Oct 2, 2017
Eight graders chiming in on their future food forest design.
Kathleen, Larry and Elena taught a hands-on swale workshop to the Suisun Valley eighth graders in the spring of 2017 on how to use swales in storing rainwater in the ground. Now that the kids are back in school, designing the Demonstration Food Forest is the next step.
Principal Jas Wright is including the kids in the design of the food forest. To get them thinking about that design, I held five sessions, speaking with seven classes of, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. We had a conversation about Fruit Tree Guilds and the importance of choosing a diverse group of plants that benefit each other. Each plant should provide multiple functions.
The kids were engaged asking many questions. The one question that stood out in my mind: What is the opposite of a food forest? The answer is monoculture, the planting of only one type of crop in a given area. Our program encourages planting a polyculture and the importance of including plants that build the soil.
Fava beans have already been part of the Suisun Valley curriculum. Katie, one of the students was excited to tell me how they added nitrogen to the soil by planting fava beans as a cover crop. To prepare the demo garden site, Laura, the Garden Coordinator has already begun to sheet mulch. The site has two mature fig trees and an unidentified, mysterious fruit tree. These three trees will be included in the design.
Now the kids have a base understanding of what a fruit tree guild is. Each class will be responsible for the design, the installation and the care for one guild within the food forest. Over the next 2 weeks they will be naming their guilds and selecting the plants. On a side note, one of the classes is even working on restoring the California Native Plant Garden. So many opportunities to learn!
Sep 5, 2017
Sustainable Solano recently expanded its Sustainable Backyard Program to the City of Fairfield by launching a series of public education classes and workshops on the topics of sustainability, community resilience and sustainable landscaping. On August 26th, Fairfield residents attended the first of these events at an inspiring and thought-provoking talk with educator, ecological designer, farmer and musician, David Shaw at Fairfield Civic Center Library. Attendees listened as he beautifully defined and illustrated natural landscape, social and economic permaculture principles that contribute to a more harmonious, sustainable world.
Permaculture design principles are most commonly applied to agricultural ecosystems and are intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. David covered the various supporting layers of a standard food forest garden and explained how they work together, effortlessly to produce edible, life-supporting ecosystems using simple regenerative design methods used for thousands of years by generations who lived in harmony with our Earth. However, he explained that permaculture principles can be applied to not only landscapes, but also to local social structures, communities and within our own economic markets.
Beautiful photos of various Oregon neighborhoods that have transformed local intersections and streets through community block repair projects showed how urban revival can help close social boundaries and strengthen communities bring residents together through healthy social exchange. Colorful intersection street art, corner “take a book, leave a book” libraries and community garden share plots were a real source of inspiration for attendees to see!
David also stirred up some curious fascination in the room when introducing the concept of financial permaculture. A local new economy manifesto called Bay Bucks whose mission is to create a functioning regional currency that helps local businesses thrive while promoting collaboration and building community wealth has already made its mark in our very own Bay Area. This new economy approach distributes power democratically to its community of users, keeping wealth circulating locally, and reversing the features that create wealth disparity. You can find out more about Bay Bucks by clicking here. (Link: http://www.baybucks.com/)
David works to help build connections with ourselves, each other, and with nature focusing on global sustainability, resiliency, permaculture and sustainable backyards. Attendees left with great tools and ideas and how they can begin applying permaculture principles in their own gardens and neighborhoods.
David Shaw, is a Permaculture and whole systems designer, facilitator, and educator. He founded Santa Cruz Permaculture and the UC Santa Cruz Common Ground Center, two inter-generational partnerships focused on collective action for justice and sustainability. Additionally, he is the coordinator of the Right Livelihood College, and serves on the World Cafe Community Stewardship Council. In order to meet the challenges of today, he is creating an urban farm and inter-generational learning center that fosters hands-on farm and wilderness skills, social entrepreneurship, conversational leadership, and collective action. He lives happily and humbly on a 2-acre homestead in Santa Cruz.
For more information on David Shaw, please visit:
santacruzpermaculture.com
kresge.ucsc.edu/commonground
rightlivelihood.org
theworldcafe.com
Sep 2, 2017
By Tina Saravia, U.C. Master Gardener, Solano County
It all started for me in September 2014, when I attended a talk on Permaculture in Benicia with another Master Gardener friend. I have heard of Permaculture for years, but it always seemed like a foreign concept to me. I did not know anyone, in my broad circle of urban horticulturally-inclined individuals, who practiced Permaculture. The fact that it was in Benicia, a 20- minute drive from my house, made it more real.
Permaculture Talk with Toby Hememway
What is Permaculture? Permaculture is a word originally coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the mid 1970’s to describe an “integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant and animal species useful to man” (Holgrem Design. https:// www.holmgren.com.au/about-permaculture/). Permaculture is a design system based on ecological principles. The word originally referred to “permanent agriculture.” It has more recently expanded to stand for “permanent culture.”
Permaculture can be defined and explained in many ways. It encompasses many aspects. In its simplest form, it is a design system that can be adapted anywhere in the world, in any setting — urban, suburban or rural, no matter the size of the property. One of those design aspects that is easily adaptable is Food Forest Gardening, which is what the local grassroots organization, Sustainable Solano, started in Benicia.
They help homeowners create their own sustainable food forest. The gardens feature edible plants in varying heights and sizes, mimicking a forest. The gardens use a combination of drip irrigation and greywater — laundry water. Swales or depressions, topped with wood chips, were dug to direct water from downspouts to also help water the gardens, which also helps refill the groundwater.
A few words about Sustainable Solano. It started out as Benicia Community Gardens. As the programs expanded beyond Benicia, the board decided to rename it Sustainable Solano in May 2016. They maintain a couple of community gardens, a community orchard, seven permaculture demonstration food forests, Community Supported Agriculture partnerships, a “Land Caretakers” sustainable landscaping education program, a food donation Share Plot, and a beloved monthly “What’s for Dinner?” educational cooking potluck series.
The most recent demonstration food forest installations were done in Vallejo, next is Fairfield. According to their website, sustainablesolano.org, they will be accepting applications starting in August through September for prospective demonstration food forest keepers in Fairfield.
May 30, 2017
Our Walk in a Food Forest Series is over for this year, but are you still wanting to learn more about permaculture and sustainability? Soul Flower Farm, just a quick hop across the bay in El Sobrante, has a permaculture design course that you might be interested in. More information below.
Are you ready to heal the planet? Are you tired of living in a monocultural existence? R.O.O.T.S. is a one of a kind Permaculture Design Course (PDC) exploring the indigenous origins of permaculture concepts taught from culturally relevant perspectives from a diverse group of people. We will be creating space for understanding our roles as stewards and reclaiming empowerment through holistic design methods. Our goal is to deliver knowledge and an experience that facilitates connected oneness with mother earth and healing for our collective spirit!
Reclaiming Origins of Traditional Sustainability is an all inclusive PDC, offering the international standard 72-hour permaculture curriculum with an emphasis on the indigenous origins of permaculture concepts and hands on design and implementation. We will be diving back in time to various indigenous cultures around the planet looking at the origins of permaculture and how traditional people used holistic design systems to be sustainable.
Using a combination of lecture, discussion, hands-on activities at Soul Flower Farm, ancestral ritual, visits to local permaculture sites, and a group design project, you will have the chance to integrate and apply the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual concepts of permaculture design methodology during almost 100 hours of course time. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Permaculture Design. We space the course over four long weekends to aid in accessibility for those who are working and have families.
Location: Soul Flower Farm, El Sobrante, California
Dates: June 23, 24, 25, 30 and July 1,2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 (4 long weekends)
Times: 9am-6pm
Cost: Sliding scale $850-1200 USD, scholarships and work trades available
More information at the Soul Flower Farm website
Registration
