Hey y'all,
This is a rather impersonal message since I'm trying to send it out to many people and not spend all day on the computer! This Saturday I'm inviting lot's of folks over to help with the project I've been working on for the last 6+ months - turning my yard into an edible forest garden - a yarden. Here's the e-mail I've been sending around.
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I'm writing to inform everyone about a project that I'm currently working on and incredibly passionate about. I'm in the process of converting my single-family home in Amherst, MA into a model residence for ecological living. A large portion of the project entails transforming the entire grass front yard into an edible forest garden. This project was started back in September, 2009 and there is almost no grass left! Perennial fruits, vegetables, berries and roots have already begun growing and we are trying to make this project as inspiring as possible, in hopes that others will want to do this to their yards!
We'll be having an informal work-day with tours this Saturday, April 24, starting at 8:30am and lasting until 5:00pm. Some food will be provided but please bring a lunch if you plan on coming early and staying throughout the day. Please bring any of the mentioned tools if you have them (more pitch forks, digging forks, shovels, rakes and hammers will be needed if lot's of people show up!)
The main goal of this project is to save energy and this Saturday we will be setting up a clothes line made from all recycled materials (minimize dryer use), an outdoor compost bin (less trash to landfills) a trellis or two for our vegetables, and we will be sheet mulching some pathways and inoculating certain areas of wood chips with white clover (to fix nitrogen, minimize the work that is lawn mowing, and improve soil health.) Maybe some planting, too.
It is expected to be another gorgeous day this Saturday, so please come help us out at 3 Willow Lane, in Amherst, MA. Call or e-mail Ryan Harb if you have questions / for directions. (978) 314-1176.
I hope to see some of you on Saturday!
-Ryan
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Permaculture Design Course in Peru
Happy spring, y'all. Below is an e-mail I received from my friend Cynthia, who is co-teaching a permaculture design course in Peru! This sounds like a fantastic opportunity and I wish I could go! Two friends of mine from Growing Power will be heading south to stay in Peru for a year or so... if you do decide to go on this please let me know as I'll be wanting to hear all about it!
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Permaculture Design Certificate Course
in the Peruvian Amazon
Healing the Land & Healing our Bodies
through Permaculture & Shamanism
Bilingual: English and Spanish
June 22nd – July 6th 2010
www.PlanetPeoplePassion.com
Planet People Passion is thrilled to offer a very special opportunity to partake in our inaugural Permaculture Design Certificate Course at The Amazonian Institute for the Preservation of the Rainforest & Indigenous Traditions.
The objective of the project is to establish a Permaculture education and information base that will empower the community and provide models for sustainable agriculture alternatives to slash and burn practices, soil remediation, reforestation, effective use of water resources, recycling and waste management.
Guided by lead instructor Andrew Jones, and assistant instructors Shenaqua Sookhoo-Jones and Cynthia Robinson, students in this intensive two week Design Certificate Course will have an opportunity to play a hands on role in the real life design planning and implementation of this Permaculture site located on 40 acres of previously clear cut forest in the Peruvian Amazon 60 kilometer from Iquitos, Peru.
In the course we will be studying a holistic approach to Permaculture incorporating:
• Multiple meetings with many local villages and tribes in order to learn of the history, culture, resources, and current challenges these indigenous communities face. It is important that we truly understand the problems in order to design relevant solutions.
• Explore the symbiotic relationship between nurturing the land and nurturing our own bodies.
• Work with indigenous Shamans in order to explore the medicinal and sacred plants of this incredibly bio-diverse and magical region.
For more information visit www.PlanetPeoplePassion.com
To learn more about Permaculture and the specific topics covered visit HERE
Cost:
$2000 regular
$1800 early bird registration (by April 21st)
$1600 student (early registration discount does not apply)
Price includes room, instruction, meals, activities and transportation once in Iquitos (everything except airfare).
Questions, contact Cynthia Robinson:
cynthia@PlanetPeoplePassion.com
917.297.6696
In Gratitude,
The PPP Team
Follow us on Facebook>>
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---
Permaculture Design Certificate Course
in the Peruvian Amazon
Healing the Land & Healing our Bodies
through Permaculture & Shamanism
Bilingual: English and Spanish
June 22nd – July 6th 2010
www.PlanetPeoplePassion.com
Planet People Passion is thrilled to offer a very special opportunity to partake in our inaugural Permaculture Design Certificate Course at The Amazonian Institute for the Preservation of the Rainforest & Indigenous Traditions.
The objective of the project is to establish a Permaculture education and information base that will empower the community and provide models for sustainable agriculture alternatives to slash and burn practices, soil remediation, reforestation, effective use of water resources, recycling and waste management.
Guided by lead instructor Andrew Jones, and assistant instructors Shenaqua Sookhoo-Jones and Cynthia Robinson, students in this intensive two week Design Certificate Course will have an opportunity to play a hands on role in the real life design planning and implementation of this Permaculture site located on 40 acres of previously clear cut forest in the Peruvian Amazon 60 kilometer from Iquitos, Peru.
In the course we will be studying a holistic approach to Permaculture incorporating:
• Multiple meetings with many local villages and tribes in order to learn of the history, culture, resources, and current challenges these indigenous communities face. It is important that we truly understand the problems in order to design relevant solutions.
• Explore the symbiotic relationship between nurturing the land and nurturing our own bodies.
• Work with indigenous Shamans in order to explore the medicinal and sacred plants of this incredibly bio-diverse and magical region.
For more information visit www.PlanetPeoplePassion.com
To learn more about Permaculture and the specific topics covered visit HERE
Cost:
$2000 regular
$1800 early bird registration (by April 21st)
$1600 student (early registration discount does not apply)
Price includes room, instruction, meals, activities and transportation once in Iquitos (everything except airfare).
Questions, contact Cynthia Robinson:
cynthia@PlanetPeoplePassion.com
917.297.6696
In Gratitude,
The PPP Team
Follow us on Facebook>>
Follow us on Twitter>>
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Green Building and Sustainable Design - Summer Course
Greetings all,
Do you want to know more about green building? Are you feeling the need to gain some hands-on natural building experience this summer?
My name is Ryan Harb. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a finishing graduate student from UMass and in May I will become the first person in the country to receive a MS in Green Building. I have a strong interest in ecological design and for 4 years I have been transforming my single-family home in Amherst, a college rental property, into a model sustainable residence. One project I'm working on now is a front yard transformation – creating a 5000s.f. highly productive, food producing, permaculture garden at my home. Designing sustainable (food and other) systems is one of many aspects of green building.
This summer I will be co-teaching a 3-week Sustainable Design and Construction course at Sirius Community - a model educational and sustainable ecovillage in scenic western Massachusetts. This is one of the few opportunities in the country to receive college credit while learning experientially about sustainable design and construction. All students will receive natural building certification upon completion of this course.
The spots to this class are filling up fast and we would love to see more representation from UMass. This course takes place literally 20 minutes down the road in Shutesbury, MA
Course Topics:
What is Green Building?
We will take you on an ecological journey through the entire green building process: from site selection and laying the foundation to selecting appropriate materials and conducting a life cycle analysis.
Green Structures: Simple to Complex
Green building at its simplest form: primitive shelter building, site analysis, passive solar architecture, patterning for energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies.
Natural Building:
Exploration of natural building materials, their properties and their 'roles' as structural components. Students gain experience in timber frame, straw bale and cob construction.
Community Strategies:
Eco-village and community design; master plans and how they evolve over time. Group design project and presentation.
Course Dates: June 21 – July 11
Apply before April 15th! The deadline is soon approaching.
Contact Living Routes today: http://www.livingroutes.com/programs/p_greenbuilding.htm
I hope to see some of you this summer.
Happy Spring,
Ryan Harb
Please pass this e-mail along to others who may be interested in this great opportunity.
Do you want to know more about green building? Are you feeling the need to gain some hands-on natural building experience this summer?
My name is Ryan Harb. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a finishing graduate student from UMass and in May I will become the first person in the country to receive a MS in Green Building. I have a strong interest in ecological design and for 4 years I have been transforming my single-family home in Amherst, a college rental property, into a model sustainable residence. One project I'm working on now is a front yard transformation – creating a 5000s.f. highly productive, food producing, permaculture garden at my home. Designing sustainable (food and other) systems is one of many aspects of green building.
This summer I will be co-teaching a 3-week Sustainable Design and Construction course at Sirius Community - a model educational and sustainable ecovillage in scenic western Massachusetts. This is one of the few opportunities in the country to receive college credit while learning experientially about sustainable design and construction. All students will receive natural building certification upon completion of this course.
The spots to this class are filling up fast and we would love to see more representation from UMass. This course takes place literally 20 minutes down the road in Shutesbury, MA
Course Topics:
What is Green Building?
We will take you on an ecological journey through the entire green building process: from site selection and laying the foundation to selecting appropriate materials and conducting a life cycle analysis.
Green Structures: Simple to Complex
Green building at its simplest form: primitive shelter building, site analysis, passive solar architecture, patterning for energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies.
Natural Building:
Exploration of natural building materials, their properties and their 'roles' as structural components. Students gain experience in timber frame, straw bale and cob construction.
Community Strategies:
Eco-village and community design; master plans and how they evolve over time. Group design project and presentation.
Course Dates: June 21 – July 11
Apply before April 15th! The deadline is soon approaching.
Contact Living Routes today: http://www.livingroutes.com/programs/p_greenbuilding.htm
I hope to see some of you this summer.
Happy Spring,
Ryan Harb
Please pass this e-mail along to others who may be interested in this great opportunity.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization!
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather! Life is extremely hectic right now and because of that I haven't gotten to post on the blog very much recently. I'm in the process of transforming my yard into a garden (or a 'yarden'), finishing up graduate school, and doing numerous other outside of academia activities. I will write again when life calms down some!
Next Sunday (April 11) I will be bowling for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization with Sam, my little brother of 2 years! Last year we were the number 2 fundraising team in Hampshire County - totaling around $1250! This year I've been away for most of the fundraising-season and because of that I'm getting a VERY late start!
Many of you donated last year and I thank you so much for that. This year our goal this year is $500 and we are going to try and do that in a week! Here's how you can help:
Go to the following link: http://bit.ly/bUeBOX
Donate to our team: A couple of "Sirs"!
Or if that link doesn't bring you directly to our page: do the following
www.bowlathon.kintera.org/hampshirecounty/2010
Clink the link on the right that says "more" (it's underneath "Team Rank")
Our team name is the top one - A Couple of "Sirs" - with me listed as the captain.
If you are willing/able to donate, I ask that you do it sometime this week, as the event starts on Saturday and we will be bowling on Sunday. Thank you SO much for your help - this is truly a great cause and everything you pitch in will help the organization make future big/little matches and hold other fun events like this.
Be well, everyone!
Ryan
I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather! Life is extremely hectic right now and because of that I haven't gotten to post on the blog very much recently. I'm in the process of transforming my yard into a garden (or a 'yarden'), finishing up graduate school, and doing numerous other outside of academia activities. I will write again when life calms down some!
Next Sunday (April 11) I will be bowling for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization with Sam, my little brother of 2 years! Last year we were the number 2 fundraising team in Hampshire County - totaling around $1250! This year I've been away for most of the fundraising-season and because of that I'm getting a VERY late start!
Many of you donated last year and I thank you so much for that. This year our goal this year is $500 and we are going to try and do that in a week! Here's how you can help:
Go to the following link: http://bit.ly/bUeBOX
Donate to our team: A couple of "Sirs"!
Or if that link doesn't bring you directly to our page: do the following
www.bowlathon.kintera.org/hampshirecounty/2010
Clink the link on the right that says "more" (it's underneath "Team Rank")
Our team name is the top one - A Couple of "Sirs" - with me listed as the captain.
If you are willing/able to donate, I ask that you do it sometime this week, as the event starts on Saturday and we will be bowling on Sunday. Thank you SO much for your help - this is truly a great cause and everything you pitch in will help the organization make future big/little matches and hold other fun events like this.
Be well, everyone!
Ryan
Sunday, April 4, 2010
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