Welcome Friends!
You'll find the latest news and information from, for and about the Eugene Permaculture Guild here. Upcoming events involving the Guild or related to Permaculture will appear on the calendar at the right and on the Events page.
Scroll down or use the category links at the right to read what others have to say, or click here to post your own message.
Want to get more involved? The Guild is always looking for eager volunteers to fill positions on the steering committee or to help out in other ways. Call Jan at 541-686-6761 or email him.
To subscribe to the Guild e-mail list, click here.
posted August 7, 2010
Sustainable Living Skills + Permaculture Design Certificate Course At Aprovecho
Aprovecho’s Sustainable Living Skills Program is the oldest program of its kind in the Northwest and includes hands on training in appropriate technology, sustainable forestry, natural building, and sustainable agriculture.
The 72 hour Permaculture Design curriculum is woven throughout the 5 week program leaving students with a framework for integrating strategies and techniques into cohesive designs for sustainable human settlement. A certificate of Permaculture Design will be presented at the end of the program.
THIS PROGRAMS IS COLLEGE ACCREDITED through Humboldt State University as an extended education program. Click here for more info on receiving college credit for this program.
As a well established and ever evolving 30 year old site, Aprovecho’s campus is an excellent working classroom for the development of hands-on skills. During the course, students will have an opportunity to construct a solar shower, install a greywater system, create chinampas in our pond, and work with the overall site design for active and passive water harvesting.
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to become proficient in mixing and applying natural plasters and finishes, harvesting trees with hand tools, building bicycle powered machines, understanding and experiencing aquaculture and aquaponics systems, and much more.
We look forward to sharing these and other skills with you and hope to see you soon!
Course Syllabus
WEEK 1
1. Introduction
Tour the Aprovecho Property
Watershed Hike
Kitchen Orientation: Cooking with Whole Foods, Fermentation, Bread Baking
2. Permaculture and Ecological Design Theory
Permaculture Ethics and Principles
Patterns of Ecosystems
Design Methodologies
Land Survey, Mapping, and Observation Exercises
Aprovecho Zone and Sector Analysis
Climate and Microclimate Effects on Design
WEEK 2
4. Appropriate Technology
Principles of Solar Hot Water
Hands-on Solar Shower Building
Bike Machine Construction
Wood-Fired Cooking
Rocket Stoves
Humanure Systems
5. Invisible Structures
Financial Models
Land Acquisition Strategies
Political and Decision Making Structures
Non-Violent Conflict Resolution
WEEK 3
6. Sustainable Agriculture
Organic Gardening Principles
Soil Ecology, Biology, and Chemistry
Bed Preparation
Compost Systems
Integrated Pest Management
Crop Planning for Continuous Harvest
Year-Round Gardening
Medicinal Herbs and Wild Edibles
Sexual and Asexual Plant Propagation
Animal Systems
7. Water
Water Harvesting Strategies and Earthworks
Pond and Swale Design and Construction
Keyline Design
Aquaculture
Greywater and Rainwater Systems
Ferrocement Construction
WEEK 4
8. Forestry
Forests in Permaculture
Forest Surveying
Tree Falling with Hand Tools
Horse Logging
Green Woodworking
Bamboo Cultivation
Mushroom Cultivation
Agroforestry
Forest Gardening
WEEK 5
9. Natural Building
Introduction to Natural Building
Earthen Plasters and Finishes
Building with Cob
Slip Straw and Other Alternative Insulations
Round Pole Construction
10. Urban Strategies
11. Permaculture Design Project Presentations
12. Talent Show!
Contact: For questions (541) 942-8198 or email: 
posted July 17, 2010
Free Presentation. Please join Michael Kramer AIF®, Managing Partner and Director of Social Research with Natural Investments LLC, for an informative talk about Socially Responsible Investing and how you can be a part of creating a more just and sustainable world. This presentation will provide an overview of the growing field of Socially Responsible, Green Investing, as well as practical tips on how you can use your personal values to guide investment choices. When: Tuesday, July 20th 7:00-9:00pm. Where: Maitreya EcoVillage Community Space. 1641 West Broadway Eugene. Call: (541) 344-7196
posted July 16, 2010
Learn basic techniques in primitive living skills and ‘tribal’ scale community organization in this exciting new collaboration between the Camassia Institute and Tracker’s Northwest. Nature of the Village is a student guided exercise in primitive and sustainable living. Students from all three Camassia courses will work together to create their own ‘primitive’ community on our beautiful site. Permaculture Design, Ecobuiling, and Social Permaculture Courses begin July 25. To learn more click HERE
In our upcoming eco-building course, construct a Hexayurt, a low cost, easy to design/build shelter system. Originally conceived as a disaster relief shelter, hexayurt enthusiasts have discovered a myriad of uses for this great little portable design. Perfect for use as base camps for field work and a must for festivals such as Burning Man or Rainbow Gathering! Be on the cutting edge of the newest wave in Do-It-Yourself design! To read testimonial about hexayurts at Burning Man click here. Ecobuilding course begins July 25. To learn more about this program visit www.lostvalley.org
Interested in transforming your city into an eco-city? Then participate in an engaging session with Mark Lakeman, practicing architect and community activist, one of the driving forces behind City Repair and the Portland Village Building Convergence. Plus, you are highly encouraged to join our community for our vegetarian, organic buffet dinner afterwards. August 11th @ 4:00pm. To learn more visit www.lostvalley.org
Learn how to create and maintain your own sustainable community or ecovillage from the expert. In this special three day workshop Diana Leafe Christian, author of Creating A Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities will give an in depth lesson in community creation. August 11-13, this program includes City Repair with Mark Lakeman. Commuter and overnight rates available. To learn more visit www.lostvalley.org
posted June 25, 2010
From small-scale projects to learning how to incorporate EcoBuilding into a professional practice, the Camassia EcoBuilding Program will teach you the basics in do-it-yourself green design and building. Our ‘demonstration’ projects are designed to be intellectually and physically accessible to layman and professional alike. Whatever your interest or skill level, the Camassia EcoBuilding Program will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to develop your own green building projects. Example projects include: Basic shelter construction, rainwater catchment systems, waste management systems, bio-filters, composting, food preparation and storage systems.
The July EcoBuilding Program will be introducing the Hexayurt Design for the shelter module. To learn more about the Hexayurt Design check out www.Hexayurt.com
posted May 2, 2010
During the first week, participants take the multi-disciplinary Sustainability Seminar. In each subsequent week, participants will be guided through the hands-on construction of a project that explores a different concept (Shelter Building, Rain Water Catchment, Appropriate Food Technologies, and Re-Using Wasted Resources).
Our May course features natural building materials found onsite, skilled local teachers, and collaboration with Eugene’s Resurrected Refuse Action Team.
For more information:
www.lostvalley.org/EcoBuilding
posted March 26, 2010
Sunday, Apr. 25 12:00-4:00pm
Native Wildflowers-Oregon native wildflowers that are edible, medicinal, nitrogen fixing etc. as well as easy to grow.
Saturday, May 8 12:00-4:00pm
Perennial Edible Greens-Salad and steaming greens that regrow every year without special care. Included are ornamentals, weeds and natives.
Sunday, May 23 12:00-4:00pm
Temperate Fruit Trees-A survey of all temperate fruit trees and their cultivation requirements including winter hardiness, pollination etc.
Cost and Registration
Cost: $120-$250 sliding scale for all 3, $40-60 each for 1 or 2. Worktrade available.
For ?’s or registration contact Heiko at (541)-485-7245 or urbanecogardens@gmail.com
If you want to improve your sustainability plant skills these classes are the perfect thing for you.
posted March 19, 2010
In this special three day program Diana Leafe Christian, author of “Creating A Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities” will give an in depth lesson in how to create and maintain your own sustainable community or ecovillage.
With lively exercises, humorous musical skits, slide show presentations, and vivid anecdotes about real problems and their successful solutions, ecovillage author Diana Leafe Christian describes what works well, pitfalls to avoid, and how not to reinvent the wheel in creating new ecovillages. Course includes: antidotes for common kinds of “structural conflict” and interpersonal conflict, and a “Board Game” to demonstrate the relationship between mission, membership process, and decision-making method. Methods for building trust and connection, increasing social capital, and dealing with the challenging group member. “Politically incorrect” methods for making needed changes in the group. Case histories demonstrating how real ecovillages purchased, financed, and developed their properties. Community economics: internal community finances, creating a village-scale economy.
To register and learn more click here: http://www.lostvalley.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=120
