NH Permaculture Day

• TAMING CHAOS: HOW TO CUT A TIMBER FRAME FROM LESS THAN IDEAL MATERIALS:   One of the most exciting skills that I have learned as a timber framer is the ability to take a random, not square, not straight piece of wood and build a square, plumb, sound structure. In this workshop/talk, I will share my knowledge on how to tame the imperfect. I will show the participants how to use a few simple and inexpensive tools to cut perfect timber frame joinery from timbers that are anything but perfect. Attendees will leave with the skills to take a random rough sawn or hewn or even round timber and use it to build a sound, plumb and level structure.   Presenter:  Lucas Fowler

• SCYTHING DEMONSTRATION:  Learn more about this unique way of "mowing"/cutting grass.  There will be a bit of history, a bit about the different types of scythes and showing this "in action" helping Shaker Village out by cutting some of their grass.  Presenter:  Eric Zablowsky
• WEAVING MEDICINAL HERBS INTO THE PERMACULTURE HOMESTEAD:  Have you been feeling called to work more with herbal medicine? There are so many beautiful and nourishing medicinal herbs that grow well and even naturalize in our New England gardens. This class will be about sharing my favorites along with how to grow, manage, store and use them for optimal health and seasonal support. My herb gardens in Unity NH were created using the permaculture principles of guilds and re-wilding the landscape with beneficial species to both humans and the pollinators. Medicinal herbs are beautiful bridges to connect more deeply with the wild side and it is wonderful to have a home apothecary to draw from for all season self-care. Presenter Jonah Rub Roberts
• DESIGNING THE SELF:  According to Valerie, “Human beings are brilliant, loving, cooperative, caring and ingenious by nature, and completely up for the challenges of their times.” "Designing the Self" draws on permaculture principles to plot out a course to our happiest, most alive, intelligent, and beneficial relationships to ourselves, each other, and the natural world. Be prepared to have fun while learning a few skills and gaining a sense of being part of a loving, caring community. Presenter: Valerie Piedmont
• SOURDOUGH: A STARTER CULTURE:  This workshop will focus on the basics of fermentation management in regard to sourdough bread baking. We will be starting our own sourdough, showing techniques on maintaining this culture, and utilizing it in the baking process. This will be a very interactive workshop for both the advance sourdough baker as well as someone who has never baked before. I will provide cultures in many different stages as well as some freshly baked bread.  Presenter: Garrett Bauer
• PERMACULTURE 101:  What is Permaculture?  What are the basic principals?  How do you start using Permaculture in your life?  Join this discussion of where to start after spending a day immersed in many different aspects of Permaculture.  Everyone can be a part of the movement in some way, from where ever you are, to help make the world a better place and have fun doing it.  Presenter/Discussion leader:  Jack Eaton
• INTERGENERATIONAL CIRCLE: YOUTH & ELDER CONNECTION: Healthy intergenerational relationships are key to healthy communities. In my travels to over one hundred intentional communities around the globe, youth and elder relationships are prominent.  In this highly participatory workshop, we will explore what it means to be an older and younger in today’s world. We will practice skills for bridging the age divide and learn tools that you can bring back to your own community.  The Intergenerational Circle is a method developed in partnership with NextGEN - the youth chapter of the Global Ecovillage Network.  Presenter:  Cynthia Tina
• Growing Food, Growing Community: Permaculture Solutions from a young nonprofit.:  Now more than ever it is so important pursue solutions rather than arguments, to shatter the false dichotomy between environmental and economic needs and reconnect humanity to its roots in the natural world. Turning this passion into action is the critical next step, and there are many different ways to take action. Through a short presentation and lively discussion, France and Hanna will share their experience building the Kearsarge Food Hub from the ground up and offer tangible tools to people who seek to have a similar impact in their own communities. They will share the challenges and opportunities they have encountered developing this unique organization, showing what has worked and what work has yet to be done. This is a long and unfinished story of observation, innovation, and problem solving. Come prepared to ask questions, share stories, and dig deep into real world examples of how permaculture philosophy can help us redesign food, farming, and communities. Presenters: Hanna Flanders & France Hahn

• SHEEP & WOOL: A RENEWABLE RESOURCE:  An overview of how we use sheep to enhance our farm and, in particular, what to do with all that wool.  Topics to be covered include: rotational grazing, lambs, protein, wool, (including natural washing using a suint method and rainwater.  There will be demonstrations to illustrate many downstream uses of sheep from the point of shearing to finished products. Presenter:  Leslie Chunn

• SHARING BEEF SECRETS:  Is it better to freely share successful farming practices or keep them secret? If you give away production tips will your competitors make more money than you? Perhaps if we share our secrets with others everyone will benefit? Come to this workshop to learn how one farmer is trying to make a living raising beef with full transparency. Presenter: Carol Soule
• DENDROLOGY 101:  This is the great "ology" of trees.  This tree walk will help you not only learn to identify our "bark buddies," but will show the importance of trees in a balanced ecosystem.  How do trees fit in with Permaculture?  How do trees fit in with New Hampshire?  Presenter:  Mary Tebo Davis

• WORKING TOGETHER & WALKING OUR TALK:   We know what the work is that needs to be done to build a more sustainable community, but how we do the work seems to be where things get tricky. Who is at the table? Why don’t people show up? How do we organize ourselves? What are our governance structures? Who makes decisions? Who provides input and who does the work? Why do these things matter?  This interactive workshop will explore the reasons why well-intentioned organizations with the best ideas fail and how we can learn from these failures. It will discuss the internal and external challenges that groups face when implementing their environmental and social justice missions and we will look through the lens of permaculture to provide tangible steps for how groups can live out the “people care” and “fair share” ethics of permaculture to create more resilient, equitable, and impactful organizations. Presenters: Leigh Cameron & Akilah Campbell

• GROWING MICROGREENS:  Learn to grow nutrient dense greens year round on a south facing windowsill, or with lights.  Lets grow nutrition even in the winter!  We will plant wheat grass and an assortment of sprouts: sunflower, radish, buckwheat, etc.  Presenter: Alyssa Pitter
• BUILDING HUGELKULTURE BEDS: A "hands on" workshop learning the benefits of hugelbeds. These are made by mounding logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost or whatever other biomass you have available, top with soil and plant your veggies, etc.   Learn the benefits. Presenter: Mike Barwell
• GARDEN TOUR:   A tour of the gardens and greenhouses at Shaker Village.  A discussion on transitioning to permanent raised beds and use of surface mulches to control weeks, conserve soil moisture and improve soil quality.  Scythe Demo, weather and conditions permitting.  Presenter:  Andy Messenger

• SHAKER HERBALISM:  Discussion about Shaker herbalism & products, focusing on Canterbury Shaker Village between the years of 1835-1895 when they were most active.  Included is a short discussion on the "Doctrine of Place."  Presenter:  Bea Hebert

• MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS:  A discussion on what medicinal mushrooms are, what kinds grow in New England and what they can do for our health and the health of our land.  Presenter:  Ann-Marie Jackson

• SUMMER TREE & SHRUB PROPAGATION:  Many trees & shrubs are propagated in the summer months through cuttings, grafting and budding.  Learn these easy techniques for making more plants from ones you already have.  We will chip bud and 1 bud apples and other fruit trees, as well as take summer cuttings from common edible plants.  Presenter:  Buzz Ferver

• RESILIENT BUILDING   The Shakers are known for "no frills" functionality in life and work.  Let's take a look at some historic structures and how they are adapted by the Shakers for the longevity, work and comfort of the community.  This will be a walk looking at a number of structures.  Presenter:  David Ford

• URINE DIVERSION & PERMACULTURE: This presentation will focus on the value of urine diversion as a permaculture practice & how urine diversion is on the rise in NH, thanks to the efforts of "Pee Local" located in NH's Seacoast & its parent organization,  Rich Earth Institute of Brattleboro, VT.  "Pee Local" is in its 4th year of a urine diversion & nutrient reclamation pilot program implementing practical & sustainable wastewater management solutions to help address the Great Bay's nutrient pollution issues, conserve drinking water, help support local agriculture, and promote permaculture in NH.  Urine is an excellent source of home grown fertilizer, and sustainable community scale initiates such as that of the Rich Earth Institute are demonstrating the economic viability of "peecycling" programs.  (www.richearthinstitute.org ).  David will share his experiences & practical approach to collecting, storing and utilizing one's own liquid gold as an agricultureal fertilizer, as well as highlight programs & research.  Presenter: David Cedarholm
• NATURE BASED LEARNING FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD:  Join in community on the Dewey School's Paradise Meadow at the Canterbury Shaker Village.  Explore our natural habitate islands.  Walk our paths.  Go to the Wilds.  See the world from the perspective of a four-year-old.  Let's discuss why it is important to connect children to nature & what NH is doing about it!  This participatory workshop will explore how we can foster connections to the natural world for our children.  We will use the resources on hand to create, in community, a sapling structure for the early learners at The Dewey School.  You will need patience, loppers, & a cheery disposition.  Presenter: Mindy Beltramo
• URBAN PERMACULTURE: Learn how you can include over 200 varieties of perennial & annual vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, ground covers, grasses, ferns and shitake mushroom logs in a low maintenance urban permaculture garden that incorporates companion planting, microclimates, spiral herb garden, gutter irrigation, lasagna, hugelkultur, barrel, worm bin and mounded composting; with meandering brick, stone, moss & grass paths. Presenter: Marsha Campaniello
  
• SUPPORTING A CLIMATE RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEM- Preparing for the climate impacts to the global, national, and local food supply.  New Hampshire is estimated to have on average 2-3 days worth of food supply at any given time. While local food supplies have been increasing, NH is still highly dependent on out-of-state/region food sources for our calories and nutrition.  As our globe continues to warm & regional climates shift, conditions in the major food growing regions may shift, putting our food supplies at risk.  This session will briefly review the most recent observed change in weather patterns and will conclude with a group discussion regarding opportunities and considerations to support a resilient food system in NH & New England.  Presenter: Chris Skoklund
  
• MUSHROOM FORAY:  In this workshop Dave will discuss the mushroom life cycle and how to forage for mushrooms, including what to look for in their habitat and how to safely go about identification.   We will foray and ask people to bring a basket, knife, and favorite ID book. We will bring back the mushrooms and present them on a table. Presenter: Dave Wichland
• MUSHROOM PLUGGING DEMO: Learn the basics to propagating your own mushrooms.  Dave will demonstrate techniques for growing mushrooms on logs and stumps and go over what varietites are best suited for your situation.  This workshop will include totem and log inoculation demonstrations.  Presenter:  Dave Wichland

• SHAKER VILLAGE TOURS - SHAPING THE LAND
• INTRODUCTION TO SHAKER HISTORY & CANTERBURY SHAKER VILLAGE: During lunch with Presenter: Kevin Marzoli

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