Forest Garden Convergence - June 6, 2015

I am really starting to get excited for this year's Forest Garden Convergence!  The planning phase is over, now we're putting things together for what promises to be an amazing and inspirational day.  I'm looking forward to learning from others and having the opportunity to meet some like-minded people.
A few highlights for the day include:

• Expert panels, discussions and networking
• All ages activities for the whole family - what a great way to introduce children to food forests and permaculture!
• Catering by The Root Cellar Organic Cafe (don't forget to place your order on our website at least a week before the convergence to avoid disappointment).
• A Drum Circle in the evening, facilitated by Sheila Horrel. Bring your own drum, or borrow one!

If you haven't registered yet, or would like more information, head over to the forest garden guild website by clicking here!

2nd Annual Forest Garden Convergence - June 6, 2015

2nd Annual
Forest Gardening 

Convergence

Deep Roots of Regeneration 

 

June 6, 2015

The second annual Forest Garden Convergence will be held on June 6th, 2015. The theme this year is Deep Roots of Regeneration. Join us for panels, discussions, and networking. Meet and connect with forest garden practitioners, permaculture teachers, designers and students from Southwestern Ontario. Buy products related to forest gardening. Learn about local food and plant medicine and the ecological biodiversity of our region.

Family programming will take place throughout the Convergence, however, at least one parent or guardian is will need to remain with their children. It is free for children under 14 to attend, though we ask that you include their names in the Order Notes section at checkout for our planning purposes.
The Forest Garden Convergence brings people together to explore the skills, resources and results of those who are working to reform, recreate, and reimagine our food systems.  Some sessions may also focus on how we educate, how we work, and the communities we build.

Date/Time/Location:

Saturday June 6, 2015
9am – 6pm.
After 6pm – Evening Activities – Bonfire, etc.
at The Living Centre, 5871 Bells Rd, London, Ontario

Forest Garden Convergence 2015 Schedule

8:15 – 9:15 Registration
9:15 – 9:35 Introduction
9:35 – 9:40 Transition to next session
9:40 – 11:00 Panel A – The Deep Roots of Forest Gardening OR All-ages Activity A – Vermicomposting and Making Seed Bombs

11:00 -11:30 – BREAK -
11:30 – 12:30 Panel B – Regeneration through Forest Gardening OR All-ages Activity B – Building a Hugelkultur (a raised planting bed with wood inside)

12:30 – 1:45 – LUNCH – (Optional Forest Garden Tour from 1:15-1:45pm)
1:45 – 3:15 Visioning the Future of the Forest Garden Guild, Organized Networking Session OR All-Ages Outdoor Games
3:15 – 3:20 Transition to next session
3:20 – 4:30 Panel C – From Deep Roots to the Future of Forest Gardening OR All-ages Activity C – Natural Crafts and Songs

4:30 – 5:20 Open networking, and time to visit vendor tables
5:30 – 7:00 – DINNER -
7:00 onwards – Evening Activities, including open mic talent show and a drumming circle around the bonfire.

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For more information, or to register CLICK HERE.  Early Bird Registration ends May 1st.

2014 Forest Garden Convergence - less than two weeks to sign up

The Forest Garden Convergence on May 31st is shaping up to be a really excellent event. A dozen speakers sharing their knowledge and experience with Forest Gardening; a specially recorded key-note video from Eric Toensmeier; vendors with forest gardening plants for sale; an evening of fun and entertainment.

If you are planning on attending – and I hope you are! – please remember to register.  We want to ensure that everyone attending has been accounted for (you know, things like name badges and seats and … well, you’ll have to wait to get there for the rest), therefore registration is important.  If you haven’t registered you will miss important information about the day as that information will be going out to registrants only.  If you’ve registered but someone coming with you hasn’t, please give them a nudge.  We want them to get participant information too.

By the way, the image above is the flower of a Maypop, our northern passion flower that can grow in Zone 5 and warmer. After the flower comes the fruit. Yes - passion fruit can be grown in Ontario!

Ken Taylor coming to the Living Centre on June 1st

Just one day after the 2014 Forest Garden Convergence, on June 1st, 2014, the Living Centre will be hosting Ken Taylor, who for decades has experimented with hardy fruit trees and plants. His research and development efforts have enabled him to put together one of the most comprehensive and unique tree collections in the world.



This all day workshop will be about replacing corporate genetics (GMOs) with regionally adapted genetics (for which he's coined the term RAGs).

Learn about growing, propagating, and grafting Asian pears, peaches, kiwis, seedless grapes, walnuts, and many more fruit and nuts trees that grow well in our climate with little attention, and have amazing tasting healthy fruit.

Full details and registration is available on the Living Centre website.

International Permaculture Day!

Get ready for International Permaculture Day on Sunday 4th May – join a global day of celebration and action!
This year’s theme is “Reclaiming Food Freedom!” 
Everywhere new laws are being passed, supposedly for our benefit, which limit our right to healthy, nutritious food; from raw milk bans, to hidden GMOs, to the criminalising of seed saving; the reality is that our once universal right is being robbed for corporate profit. And not only is our health and food sovereignty at stake as the food supply concentrates into fewer hands, but so is our food security, the environment and the livelihoods of countless farmers. We must reclaim our Food Freedom whilst we still can. Join our worldwide call on Sunday 4th May and come celebrate permaculture in action!


Events and Actions near you
Search for Food Freedom events and actions by region on our website: www.permacultureday.org.
Also keep up to date with the latest news via our Facebook page and Twitter.

About International Permaculture Day
Now in its 5th year, International Permaculture Day has grown rapidly from its roots as a local Australian initiative to a global day of celebration. Read about previous years and the amazing diversity of actions:
2012: http://www.permacultureday.org/international-permaculture-day-2012
2013: http://www.live.permacultureday.org

Transition Movement in Canada - Research Study Results

Over the past year or so, Rob and I have participated in the 'Transition Emerging' research study.  They have just come out with the first round of results from their surveys. Here is the first page of the two page document:

 

For the full research findings, click this link:

Transition Emerging Study Research Flyer

Whole Earth Summit

It's short notice (it starts tomorrow, March 11), but I just found out about this event, which looks excellent. They have a huge number of terrific speakers, and its online, and free. You can also buy 'toolkit' packages which give you great discounts on permaculture and other training courses, and access to videos and ebooks. 

http://wholeearthsummit.org

Four Season Permaculture Certification Design Course - starts March 29th

 

Permaculture is a complete design system, based on principles of ecology and sustainability that can be used to create resilient, economically stable, and productive landscapes, home and communities. Permaculture designers make their imprint on Earth, culture and economy a positive one.

The two courses below, offered by the Living Centre are great - I (Rob) have taken both. Unlike most Permaculture Design Certificates, which are 72 hour intensive courses all in one shot, the Four Seasons course is on several long weekends over the course of a year. This format is really great for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it makes it much easier to take if you have a young family and work full time. You also get to see the property at the Living Centre through a whole year, which is really great. 

If you've been wanting to train in permaculture for awhile, just go for it. That's what I did in 2012, and it was a really terrific decision. 

 

Four Season Permaculture Certification Design Course

Begins March 29th 

 

For complete information 

Intro to Permaculture

March 1 & 2
Can be taken as a 1 or 2 day workshop 

For complete information

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL TO MARCH 6th -

The Four Season Permaculture Certification Course is an internationally recognized, 72-hour training in the ethics, principles, methods, techniques, and practices of Permaculture Design + 24 extra teaching hours + 24 hours group/independent work, a 120 hour certificate course. Learn about Permaculture throughout the seasons, with a focus on Temperate climates. This exciting and innovative Design Course offers practical, hands-on modules to deepen active learning about permaculture processes and design through the various climates of the year. click here

 

INTRODUCTION TO PERMACULTURE In this workshop you will learn the foundations of Permaculture. The workshop contains a healthy mixture of theory and engaging hands-on exercises with a focus on the creation of a forest garden.  This workshop will inspire you with methods and strategies to have a positive impact on the environment and lives. Informative, inspiring and practical!
The hours and cost for this workshop can be applied as credit towards the Four Season Permaculture Course click here

LondonSOUP - coming up this Sunday, March 2nd

Yes, it's almost March - what happened to February?

LondonSOUP is coming up this Sunday, March 2nd, 2014 at 5:30pm. This time it's at the Covent Garden Market in downtown London, on the Mezzanine Floor.

If you don't know about LondonSOUP, it's a local sustainable business micro-funder. You go, have some great food, listen to some pitches for funding for sustainable businesses, vote with your spoon (I'll it to your imagination what that means - but (hint) it doesn't mean throwing your spoons at the people you don't want to win.), then one happy project walks away with a cheque for $1000.

It's an awesome fun night that Julie and I never miss. Hopefully see you there.

Register here

Guerrilla Gardening Seed Bombs!

Despite how cold it's been lately, spring is on its way!  As we have been reviewing seed catalogues lately, this video seemed appropriate to this season of planning head.  Watch and learn how to make your own seed bombs!

Nov. 16 & 17, The Work That Reconnects: How to Face the Mess We're in Without Going Crazy

he Work that Reconnects is a map for personal empowerment and transformation, deepening our capacity to act for the sake of Life on Earth. Drawing from deep ecology, systems theory and spiritual traditions, the Work That Reconnects (WTR) builds motivation, creativity, courage and solidarity for the transition to a vital Earth Community. First emerging in 1978, this pioneering, open-source body of work has its roots in the teachings of eco-philosopher Joanna Macy and colleagues.  WTR has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the globe to find creativity, solidarity and the courage to act. 

WTR involves a transformative journey around a spiral of four successive stages – Coming from Gratitude, Honouring our Pain for the World, Seeing with New Eyes, and Going Forth. Through gratitude we connect to our personal power and become more present to life. By honouring our pain for the world the truth of our inter-existence is made real to us. Seeing with new eyes brings a fresh understanding of who we are and how we are related to each other and the universe.  We begin to comprehend our own power to change and participate, as we go forth together to create a life-sustaining society.

WTR is a way to maintain balance and joy; a waking up to the beauty of life; a realization that we belong to this world and that the web of life is calling us forth at this time.

Natalie Zend, training consultant in international development and human rights programming and Lorenna Bousquet-Kacera, Co-director of The Living Centre and founder of Shamanu: Earth Wisdom Teachings, invite you into a journey of renewal, insight and hope as they share with you processes and philosophies that inspire the shifts in consciousness needed to usher in a 'new human'. One that consciously and compassionately co-creates with the living systems of Earth to create a truly vibrant and vital Earth Community. 

Saturday Nov. 16, 10:00 am. to 5:00 pm.
Sunday Nov. 17, 9:30 am. to 4:30 pm.  

Registration

Please choose the low, medium or higher price, based on your personal income. We want to ensure that people with diverse means are able to attend the workshop.

☐  high: $300

☐  medium: $250

☐  low: $200

For complete information and to register click here

Nov. 9, Spiritual Ecology: Follow Your Bliss & Heal the World a workshop for Women

How can the spiritual practice of "following your bliss" be one of the most important actions you can do in creating a new vibrant Earth Community?

How can following your bliss be critical to the evolution of Humanity?

How does reclaiming your bliss ignite the healing, love and compassion humans and Earth are worthy of?

How can following your bliss lead to sustained and resilient action on behalf of Life?

This one day workshop guides you into experiential processes and conversation to explore these vital questions.

Topics include:

* The meaning of ‘Bliss’ to our Nature Self, how we lost this capacity and with it the sacred feminine* How following your bliss cares for your soul AND for the soul of Earth* A new definition of what the ‘good life’ means during these times of global crisis * Ways to take the exhaustion and frustration out, and replace it with joy* Restoring 'healing through pleasure' to it’s spiritual status* The Universal power of Allurement

Join in this motivational experience and discover how your creativity and passions can support the next global transition.

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls." Joseph Campbell

Click here for more information and to register

Lorenna Bousquet-Kacera is an Eco-Creativity guide, co-founder of ‘WomanEarth’, and founder of Shamanu: Earth Wisdom Teachings. Shamanu blends the powerful teachings of Earth Spirituality with Deep Ecology, Eco-philosophy, the New Sciences, Ritual and body-centered practices to support people in coming home to who they truly are and discovering the unique gifts that only they have to offer. "I learned a long time ago that by trying to be what others thought I should be is a sure way of getting sick. Learning to listen, trust and follow my deep allurements, not only gives me great joy and fulfillment, it is the only real gift I have to offer to Earth and the great web of life I am part of."

Lorenna is co-founder and director with her husband of The Living Centre and Living Arts Institute. She is a Permaculture Educator and Forest Gardener.  

Date: Saturday, November 9th, 2013

Time: 9:30am to 5pm.

Cost:
$80 for members of The Living Centre & Circle Women's Centre
$95 for non-members

Location: The Circle Women's Centre - 1285 Western Road, London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 1H2

Click here for more information and to register

Darren Doherty and Mark Shepard in London - October 26, 2013

On Saturday, October 26, 2013, two regenerative agriculture pioneers, Darren Doherty and Mark Shepard, will be engaging in a panel discussion with Western University professor Tony Weis. The evening is titled:

Moving Beyond Sustainability in Agriculture - Why Regenerative Agriculture?

This is an event not to be missed, as Darren Doherty, one of Australia's foremost voices in regenerative agriculture, comes together with Mark Sheppard, author of Restoration Agriculture, and London's own Tony Weis, author of The Ecological Hoofprint: The Global Burden of Industrial Livestock.

Full bios:

Darren Doherty, is a 5th generation Australian farmer and Regenerative Agriculture  pioneer who has worked in over 40 countries over 20 years as a farm planning consultant and educator, and originated the Regrarian concept  (a merging of ‘Regenerative Agrarian’). Darren has designed thousands of projects, focusing on the practical regeneration of agricultural landscapes, soils, communities, and families. 

Mark Shepard is the founding President of Restoration Agriculture Institute. He is also the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises and runs New Forest Farm, a 106-acre perennial agricultural forest considered by many to be one of the most ambitious sustainable agriculture projects in the United States.  Mark will be selling copies of his bookRestoration Agriculture: Real Word Permaculture for Farmersfollowing the meeting.

Tony Weis is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Western Ontario, whose research on global agro-food systems is broadly located in the field of political ecology. He is the author of two books, The Ecological Hoofprint: The Global Burden of Industrial Livestock (2013) and The Global Food Economy: The Battle for the Future of Farming (2007), and is currently co-writing a book with Harriet Friedmann, entitled: Precipice and Possibilities: A Political Ecology of Food.

When: Saturday, October 26, 2013. 7:30-9:30pm.
Where: Spencer Engineering Building Rm 2202, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Fee: $15 (Fundraising Event for Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario)

For those who are practicing farmers, or interested in getting into farming, Darren Doherty will also be leading a three day workshop close to London. Full details follow below: 

Regenerative Agriculture Farm Planning

For those interested in regenerative agriculture, you are invited to participate in a three-day workshop providing leading edge expertise with Darren Doherty. This course is being offered for those interested in the serious & timely process of regenerating, restoring, rehabilitating, rehabitating, rekindling & rebooting agriculture. Principles from keyline design, holistic management, and broadscale permaculture are all brought into this workshop. 

Darren Doherty, is a 5th generation Australian farmer and Permaculture pioneer who has worked in over 40 countries over 20 years as a farm planning consultant and educator, and originated the Regrarian concept  (a merging of ‘Regenerative Agrarian’). Darren has designed thousands of projects, focusing on the practical regeneration of agricultural landscapes, soils, communities, and families. 

REGRARIAN OPEN CONSULTANCY (RAC) & PRACTICUM (RAP)

The Regrarian Open Consultancy (RAC) is a dynamic 2 day program designed to involve participants directly in the delivery of an integrated farm planning consultancy. The RAC has all participants working to understand a 10 step logical process involved with the 'Regrarian' Platform which methodically covers each element of farm planning and development. The RAC experience will result in participants understanding some of the process behind re-booting their own farming enterprises with a step by step approach that is highly adaptable to their own circumstances.

The one-day in-field Practicum (RAP) is a logical follow-up including application of some of the key principles and practices taught through the 2 day RAC Open Consultancy.

When:    Saturday October 26 – Monday October 28.
Where:   Days 1-2, Red Mill Farm, #2379, Rd 133, RR#1 St. Marys; and Day 3, Ever Terra Farms, Sparta, Ontario
Cost:      $345
Contact: Registration is on-line.  For questions:ontarioracinfo@gmail.com or for further information Facebook ;

London Soup - This Thursday, Oct 10

This is such an awesome event. People with sustainable ideas give short descriptions of and answer questions about their ideas, then after a delicious meal of soup, the audience votes with their spoons for which speaker they'd like to win a micro-grant for their project. 

(For those who are international, I should mention that this is London, Ontario, Canada I'm talking about!)

It's a fun night out, with the opportunity to meet some interesting people, and help someone out with their local sustainable idea. 

There's still time to buy tickets online, or you can just show up at 5:30pm this Thursday, Oct 10, 2013 at Saffron's Restaurant, Fanshawe College. 

Full details about London Soup are here. 

Active Listening: Mindful Communication - Workshop October 2, 2013

Coming up next Wednesday, Wendy Bestward and Sherry-Lynne Kirschner will be presenting a free workshop at the Living Centre (5871 Bells Rd, London, Ontario) from 7-9pm on behalf of the Inner Transition group of Transition Middlesex entitled:

Active Listening: Mindful Communication

This interactive workshop will explore the distractions in our everyday life that inhibit clear communication and help us to focus on effective communication through the exploration of Active Listening skills.

Presenters:

Wendy Bestward is an educator with a passion for lifelong learning, permaculture gardening and living in harmony with others. She lives on the outskirts of Strathroy.

Sherry-Lynne Kirschner is a mother, teacher and Mindfulness facilitator from the Wardsville area.

Donations will be appreciated.

I hope you can join us.

Free Inner Transition Workshop Wednesday September 4th

Next week, on Wednesday, September 4th at 7pm, Shantree Kacera will present a free workshop as part of the Inner Transition workgroup of Transition Middlesex. It will take place at the Living Centre, 587 Bell's Rd at 7pm.

Cultivating Your Inner Life: Nature as Model and Guide

Have you dug in the fertile soil with your bare hands?



Have a “conversation” with the wind recently?

Drenched yourself in a pouring rainstorm?

Find out how these simple interactions can sustain you in solving the problems troubling you.

Shantree believes the power to nourish ourselves is a gift from nature, which can support, assist and guide us in our everyday life.

Shantree will show through experiential processes how time spent in nature and interacting with the living forces of nature can quiet our minds, open our hearts, and nurture our souls. In these moments of interaction with the Earth, we can uncover the answers to life’s predicaments that have so long escaped us.

Facilitator: Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D. he combines his passion for forest gardening with newly emerging scientific information from many fields - Ecological Medicine, Resilience Science, Deep Ecology, Regenerative Design, Living Nutrition, Deep Organic Medicine, Bioregionalism, Natural Health Science and the visionary solutions from the Bioneers. Visioning to reveal a regenerative path toward better stewardship of the natural world. A spiritual activist at heart.

10 ways to reduce your consumption

Article by Graeme Stuart 



If we want resilient, sustainable communities, we need to reduce our focus on economic growth, materialism and consumption.
While creating a less materialistic world will require major changes to our economic systems and there will be fierce opposition from many vested interested, there are also things we can do as individuals. Here are 10 ways we can reduce our consumption.

 

Photo by Ed Mitchell http://flic.kr/p/7rTxS1 

1. Earn less – the more we earn the more we spend. As our income increases, so does our standard of living and consumption.
2. Compare yourself to people worse of than you. We can always find people who earn more, have a nicer house, or go on more frequent holidays. But we can also always find people who are struggling to feed their families, who have never been on a plane, who can’t afford the necessities of life. We decide who we compare ourselves to.
3. Shop less, and when you have to, try to shop second-hand. It’s simple: if we shop less, we are going to buy less.
4. Talk about consumption with our your kids. We can help our kids to be aware of the way advertisers and marketers try to make us consume more and more. Instead of falling for the tricks of the trade (e.g., buying branded products) we can talk to our kids about how companies are trying to get us to buy things that we don’t need. Our kids can be quite perceptive.
5.  Find friends who help you reduce your consumption. If you have friends who are not caught up in consumerism, it’s much easier to reduce your consumption. Make sure you spend time with people who are into the simple things of life.
6. Grow more and make more. Try growing at least some of your own food, and making things, rather than having to buy everything.
7. Donate more. Donate your time and money to making the world a better place.
8. Turn off the ads (or at least mute them). Consciously resist the power of ads and think what they are saying to us. (We sometimes talk with our girls about what the ads are trying to sell us and whether or not we really need it. This is one way of combating the persuasive power of ads.)
9. Buy quality that lasts. When you do buy things, consider paying a bit more if it means that it will last longer and you won’t need to replace it as quickly.
10. Get involved. Join with others in creating the changes we need to create a less materialist, consumption driven world.

 Click here to visit the original article

LondonSOUP - October 10, 2013

LondonSOUP is an awesome event. While you eat a locally-sourced bowl of soup served by top-flight staff in the culinary arts, you hear brief ecological business pitches. Vote with your spoon to see which presenter gets a micro-grant to implement their green idea.

It's simple: Meet. Persuade. Discuss. Vote. Eat. In the heart of Canada's London.

LondonSOUP is put on by some amazing 'soupsters', many of whom met through Transition Middlesex, and Transition Middlesex is proud to support this amazing community event.

Julie and I had a terrific time at the last one, and look forward to attending the next one on October 10th, 2013 starting at 6:15pm (meeting and seating at 5:30pm).

Full details, including discounted early bird tickets.

Face the Change

This is a neat campaign to raise money for a team to go across Canada and assist people in having their local councils introduce mandatory warning stickers at the gas pumps. It's a neat idea to keep climate change at the top of people's minds, so we can all remember to drive less when possible.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/face-the-change/

How to Build a Rocket Mass Heater

I am quite literally 'stoked' about this workshop my friend Andy's organizing for September 27th to 29th in Guelph.

Rocket Mass Heaters are a safe, cheap, and easy alternate heating source for those of us living in cold climates.

You basically use free, recycled, or cheap materials to build your own heater that operates on sticks and scraps of wood to keep you warm all winter. These things are so efficient, the only real exhaust is a bit of water vapor.For those that know a bit about alternate ways of heating, these basically combine the super efficient burning of rocket stoves with the heat mass principles of masonry stoves, also including a cooking surface. The cartoon above shows you what they can look like. 

So, not only will Andy, who has built several Rocket Mass Heaters, be putting this together, but he's working with the Minga Skill Building Hub and Transition Guelph to bring in Ernie and Erica Eisner, authors of books on Rocket Mass Heaters, and who have installed over 700 all over North America. These guys are stars on the Permies forums.

Tonnes more great info on the website about the workshop. It will likely fill up fast, so register now: http://rocketmassheater.ca/