Lost Valley 5-week Permaculture Design Certification Course

Lost Valley 5-week Permaculture Design Certification Course02/29/2012   Lost Valley is an Education Center and EcoVillage located near Eugene, Oregon with a mission - “We are a learning community creating catalysts for joyful social and ecological regeneration.”  Lost Valley is not only a focus for our EcoVillage Research Project, but a sister non-profit that resembles our eventual goals for D.r.e.e.m. Reality. They host a number of wonderful internships, courses, and workshops regarding various sustainable topics within Permaculture, Gardening, and Eco-building. Specifically, they offer a Five-week Permaculture Design Certification Course (May 21- June 22, 2012) that we have begun communicating with them about. They have graciously offered a $500 discount for each student we bring, dropping the price from $2,500 per student to $2,000. We are seeking to share this discount with as many Dreemers as we can - you included! This is truly a great opportunity for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge on permaculture as an ecological and social design, while simultaneously earning certification. With the certification you can confidently promote yourself as a permaculturalist in your pursuits - such as design consulting, offering finished design work, teaching of classes and workshops, etc.  If you are interested in joining us this May - June at Lost Valley, please contact Dani at Danielle@DreemReality.org.  Or sign up for our mailing list for latest planning info below: Subscribe to our newsletter Here's some more information on the course: Five-week Permaculture Design Certification Course (May 21 - June 22, 2012) Our PDC follows the standard 72-hour Permaculture Design Curriculum created by the Permaculture Institute. But being that our class is far longer than traditional 72-hour courses, we can do more and in ways that suit more learning styles, as mentioned above. The hands-on projects will relate to class topics, and be part of a broader series of undertakings around the Lost Valley site; this allows you to explore many different permaculture projects in varying stages (projects may vary by weather and other considerations). The five-week course will culminate with student groups presenting their permaculture design project for a particular area on the LV campus to the Lost Valley community and staff. Students who have completed the course will be awarded the Permaculture Design Certificate at the Closing Ceremony on Friday. A No-Talent Show, shindig, and cob oven pizza party will cap off the course. At Lost Valley we will: Fulfill the Permaculture Design Curriculum created by the Permaculture Institute Combine lecture, discussion, interaction with nature, and hands-on projects Learn to analyze local environment Design holistic systems that meet the needs of people and nature Immerse yourself in a sustainable community lifestyle Explore, play, adventure, and learn with oth

Article review for Green Building class.

Article review for Green Building class.02/28/2012

 

        “With 42 green buildings, city leads the pack”
                                     Reference to article by: Sharanya Gautam with TNN on Feb 13, 2012 

This article was found in “The Times of India”, and makes a focus on Channai but also on the world. I have a deep interest in what type of green building progression is going on in the world and how that affects us in the United States so I decided to use this article:

It excites me to see that other nations are taking giant steps to become the top in green, sustainable building techniques. The city of Channai, India is taking the lead in sustainable building and energy and environmental design in India by having 42 of the 212 green buildings. It is said in the article that the demand for green building is increasing, as well as the builders also becoming proactive about building green. Additionally to the materials changing there is also a shift towards joining agriculture and building development.

I feel it is a great movement to have an awareness to utilize all spaces to grow plants and edibles. There is an exorbitant amount of concrete ground and skyscrapers due to the nature of cities and population. In order to balance our need as humans for these city areas with large populations, and our need for oxygen, it seems brilliant to start shifting these urban areas into growing greenhouses within and on top of building structures. This will aid in empowerment for humans who can grow their own food, as well as open up a whole new work force for those in green building.

            Green certification is also aiding in creating a whole new niche for those in construction. It creates a specialization that many are now looking for. People are willing to pay more for a green building, since it will be saving nearly 50% on energy consumption. Building a green structure compared to a normal building adds on only a 3-5% expense, so the pay offs seem well worth the initial investment, not to mention the pat on the back your conscious will be giving you in making the switch.

            All in all it seems that the consciousness of the world is growing to understand that we don’t merely want, but absolutely need to make changes in the way in which we are building. We are starting to become aware of the materials that we are using, and the way in which we are consuming energy. We are also realizing that it can be just as affordable, and payoff in many more ways than just financially. With the whole world making these changes, it is inevitable that we all will be making the switch.

Melinda L. Phoenix

Diggin' In: Progress Journal (2/25-2/28)

Diggin' In: Progress Journal (2/25 - 2/28)

02/28/2012

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2/25/12. Sprouts Appear! (3 days after planting)

This morning I see sprouts! The 1st and strongest seem to be arugula. Both M and mine, even though M’s arugula got stomped on by Bella.




Here’s what’s poking through this morning:

• Arugula - M & D
• Beets - M & D
• Kale - M & D
• Chinese Cabbage - M & D
• Broccoli - M & D
• Spinach - D
• Lettuce - D
• Cauliflower - M

The soil is staying moist and I moved the bench with the trays into the sunshine of our room. 

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2/26/12. More Sprouts!

They’re growing! More sprouts peeking through today. Very cool.

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2/28/12. Sprouting Differences

More growth! Interesting how some big differences between M and mine - most ovcious are the beets. Mine are growing like crazy and hers hasn’t sprouted yet. Same with her lettuce, where mine is on fire!

Almost all of mine are really growing except leek, onions, and scallions that just started sprouting today it looks like. And cilantro that shows no sign.

I’m curious to make correlations between vegetable type, leaf/sprout appearance, and sprout growth time.

The instructions from class say that once they germinate to put them outside in the day and in at night. (Definition of Germinate: Begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy)

Watering is to be cut back to once every other day, then every 3 days when seeds come up. When a second set of “true leaves” arrives, then they are ready to transplant. M started putting her tray outside today, I will tomorrow.

*Book says celety, parsley, leek and onion seeds take a long time to germinate*

Idea! Going to put the sprouted light-hungry seedlings in the aquarium outside to sit in the sun protected from wind, critters, and rain. Our room window isn’t south facing, it’s more south east and quickly loses sight of the sun. The aquarium on the roof patio will hopefully mimic a green house for the babies to germinate!


~Dani

Diggin' In: Progress Journaling (2/22 - 2/24)

Diggin' In: Progress Journaling (2/22 - 2/24)02/24/2012

 

2/22/12. Planting Cold Season Veggies (For garden vision, see here)

Planted the seeds for “coal season” today in Edible Landscaping. Put 13 different sets of seeds (see below) into a propagation mix for seedling germination:

• 1 part peat (acidic = seeds like acidity to germinate)
• 1 part perlite (for drainage)
• 1 part vermiculite (holds nutrients & moisture)

Also used “Dr. Earth’s Organic Fertilizer” in mix because we are going to leave teh seedlings in the mix for longer than usual. (This fertilizer is organically produced, but not “certified organic” - so can use in organic home garden, but wouldn’t help a “certified organic” farm.) 

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Seeds to germinate:                   # Seeds in cell
1) Arugula - Rocket Salad               10
2) Celery root brilliant                     6
3) Kale, Red Russian                      10
4) Cauliflower Denali                      0  (gave mine to M)
5) Broccoli: Blue Wind                    10
6) Lettuce - Encore Lettuce             12
7) Onion, Bunching, Deep Purple    6 x 2 = 12 (M give hers to me)
8) Beets Touchtone Gold               12
9) Chinese Cabbage, Napa            12
10) Cilantro                                  12
11) Spinach Smooth Leaf Emv        12
12) Peas Snow/Sugar Oregon Giant   0 (was out of, but will buy at store)
13) Leek Lancelot                            12

Since M and I traded one to save space and avoide double seedign and that class was out of 2 - this leaves 2 cells open for other seeds. To be determined still.

Our Instructions were to:

• Fill cells with mix and gently tamp down leaving ½ inch of container showing on top. (M insists that her mix was tamped down more precise and flat than mine, we’ll see if that provides different results)
• Lay the seeds out in the mix, in a traingular arrangement in the cell to have mazimum root room: Diagram of cell layout
• Cover the seed only a little with mix
• Add vermiculite only to cover about ½ the diameter of the seed. (So when it sprouts, it can reach sunlight)
• Water gently but thoroughly *H20 is the more crucial element in seed starting process*

At Home we are to:

• Keep indoors near a. South or West, b East, c. North window, successively. *It’s more important to have heat than sun at this point* (We decided to put our seeds in the warmest room of the house - ours. Upstairs, poor ventilation and insulation in the house makes our room hottest!)
• Check daily to keep moist (We are going to use a H20 bottle with holes in the top to water)
• After it germinates, move outside in the day (partly shady area) and inside at night (to avoid snails and slugs feasting)
• Cut back on H20 to 1 x every other day, then 1x every 3 days when seeds come up. Unless hot then water every day - don’t let soil dry up.
• Transplant into the ground when they have 2 sets of “true” leaves

So today starts our official DreemGarden: “Diggin’ In” project!

2/23/12. Planted Peas and Scallions

Today I took pictures to track the sunshine on the hours, backyard, front yard, side driveway, roof, and roof patio. I was able to get pics at 8am - 12pm then 4 & 5pm. Very interseting! Tomorrow I hope to get from 1 - 3pm also. Then I will put it together and be able to see where the sunny & shady parts are for both planting and green building modifications.

Also, we planted peas and scallions in the open cells today. Brought them from the hardware store.

I watered earlier today, using our home bidet...which is a waterbottle with holes in the cap. I watered ½ bottle in the morning, then another ½ bottle after planting the new seeds around 4:30pm. (M insisted 1 full bottle earlier)

It’s definitely warmest in our room! We also have placed the tray of seeds on a bench above the heat vent, this keeps the soil nice and warm. But we have to be careful not to dry them out.

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2/24/12. Sun Tracking Photos Taken

Pictures taken of sunshine: Location (File name tag): angles taken from

• Back Yard (Date.BY.angle): front right, front left, back right, back left, Ivy plot, porch view, from roof chimney, from roof top
• Side Drive (Date.Side.angle): open gate, closed gate - back to front, closed gate front to back, roof shot
• Room Patio (Date..RmPat.angle): from left, from right, from roof
• Front Yard (Date.FY.angle): left of yard, right of yard, full house
• Misc (Date.Misc.type): side conservatory, sun in room, sun tracking through day
• Roof (Date.Roof.angle): from room patio, from chimney full, chimney (SE, NW), from top to chimney, top (SE, S, N, W)

We’ll see which ones are used in the final suntracking video creation...

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Living Earth Structures - Dreem Come True Letter Recipient!

Living Earth Structures - Dreem Come True Letter Recipient!02/17/2012

 

Dear Living Earth Structures and Miguel,

I am writing on behalf of D.r.e.e.m. Reality which, as you know, is a growing educational non-profit dedicated to sustainability. Though we are a small organization, we are eager to show our support of other organizations and individuals that are striving for a similar goal of real, sustainable change. This letter is intended to express our enthusiastic encouragement of your efforts!

Over the past year we have been able to share time and energy together – connecting on our similar passion to evolve the world toward a more sustainable future. I have had the opportunity to witness a few of the incredible ways you reach out as a leader to accomplish this mission. I’d like to illuminate some of these efforts and believe you should be very proud of them!

• The creation of Cob Building Workshops, offering your invaluable knowledge to the public and exposing the powerful use of cob as a natural building material.
• Focusing an impressive amount of energy on empowerment of the youth with the awareness of cob at various hands-on school events.
• Your inexhaustible well of enthusiasm for what you do, utilizing your resources effectively to make the largest impact you can via community action, movie production, etc.  
• The sharing of your wisdom and skills throughout the world, simultaneously teaching and learning in various physical and social environments.

I am personally very grateful to have had first-hand experience with your and Living Earth Structures’ mission. I full heartedly encourage you to keep up the magnificent work, as you are inspiration and leader to many!

Sincerely,

Danielle Phoenix
Vice President and Executive Director
D.r.e.e.m. Reality

Article Review: “New Research Reveals the Safety Hazards of Green Building”

Article Review: “New Research Reveals the Safety Hazards of Green Building”02/10/2012

 

Below is the first Article Review for my Sustainable Building class:

“New Research Reveals the Safety Hazards of Green Building” 
By Katie Frasier taken from GreenSource Magazine
(Original Article Found Here)

          This article’s title, taken from GreenSource Magazine, originally caught my attention with an automatic position of defense and urge to negate such an implication that Green Building would encompass a higher safety risk than “traditional” building. Upon reading, however, I have gained a matured insight on how the evolution of new practices presents a need for new safety evaluations.

            Matthew Hallowell, an assistant professor in the Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Colorado Boulder was inspired to investigate the claims of a study showing an approximate 50% increase of injuries in LEED-certified projects. Through empirical research and on-site evaluations, Hallowell and his team identified 14 LEED credentials that possibly heighten risks to construction workers. Some of these risks include sustainable roof and PV panel installation, injuries from construction waste management and collection of salvaged building materials, etc. The article continues with suggested solutions to each identified risk.

            With the skyrocketing of cultural and financial support for sustainable practices, which is a relatively “new” industry, it is understandable that there is some stumbling during the growth process. Training and hazard awareness may have seemed to be less of an immediate priority due to a standard understanding of traditional construction hazards. It takes time and experience to become aware of elements specific to any new system, even if that experience stems from accidental injury.

However, with the open evaluation of on-site injuries and the expanding reach of LEED-certification it is incredibly important to quickly evolve. The article states that the LEED rating system had not yet included improvement to workers safety, but that the US Green Building Council (USGBC) has been in process to evaluate this. The intention, which I feel is a brilliant addition, is to include worker safety as part of the LEED credentials. Obviously, the philosophy of sustainability must extend to personal health as well as environmental health. By including these credentials we not only can rest assured as consumers that we are supporting a vastly sustainable product, but also feel secure as potential employees of the growing sustainable building market.

I encourage the scrutiny of this and any industry in such serious matters of worker health and applaud the receptivity of LEED and USGBC. By allowing an open dialog of such important issues with quick response we can feel confident in the integrity of the blossoming green building industry.

Sustainable Building Class!

Sustainable Building Class!02/10/2012

 

Aloha!

Our recent settlement in Santa Cruz, California has allowed for us the time, space, and focus to really build up our educational foundation. On of my biggest goals for Dreem Reality has been to acquire some true knowledge on the various sustainable elements. Usually I consider myself a generalist and facilitator, but am eager to become an even more devoted specialist. Thus, we have taken up a few classes at our local community college that will assist in developing specific knowledge: Edible Landscaping (see this blog) and Sustainable Building.

This blog's purpose is to introduce the Sustainable Building class and how we intend to incorporate the lessons learned and projects completed into Dreem Reality. What a perfect opportunity to share knowledge with everyone!

The first Sustainable Building class was held this past Tues, Feb 7th at Cabrillo college. The professor is a licensed professional Mechanic Engineer and a LEED accredited professional, who is enthusiastically open to sharing his knowledge and resources on his college website (here). Our syllabus promises to introduce us to topics such as: building design, site selection, passive solar fundamentals, sustainable building materials and methods, Build-It-Green and GreenPoint rating, and more.

Throughout the semester we will be responsible for providing our evaluation of various Sustainable Building articles and engaging in class discussions. Melinda and I are looking forward to sharing our evaluations with you! The first is due next Tuesday. I just completed mine and will be posting it momentarily under the tag "Article Evaluations". Our final project will be a group evaluation of an actual Sustainable Building, which we will make sure to share with you as well.

I am truly excited for the opportunity to grow my knowledge on Sustainable Building in a stable environment that will allow for the blossoming of various elements of Dreem Reality.

Hope you enjoy the article!

~Dani

"Diggin' In" with Edible Landscaping

"Diggin' In" with Edible Landscaping02/10/2012

 

Hello all!

So, as you probably know, we have a very special program called "Home Gardens" that we proudly support. Right now we have one active gardener and blogger - Amanda Barren's "G for Garden". She has done some inspirational work exploring her first garden and her blog has shared her delicious progress. There are also a few others that have expressed interest in sharing their Home Gardens that we hope will join in sharing with us.

Up until now, I have personally never been a home gardener. I've honestly always been a bit intimidated and have feared that my unsuccessful attempts to keep a few potted plants alive were predictive of what would happen to any gardening attempt. The green thumb is something I have utmost respect and encouragement for and have happily watched my grandparents partake in. Now, it's my turn to give it a try!

We have ceased our relatively transient existence for a projected four years - making Santa Cruz, CA the home base for our lives and Dreem operation. This is VERY exciting, as it allows us the time, space, and focus to really "dig" in (pun absolutely intended). Also, this allows us to pick up some wonderful classes at Cabrillo, our local community college: "Edible Landscape" and "Sustainable Building" (which I will save for a different blog topic). It just so happens that our Edible Landscape professor is the mother of one of our essential crew members, Collin, from the DreemKitchen adventure this past summer! What a treat! It's easy to see where Collin gets his vivacious passion to create and work hard.

Our semester began this past Wed, Feb 8th, and the syllabus promises a most incredible path ahead. We'll take on coastal climate and seasonal specific trees and gardening; soil prep and composting; weeds and fertilizers; herbs and companion planting; and controlling wildlife and biological balance with insects. Additionally, our professor has a plethora of amazing documentaries and guest speakers planned. And finally, we'll be starting our own seeds and herb trimmings to take home and cultivate!

It is Melinda and my goal to utilize and share our learning experience through Dreem Reality, hopefully providing notes, documentary evaluations, and more. We also intend to keep you in the loop with what we are learning in our two texts: Golden Gate Gardening by Pam Peirce and Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy as they help us transform our back yard, front yard, and side patio into our own Home Garden!

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We're excited to take on this project together and to share what we learn as newbie Home Gardeners with everyone!

~Dani