[Scpg] Mobile SoCal Permaculture Course ! Jan. 9-19

EWerb at aol.com EWerb at aol.com
Wed Jan 7 11:22:11 PST 2004


please forward to sdpg too

Commonvision Nomadic Permaculture Design Course

Jan 9-19 2004


This is a solution-focused hands-on course that will lay the foundations

for designing physical and inner landscapes that are efficient, productive,

beautiful, and healing to self and the Earth.  The experience is a complete

emersion eleven-day intensive.

Please bring your sense of awe and openness.


We will travel in Common Vision's Mobile Resource Center (MRC).  The MRC is

a school bus converted to run on vegetable oil, has an ever-growing

library, solar electricity, a greenhouse for sprouting, drying racks for

herbal medicines, a hygienic kitchen capable of feeding up to 500 at a

time, sleeping accommodations for 12, and lots of musical instruments.


We are choosing to create a Nomadic Permaculture Course, because there are

no centralized, wholistic models of sustainability. Existing sustainable

models are mostly fragmented, spread out, and manifested with deferent

intentions, requiring a mobile educational infrastructure to connect them

in a way that makes them accessible learning tools for students. By taking

students to diverse sites that model the different parts of sustainability

we encourage them to make their own wholistic vision of sustainability.

Students can then return their communities with the knowledge and skills

necessary to implement effective change.



Some things to be aware of:

Åú   During the course of these eleven days we will be living, eating,

sleeping, and learning together as a nomadic community in close quarters.



Åú  If you have any specific needs that will need to be addressed in the

way of diet, medication, spiritual practice, general interface with the

sentient and/or non-sentient beings please call Michael now 831.588.9914


Åú  Please plan to be on-board for the whole time or discuss with Michael

as to what arrangements can be made.


Åú  This course will be documented by David Sulivan and one of his media

partners.  David is a Pitzer alumni who has been a camera operator in

Hollywood for many years.  It may feel awkward at first, but the camera

soon dissolves into the wall, I promise.


ÅúWith the bus, the size of the group, and the excitement we carry we are a

large ball of energy sweeping through the social and ecological landscape

of Southern California.  Cultivation of a light footstep in both a

collective and individual responsibility.

 Course costs:


We are offering this program at the sliding scale cost of $300-500 plus

food costs.  This means that the facilitators of this journey are receiving

an almost homeopathic stipend after course costs are met.  Please have

payments ready by the beginning of the course.


$300-500  Donation for the Course

$150  Food


Make course checks payable to Common Vision (a project of SEE) and food

checks payable to Michael Flynn


What to pack


Åú  Bliss wear (whatever you need to hold and eat delicious organic

vegetarian meals prepared fresh by Common Vision's live-in chef.  Ehem.

Michael)

Åú  Office supplies (Notebook, pens, etc)

Åú Candles

Åú  Headlamp

Åú  Sleeping gear

Åú  Tent

Åú  Rain gear

Åú  Work clothes

Åú  Snacks, personal comfort food

Åú  Music.

Åú  Yoga Mat (optional)

Åú  Love (mandatory)


Schedule Outine (as of 1-02-04)


Each day has scheduled into it a morning yoga session and three Organic

Vegetarian meals.


Friday 1/9

    

Pomona Organic Farm

_  Lunch 11:30

_  Introductions & Overview

_  Curriculum I: Core Paradigm Shift


Briney Point

_  Movies:  Common Vision (:30)

The Permaculture Farmer (:30)   

_ Sleep


Saturday 1/10


Pomona Farm, Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens

_  Curriculum II:  The Source- Big Picture & Flow


La Ganza Biodynamic Farm

Pedro Torrez is a graduate of CalPoly Pomona and has been a biodynamic

farmer for many years.  He provides the Claremont farmers market with the

only source of certifies biodynamic produce and one of the few sources of

conscientious small-farmed organic produce. He has been looking to run his

tractors and CSA vehicles on biodiesel for a long time.  He will be leading

a work project in greenhouse construction and cider pressing and will be

speaking on the facilitation of the process of centropy as a biodynamic

land steward.


_  Biodiesel workshop

_  Greenhouse (Year-round grow tunnel)

_  Biodynamic Cider pressing    


State Park TBA

_ Sleep



Sunday 1/11


El Zapote


El Zapote is a well-developed food forest South of San Diego.  Jerry Price

is a permaculture elder and steward of El Zapote.  Jerry holds a wealth of

knowledge and experience that will be transferred to the class through

demonstrations, observation, and several work projects.


_  Curriculum III:

Site Specific Techniques & Strategies.

   Guilds,

   Stacking,

   Soil-making,

   Microclimates,

  Food forestry,

  Deep ecology  


_  Sleep



Monday 1/12


El Zapote


_ Service Learning Projects:

  Erosion Control and water design (A Frame, perennials, etc)

  Weed Management,

  Sweatlodge constuction and ceremony,

    


Tuesday 1/13


Exotica Organic Rare Fruit Tree Nursery

Exotica has the widest selection of exotic fruit trees and perennial food

plants.  Steven Spangler is owner and caretaker and will be growing tree

consciousness within all of us.


_ Tour

_ Grafting Workshop


Camp Stevens (www.campstevens.org)

The Mission of Camp Stevens is to help individuals of all ages deepen their

sense of reverence and respect for themselves, and their fellow human

beings, the creation, and God. It also seeks to be a peaceful 'place apart'

for nurturing, planning, reflection, exchange of ideas, and sharing in

Christian community.


_ Biointensive gardens,

_ education,

_ cob



Wednesday 1/14


South Coast Farms (www.southcoastfarms.com)

  _ Tour of abundant OG farm


South Laguna Village Garden

South Laguna Village Garden is a small community garden overlooking the ocean.

  _  cob oven  workshop

  _  Seed workshop


Sprout Acres

A veritable food jungle visioned and stewarded by Dr. Bill Roley an

inspirational elder and the founder and director of Southern California

Permaculture Institute

  _  Food forest

  _  watershed management,

  _  bioregional planning


Center for Universal Truth

A non-denominational spiritual community center.

  _  Slideshows/Movie



Thursday 1/15


L.A. Ecovillage


_   Tour

_   Discussion

_   L.A. PC Guild   Pasadena

_   Park Opening-a designing community space activity


Friday 1/16 


Path to Freedom (www.pathtofreedom.com)

Path to Freedom is a bio-intensive urban garden

  _ Urban homesteading

  _  bio-intensive urban garden

  _  grey water project


The Compost Guru

A _ acre compost pile and a strong spiritual connection with the

decomposition process has inspired local organic gardeners to title this

land steward "The Compost Guru."

   _  Compost


Huntington gardens (www.huntington.org/BotanicalDiv/HEHBotanicalHome.html)

Henry Huntington began developing the Botanical Gardens in 1903. Now they

span nearly 150 acres with sweeping lawns and vistas interspersed with

statuary, tempiettos, and benches. Approximately 15,000 kinds of plants

from all over the world make up the botanical collections, many landscaped

into a series of theme gardens. Landscapes include the Japanese, desert,

rose, camellia, palm, subtropical, jungle, lily ponds, herb, and Australian

gardens. Specialized displays include the North Vista, the Zen and bonsai

courts, the art gallery rockery, the desert garden conservatory, and many

more

   _  Tour

   _  Observation exercises


Saturday1/17    


Ojai Foundation (www.ojaifoundation.org)

The Ojai Foundation is a non-denominational land-based educational

sanctuary located on a beautiful 40-acre semi-wilderness site at the foot

of the Los Padres Mountains, ninety minutes north of Los Angeles. In

addition to its sagebrush and ancient oak forest, the Foundation is home to

a diverse wildlife that includes hawks, owls, deer, and coyotes. From the

beginning, the Foundation's focus on education has been coupled with a firm

commitment to land stewardship and environmental awareness. Most of the

structures at the Foundation are wooden-floored, canvas-walled domes and

yurts powered by solar energy. Our land development includes an organic

fruit orchard and herb garden.

  _  Community Development

  _  Communication and Group Process

  _  Legality issues in eco-construction


The Farm

A community just down the hill from the foundation and home to a

magnificent earth dome. Pending scheduling resolution- Jay, an earth

builder who designed and constructed the earth dome and kiva at Pomona will

give a tour of some of his pieces.

  _ Community models

  _ Design as a Process, letting the earth speak through your works


Farmer and the Cook (www.farmerandcook.com)

We are a locally owned, operated and supplied store and cafe.

We are committed to organic and sustainable agriculture.

Eat and be well,

  _  Community Business models

  _  Good Eating



Sunday 1/18

    

Center for Regenerative Studies at CalPoy Pomona

A shared vision of designers, scientists, and educators dedicated to

restoring and preserving the planet. The Center for Regenerative Studies is

a university-based setting for education, demonstration and research in

regenerative technologies-the collective means of using solar energy,

reusing water, maintaining the fertility of the soils, growing a variety of

foods without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, recycling wastes, and

providing shelter compatible with existing environments. The project is

unique in providing for an interdisciplinary community of students and

faculty members to explore and develop self-sustaining technology and

social systems by actually living and practicing them in their daily lives

at the Center.

  _ Tour


Regen Coops

The Regen Coops in Pomona are amazing examples of urban ecological living.

  _  Tour

  _ Project; greywater, cob, solar or other.


Claremont Natural Cooperative


Monday 1/19


Closing Ceremony




Common Vision

Wholistic Systems Managers


Blair Phillips.  I am a graduate of the University of California, Santa

Cruz with a B.A. in Environmental Studies; I am a certified Permaculture

Teacher. For eight years I have been immersed in the goal of living

sustainably and studying traditional arts. I have worked with multiple

organic farms and environments and volunteered as a teacher in a variety of

schools. I have led and cofacilatated Common Vision workshops. I have been

involved with several forest actions in both California and Oregon. I have

also been doing environmental outreach focusing on organic agriculture and

planetary diet issues by serving free, vegan, organic meals at cultural

gatherings, farmers markets, and to the homeless in urban areas. In hand

with this, I often pick up compost from local markets to insure it proper

use. In the Aptos hills, I have helped with large scale compost, building

soil up with the inedible leftovers. I have also fabricated organic soil

for Upstarts, an organic greenhouse business which supplies most of the

Santa Cruz organic farms. I have planted bio-intensive organic orchards.  I

have refined thousands of gallons of biodiesel. I am the webmaster for the

Common Vision as well as the main editor for the Common Vision Movie. Most

importantly, I have spent extensive time in wilderness areas reconnecting

with nature's pace and lessons.


Deanna Moore.  I graduated from the New College of California last fall

with a degree in Humanities with a concentration in Culture, Ecology, and

Sustainable Community, and an emphasis in Permacultural Studies.

Dissatisfaction with the existing education system activated my inclination

to recontextualize our niche on earth and redesign our current modes of

development with an ecologically-based set of ethics.  This led me to

getting my Permaculture Teaching credentials.


My deep interaction with nature and the natural world, with its innate

intelligence, inborn creativity, and efficiency, have inspired and

empowered me to work for social and environmental justice. Workshops in the

art and science of sustainable and regenerative living have been keystones

in my own personal projects along with peers that feel as passionately as I

do about working for the restoration of ecological balance and creating

sustainable human communities. I am committed to working for ecological

sustainability, and further committed to building an infrastructure that

embodies ecological concepts, is empowering on a local level, and has the

means of storing and passing over knowledge to new generations.  I search

for models in both indigenous knowledge and cutting edge appropriate

technologies that will allow us to reorganize the way we are building our

communities.


Michael Flynn believes that this 21st century human incarnation is a

blessed opportunity to re-member timeless spiritual, ecological, and

cultural practices and to embody them within the matrix of advanced global

capitalism for the benefit of all beings. Michael is a student and

certified teacher of yoga, focused in the Iyengar tradition. He is a

graduate of Pomona College with a BA in Sociology (Education and Culture).

He has dedicated his life's work to the exploration of the question: "In

what ways can we create educational models that acknowledge the importance

of cultural production and employ learning technologies that actually

facilitate the integration of ecological sustainability, spiritual

awareness, and cultural healing into our symbolic negotiation of reality?"

Michael believes that it is our gift and purpose to live the answers in our

mythological fullness.




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