Registration is now open for this spring’s Urban Permaculture course at Langara College. I’m excited to announce that Ander Gates, talented Permie, activist, clown and Farmhouse Animal will be joining me on the teaching team, as well as several local urban Permaculture superstars. Read on for details…
Posted in Uncategorized
Permaculture Design Course: Creating Community Abundance
January 20 – August 12, 2012. Powell River, BC
Creating abundant urban communities that don’t just sustain themselves, but heal the ecology around them and the people who live in them is the frontline of sustainability activism. Permaculture gives us the tools to do it!
Overgrow, Everywhere! Permaculture for sane, just, and sustainable city living.
Eternal Abundance and Rooted on the Drive Cafe and Permaculture activist Erin Innes present three dynamic and interactive talks on Permaculture strategies for a radical reintegration of urban human communities with the ecology that supports us. All events begin at 7pm at Eternal Abundance, 1025 Commercial Drive.
All events are by donation, suggested donation $10 – $20. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Read on for more info: Continue reading
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Huzzah! It’s finished! And it’s as cute as a damned button, if I do say so myself. Thanks so much to everyone who put their sweat and skin cells into our little project. Rad photos by Jonathan Dy. Continue reading
Posted in Courses, Natural Building
Tagged cities, cob, collaboration, courses, social permaculture, urban, urban Permaculture
The community chalkboard project in Strathcona is very nearly done; we’ll be putting the last of the plaster on it this weekend with our Permaculture Design Course. It’s been such a fun project to work on, and a wonderful experience of doing Permaculture in a highly visible urban space. Thanks to all the folks that have stopped by to ask questions, share a laugh, and lend a hand. Keep reading for a couple of photos to update folks on the progress: Continue reading
Posted in Courses, Natural Building
Tagged cities, cob, community, simplicity, urban Permaculture
I have been having a lot of conversations lately with Permaculture colleagues about our teaching work, and in particular how we pay ourselves for that work. There seem to be two schools of thought on this. One: teaching is hard work and I’m not going to do it for nothing. Two: Teaching is only part of this work, and we shouldn’t be trying to make money off of it but should be making it available to our communities. The result of this split, which I don’t think we talk about enough in Permaculture circles, is that there is a vast gulf in the price that students pay for courses taught by teachers from the first school of thought versus teachers from the second.
Posted in Education, Social Permaculture
Tagged cities, community, courses, ethics, learning together, social permaculture, urban Permaculture
As part of the Permaculture Design Certificate course that I’m teaching with the lovely Sara Dent, we are building a cob chalkboard in Strathcona at the Chalk Xchange building, at the corner of Georgia and Princess.
Posted in Courses
Tagged cities, cob, community, courses, learning together, natural building, simplicity, urban Permaculture
It’s finally looking like summer in Vancouver. Bike routes and beaches are packed, and so are every cafe’s outside tables as we all soak up the sunshine while we can. This city really shines when the weather is fine — although, being a born and raised West Coaster, I actually like the rain. As we all get out on our bikes and look up every day to the mountains that tower over us, it’s easy to see why Vancouver is known as a green city, why it wants to become the Greenest City. When you’re surrounded by this much natural beauty, it’s a no-brainer to want to protect it and bring more of it into our neighbourhoods. Spending my time as I do working to try to alter our idea of Nature to include the humans, I also spend a lot of time thinking about what greening my city really means for the people who live here.
Posted in Justice, Social Permaculture
Tagged cities, community, ethics, feedback, social permaculture, urban Permaculture
I’m very excited to be teaching a Permaculture Design Certificate course with a focus on urban Permaculture at Langara College this fall, with longtime urban farmer and community activist Grant Watson.
