cooking in the volcano

Albert grins over his perfectly cooked rice while standing the the shade...
We moved the cooking outside as the kitchen reached boiling point during the recent Ecovillage and Permaculture Design course.
CHeck out the story of the Volcano Stove

Hohenwald Design

We are starting our Ecovillage Design Course, a 10 day residential intensive course that gives individuals and communities the tools to start an ecovillage, and design it from the ground up, or retrofit an existing community. First we are focusing on mapping community structures and creating agreements to empower a group of people to become a community as taught by author and educator Diana Lief Christain. Then we will be desinging a vision for a beautiful post petroluim version of our local county seat, Hohenwald, TN. Greg Ramsey, a renowned archetect will be leading us through the process of design. We are weaving the archetectural elements and human elements of a succesful ecovillage design together with the ethics and principles of Permaculture and applying them to the design of Hohenwald.
Hohenwald is getting a lot of postive attention...Sometimes I blink and wonder if this is allreally happening to this small southern town in the poorest county in Tennessee. In addition to the Ecovillage Design Course, our partner and ally in regenerative designa nd education, The Center For Holistic Ecology (CHE), has been running a local sustainable development program through a USDA grant, and we are collaborating with CHE, Solari and Gaia University, to run a cutting edge Financial Permaculture Workshop. This workshop is going to provide the tools needed to actualize the designs and visions of a sustainable Hohenwald. Who knows, maybe some of the designs we draw up over the next two weeks will come true!

Web 2.0

Albert, Cord, Doug, Jessi and I are geeking out getting our blogs up to snuff for web 2.0
que vive web 2.0 y la revolucion de informacion democratica!
Technorati Profile

Advanced Permaculture

A lot of energy has been swirling around The Farm ecovillage of late. Brainstorms leave showers of inspiration and aha moments strike like lightning. The cause of this inspirational weather?
Permaculture.
We have an upcoming Ecovillage Design course, the second part of our Permaculture Design Certification process...and on top of that We are launching two new advanced permaculture design courses.
both courses are being produced in partnership with a wide array of amazing individuals and are covering some of the most pertinent topics, and offering some of the most amazing solutions for the world today.
Earthworks for water catchment, soil erosion and clear cut remediation offers us a hands on glimpse into how to create lush green forest out of a wasteland of desertification caused by clear cutting. For an idea about the impact of earthworks (keyline systems and swales) on a dry climte check out this video
Forest Gardening and old orchard remediation will give us a chance to delve into food forestry: a retirement plan for seven generations. Forest gardening and restoring orchards into productive multi yield oasis can provide food, fuel and fodder for a sustainable future. check out this video on one of the original temperate forest gardens
Financial Permaculture: crafting regenerative business is in the design phase, and is generating excitement as it proves to be the interesting intersection of cutting edge needs to ground capital into regenerative shared enterprise on a bioregional level. For more infor on the ideas and participants in this design check out Solari, Center for Holistic Ecology, and Gaia University
All three of these courses are sending a spark of hope and creativity up my spine as I work hard to research and organizing the things that will be needed to provide education that is grounded in action learning (learning by doing).
It looks like its going to be an amazing summer and outstanding fall....MORE TO COME!

Early Morning Shift

Nothing has gotten me out of my funk faster than the early morning breakfast shift. Something about waking up with the sun, getting the coffee going, and preparing simple yet satisfying food to fuel the bodies and minds of my friends, teammates, and the good folks who are here taking the Permaculture course. In about a half hour Wade will walk in, followed by Kurt, as they lovingly offer help, share remembered dreams, and bless me with childish laughter at dawn. By 6 am the coffee and hot water are ready, a simple snack is out on the table, and I stroll the house with a bell ringing to awake those in their slumber, imagining myself in an ashram and we are about do do our morning prayers. No prayers on these mornings, just smiles, soft conversation, and excitement for the 6:30 class. The participants leave and I remain in the kitchen, I prepare something warm and wholesome... either something simple like grits or oats, or I use the New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook for a special something, like scrambled tofu, or zucchini pancakes.

I find I am nourished in the kitchen as I prepare nourishment for others. It is a good break from my ball and chain we call the office.... And this is one great value of living in community- the opportunity to be involved in different projects/responsibilities as part of my work, of my offering to the shared effort.

Brother Martin on Sonnenchien

Our friend Brother Martin recently wrote a great description of the goings on at the recent Sonnenscien Green Power festival in Hohenwald TN. Check it out! SOUNDS OF SONNENSCHIEN

Sonnenscien and Brother Martin

Our friend Brother Martin recently wrote a great description of the goings on at the recent Sonnenscien Green Power festival in Hohenwald TN. Check it out! SOUNDS OF SONNENSCHIEN