For my final E.A.T. project with a small team I helped create a permaculture design project on Starhawk's, one of the teachers, land. I was able to get a sense of what it would really be like to help people design their land to work with the earth instead of on top of it. I also got a chance to interview the people living on the land and create a design that would cater to their needs. We not only designed better building structures and terraced gardens but also used our skills of social permaculture to create a more solid sharing and community feel for the caretakers and interns living on the land.
Below is a break down of the things we covered in the day to day of the training. They were long days 9am-10:30pm most often with few breaks in between. We had one day off which we chose to use by exploring the redwoods close by and spending some time connecting with the ocean.
Schedule during EAT
(Sun.) Day1. Principals and Patterns in Design. We learned about all the different patterns you can use for design, such as honeycomb, spiral, etc. We also looked at pictures and brainstormed what these designs might be best used for like a spiral in an herb garden.
(Mon.) Day2. AIR: Concepts Design and Process. We did sight sector analyses and learned about using the different zones of any piece of land sourcing the principals of integrate, reflect, absorb. We learned the basics of using a general core pattern, working from pattern to detail and then mind mapping our observations.
(Tues.) Day3. WATER: and Networking. We learned the basics of swale building, rainwater catchment, source, sink, catchment, key line, ponds, grey water and black water. In the afternoon we networked and shared resources that was called social permaculture. In the evening I helped co-create a new moon ritual where we made bio-brew, a nourishing drink for plants similar to compost tea, and worked with the magic of the land and the energy of the darkened moon.
(Wed.) Day4. SOIL: and Affinity Groups. We focused on all aspects of topsoil building and the importance of using the skin of the land. We also studied mushrooms and micro-remediation. Using compost and worm bins, sheet mulching, cover crops, erosion, bacteria for our starting point we made a worm bin and also made some mycelium bags to help integrate mushrooms into un-healthy soil and leach toxins. In the evening we had a political affinity group training where we pretended to get into a political debate. After this we did a human scale showing how many people wanted to work within the system or not.
(Thurs.) Day5. Plant Guilds, Food Forests and Grey Water! Grafting and pleaching, were some of the techniques covered in how to work with trees. we also learned how plants work together to create topsoil, a healthy soil would have a nitrogen fixer, insectory, and dynamic accumulator. We created a gray water and rain catchment system, making a hand washing station, plumbing and laying it out so the grey water goes into a swale in the garden. In the evening we did an anti-oppression training working in small groups on different oppressions and sharing our experiences with the larger group.
(Fri.) Day6. Field Day. Willow planting to control river erosion and swale building to catch rain water in a field. Design projects met that night I decided to be a part of designing Starhawk's land.
(Sun.) Day8. Animals and Climate Change. Animal husbandry and animal guilds, microclimates! And briefly we touched on tropical permaculture. Evening lecture on systems theory, climate change, solutions for sustainability!
(Mon.) Day9. Natural Building. We started the work of building a cob and waddle tool shed by making cob and waddle from mud, sand and straw. There was an inspiring lecture on the living building, passive solar design and a slide show of what others have created.
Evening lecture on urban permaculture! How to get involved example (city repair in Portland) and our teacher Eric’s inspiring story of food not lawns, how he inspired whole neighborhoods in Sebastopol to work together and create gardens on their front lawns.
(Tues.) Day10. FIRE: Energy and Bird Language Morning! Conservation, alternative electricity, solar thermal, wind, methane, micro hydro are some of the ways we studied to make alternative energy. Afternoon tracking and naturalism, awareness and bird language in depth! Holistic land management strategies, Allen Savory’s book, cattle grazing for disturbance and regeneration of native plants, preventing erosion. Evening lecture on consensus and starting a campaign, making press release, etc.
(Wed.) Day11. Invisible Structures. Consensus continued, power is earned over time with commitment to the whole. Learning strategies of group development, getting feed back and giving it. Global economics, local economy, land trusts! local currency, alternative financing!
Afternoon and evening work was done on design project, Star’s land, interview members, take pictures, design, water catchments, community structure, bunkhouse, zone 1 garden and planting plan. Healing from trauma ritual that ended in a laughing circle.
(Thurs.) Day12. Design Projects Continued!
(Fri,) Day 13. Design Presentations. We created an innovative and fun presentation using photo slide show, theater and information Sharing as well as drawings!
Good-bye ritual, making seed balls and singing for one of the teachers who is about to have a baby.
