area specifically in mind but am open to other areas. I am looking to create a mutually beneficial relationship- establishing gardens and growing food for the land owner, planting a fruit tree orchard, building infrastructure for sustainable living such as rainwater harvesting, composting, etc. and am open to exchanges that would be beneficial to the landowner and the earth. I would like to do a work exchange and create a truly beneficial relationship that is worth far more than paying rent financially. I am open to joining a community where I could be of service or setting up on an individual or family property that is already growing food but could benefit from my presence or who just wants to begin their journey and would learn a lot from me!

I am visiting Ithaca right now for the month of August to get to know the area, the community and visit locations. I am also looking for a location to stay for this month as I get to know the area.

If you are interested please contact me at info@robgreenfield.org and I can share my phone number with you via email.

Health and happiness to you all! I’m excited to meet many of you!

Learn more about me via social media on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

I have done this in Orlando, Florida 2018-2019 and San Diego in 2015. Here is a video that shows my setup in Orlando

While in Orlando I grew and foraged 100% of my food for a year. Here is the video I made summarizing the project and my webpage on the project. So many people asked me to do this project in a cold climate, that it inspired me to do so!

Visit: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7fcm-Sb7NqVHeerMMMsIZcaIVPohfDHgk0ywxABIlI/edit?usp=sharing

Sure, no reason for it not to be, thanks!

On Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 3:18:59 PM UTC-4, patty love/Barefoot Permaculture wrote:

Frank – would you like this listserv to be listed on PAN’s website (http://northeastpermaculture.org/get-involved/regional-listservs/)?

PAN is working at linking with the subregional groups. The work is slow due to our limited capacity but we’re working on it. And we’re upgrading our website to make it easier…stay tuned!

Warmly,
patty love, MALS, PDC
www.barefootpermaculture.com – owner (Please note that my website is a few years out of date…so little time!)
www.meetup.com/RochesterPermaculture/
585.506.6505

From: upstatenypermaculture [mailto:upstatenypermaculture] On Behalf Of Frank Cetera
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2020 2:03 PM
To: upstateNYpermaculture <upstatenypermaculture>
Subject: Another Resource for Communicating

The Upstate NY Permaculture ListServ still exists, just hasn’t gotten action in a couple years, but, if you Upstate and want to build this list, please share it around, and please use it to reach out to our special community of permaculture practitioners and learners.

Sincerely ~ Frank Cetera

Frank – would you like this listserv to be listed on PAN’s website (http://northeastpermaculture.org/get-involved/regional-listservs/)?

PAN is working at linking with the subregional groups. The work is slow due to our limited capacity but we’re working on it. And we’re upgrading our website to make it easier…stay tuned!

Warmly,
patty love, MALS, PDC
www.barefootpermaculture.com – owner (Please note that my website is a few years out of date…so little time!)
www.meetup.com/RochesterPermaculture/
585.506.6505

From: upstatenypermaculture@googlegroups.com [mailto:upstatenypermaculture@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Frank Cetera
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2020 2:03 PM
To: upstateNYpermaculture <upstatenypermaculture@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Another Resource for Communicating

The Upstate NY Permaculture ListServ still exists, just hasn’t gotten action in a couple years, but, if you Upstate and want to build this list, please share it around, and please use it to reach out to our special community of permaculture practitioners and learners.

Sincerely ~ Frank Cetera

The Upstate NY Permaculture ListServ still exists, just hasn’t gotten action in a couple years, but, if you Upstate and want to build this list, please share it around, and please use it to reach out to our special community of permaculture practitioners and learners.

Sincerely ~ Frank Cetera

Fall 2018 Permaculture Design Certification Course with Sowing Solutions in Western MA!
~EARLY BIRDS! Start registration by this FRIDAY to save $200 off tuition!

Gather the skills to design for abundance in your home landscape and for resilience in our communities.

3 Weekends in All: September 28-October 1, October 19-21, November 9-12

http://www.PermacultureSeries.org

The Upcoming Course:

Your registration in this course will provide you with: skill shares, discussions, design activities, experience in orchards and forest gardens, skills to create new gardens, natural building visits and hands-on activities, numerous tours of local permaculture sites, immersion in community life, stories and presentations, food preservation and medicine making workshops, mapping techniques, networking opportunities, and a certification in permaculture design.

This course is offered by Sowing Solutions, who is celebrating over a decade of educational permaculture programs.
• Students of this PDC will learn first-hand about working with design clients and conducting an ecological design. Participants will be guided through the ecological design process alongside a team of professional designers and educators.
• A study of permaculture with Sowing Solutions includes visits to numerous demonstration sites such as Sirius EcoVillage, Wildside Cottages and Gardens, and Hickory Gardens. You can evaluate and learn from these leading northeastern permaculture demonstration sites ~ these sites have been growing and evolving for nearly a decade. • Gaining your internationally recognized certification with Sowing Solutions is an experience of empowerment, support, inspiration and skill building.
• All that you learn in this course can be applied at your home.

Course Dates:

Sept 28-Oct 1
Oct 19-21
Nov 9-12

If You Need to Miss a Day:

If for some reason you need to miss a day, don’t worry because you will still be qualified to complete your certification. If you need to miss more than a day, please let us know ahead of time, as we have ways for you to make up certain sessions and there can be alternate classes for you.

Course Location:

We are truly happy to be hosting the course now at the Sowing Solutions Community Permaculture Hub and Design Studio in the village of Shelburne Falls. You will have an opportunity to practice ecological design for residents in the Village!

We will be meeting for class sessions at Sowing Solutions Design Studio, 8 Deerfield Avenue, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370.. There will be a few days during the course when we adventure out on field trips to visit Wildside Cottage and Gardens, Sirius EcoVillage, Hickory Gardens, etc.

Overnight Accommodations:

We have reserved a number of local guest houses for you, as well as air bnbs private or shared rooms, and a local farmhouse with dorm accommodations~ so we will need to know who is staying overnight as soon as is possible to arrange your accommodations. Our hosts have set up special discount pricing for our students, hooray! If you are planning to commute, please also let us know your plans.
Accommodations range from $25-$65 per night, based on your selection of a shared room, private room, location in town within walking distance, or a 4 minute drive from the town center to a guesthouse/ farmhouse with private rooms, dorms, or camping options, etc. Camping is also an option for $10 or $15 per night.

Send Us Your Registration Form:

Attached you will find the course registration form. Please fill this out today and return to us by email, or print it out and mail it to Sowing Solutions, 5 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370.

Meals:

Locally sourced and organic lunches will be prepared for you and this is already included in your tuition. Breakfast will be prepared for all overnight guests only. Dinners are an additional fee and all students (commuters and overnight guests) are welcome to sign up any or for all dinners.

More Course Info:

Please peruse the course website for more info at
http://www.PermacultureSeries.org, and please set up a time to chat with us by phone ~ we are delighted to answer questions about this educational event, and to help you with fundraising or with logistics, etc.

The Registration Process:

1. Fill out the registration form (see below) and return to us by email or postal mail at: Sowing Solutions, 5 Bridge St, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370.

2. Send in a $300 deposit or a full tuition payment as a check or money order written out to ‘Sowing Solutions’ at the same mailing address (Sowing Solutions, 5 Bridge St, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370)

We are available to chat by phone if you have further questions 🙂 Once we receive an email from you, we will send you the brief pre-course assignment and all the arrival details as soon as you register.

Fundraising Support:

There is funding available for you! (In other words ~ do not let funding stand in your way of this training and certification program!!!):
Contact us to talk about many fundraising options and we will share many ideas and strategies with you. Strategies for fundraising that we have for you are: discounts for college students, template letters for fundraising work trade applications, scholarship program, discounts when you bring a friend, payment plans, fundraising techniques that we can walk you through, accommodation discounts, etc

Your Attendance:

It will be wonderful if you can attend this inspiring and informative educational event! We will have a number of interesting design projects to work on together, and we have many existing permaculture demonstration sites to visit. The weekend series format of this course gives us a chance to correspond with you during the months between the class sessions, and provides students with ample time to integrate the new course material. The three weekends in session are opportune times for sharing skills, resources, inspiration, networking, and for forming new and lasting friendships.

More Info and to Contact Us:

Visit our website for more course details, http://www.PermacultureSeries.org, watch out our 2-minute video about this course, learn about the fundraising support that is available, and join us for a fun and informative weekend series course that starts this April!
Attached here is a detailed Course Information Packet.

If you have any questions, we are delighted to talk with you by phone, or correspond by email… and we look forward to meeting you!

Wishing you wellness,
~Kay

*** Here is the registration form in these files do not open on your computer***

Permaculture Design Certification Course ~ with Sowing Solutions

2018 Weekend Series Course: April 20-23, May 18-20, June 8-11

Registration Form

Please email this form to permacultureseries@gmail.com OR send via postal mail to Sowing Solutions, 5 Bridge St, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370. Mail all tuition and accommodation fees to this same mailing address. Receipt of tuition confirms your seat in the course.

Name:

Email Address:

Mailing Address:

Phone:

Emergency Contact During Course Sessions:

Will you be a Commuter or Overnight Guest? If an overnight guest: Male or female dorm at a local farmhouse? Private room in a local guest house? Camping?

Do you wish to carpool? (Please indicate where you would be driving from, and if you would like to offer or catch a ride)

School & Major: (if applicable)

Would you like to arrange for 3 college credits through UMass Amherst upon completion of this course? All students pay this course tuition; Additional fees will apply if you are outside of the 5 College Consortium

Do you have any Dietary Restrictions?

How did you hear about this course?

11 acre small farm 15 min. from Albany.

lol… those modern hippies…

From: Steve Austin
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2018 1:17 PM
To: upstatenypermaculture
Subject: Re: Permaculture Farmstead in Trumansburg seeks housemate

Hi Michael, This was sounding good until I got to the room rental rate. Do they want someone to pay them to develop their property? Did I get that right?
Steve

On Feb 28, 2018 7:53 AM, “Michael Burns” <cayutasunfarm> wrote:

https://ithaca.craigslist.org/roo/6504176814.html

Does using Permaculture principles to create a food forest and sustainable homestead sound exciting to you? Come join us on our 7.5 acre property in Trumansburg! Three of us started this project last summer, and we are looking for the right person/people to co-create it with us. Some of the things we’ve been working on outside are: building a small greenhouse, creating Hugelkultur beds, rainwater catchment, digging a pond, growing trees to plant on the property, starting to manage the woodlot, building a woodshed, and making very good use of the piles of woodchips and leaves our friends have delivered. Indoors we’ve been: building a root cellar, cooking up a storm, processing and preserving foods we’ve grown, building a hearth/installing a woodstove, doing planning for this growing season (including designing an outdoor kitchen and ordering chickens and mushroom spawn), and generally fixing up this 138-year-old house, making it a more efficient and interesting living space!

The current residents are the land owner, a musician in her 50s who works from home for a non-profit film company, and a couple in their twenties who are farmers, artists, and cooks. We all share a passion for organic gardening, natural building, community living and the arts. Our vision for the land is to use Permaculture principles to create a bountiful and beautiful property that can serve as a model, and we’re starting to organize workshops that we hope will be of interest to the larger community.

Our spacious 4-bedroom house sits at the edge of the village of Trumansburg, with woods, a large pond and creek access. The kitchen, living areas and bathrooms are shared by all, and we cook and eat together often (and we eat meat). There is plenty of room here for people to do their own projects – either for generating income or simply for fun!

We are looking for a housemate/landmate(s) who shares these ideals and principles, and who is excited to become a big part of making this place a joy to call home 🙂 A 12-month commitment is important to us. We want someone who is ready to dive into this project and add their gifts and talents to the equation. Beyond that, terms are negotiable! The rent amount will vary ($650-750, plus some utilities) depending on which bedroom you end up in (either 150 or 250 sq ft), and there’s an option for partial work-trade. Our timing is flexible on when you could move in. Our housemate who is moving out hasn’t found a place yet, but you could likely move in as soon as March 1st, if necessary. Pets are negotiable. We have one amazing indoor-outdoor cat named Radar, and we are open to having another cat and/or a dog on the property, as long as everyone can get along 🙂

Ideal candidates will have some skills/knowledge to share and experience living in community. The most important factors are: like-minded individuals that are interested in learning and sustainability, willing to work hard, can be professional when needed, and most of all – have a positive outlook!

If this living situation sounds intriguing to you, please send us an email that tells something about yourself and why you are interested in living here. We look forward to meeting you!

Cheers,
Eva, Sylvie & Liam

Hi Michael, This was sounding good until I got to the room rental rate. Do they want someone to pay them to develop their property? Did I get that right?
Steve

On Feb 28, 2018 7:53 AM, "Michael Burns" <cayutasunfarm> wrote:

https://ithaca.craigslist.org/roo/6504176814.html

Does using Permaculture principles to create a food forest and sustainable homestead sound exciting to you? Come join us on our 7.5 acre property in Trumansburg! Three of us started this project last summer, and we are looking for the right person/people to co-create it with us. Some of the things we’ve been working on outside are: building a small greenhouse, creating Hugelkultur beds, rainwater catchment, digging a pond, growing trees to plant on the property, starting to manage the woodlot, building a woodshed, and making very good use of the piles of woodchips and leaves our friends have delivered. Indoors we’ve been: building a root cellar, cooking up a storm, processing and preserving foods we’ve grown, building a hearth/installing a woodstove, doing planning for this growing season (including designing an outdoor kitchen and ordering chickens and mushroom spawn), and generally fixing up this 138-year-old house, making it a more efficient and interesting living space!

The current residents are the land owner, a musician in her 50s who works from home for a non-profit film company, and a couple in their twenties who are farmers, artists, and cooks. We all share a passion for organic gardening, natural building, community living and the arts. Our vision for the land is to use Permaculture principles to create a bountiful and beautiful property that can serve as a model, and we’re starting to organize workshops that we hope will be of interest to the larger community.

Our spacious 4-bedroom house sits at the edge of the village of Trumansburg, with woods, a large pond and creek access. The kitchen, living areas and bathrooms are shared by all, and we cook and eat together often (and we eat meat). There is plenty of room here for people to do their own projects – either for generating income or simply for fun!

We are looking for a housemate/landmate(s) who shares these ideals and principles, and who is excited to become a big part of making this place a joy to call home 🙂 A 12-month commitment is important to us. We want someone who is ready to dive into this project and add their gifts and talents to the equation. Beyond that, terms are negotiable! The rent amount will vary ($650-750, plus some utilities) depending on which bedroom you end up in (either 150 or 250 sq ft), and there’s an option for partial work-trade. Our timing is flexible on when you could move in. Our housemate who is moving out hasn’t found a place yet, but you could likely move in as soon as March 1st, if necessary. Pets are negotiable. We have one amazing indoor-outdoor cat named Radar, and we are open to having another cat and/or a dog on the property, as long as everyone can get along 🙂

Ideal candidates will have some skills/knowledge to share and experience living in community. The most important factors are: like-minded individuals that are interested in learning and sustainability, willing to work hard, can be professional when needed, and most of all – have a positive outlook!

If this living situation sounds intriguing to you, please send us an email that tells something about yourself and why you are interested in living here. We look forward to meeting you!

Cheers,
Eva, Sylvie & Liam

https://ithaca.craigslist.org/roo/6504176814.html

Does using Permaculture principles to create a food forest and sustainable homestead sound exciting to you? Come join us on our 7.5 acre property in Trumansburg! Three of us started this project last summer, and we are looking for the right person/people to co-create it with us. Some of the things we’ve been working on outside are: building a small greenhouse, creating Hugelkultur beds, rainwater catchment, digging a pond, growing trees to plant on the property, starting to manage the woodlot, building a woodshed, and making very good use of the piles of woodchips and leaves our friends have delivered. Indoors we’ve been: building a root cellar, cooking up a storm, processing and preserving foods we’ve grown, building a hearth/installing a woodstove, doing planning for this growing season (including designing an outdoor kitchen and ordering chickens and mushroom spawn), and generally fixing up this 138-year-old house, making it a more efficient and interesting living space!

The current residents are the land owner, a musician in her 50s who works from home for a non-profit film company, and a couple in their twenties who are farmers, artists, and cooks. We all share a passion for organic gardening, natural building, community living and the arts. Our vision for the land is to use Permaculture principles to create a bountiful and beautiful property that can serve as a model, and we’re starting to organize workshops that we hope will be of interest to the larger community.

Our spacious 4-bedroom house sits at the edge of the village of Trumansburg, with woods, a large pond and creek access. The kitchen, living areas and bathrooms are shared by all, and we cook and eat together often (and we eat meat). There is plenty of room here for people to do their own projects – either for generating income or simply for fun!

We are looking for a housemate/landmate(s) who shares these ideals and principles, and who is excited to become a big part of making this place a joy to call home 🙂 A 12-month commitment is important to us. We want someone who is ready to dive into this project and add their gifts and talents to the equation. Beyond that, terms are negotiable! The rent amount will vary ($650-750, plus some utilities) depending on which bedroom you end up in (either 150 or 250 sq ft), and there’s an option for partial work-trade. Our timing is flexible on when you could move in. Our housemate who is moving out hasn’t found a place yet, but you could likely move in as soon as March 1st, if necessary. Pets are negotiable. We have one amazing indoor-outdoor cat named Radar, and we are open to having another cat and/or a dog on the property, as long as everyone can get along 🙂

Ideal candidates will have some skills/knowledge to share and experience living in community. The most important factors are: like-minded individuals that are interested in learning and sustainability, willing to work hard, can be professional when needed, and most of all – have a positive outlook!

If this living situation sounds intriguing to you, please send us an email that tells something about yourself and why you are interested in living here. We look forward to meeting you!

Cheers,
Eva, Sylvie & Liam

On Sunday, August 27th at the Schuyler County Cooperative Extension Facility in Montour Falls, NYpermaculture activists will convene to share, network and learn. Your input is invited for the morning workshops and the afternoon discussion.

This year, “diversity in approaches to permaculture” has emerged as a theme. We invite anyone who is using patterns in nature to inform their work to present a workshop or join in the discussion. Whether you use the word “permaculture” and work directly with plants, animals, and soil OR you are inspired by natural patterns in how you and your organization design human social and economic systems, you are welcome!

The first half of the day will be spent in workshops. 45 minute blocks run from 9:30am-10:45am and 11:00am-11:45am. The 90 minute block runs from 9:45am-11:30am.

To propose your workshop, send an email to <info@fingerlakespermaculture.org> with your name, a description of your presentation topic, and specify your time slot preference.

Following the morning workshops there will be a 90 minute lunch break with food trucks in the parking lot. Throughout the day, a plant sale sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County will take place outside as well.

The second half of the day will commence at 1pm. FLPCI will share the seeds of a participatory conference format we have gathered from other regional permaculture convergences. We will explore the theme “How can permaculture best serve our communities?” using Open Space Technology (OST) facilitation. This non-hierarchical format allows you and the other attendees to create the agenda and self-organize around your own interests. ALL participants are invited to bring their wisdom, passions, or questions revolving around our theme to the mix. This session will start with an orientation, so please arrive promptly.

###

4th Annual Finger Lakes Permaculture Weekend

Save the dates: August 25, 26 & 27, 2017

Full, continually updated description at:
http://fingerlakespermaculture.org/4th-annual-finger-lakes-permaculture-weekend/

Friday, August 25th

Permaculture films shown in Ithaca and surrounding communities in New York’s Finger Lakes region.

Saturday, Aug 26th

Tours of permaculture farms, gardens, parks, & homes with a post-tour reception at Finger Lakes Cider House

Sunday, Aug 27th

Regional Permaculture Convergence & Plant Sale at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County in Montour Falls, N.Y.

Apply to put your site on the tour

If you can accept visitors for a full or half-day and can explain to others how permaculture design and principles are demonstrated on your site, you may still apply to join the tour.

Convergence Workshop Facilitators

We have a limited number of workshop spaces open so please contact us as soon as possible.

Volunteers Needed

Let us know your availability by filling out the form on our website: https://goo.gl/CdS2B4

Sponsorship

Our sponsors have been crucial supporters the last three years of the tour leading a weekend of free events for those who cannot afford a donation. We are still seeking sponsors.

Thanks to the following for their early support for the weekend’s events:

• Alternatives Federal Credit Union
• Ashley McGraw Architects
• Cayuta Sun Farm
• Cross Island Farms
• Silver Tree Farm
• Cross Island Farms
• Dead Dog Farm

Visit FingerLakesPermaculture.org to learn about the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute.

Information about the Permaculture Tour Weekend is found at: https://goo.gl/CdS2B4

~Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design Certification Course~
Gather skills to create abundance in your home & resilience in your community.

Fall weekends start this September in Western MA!
Sept 9-12, Oct 14-16, & Nov 10-13

* Practice ecological design for your home and community. * Gain an internationally recognized certificate in permaculture design. * Visit numerous local, well-established permaculture demonstration sites and learn from them. * Study with our teaching team of leading permaculture designers and educators. * Tap into extensive resources and inspirations. * Gather new skills. * Network with fellow ecological thinkers, gardeners, artists, activists, changemakers, planners, business owners, etc. * Conduct design projects at residential and village sites. * Join us for three weekends this fall! * Registration is open: www.PermacultureSeries.org

Gardening Like the Forest:
Dave Jacke Workshops
in Auburn, NY

The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
with support from
Owasco Watershed Lake Association,Auburn Beautification Commissionand Booker T. Washington Community Center
present a weekend of workshops with author and ecological designer Dave Jacke

MORE INFORMATION: FingerLakesPermaculture.org

Friday Evening Public Talk
Gardening Like the Forest:

Regenerating Watersheds through Ecological Food Production

June 9, 2017, 7-9 PM
Theater Mack, Auburn, NY
$10 at the door. Free admission to OWLA members. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Concerned about the impact of agriculture on Owasco Lake and our local water supply? Come learn practical ecological solutions for growing food while maintaining healthy watersheds with landscape designer and author Dave Jacke and local forest gardener Peter Cramer.

Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. They also build and maintain healthy watersheds. Would you like to grow an abundant food-producing ecosystem like that in your yard or on your farm? You can!

Edible forest gardens mimic the structure and function of natural forests through all their stages of development and grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers, farmaceuticals, and fun. We can meet our own needs and regenerate healthy ecosystems at the same time. This talk introduces the vision of forest gardening with some scientific background, a few living examples, and a sampling of some useful perennial edibles for home- or farm-scale. We’ll pay special attention to how forest garden systems can help rebuild the health of Owasco Lake.
Location: Theater Mack, 203 Genesee St, Auburn, NY

Cost: $10 at the door. Free admission for OWLA members. No one will be turned away for a lack of funds.

Saturday-Sunday Workshop
Gardening Like the Forest:

Fundamentals of Ecological Gardening

June 10-11, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Booker T. Washington Community Center
23 Chapman Ave, Auburn, NY
Sliding Scale: $180-$250, $15 discount for OWLA members (includes Friday evening program). Payments above the base of the sliding scale fund scholarships for those in need–please be generous!

Learn how to create healthy food-producing ecosystems by mimicking the structure and function of natural communities! Building on the Friday night talk, for two days we’ll explore the vision, theory, design, and practice of ecosystem agriculture using temperate deciduous forests as models. Lectures, field observations, and experiential classes will reveal the nature of ecosystem architecture, social structure, underground economics, and succession. Participants will also design and plant some forest garden patches at the Auburn Permaculture Park. We’ll learn by doing–and by playing–in a serious way.

Location:Booker T. Washington Community Center, 23 Chapman Ave, Auburn, NY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:
FingerLakesPermaculture,
call Peter Cramer at 315-258-3771

or email info

Announcing Our Upcoming Events ~ You are invited! Please email us to reserve your seat for these tours, workshops, evening classes, or Permaculture Design Certification. (PermacultureSeries)

** Upcoming Tour Days in Western MA **

Saturday April 1, 9:30-3:00

Tour of Sirius EcoVillage Natural Buildings in Shutesbury, MA

Visit the natural buildings, straw bale greenhouse, cob house, 4 season growing greenhouse, and learn about the energy efficiency, and food systems at this 40 year old intentional community.

$25 Donation

Saturday April 8, 9:30-3:00

Tour of a Straw Bale Home in Shelburne Falls, MA followed by a Tour of Wildside Cottages and Gardens in Conway, MA

Visit a straw bale home, root cellar, forest gardens, greenhouse, market gardens, permaculture design, energy efficient home, living roof, etc.

$25 Donation

** What’s Happening at the NEW Sowing Solutions Hub **
(in Shelburne Falls at 8 Deerfield Ave, down by the river)

From Now through April 15th!

Check out our fundraiser and consider making a donation to support these projects ~ a $10 donation offers you perks in exchange!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sowing-solutions-community-permaculture-hub-design#/

~
Sunday April 23, 5pm

Introduction to Fermented Veggies

with Trevor Ring of Tringo Cultures!

Dive into the world of microbes in this hands-on fermentation workshop. Understand how fermentation relates to permaculture and how preserving your own food, and even purchasing locally made fermented products, can help shift society in a positive direction. You will learn about the basic process of how to utilize the wild microbes that surround us and our food to make sauerkraut and other salt-brine pickled vegetables. Bring a pint jar and walk away with a jar of kraut and a wealth of knowledge on how to start preserving food at home through this traditional technique.

Our guest presenter, Trevor Ring, is a Fermentation Culturalist and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who has taught fermentation classes around the Pioneer Valley for over two years. Learning directly from the well-known Fermentation Revivalist, Sandor Katz (author of Wild Fermentation & The Art of Fermentation), and assisting him with a college course in Vermont, Trevor presents a vast wealth of knowledge and experience on the subject. He also creates products for Nourish Wellness Cafe in Northampton under the name Tringo Cultures, and assists with miso production for South River Miso Company in Conway.

Donation $10+

~

Sunday May 7, 5pm

Grand Opening for the Sowing Solutions Hub!

Our NEW Permaculture Design & Education Community Space

Music, socializing by the river, plant and seed swap 🙂

~

Sunday May 28, 5pm

Support Your Local Pollinators ~ Native Pollinator Habitat Gardens

with Amy Cozzolino of Amy’s Pollinator Plant Nursery!

Bees are a keystone species in almost all terrestrial ecosystems, and many bees are facing troubling population declines. Each of us, in our own yards and in our communities can shift our gardening and landscaping practices to support bees, other pollinators, and beneficial insects. This talk will introduce the principles and practices of creating pollinator habitat. We will discuss plant species that supply nectar and pollen and learn about larval host plants for butterflies.

Amy Pulley is a long-time gardener who is excited by what plant-pollinator relationships can teach us about living in a world where reciprocity strengthens resilience. Her enchantment with pollinators and with plants inspired her to create Wing and a Prayer Pollinator Plant Nursery in her backyard in Cummington, where she grows from seed and sells over 100 species of mostly native plants to feed a diversity of pollinators. She recently became active in Western Mass Pollinator Network to encourage and support the creation of habitat in our communities.

Donation $10+

~

Sunday June 11, 1-4 pm

Mushroom Cultivation in Permaculture Systems

with Ari Rockland-Miller of The Mushroom Forager!

Learn to create a landscape that produces a bounty of gourmet mushrooms while nourishing soil fertility and boosting vegetable yields. Participate in a hands on inoculation demonstration of king stropharia mushrooms in garden beds. Also, discover how to maximize lion’s mane yields using the totem method. We will also cover outdoor shiitake production in the Northeast, from inoculation methods to laying yard management and season extension. Participants will inoculate their own shiitake log to take home, and enjoy a mushroom tasting.

Our guest presenter, Ari Rockland-Miller is a writer, instructor and lecturer on wild and cultivated mushrooms and edible plants. He is co-founder of the popular blog The Mushroom Forager and is author of a forthcoming book on how to safely and fruitfully forage for the most coveted wild mushrooms in North America. The Mushroom Forager’s work has been featured on CNN’s Great Big Story, New England Public Radio, Vermont Public Radio, and in magazines including Vermont Life and Northern Woodlands.

Workshop $35-$45 sliding scale (plus $15 to take a mushroom log home)

** Our Permaculture Design Course **

3 Weekends in All: May 20-23, July 15-17, and Aug 18-21

Permaculture Design Certification Course

Gather the skills to design for abundance in your home landscapes and for resilience in your communities. Visit numerous permaculture demonstration sites, participate in a guided ecological design project for real clients at Nine Mountain Retreat Center and Snow Farm New England Craft Program, network with leading permaculture designers, and learn from a stellar team of educators. This course qualifies for optional college credit and is celebrating over 10 years of permaculture education!

Details and Registration at:

www.PermacultureSeries.org

~

Please email us to reserve your seat for these tours, workshops, evening classes, or Permaculture Design Certification. (PermacultureSeries)

Reclaiming our Resilience: A permaculture workshop on planting, foraging and land-based living.

April 28th-30th, 2017

harlemvalleyhomestead.com

During this 2 day intensive, we will learn how to apply permaculture principles in practical, hands-on ways to the garden and farm.

Through direct experience, participants will practice selecting and growing plant species to meet the needs of a sustainable homestead, foraging and processing wild medicinals and foods, cultivating mushrooms in beds and logs, manage waterflow using permaculture design principles, and create ecologically sound waste management systems.

Through working, learning, and eating together on a beautiful 250 acre farm participants of all experience levels will leave with knowledge and inspiration to inform their own projects.

Workshop sessions will revolve around:

Orchard Planting

Hedgerows for food, fuel and fencing

Grafting

Mushroom cultivation, foraging and ecology

Foraging wild spring medicine and foods

Shaping water flow for people and nature

Composting toilet systems

Food, Lodging, and Pricing:

Workshop registration includes extraordinary meals, prepared during your stay using locally sourced and sustainably grown ingredients from the Harlem Valley. And maybe some things we forage together.

We have a variety of lodging options to suit any budget type ranging from campsites to high end suites.

Course cost for Friday evening through Sunday afternoon is $450. Visitour events page to register and reserve lodging.

Contact harlemvalleyhomestead@gmail.com for more information.

Work Trade:

Work trade scholarships are available for a limited number of participants. Please contact us at harlemvalleyhomestead@gmail.com for more information.

Instructors:

Ben Falk, M.A.L.D: Design, Planning, Systems Optimization

Ben developed Whole Systems Design, LLC as a land-based response to biological and cultural extinction and the increasing separation between people and elemental things. Life as a designer, builder, ecologist, tree-tender, and backcountry traveler continually informs Ben’s integrative approach to developing landscapes and buildings. Ben has studied architecture and landscape architecture at the graduate level and holds a master’s degree in land-use planning and design. He has conducted more than 300 site development consultations across New England and facilitated dozens of courses on permaculture design, property selection, microclimate design, and design for climate change.

Ben is the author of the award-winning book the Resilient Farm and Homestead (Chelsea Green, 2013).

Cornelius Murphy is an ecologically minded designer, illustrator, and project manager focusing on the research and development of regenerative and ecological design principles in the areas of agriculture, community planning, education and the public realm. Over the last nine years, he has helped Whole Systems Design grow into a regional leader in ecological design, permaculture, regenerative agriculture and landscape master planning. His professional experience includes academic and corporate campus, estate, municipal master planning and public park planning and design. He holds a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, CA and a degree in Landscape Architecture from Temple University. Cornelius is the illustrator of the award-winning book the Resilient Farm and Homestead (Chelsea Green, 2013).

Josh Viertel is a farmer, educator and activist. He is in the process of developing a 250 acre farm in the Harlem Valley into a center for food and farming education. Josh was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and was listed as one of the seven most powerful voices in the food movement by Forbes and Michael Pollan. From 2008-2012 Josh was president of Slow Food USA, the US branch of the global Slow Food movement. Before his work at Slow Food, Josh was a founding director of the Yale Sustainable Food Project which brought local, sustainable food to Yale University. While there, he built an organic farm on campus.

Alanna Burns is an artist, writer and mushroom cultivator in New York. She works with nature’s materials to help deepen awareness of the ways fungi and other organisms can nourish, heal and set you free.

Have a farm that is in poor shape, but has so much potential.

Read my open letter for details.

Thanks,

Matthew

Open Letter.docx

​www.PermacultureSeries.org

Dear All ~ This is the time to attend a PDC and gather more skills for creating resilience and wellbeing in our homes and communities !

Here is the info for our next Permaculture Design Certification Course in Western MA with Sowing Solutions (Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design & Education is celebrating a decade of permaculture education!):

Gather the skills to ethically design for abundance in your home landscapes and for resilience in your communities.

Three Weekends in All: May 20-23, July 15-17, and Aug 18-21 **Early Birds Save $200 if registered by February 1st** (or Attend the Fall Course: Sept 9-12, Oct 14-16, and Nov 10-13)

www.PermacultureSeries.org

Course Dates:

Our Summer Course is offered over a total of three long weekends : May 20-23, July 15-17, and Aug 18-21

We want to be sure that you know about the EARLY BIRD SAVINGS for the Summer Course. *** Register by February 1st and save $200 off tuition!! ***

The Upcoming Summer Course:

This course is offered by Sowing Solutions, who is celebrating over a decade in permaculture education. It will be held at Snow Farm New England Craft Program in Williamsburg MA for the first May weekend and then at Nine Mountain Retreat Center in Plainfield MA for the July and August weekends~ both sites are truly inspiring places! (Snow Farm is an art school and Nine Mountain is a healing & dance retreat center). Each site is currently developing their permaculture landscape. You will have an opportunity to design for real clients at these host sites, while you are guided through the ecological design process alongside our stellar team of educators and designers.

• Students of this PDC will learn first-hand about working with design clients and conducting an ecological design. Participants will be guided through the ecological design process alongside a team of professional designers and educators.

• A study of permaculture with Sowing Solutions includes visits to numerous demonstration sites such as Sirius EcoVillage, Wildside Cottages and Gardens, and Hickory Gardens. You can evaluate and learn from these leading northeastern permaculture sites that have been growing and evolving for nearly a decade.

• Gaining your internationally recognized certification with Sowing Solutions is an experience of empowerment, support, inspiration and skill building.

• All that you learn in this course can be applied at your home.

Your registration in this course will provide you with: skill shares, discussions, design activities, experience in orchards and forest gardens, skills to create new gardens, natural building visits and hands-on activities, tours of local permaculture sites, immersion in community life, stories and presentations, food preservation and medicine making workshops, mapping techniques, networking opportunities, and a certification in permaculture design.

The Registration Process is as follows:

1. Fill out the registration form (attached) and return to us by email or postal mail at: Sowing Solutions, 5 Bridge St, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370.

2. Send in a $300 deposit or a full tuition payment as a check or money order written out to ‘Sowing Solutions’ at the same mailing address (Sowing Solutions, 5 Bridge St, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370) ~There is also an option to make a payment for either the full or partial tuition amount via paypal or credit card online at our website (http://www.permacultureseries.org/register-now.html)

The registration form is attached here for you. Once we receive an email from you, we will send you a Detailed Course Information Packet. We are available to chat by phone if you have further questions 🙂 We will send you the brief pre-course assignment and all the arrival details as soon as you register.

Fundraising Support is available to you as follows (in other words ~ do not let funding stand in your way of this training and certification program!!!):

• Contact us to talk about many fundraising options and we will share many ideas and strategies with you. (Strategies for fundraising that we have for you are: template letters, work trade applications, scholarship program, discounts when you bring a friend, early bird savings by February 1st, payment plans, fundraising techniques that we can walk you through, accommodation discounts, etc)

It will be wonderful if you can attend this inspiring and informative educational event! We will have a number of interesting design projects to work on together, and we have many existing permaculture demonstration sites to visit. The weekend series format of this course gives us a chance to correspond with you during the months between the class sessions, and provides students with ample time to integrate the new course material. The three weekends of in-class sessions are opportune times for sharing skills, resources, and inspiration, as well as for networking and forming new and lasting friendships.

Visit our website for more course details, www.PermacultureSeries.org, watch out our 2-minute video about this course, learn about the fundraising support that is available, and join us for a fun and informative weekend series course that starts this May! Send us an email to request the detailed Course Information Packet.

If you have any questions, we are happy to talk with you by phone, or correspond by email… and we look forward to meeting you!

Kay and the Sowing Solutions Teaching Team

2017 Weekend Series Permaculture Design Course Registration Form.pdf

The Cornell University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
along with the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute (FLPCI)
offer as part of an online Permaculture Design Certificate course:

Permaculture Design: Ecosystem Mimicry

January 16 – March 2, 2017

Enrollment is now open for “Permaculture Design: Ecosystem Mimicry.”

The class can be taken as a stand-alone course or as one of three in a series offered in permaculture design leading to a Permaculture Design Certificate.

Michael Burns, a cofounder of FLPCI, will be the course instructor for this opportunity based on the permaculture curriculum and activities developed by the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute over the past decade.

This program provides rigorous, evidence-based instruction in the principles and methods of permaculture design based on the internationally recognized curriculum.

There are just a few weeks left to sign up. With only 15 participants per course, enrollment frequently sells out.

Read more at: http://fingerlakespermaculture.org/earn-pdc-home-cornell-university/

Register at: http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/extension-outreach/distance-learning

Michael Burns
Cayuta Sun Farm 607-227-0316
CayutaSunFarm.com