We have officially hit the halfway point of the inaugural PDC at Bear Roots Farm, and what a week it's been! That being said, it's about time that we caught up with you all and reflected on our first week of instruction and adventure!
Our giddy group of 11 students, plus faculty and family arrived last Sunday for a welcome celebration complete with grilled goodies and lots of jubilant laughter. Monday marked the beginning of instruction with Andrew leading the charge on introducing the beginnings of Permaculture and how his life has become deeply intersected with it. As the week progressed, we delved into concepts such as water cycles and management, site analysis and assessment, and greening urban infrastructure. Our long hours in the "classroom" barn were punctuated with visits from our awesome hosts and Bear Roots Farm owners, Jon and Karin, a group design activity, and some very exciting and informative field trips. Thus far, we have had the pleasure of venturing to Teal Farm in Huntington, currently managed Shawn and Melissa Hoffman of Earth Asset Partnership LP, the neighboring Maple Wind Farm owned and operated by the ever-gracious Bruce Hennessey, and the Aiken Building at the University of Vermont. Our lectures have additionally been augmented by some very informative guest speakers, including our very own Aaron Guman who spoke about his passion, edible forest gardens. After our Saturday evening session with Mark Krawzyck of Keyline Vermont, many of us parted ways for a very well-deserved day off to recharge, dry our soggy tents, and digest the wealth of information that has been bestowed upon us thus far. We are due to reconvene Monday with another round of field trips, lectures, and, of course, our Regional Design Workshop on August 18th! For many, this experience is already proving to be immensely fulfilling, and we are so pleased to be able to share similar sentiments. Cheers to a new week of intention, education, and inspiration! -Sarah Shaw
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Well, the day has finally arrived! This afternoon our PDC participants, faculty, and family members will celebrate the beginning of the transformative experience we are about to embark on at Bear Roots Farm. Wooohooo!
This past week has been a whirlwind of activity as we prepared for the next two weeks of immersive Permaculture instruction. Vic, Aaron, and an awesome team of helpers worked tirelessly on preparing the site for our students. The barn "classroom" got a new set of stairs, the woods were prepped to become a wonderful camping area, solar showers were installed, and much more! Later today we will all convene at Bear Roots for an opening ceremony led by herbalist and PDC guest speaker, Annie McCleary with a celebratory potluck to follow. Tomorrow marks day 1 of instruction with lead teacher Andrew Faust introducing the structure of the course and the framework for the next two weeks. We will do our best to update you all as the course progresses, so stay tuned! Also, don't forget our Regional Design workshop is very, very soon! Things are really coming together on that end, and we are thrilled to be able to collaborate with such a experienced and passionate group of individuals. -Sarah Shaw |
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September 2015
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