Winooski Valley Permaculture

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Comment by Liza Earle on October 22, 2009 at 9:23am

A big thank you to Hattie for leading the chicken slaughter, and Jess, Alissa, Brian, and Ben for helping her!

At the potluck/meeting were Janice Walrafen, Brian Tokar, Jess Rubin, Ben Graham, Adrienne Allison, Jonah, Annie Sawyer, Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, Caitlyn (of Littlewood Farm), and Liza Earle.

Agenda:
*Bank account
*Needs and yields
*Next meeting (Sun. Nov. 22) Agenda: tool sharing collective, brainstorm skill shares for the winter potlucks

BANK ACCOUNT
We briefly discussed the money still left over from the convergence. Janice wants to follow through with the idea of sending $1000 of it to next year's hosts--the Maine Permaculture group--as seed money for their preparations. We received $500 as seed money. That still leaves us with $3000 (or is that the total--anyway, it leaves us with a lot) to decide what to do with. Janice may email the core convergence planners to discuss this (Alyssa, Mark, Keith, Doni, Emily, Jess, Nicko, Chris, and Brian).

One idea Chris Jackson passed along was hosting a Permaculture Design Course or a Teacher Training course.

NEEDS and YIELDS

1. Janice W's needs: AltogetherNow! will soon be having a mulching work party for the nut trees. It would be great to have a pick-up truck (Aliza's?) to transport mulch from Janice's place to ATN.

Oct. 30th, 5:30 at ATN Hallow's Eve celebration. Performance needs:
help friday setting up
tiki torches
jack-o-lanterns (Adrienne & the preschool will hollow some out and maybe carve too on Tues. with Liza's help carving Tues. night)
lanterns
someone to person the donation and food tables
greeters
parking helpers
Pallets and wood for the bonfire
apple cidar
apples
donuts
offerings for the shrine
puppet helpers


Janice's yields: SAUNA parties, to start sometime after Hallow's Eve...

2. Jonah's needs: Help developing his land/space in Topsham... It is a wet spot. He proposed a possible work party in the next month, but has decided a spring one would be better. Yields: He offered a home for the chickens that didn't get slaughtered! Thanks, Jonah. He's also offered his space for a celebration, as he can easily have up to 12 people stay the night at his place.
Contact him at JonahKivlen@yahoo.com

3. Jess Rubin's needs: Saturday, Oct. 24, 9AM-3PM join her at Orchard Valley Waldorf School for a wigwam building work party. Help with putting on shingles and learn how to make cattail mats to line the inner walls. Yields:

*Burdock Fest (2nd Annual) is this Sun. Oct. 25, also at Orchard Valley, Harvesting and pickiling 1-5PM (bring your own jars for pickling). Localvore potluck at 5PM, Burdock poetry share at 5:30PM, Old time dance with Jennifer Steckler calling at 6PM

*Biodynamic Discussion Group meets the first Mondays of the month at Orchard Valley, 6-7:30PM. All are welcome. On Nov. 4th they will be preparing the "Horn Preparation (500)"

Apples are available for a donation of $5/canvas bag at the Waldorf School
You can also talk with Jess for more info on the Endangered Plants Trail.

4. Liza Earle's needs: Friends to make sure that my life is balanced and not just school work. Join me for Int'l Climate Action Day this Saturday afternoon. Bike ride to Barre at 1:30PM info here. Rally on Statehouse lawn info here. Yields: I'm excited to have a more time in my schedule this year to help with different permaculture or DIY projects for a few hours on weekends. I want to learn more, so let me know how I can help! Jess and I also want to host a nature stories/nature songs swap one evening or weekend afternoon at ATN with other educators or just others who love songs and stories. Let me know if you're interested in joining. letsgoflyakite@yahoo.com

5. Annie Sawyer's needs: Annie has a roughed out bow and would love help on how to take it to the next stage. She talked with Graham, and was also told that Salvador at the Farmer's Market is a good resource. She wants to learn to plant garlic, and connected with Janice to plant on Tuesday. In the spring, she'd love to host some design/work parties out to her family's land in Woodbury. They're also interested in aquaculture. She'll be building a two-story yurt, working for nine days with famous yurt man, Bill Coperthwaite!

6. Adrienne Allison's yields: Yoga classes at the Plainfield Community Ctr. above the co-op are Tuesdays, 5:45-7PM, by donation--join in! Tulsi Tea Room will soon be hosting a sewing workshop to make haritaki to wrap around your middle and stay toasty and well this winter! Stay tuned or email her at grnmtmedicinals@yahoo.com

7. Ben Graham's needs: Firewood for the Hallow's Eve party. Leftover pieces of foam to insulate a root cellar. 1 cord of dry firewood for heating (someone suggested the Montpelier Rec. Dept.) Yields: He's selling straw bales leftover from a work project for $5/bale. bfg@naturaldesignbuild.us

8. Brian Tokar's needs: Mulching party help here at AllTogetherNow! The Plainfield Coop needs a new board member. The Annual Mtg. is Sun. Nov. 8th and Janice W. is facilitating. briant@pshift.com

9. Graham Unangst-Rufenacht's needs: Keep informed of everything going on/needs, though it is hard for him to commit right now. Exploring the possibility of a new living situation in the Plainfield or East Montpelier area--let him know of any places that open up. Would love help turning his dad's 11 acres in E. Montpelier into an edible forest garden. His dad will fund the supplies needed. Yields: As part of his herbalism program with VCIH, Graham is excited to find out your medical needs and discuss the herbal options with you. Also, let him know if you want to be part of an open mic night coalition at Langdon St. on Mondays! graham.rufenacht@gmail.com

NEXT WINOSKI VALLEY PERMACULTURE POTLUCK/MEETING:
Sunday Nov. 22nd. Time and place TBA. (If you'd like to host, just email the group from the Transition Vermont page)

Jess brought up the hope that we could have skill shares before the potlucks this winter, like what happened a lot of times before the potlucks last winter. Let the group know if you're willing to share some of your knowledge!

POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEM FOR NOV. 22: Ben Graham brought up the idea of a small farm tool sharing collective. A suggestion was made to make a "library" or inventory of the tools we already own collectively as a group. If you're interested in being a part of this in the early stages, make a list of tools you are willing to share and bring the list to the Nov. 22nd meeting. We discussed the possibility of posting it as a file on the permaculture link on Transition Town Vermont's web page. Janice mentioned that Matt Nowakowski is definitely interested.

That's it for now. Be well. Plant your garlic and set good intentions for the coming period of darkness. Hope to see some of you at the Wigwam work party, Climate Action Day, the Burdock Fest this weekend, or a mulching party soon!

~Liza

Comment by Dennis Steele on September 29, 2009 at 9:34pm

Attention Free Vermont Radio wants to help support local transition businesses. We are doing this by offering free audio ads. If you are interested please send a 30-60 second recording to us at freevermontradio@gmail.com If you have a website we can include a link as well.

Sincerely,

Dennis Steele

Comment by Keith Morris on April 14, 2009 at 11:10am

Hey Alec!

www.northeasternpermaculture.wikispaces.com

Comment by Alec Hill on April 14, 2009 at 10:36am

Hey folks, I'm out of the loop but want to get in.
I want to do some promotion for the convergence.
I'd use http://catalystnow.org for this and will be designing posters for that soon to promote things like the pc convergence with as well.
I've looked around a bit, but haven't been ale to find the dates for it.
Can someone point me on my way?
Cheers

Comment by George Lisi on February 16, 2009 at 10:37am

What a great NOFA!! Ben Falk's talk was right on. He'll be posting some of his powerpoint at his website and also this site. A great start for strategic thinking about the coming changes. Annie Mc said that Keith's greenhouse pres was fantastic. And the Permaculture Bums had a great time hanging around the bio-char barrel!

See you at the potluck next Sunday!

Comment by Michaela Maestas on February 16, 2009 at 8:04am

I am just about dying to get back into the gardens. but so frozen solid. ugh!!
. love Micha

Comment by Stephan Syz on January 21, 2009 at 2:49pm

Mike,
You make a very clear and compelling statement!
Stephan

Comment by Michael Blazewicz on January 21, 2009 at 1:32pm

Hi Stephen! Just wanted to follow up on the already excellent comments. Indeed Permaculture Design does embrace the full range of living necessities both the new technologies and traditional techniques - as Nicko mentioned, the key, however, is in the intentional design and placement of these elements in the landscape in order to make connections and beneficial relationships. For example, a "green" building in the middle of nowhere adding to sprawl and increasing driving; organic agriculture providing food to us here in Vermont from 3000 miles away; a garden that is on the other side of your property and therefore neglected and underproductive; conservation lands that are islands amongst themselves; are all examples of poor design. Much better to have well placed well thought out systems that interact and create synergies rather than just pulling in all the "green tech/solutions" you can get your hands on and calling it "sustainable". Its all about connection and interaction - just like Transition Vermont.

Comment by George Lisi on January 21, 2009 at 11:03am

Stephen: Check out (pun intended) Permaculture in a Nutshell, by Patrick Whitefield - it's at Kellogg-Hubbard. Permaculture is perhap the key 'technology' for transitioning, so the more folks who have an understanding the better!

Comment by Stephan Syz on January 21, 2009 at 9:26am

Thank you, Nicko, so, if I understand correctly, permaculture embraces the full range of basic living necessities, food, clean water, basic health practices, shelter, sustainable substances for heat (wood), consideration of the proper placement of functions on our landscape for a time when gravity will be needed to assist oxen and horses in drawing wood from hillside forests, when streams and springs will again need protection to serve as our primary water supplies...... In part, respectful of our landscape, we should be working hard now to avoid befilthing our bed any more than we already have and preserving in perpetuity those parts of our landscape upon which we will depend in perpetuity in the post oil age.

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