Dec 22, 2016
Toby (4th from the right, top) with us in 2014
“Permaculture gives us a toolkit for moving from a culture of fear and scarcity to one of love and abundance.” Toby Hemenway
April 23, 1952 – December 20, 2016
December brought a sad news: Toby Hemenway, permaculture activist, the author of Gaia’s Garden and The Permaculture City, and a supporter of our permaculture educational efforts in Solano County lost his battle with cancer.
We had the privilege to welcome Toby to Benicia in 2014 when he came to meet with our Benicia Sustainable Backyard team and to deliver a talk on permaculture to the community. We were just embarking on this journey of sustainable landscaping informed by permaculture, and to have this world-renowned author sit down with us and guide us was an important milestone for the organization.
I spoke with Toby for the last time in August, at one of his last public lectures. He was noticeably not feeling well, but still inquired about our progress in Benicia and was glad to hear the program was expanding to the entire county. He promised to recommend a few good speakers (which he did the following week!). It was Toby we always knew: inspiring, kind, attentive, warm and interested in the world…This is how we will remember him.
Toby’s legacy and his life’s work will continue to live in numerous permaculture gardens throughout the world, his books, his students, some of whom live and work in Solano, and through all the people he touched and inspired. Thank you, Toby.
You can view a video of when Toby’s talk with us here.
Elena Karoulina and the Sustainable Solano Team
Dec 17, 2016
Sustainable Solano presents 2017 sustainable landscaping classes for general public in Vallejo and Benicia Community Centers.
SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING FOR YOUR HOUSE
Adults and teens
Winter is a good time to start dreaming and planning about our garden renewal.
This is the perfect class for homeowners who are thinking about replacing a lawn or who would like to make their current landscapes resource-wise.
You will learn about sustainable landscaping: beautiful, productive, life-supporting ecosystem featuring trees and a variety of perennials fed by “secondary” water (greywater and rainwater). We’ll discuss edible landscaping, examine a few simple design plans, look into current turf replacement rebates and tell you about sustainable landscapers in our area.
Class is taught by local landscapers promoting sustainable landscaping practices.
Benicia Community Center:
Thursdays, February 2
Thursday, March 2
Both classes are 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Cost: free ($5 administrative fee charged by the Community Center)
To register: go to Benicia Parks and Recreation
Vallejo Foley Cultural Center, 1499 N. Camino Alto
Tuesday, February 28
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Cost: free
To register: go to Greater Vallejo Recreational District
Fairfield Community Center – coming in the summer 2017!
Dec 16, 2016
Would you like to become a demonstration food forest keeper?
Would you like to convert your thirsty lawn into a thriving food-producing ecosystem fed by the laundry-to-landscape greywater system? Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge and resources with your community? Are you interested in sustainable landscaping, edible gardens, and especially permaculture? Do you own a house in Vallejo or Fairfield? Would you like to be a part of a growing permaculture community in Solano County?
If you answer “yes” to all of the above, you can be a good candidate to become a demonstration food forest keeper in 2017!
Imagine a thriving, vibrant eco-system in your front- or backyard! A few fruit trees surrounded by native and Mediterranean plants, berries, perennial vegetables, flowers, with enough space for your annual favorites.
How does this work?
We’ll design and facilitate an installation of a Seed Plot on your property. You provide volunteers (your friends and family make the best team: you learn and work together, and then you celebrate); we provide design, plants, material and expert advise, all free for you. During the installation, your laundry will become a classroom for “How to Install a Greywater System” hands-on workshop, and your yard will be open for public workshops. You then share with the community the progress of your Seed Plot for at least next 5 years: we’ll take pictures of your growing and evolving Seed Plot and advise you on maintenance and future design, while you let community in once or twice a year for a tour of your Food Forest.
We’ll have an open application process; the preliminary dates are February – March 2017 for Vallejo and June – August 2017 for Fairfield. You’ll be able to download the Application Form from our website. The Application includes a very detailed study of your proposed location for a Seed Plot and a legal part that defines parties’ roles and responsibilities.
Every application will be evaluated by our Advisory Board – a group of people with a Permaculture Design Certificate and experience in designing and building permaculture sites. The Program team will visit your site for an extensive survey and a conversation with you and your family about your potential Seed Plot.
To learn more and to meet the Advisory Board: please attend Benicia’s demonstration food forests guided tours in January – May 2017 and landscaping classes in February and March. For more information, email info@sustainablesolano.org.
Dec 16, 2016
Sustainable Solano is looking for Benicia homes to host public Laundry to Landscape workshops (and install simple “laundry-to-landscape” greywater systems in, as part of our continuing Benicia Sustainable Backyard Program funded by the Community Sustainability Commission).
If your home meets the following requirements and you’re interested in participating in our program, please email to us at info@sustainablesolano.org asap. The workshops are scheduled for February 4 and March 4, 2017.
Requirements:
• Homeowner in Benicia
• Laundry room has an exterior wall or accessible crawlspace
• Landscape is within 50 feet of the washing machine with trees, bushes, or larger perennials to irrigate
You receive:
• Free installation (you pay $400 for materials)
Contact: info@sustainablesolano.org
Dec 15, 2016
Leveling a swale
Thanks to the Solano County Water Agency, we are able to expand our Benicia Sustainable Backyard Program to the cities of Fairfield and Vallejo in 2017.
The program is designed to support regenerative landscaping in Solano County in conjunction with the changing climate and persistent drought, demonstrate simple and affordable water-saving techniques (laundry-to-landscape greywater systems, rainwater harvesting in the ground with help of simple swales, and roofwater diversion directly to landscapes,) and to encourage creation of diverse ecosystems in our backyards, including food-producing plants, while still conserving water and other resources.
In 2017 we will offer sustainable landscaping educational series in Fairfield and Vallejo (everybody is welcome!). The program includes free talks and lectures on sustainable landscaping and permaculture, and a series of hands-on workshops on greywater installation, earthwork to retain rainwater, and permaculture food forests installation and maintenance. Please check our calendar regularly for updated schedules and registration details.
We are looking for houses in Fairfield and Vallejo to plant demonstration food forest gardens. If you are interested to learn more, please email to info@sustainablesolano.org.
Professional landscapers, both experienced and new, are welcome to explore our Land Caretakers Training where we teach the same simple techniques in depth necessary to incorporate these practices into your businesses.
To preview the impact of this program, please plan to visit Benicia demonstration food forests during public tours in January – May 2017.
Dec 15, 2016
Join us in co-creating a world that works for everyone. Whether you were with us for the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, or you want to learn more about how you, with your own unique values, skills, and concerns, can commit to creating the change you want to see, a good place to start with with the Game Changer Intensive. Offered by Pachamama Alliance, it is a seven-week online course designed to educate, inspire, and equip you to be a pro-activist leader, a game changer in your community.
Sustainable Solano is partnering with Pachamama Alliance and Solano County libraries to offer, in conjunction with the online session, regular meeting spaces for residents of Solano County to meet, build, and support our communities together. If you are interested in registering, please submit your interest here. Pachamama and Sustainable Solano will contact you with more information according to the respective cities that you live in. For any additional information, please contact info@sustainablesolano.org.
