R2R DAYS 26-32 ART OF MENTORING
This past week we had the amazing opportunity to take an Art of Mentoring course with Jon Young of the Regenerative Design Institute. As a group we created our own thriving culture on the farm which explored nature connection and the need to spend time getting to know our natural world in order to enrich our lives. We covered so much important information and it will be difficult for me to cover here all at once. I would like to stress that I think this course should be mandatory for all educators and well, for everyone. I have learned so much that is meaningful to me and I know you would feel that same, because everything we learned is stuff we already know in our hearts- we’ve seen our family, especially our elders practice these notes that I will share below.
Grandmothers are natural mentors
Western thought is not culture if culture is defined as connecting to nature, people and self
“If nature connection is lost, people don’t take care of it.” Jon Young
Read Last Child in the Woods and The Tracker and Dumbing US Down
Is our culture stuck in adolescence? RIGHTS OF PASSAGE
EROSION OF CURIOSITY
“our greatest frailty is that we repeat past experiences”
You must tend to the body in order for the mind to work
Get to know where you have come from before you go forward
Greeting customs matter, meet people where they are at
The VISIONARY in all of us will arise in nature connection.
Mentoring is invisible when it’s done right
Kids NEED to tell their stories, someone needs to listen. Elders need to tell stories too. Talk to your self when need and keep listening and asking questions.
Find a sip spot: a place in the woods, in a natural setting, whatever you have access to that leaves you alone among something wild. Sit there everyday if you can and observe and ask questions. get connected and see how this simple act will transform you.
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Ag Fair
This past weekend we participated in the 40th annual St. Croix Agricultural Festival. This felt like the West Indian festivals we would go to back in New York, except now we’re in the West Indies.
r2r days 19 and 20
Organic Cropping/ Agroecology Week
I have learned a lot this week and definitely feel more confident in my growing skills. Very exciting. I also got sick this week, hence my lack of posts, but am better now and ready to write.
This week we discussed the why’s and how’s of organic, or better, pesticide and synthetic fertilizer free agriculture. This type of farming or home-growing may seem new to many of us but did you know that before 1909 there was no such thing as chemical agriculture, and in fact all farming was done so organically? It wasn’t until after the World Wars, when a surplus of deadly chemicals (the same type that produces agent orange) were generated that some geniuses decided to use them on our food supply. At first it seemed a dream come true. The plants really liked all the nutrients that these chemicals could provide (at first). By the 1950′s America had established the Green Revolution thanks to Haber-Bosch and we became officially hooked on the chemicals (for now and some). Fortunately some notables such as Sir Albert Howard, Rudolf Steiner and J I Rodale shed some light in the harm that chemical ag was causing our planet and the need to revive organic ag with some stringer methods for best production. Today, this is what I am focusing on: learning and sharing knowledge about how to grow food in the most productive way without causing harm to my surrounding ecosystems.
The first thing to really study is SOIL and its vital importance to the health of our food and ultimate our own lives. Healthy soil is full of micro-organisms, has good aeration, the capacity to hold on to water and nutrients and can be replenished by the farmer. After a more lengthy and detailed discussion of soil biology, soil fertility management and a long list of beneficial microbes we moved on to explore the wonderful world of compost and the use of cover crops.
In the following days we discussed Agrobiodiversity. Diversity is super important when it comes to growing anything because it supports less pests, creates structural diversity, more food security, avoids economic risk, improves nutritional needs, beneficial relationships, creates constant income, and is more adaptable to change. Important to this biodiversity is a wide variety of healthy seeds. Many people are used to purchasing seeds from large companies, perhaps from the largest and most controversial of all, Monstano. But saving your own seeds is a good practice to ensure that you continue to have quality food at a low cost. We were recommend to read Seed to Seed by, Suzanne Ashworth which I plan to pick up when I get a chance. This book will share all the information needed to properly save seeds and get the most out of them.
The past two days we have gone over different irrigation techniques, including how to install drip tape. We also reviewed Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and brewed our own home-made organic pesticide from neem and guanabana leaves and chili peppers.
What we all gathered form this week is that an organic farmer may have to deal with all the same challenges as a conventional farmer, but does so in an holistic way that works with nature and not against it. An organic farm yields 90-100%, frequently the same or higher the chemical-based agriculture. This is a strong case for it, but what’s even better is the fact that organic agriculture is resilient which is the capacity to absorb shocks while maintaining function… i.e. as the climate changes organic will remain as the stronger, if not, the only producer. Too bad the majority of ag in the states is not organic. This needs to be changed.
Hiatus Part 2
This past September I was about to begin a journey across the American West. I drove from Detroit to Vancouver with my partner Jon in about seven days taking route 90. Then wandered the Pacific North West for a few weeks and drove back the same route. This was an incredibly beautiful trip. First impressions; so this is the west, so much space, so little people, why are we here (we as in the people who have migrated here over the past 400 years)? After passing through Chicago’s awful traffic we made our first real stop in Madison, Wisconsin. There we camped at a park just outside the city and got to test out my new tent and sleeping bag. It rained all night. Madison seemed like a nice small city. I noticed a lot of joggers and people on bikes despite the cool weather. The city seemed easy to get around on foot and full of the typical bars and restaurants, attractions and people you might find in a college town. We ate at a local brewery (this is a common theme for us, as Jon is a micro brew aficionado and a home brewer himself) and briefly walked around town before heading back to the campsite for a short fire before the rain hit. The rain and the unseasonably cool weather continued right through the next day, but our tent remained dry and our bodies warm.
The weather was unseasonably cool, even the natives declared so. Our initial plans were to camp and only camp throughout the whole trip. But after passing through the entire bottom half of Minnesota’s grain and wind power belt and into South Dakota we soon realized that these flat windy parts of the country were nothing to mess around with in 30 degree weather, so we got a hotel. By the end of our second day on the road we made it to Mitchell, SD and settled in at the Corn Palace Motel.
Even though it was only our second day the exhaustion of driving was settling in. How is it that doing nearly nothing is so tiring? At times I felt that our time spent in the car was time wasted. I wasn’t able to do much other than look at the scenery and had a hard time accepting that that was what I was supposed to be doing; taking at all in, something I seldom felt there was time for back in NYC.
The next day we visited the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore. For me the Badlands was an incredibly amazing experience. The national park offers miles of nothing but mountains of sediment colored in sunset and sunrise hues. I think I want to move to the Badlands (for a few months) because I like the otherworldly feeling they create. But I think I would do it in the summer. Since there are no trees, just vast chasms of soil, it was crazy windy and a bit chilly.
After hours of bracing the wind and exploring we took a short cut on a scenic road to make our way into the Black Hills and eventually Mt. Rushmore. I hate to say it but this was incredibly anticlimactic, not my most favorite part of the trip. Up at the top of the mountain where you will find a theme park similar to the likes of Niagara Falls or Six Flags those huge faces lunge out of the side of some heavy duty rock and feel perhaps more out of place due to their sub-par side attractions. We drove up to the presidents and saw that there was a $20 fee to get a closer look. Without saying a word we drove away and headed for a cute dinner that offered homemade food. This little place and its extremely friendly staff was the best part of Mt. Rushmore for us. They cooked up a hearty lunch and told us that we should move there because they need people for work. “I bet you could walk up to the Park right now and get a job, they’re desperate,” our waitress suggested. It seems that while the rest of the country is struggling for work Mt. Rushmore is struggling for employees, anyone want to move to South Dakota? While we were contemplating the same thought the sky was turning dark and there was word on the radio that a storm was coming. Our friends at the dinner pulled out a map and showed us where we might be able to make it before the weather got too bad; Buffalo, Wyoming.
Somehow I never imagined that we would spend a night or anytime at all in Wyoming other than Yellowstone. And somehow I have a hard time accepting that Yellowstone is in Wyoming. The drive that late afternoon was dreary. Once you step out of the Black Hills you enter vast spans of nothing. Perhaps cows here and there, some brush weed, tiny, tiny towns, cowboys and Mac trucks, that’s about all. I kept thinking to myself, “Why would anyone live here, it’s so miserable.” I should be keeping these thoughts to myself but when the snow started to fall and the brown earth was being taken over by wet slush it was certainly not looking like we’d get to do all the camping we had hoped. Route 90 in the west doesn’t get much attention, we learned. The roads got bad and finally we made it to Buffalo and settled in at our favorite new place, Motel 6. The weather was a huge blow to us, we still had a month of traveling to go and it’s already snowing?! Next door to the hotel was a bar that we walked over to in the snow. After a small meal and getting drunk with cowboys we made our way back and passed out.
Waking up the next day was surreal. “We’re in Wyoming?” I peered out the window of the hotel room and saw a white blanket covering everything. We were upset because our next stop was supped to be in Yellowstone. We knew it would be cold, we were prepared for that but not snow. Wagering that our gear was not snow gear we reluctantly decided to continue on into Montana and see what the weather had in store for us there. What we saw next was a beautiful surprise. The nothing that bothered me yesterday had turned into a winter wonderland overnight.
Back on 90 either side of the road was a pristine white landscape with blue sunny sky beating down on it’s soft slopes of marshmallow dream. I got excited, maybe the snow wasn’t so bad after all and when else would I come here to see this?
A few hours and many miles into the day we entered Montana and everything changed once again. Soon the snow rose from the ground and made its up to mountain peaks.
Trees graced this land as well as color and water. I immediately liked Montana, I felt good there. Of course we had more ambitious plans to make it to Spokane, Washington that day. But another mini snowstorm would prevent that leg of the trip and we would settle in the cute town of Missoula, MT. Home to the University of Montana and the lowest student retention rate in the country, this town had a few good bars and restaurants with an incredible mountain backdrop and another Motel 6.
The following day we make it through the northern tip of Idaho where you find the beautiful Coeur d’Alene Lake. Not what I expected Idaho to be like at all, another pleasant surprise. Then continuing on through Washington. Past Spokane you drive through the state’s agriculture belt, which is actually a very large desert. Next to tumble weed and dust you see sprawling fields full of alfalfa and potatoes, corn and wheat; bright greens next to yellowing browns. It mystified me. This land was not meant for intensive agriculture, they’ve got to be importing a shit load of water to make it grow. Past this you cross over the Columbus River, a large gorge in the land, once sacred native grounds and continue on into a changing landscape from desert to forest to temperate rainforest.
That night we ended up in Seattle and stayed at a friend’s place. We finally made it, kind of.
Eager to get to foreign lands, the next morning we worked our way up to Vancouver, Canada. This only took a record two hours, including stumbling our way through boarder control. This city is truly a gem. It looked somehow sci-fi with its many tall glass buildings, cleanliness and bountiful greenery. There was a certain Battlestar Galactica feel to it. We were impressed. After attempting to camp on a 30 degree night we opted for a cheap hotel near the Capilano Suspension Bridge where friends of ours gave us tickets to visit. We ate Tim Horton’s for breakfast because we couldn’t find anything else and made our way across the little suspension bridge in the big trees. This was fun, not as dramatic as my other canopy tours in Costa Rica and Ghana, but a highlight of the trip. Then we made it down into the heart of the city (literally five minutes away we learned) to behave like city dwellers once again and do some walking.
After spending so much time in a car a good walk is quite refreshing. You realize how messed up your body feels and remember that these human forms were not built for that much sitting. As we tend to do in a new city we pretty much walked around for seven hours with occasional stops for something the eat and settled in at our new hotel, Hotel Barclay on Robson Street. The next day we hit up the Vancouver Art Gallery and Vancouver’s impressive Stanley Park where they have accomplished this idea of recreational, manicured parkland combined with nearly untouched nature. Huge trees and minimal people make the perfect urban rustic experience.
Again, the weather was not in our favor up here in Canada and it was a bit too chilly to make our next adventure out to the Golden Ears Provincial Park for some camping. With our need to stay financially afloat and warm we opted to head out to the Olympic Peninsula for a visit with Jon’s cousin. Samantha lives deep in the peninsula, I mean deep! It takes about thirty minutes to get anywhere, I mean anywhere from her house. What you get is a lot of seclusion and not a lot of convenience or access. I guess it’s a toss up, but I would rather settle a little closer to the main town area of Port Townsend, where we camped a few days latter on the Fort Warden beach.
The Olympic Peninsula is magical. Lots of sustainable agriculture, permaculture, and good food, of course.
Hiatus Part 1
January 7, 2010, 8:25 AM
Filed under: Community, Culture, Design, Education, Food, Living, Permaculture
Filed under: Community, Culture, Design, Education, Food, Living, Permaculture
It’s been quite a while since I posted anything to the blog and my hopes are that this summary of what has happened since the last post will be the first of much more to come.
The last time I wrote I was grieving about Detroit; the misuse of space, the unemployment, the over shopped and under privileged and at this very moment I am back in Detroit having similar feelings. Except this time I’ve taken the opportunity to seek out the city’s developments in sustainable agriculture and community gardens. There has been a lot of talk about Detroit’s future as an agricultural mecca. There have been articles such as these 1 2 3 4 5 that describe the potential for this new green landscape over the industrial city. But, while there have been proposals to makeover Detroit has there been any real activity? I wondered this myself and decided to look into this. As is turns out there are several farms in downtown Detroit that are doing great work as well as organizations designed to assist these farms and make community connections. Take a look at Earthworks Urban Farm , a chemical free farm that serves a soup kitchen and educates its community about sustainable agriculture.
Here are some more links to organizations doing work around urban agriculture.
Greening of Detroit
Hantz farms Detroit
Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
So there’s a start. But what about the suburbs of he greater Detroit metropolitan area? What was once vast farmland and orchards, Detroit’s original breadbasket, has now been converted to strip mall after condo after four-lane highway. The suburbs of Detroit are a sustainability- minded urban planner’s nightmare. There are no sidewalks; you must drive to get anywhere, even to cross the street for a gallon of milk. There is very little food production, but ample lawn space. It’s also not very aesthetically pleasing, as the land is flat and the architecture obtrusive and monotonous, making it rather depressing. However, despite all its challenges these suburbs have potential. Much of the housing is arranged in communal, condo-type settings. Many people are living close to one another as well as to stores that house their needs and places of work too. I’ll even go on to suggest that there are all the ingredients for sustainable communal living space save for a few key elements which are: sidewalks, bike paths, pedestrian walks and lights, community gardens (and lots of them), community centers (within each condo community) and public space that does not involve shopping, redirecting future development upward rather than outward.
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Jonathan Potts, the premier graphic designer for Big Sustainable Salad’s design services venture, also enjoys creating works that have something to say about conditioning and culture. Check out his website to see more.
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More News on Extinction
Just saw this on WikiNEWS.
Largest mass extinction in 65 million years underway, scientists say…
It doesn’t mention humans… yet
Post PDC
The first meal I ate after leaving an all vegetarian, organic diet for three weeks made me feel sick. I had a cup of corn chowder and half a tuna sandwich. When I say I felt sick I felt like I couldn’t move around easily, tired with a slow mind. Then I thought, this is how I always felt after my usual meals prior to my three weeks of vegetarian organic goodness. There’s a difference- I’m sticking to vegetarian and sticking to organic.
Then I walked down the aroma therapy isle at a health food store, picked up a pack of cedar incense sticks and thought, mmmmmm compost toilet.
Then I drove a car around to get from point A, the house to point B anywhere else to do anything that must be done, or not. I drove through suburban lots with perfectly trimmed lawns and thought, hmmmm they could use a vegetable garden on that nice south facing lawn.
