Jan 16, 2018
What is Permaculture & Whole Systems Design?
Permaculture is an ethically based whole-systems design approach that uses concepts, principles, and methods derived from ecosystems, indigenous peoples, and other time-tested systems to create human settlements and institutions. It’s also been called “saving the planet while throwing a better party.”
This course includes the internationally recognized 72-hour curriculum, augmented by an additional 38-hours of hands on practice and field trips. Plus, folks have the option to camp on site each weekend, and build community around the fire!
Dates & Topics 2018
- April 14 & 15 – Introduction to Permaculture Design and Nature Awareness
- May 5 & 6 – Restoring Watersheds & Soils
- June 16 & 17 – Personal & Social Permaculture
- July 7 & 8 – Home Scale Permaculture: Creating Natural Homes and Edible Landscapes
- August 4 & 5 – Broad Scale Permaculture: Integrated Animal Husbandry and Forest Management
- September 8 & 9 – Regenerative Community Development
- September 15 – Design Presentations & Party!
Guides
For more details, cost information and to register, CLICK HERE.
Jan 3, 2018
As part of the Peaceful World Foundation’s attempt to bring meaningful, inspiring conversations about topics that matter to the people, Peaceful World Conversations breakfast conversation sessions provide a unique communication style platform. These engaging gatherings aim to build awareness on various topics important to people’s lives through meaningful discussions that contribute to the development of ourselves and our communities. Peaceful World Conversations offer an opportunity to grow in self-knowledge, ask meaningful questions and co-create new possibilities.
This season, Sustainable Solano along with a network of other organizations who work with the land, had the opportunity to participate as co-host of a breakfast conversation event at Café X in San Francisco to discuss our past and current relationship with the planet and opportunities to deepen our connection with the earth to live in harmony with its soils and waters.
Plant medicine, eating food of our own cultivation, and re-discovering our role in the management of this planet were topics discussed by all who attended. Contrasting city life verses life closer to nature drew many differing views on the benefits of each live condition and finding balance in the tranquility that forest life brings and the order and systematic abundance provided by city life.
Sustainable Solano board member, Marlen Otten talked about the impact of food forest installation projects on building community and establishing a true connection with the earth by getting your hands dirty extending a social connection to the people engaged in such projects.
Members of the Peaceful World Foundation leadership team: Heidi Majano (Program Director), Helene Szabados (Program Coordinator) and David Whitridge (Board Member), spoke about local food systems and our growing disconnect from its production and cultivation. People shared their observations on how large quantities of processed foods having decreased a general appreciation for nature and our food sources.
After acknowledging the outstanding issues, conversations led into a more solution-based approach when the table was asked to provide feedback on ways one could begin connecting with the Earth right now. Several opportunities surfaced through these discussions and attendees from various cultural backgrounds, experience with the land and knowledge chimed in with stories about how their ancestors honored the earth and the food produced in its soils. Heritage Gardens, where traditional plants from varying ancestral backgrounds are cultivated and cared for by methods used from generations prior, was an inspirational topic of discussion and was embraced as an opportunity to reconnect with culture and nature.
The conversation concluded with some takeaway ideas for beginning to connect with the Earth.
- Joining a community garden to build strong relationships with your community
- Educating the youth of agricultural practices
- Walking a garden
- Recognizing our role in the cultivation of the planet is the start to a sustainable future
- Finding our ancestral connections to the earth
Jan 2, 2018
Our website for Benicia Community Gardens has officially been retired and information has been transferred to our main Sustainabe Solano webpage. Click here to bookmark this page now.
If you have any garden or orchard related questions or inquiries, please use our new active email: gardens@sustainablesolano.org. Our old emails will remain active temporarily.
Stay tuned for details about our annual general garden meeting in February!
Jan 2, 2018
By Kimberly K. Fu, kfu@thereporter.com, @ReporterKimFu on Twitter
[The Reporter full article link]
A long stretch of edible nature was unveiled Thursday at Mission Solano, thanks to community partnerships including Sustainable Solano. The new sustainable garden, also described as a public demonstration food forest, is complete with a laundry-to-landscape greywater system and in-ground water storage. The new venture, explained Mission Solano Executive Director Brandon Wirth, is all about health, sustainability and providing for the Mission’s homeless clients. “We’re excited to see this grow for our clients to enjoy and for our community (also), as it develops,” he said.
Elena Karoulina, executive director of Sustainable Solano, said the project demonstrates leadership and vision. “It also demonstrates the power of community. All the people that came together … joined hands and came to learn,” she shared. She reflected that Thursday was the longest night of the year. “I hope this garden will be a reminder that light will prevail,” she said. “That the light will return.”
Kathleen Huffman, with Sustainable Solano, designed the garden. She shared her excitement at the potential to provide 25,000 pounds of fruits, vegetables and herbs and added that much more was possible. “I have a five year plan,” she emphasized. Her aim is to plug in garden beds wherever there’s a free spot of earth. The more the merrier, she said. A dwarf Alberta Spruce anchors the garden, and herbs and strawberries and sweet potatoes and more surround it. In about a year or so many of the plants will begin bearing produce and Mission Solano clients will be able to sample them. “Better nutrition, better flavor,” Huffman commented. Education is also in the works, with the designer talking with clients about the garden. “I want to teach the people here how to eat better,” she said
Shauna Hughes, chief operating officer at Mission Solano, showed off the greywater system located in the mission’s laundry room. Just one wash provides enough greywater to nourish the garden, she said.
The 707 branch of the SB Freaks motorcycle club did the plumbing with Greywater Action hooking up the greywater system.
Sustainable Solano said similar gardens are slated for Vacaville and Suisun City in 2018.
Dec 20, 2017
Sustainable Solano celebrates the official opening of its first public demonstration food forest garden in Fairfield at Mission Solano on Thursday, December 21st. The birth of this food-producing community garden was developed after Mission Solano’s Chief Operating Officer, Shauna Hughes, reached out to the only sustainability-based nonprofit in Solano county for a possible partnership in helping create better access to healthier, more nutritious food options for its resident guests, educational opportunities for job skills training and ways to encourage independent sustainable living practices for residents transitioning back into the community.
Sustainable Solano’s Sustainable Backyard Program’s late summer expansion into Fairfield this year began the conversation for the planning of a “Christmas” demonstration food forest garden that would serve the greater community and provide a source of inspiration to build neighborhood resilience across other Solano county neighborhoods.
Through numerous hands-on workshops, community members and Mission Solano residents worked hard this season planting trees and edible plants, digging swales and installing a laundry-to-landscape greywater system to create a beautiful, thriving edible landscape fed by secondary water (rainwater and greywater). This demonstration garden will be open most Saturdays of the year for self-guided tours and will provide educational opportunities for learning about growing food and using water wisely in the garden.
Anyone interested in attending this celebratory event from 2:00pm-3:00pm on Thursday, December 21st at Mission Solano (310 Beck Avenue, Fairfield) is welcome to come enjoy hot chocolate and sweet treats with neighbors in honor of this inspiring community effort to inspire and educate about how to grow locally and eat healthier. This project was made possible by funding from the Solano County Water Agency.
No registration is required.
The Sustainable Backyard program will expand to Suisun City next spring and to Vacaville in the fall of 2018. Sustainable Solano will be looking for both private and public lands to install food forests in these cities. Visit www.sustainablesolano.org and www.facebook.com/sustainablesolano for updates and details about this expansion.
