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Dear friend,
Welcome to the latest ebulletin for June 2008 from the Permaculture Association (Britain).
Remember you can email items for the ebulletin to office@permaculture.org.uk. You can also post details of groups & projects, events, courses, weblinks and more directly on to our website listings using the "tell us" links at http://www.permaculture.org.uk/login.asp.
Please note that for the week beginning Monday 23rd June, our Office Coordinator Dom will be running the PAB stall at Glastonbury Festival and helping with the on-site permaculture garden (pop down and say hello if you"re planning on going!), and our Coordinator Andy will be at the ninth European Permaculture Convergence. Our staff capacity will therefore be extremely limited for this week and so it will take us longer than usual to respond to your enquiries - please be patient!
Some readers have reported problems with the formatting and links in the ebulletin; if this is the case, you can also view the full document on our website at http://permaculture.org.uk/ebulletin.php.
PAB news
- Job opportunities at the Permaculture Association
- Convergence 2008 – 100% solutions! Only 11 days left to get your discounted ticket
General news
- Abundance project in Sheffield
- Teacher wanted for course in north Wales
International news
- Report from Marda Permaculture Farm in Palestine
Events
- Growing Food for London conference
- Future farming in the UK: global implications for society and biodiversity
- Countryside Live, Lee Valley Park September "08
Jobs
- Senior Farm Worker Ragman"s Lane Farm
- Resident Permaculturalist / Permaculture Trainer at Strawberry Fields, Ethopia
- Goat herd manager, Bridge Farm, Lincolnshire
Opportunities
- Farmer or "Farm Couple" for Genuine Carbon-Neutral, sustainable, resort in Tuscany.
- Cooking help sought on French Design Course
- Hockerton Housing Project - home for sale
Funding
- Funding for bringing communities together
- Artist Project Earth funding round
PAB news
Job opportunities at the Permaculture Association
The Permaculture Association is looking for two new part-time members of staff to join this dynamic and expanding charity.
Finance Clerk: 7 hours per week to be worked as a full day or two half days. £16,480 pro rata (£3117)
Purpose: To enable the Association to maintain proper financial records, report to stakeholders and process day to day financial transactions.
Office Coordinator: 20 hours per week, flexible working by arrangement. £16,480 pro rata (£8899.20 before deductions)
Purpose:
* To enable the PAB to fulfill its aims by
ensuring that the office is run smoothly and efficiently.
* To maintain current
services and ensure a high quality of ongoing administration to support these
services and the work of other staff and volunteers.
* To work in a friendly
and cooperative way with other office staff, Trustees, volunteers, PAB members
and the general public.
Both posts will be based at our office in Leeds (Hollybush Conservation Centre, Kirkstall).
Application deadline for both posts: Friday 27 June 08
Interview date for both posts: Tuesday 8 July 08
For more details, please follow the link and download the job descriptions and application forms.
Convergence 2008 – 100% solutions! Nell Bank Centre, Ilkley West Yorkshire 5-7 September
Please note that discounted Early Bird tickets for the Convergence are only available until 11:59pm on Monday June 30th. Book before this time to get a bargain! Note also that the event is restricted to 300 places only. With a third of tickets already sold, we strongly encourage you to book early to avoid disappointment.
Preparations for the Convergence, the biennial skillsharing and networking event, are taking shape nicely with a busy team getting things ready behind the scenes. With Roberto Perez from Cuba sharing his experience of urban food growing and a brilliant line up of UK permaculture talent and workshops building up, we’re convinced this will be the best convergence yet. Nell Bank is accessible by public transport and has good disabled access throughout. There will also be a great programme of activities for children and young people. You can find out more by clicking here. If you want to offer a workshop, practical activity or talk, contact Hannah Thorogood at hannah_thorogood@hotmail.com.
Any other Convergence enquiries can be directed to the office.
Apologies to anyone that went to the website after reading the newsletter to look at the teachers’ survey and report from the last meeting. Sheer volume of work and meeting deadlines for funding pushed this back.
Thankfully the report is now online via the link at http://permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mmfile=educationteachersgatherings, in both .doc and .odt format. We will try to get the survey up as soon as possible, hopefully by the next e-bulletin.General news
Houses are being squeezed into any available
land & new communities are springing up all over the UK. It is vital to embrace
local food if we are to cope with the twin challenges of climate change and Peak
Oil: if you have seen the excellent "Power of the Community" film based on Cuba"s
attempts to feed itself after the Soviet Union collapsed and they lost 90% of
their oil supply almost overnight, I am sure you will agree.
This is impossible
unless all planning applications give space for allotments as part of the green
spaces allocation. As well as providing low income families with cheap, fresh,
healthy food and helping to reduce food miles, gardening can reduce all the physiological
symptoms of stress within five minutes!
The URL below links to a petition to parliament for all new development to be obliged to include allotments (hopefully shopping centres too). Could you forward it to everyone, and ask them to sign and forward it on to friends and family.
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/moreallotments/
Note that you must sign before 2nd August 2008.
Abundance project in Sheffield
Welcome to Abundance: community urban fruit harvest. Abundance redistributes unwanted or excess fruit from public and private fruit trees across the city to people who may not otherwise have access to fresh, local produce. Last year we harvested several thousand fresh fruit (apples, pear, plums, greengages, quinces) distributed free of charge to community café"s, Surestart groups (young children and their families) right across the city. We also ran an Abundance Week awareness-raising week where we distributed the bounty and freshly pressed juices in Meadowhall shopping centre and the City Centre. We need help with all aspects of the harvest including scouting/giving out fliers; donation of trees; harvesting; pressing; distributing and preserving. Abundance continues into the winter with preserving and chutney making workshops and training in pruning.
For more info see www.growsheffield.com/pages/groShefAbund.html
Teacher wanted for course in north Wales
Judith Wright at the Garth Hillside Organic Garden in Ceiriog Valley near Llangollen would like to host a weekend Introduction to Permaculture course later this year, and is looking for a teacher to lead the course. Judith is a PDC holder and runs the Garden as a permaculture project, and would like to become a teacher herself. The site has facilities to run a course, including classroom space both indoors and out, plus accommodation space in the cottage and possible camping.
If you"re interested call Judith on 01691 718127.
International news
Report from Marda Permaculture
Farm in Palestine
In Autumn last year, Permaculture Association (Britain)
members and supporters responded brilliantly to a call for help from the Marda
Permaculture Farm in Palestine. Marda subsequently joined our Permaculture
Projects Network, and we were able to transfer over £1500 to the project.
Here is a summary of the latest news from Marda:
In the approximately 7 months since the donation, much progress has been made. We have applied for formal status as an NGO in Palestine (as a branch of the Global Village Institute), and are nearly through with that process. This will enable the project to apply for funds within Palestine, and operate much more visibly in the region.
A formal partnership has been made with the Palestinian organisation the Peasant Farmers Union--which acted as the umbrella organization enabling the Marda Permaculture Farm to put on the workshop in March and April.
We successfully organized
and put on a 5-day permaculture workshop--despite deportation of Starhawk, our
instructor, just two weeks prior!--with 26 individuals participating from the
US, UK, Palestine, Jordan, and Israel.
Half were Palestinian, half internationals.
Instructors were Jesse and Tanya (Booth) Lemioux (project managers for one of
Geoff Lawton"s permaculture sites in Jordan) and Jan Martin Bang.
The site has been further developed with gravel parking near the garden, an orchard in progress, and more fully developed garden. Due to strong interest from local Palestinians, Murad is working with the head of the Peasant Farmers Union to seek funding for a full two week PDC course to be delivered this fall or next spring.
For further information visit http://www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mmfile=marda.
To make a donation to the Marda Permaculture Farm, contact the office via the details at the bottom of this page. In addition to one-off donations, we are also able to take monthly, quarterly or annual Standing Order donations - this ensures a long-term source of support for the project.
Events
Coed
Marros open day
The next Open Day at Coed Marros in Carmarthenshire
will be held on the 28th June 2008.
There will be workshops and storytelling and another chance to see Monty in action pulling timber.
We have been very busy this winter, planting trees, creating trails and building a barn for storing and processing timber, so we would love to show you about and share this beautiful woodland with you all.
If anyone would like to come a stay to help us prepare for the day please get in touch, we are hoping there will be lots of sunshine so you all can enjoy the views to the sea.
We are hoping that people will come by public transport as there is a fabulous bus that brings you to the end of the track.
For further details see www.coedmarros.com.
Growing
Food for London conference
Location: Greater London Authority,
City Hall Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Date: Monday, 30th June 2008,
09:00 -19:00
Booking necessary - For more information see http://www.sustainweb.org/page.php?id=433
This June, as part of London Festival of Architecture 2008, City Hall will host a conference to tackle one of the biggest issues we will face in the coming years: Where will London get its food from?
Growing Food for London will see international experts on urban agriculture discuss their work alongside presentations on other topics such as edible roof gardens and use of the Green Belt.
Ben Reynolds, from organisers London Food Link, believes the timing is crucial: “Set against rising food prices and increasing pressures to tackle climate change, London seriously needs to consider putting aside more space for growing food. Not only will this help future-proof against food shortages and preserve the capital’s open space, but it will also educate and improve the health of Londoners and reduce the distance that London’s food has travelled.”
The event, jointly organised with the London Parks and Green Spaces Forum, is part of the London Festival of Architecture, the world’s biggest celebration of architecture and the built environment, with over 500 events and activities this summer focusing on the theme ‘Fresh’. LFA2008 will feature a range of food-related projects, including two projects which have been supported by London Food Link: a ‘Continuous Picnic’ outside the British Museum organised by Bohn and Viljoen Architects, and an installation by What If? that fills derelict spaces in east London council estates with vegetable grow bags.
All of these food events and many more are featured on London Food Link’s new food events calendar, which is the only place that lists regular and one-off events on sustainable food in London, including farmers’ markets, allotment open days, and food-growing training courses.
http://www.sustainweb.org/news.php?id=214
Future farming in the UK: global implications
for society and biodiversity
Summer symposium, 3rd July 2008, New Hall,
Cambridge.
UK agriculture could change dramatically over the next few decades as a result of global economic development, population growth, climate change, technological advances and rising oil prices. This, in turn, may have substantial impacts on biodiversity in the UK and indirect impacts elsewhere. The Cambridge Conservation Forum (CCF) and the Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) Programme are hosting this one-day symposium to identify likely trends and drivers of agriculture (including biofuel and biomass crops) in the UK over the next 10-20 years, the adverse impacts of agriculture on biodiversity and ecosystem services in the UK and internationally, and possible land-use strategies and other measures that can mitigate these impacts. http://www.relu.ac.uk/events/.
Sustainable food for London
Thursday
31st July 2008, 10.30am - 2.30pm at the John Scurr Community Centre, East London
Family Project, 1A Bekesbourne Street, Limehouse, London E14 7JQ (near Limehouse
DLR station)
This joint event showcases the achievements and success of London food growers. Decision makers and community leaders are invited to join the festivities and witness first-hand the benefits of locally grown food.
Come and enjoy workshops, speeches and presentations. Take the opportunity to network, share ideas and of course indulge in a delicious lunch made from sustainable local ingredients.
We hope that you will join us for this special occasion!
Please reply to Caroline Fernandez, Women’s Environmental Network, carofood@gmail.com 020 7481 9004
For more information about WEN visit www.wen.org.uk
Preparation for the 5th Festival of Life on the 27th of September 2008 is underway. We are moving back to Conway Hall in Central London.
With our new enlarged team including members of the Synergy Project and Inspiral Lounge we are planning an exciting line up of daytime activities, stalls and talks, plus a spectacular evening party with live bands, performers, DJs, and chill space provided by Inspiral.
We are planning a large advertising campaign including; radio interviews, ads in magazines, 10-20 000 flyers which will be circulated around London and festivals throughout the summer, posters to be put up in suitable outlets around London, and access to a mailing list of 70 000+ email addresses.
We are looking to exchange website links and to promote various companies on our flyers, website and programme. In exchange for advertising we are looking for either promotion or sponsorship.
If you or your company would like to take
part in any of the above, or have a stall at this years event please get in touch
at either fol_chris@hotmail.co.uk
or on 02392611607.
Countryside Live, Lee Valley Park September "08
Countryside Live is a country fair for school children organised by The Countryside Foundation for Education (CFE). It is a fun and educational event, with links to the National Curriculum and covers areas like new life and growth, people and places, caring and products and materials. A number of organisations attend the event and present hands-on practical learning experiences for the children that will introduce them to aspects of the Countryside, Farming, Food and Environment.
This year"s event will take place on Thursday September 25 and Friday September 26 at the Lee Valley Park, Leyton Marsh. Primary children will be attending from Enfield, Barnet, Lewisham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Haringey.
There is the possibility for permaculture groups to run hands-on activities for children, for example willow weaving, or oven building, although activities should last about half an hour. This would be ideally suited to permaculture groups in the London area.
For further details see http://www.countrysidelive.org.uk/index.htm or email barbara-brannigan@countrysidefoundation.org.uk.
Jobs
Senior
Farm Worker Ragman"s Lane Farm
We are looking for a horticultural manager for our 5 acres of organic vegetables, £20,000 pa.
Extremely
varied work programme – leading the day-to-day farm work, managing staff
and volunteers, providing advice and support to visitors and students, maintaining
and developing business enterprises. You will have experience of working on the
land, managing people and delivering agreed targets. Further information at: www.ragmans.co.uk
Resident
Permaculturalist / Permaculture Trainer at Strawberry Fields, Ethopia
Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge (SFEL), Konso Special Wareda, Southern Region
Ethiopia is eco-tourism project set in a model permaculture farm in the rift valley.
SFEL also has a program for local community development and permaculture training
for both locals and others. SFEL was honoured, this year, to host 2 PDCs given
by Rosemary Morrow to local participants, agricultural extension workers from
Konso and from Kambata Zone, as well as foreign guest participants. SFEL is now
looking to build on this achievement and continue the development of the on-site
permaculture demonstration farm as well as initiate off site activities to benefit
the local community; including permaculture training and design consultancy for
local households and training up of local community trainers to be active in the
Konso Wareda. Experienced permaculture practitioners are sought, capable of teaching
full PDCs to groups of up to 20 people, who are interested in giving courses at
our site together with local agricultural experts who have now completed a full
certificated PDC.
Essential requirements include:
- Be certified in
Permaculture Design
- Have 3 or more years practical experience of managing
farms and gardens, including applying permaculture techniques.
- Have an interest
in learning new agricultural techniques through skill sharing and participatory
activities.
- Have a willingness to learn foreign languages; Amharic and Afan
Konso.
Preferred requirements include:
- Degree level education in agriculture,
science, engineering or a related subject
- An ability to translate scientific
concepts into simplified information which is comprehensible to uneducated individuals.
- Experience of working in the tropics and in third world countries
Responsibilities:
- Advising and supervising the operation of the on-site model permaculture farm
- Supervising the operation of the SFEL seed-bank, including exchange of seeds
with local people, cataloguing and storage of seeds and training of local women
in seed-saving methods.
- Giving permaculture design courses on a quarterly
basis to groups including local people, Ethiopian agricultural extension workers,
foreigners including NGO staff and visiting tourists.
Salary: negotiable +
Accommodation (full board) + expenses.
Please submit a CV and letter of
application to Alex McCausland at alex1mcc@yahoo.com
or get in touch for more information on the project area and objectives.
Goat herd manager, Bridge Farm, Lincolnshire
An opportunity to manage a small herd of dairy goats with potential for expansion. Bridge Farm is delightfully situated on the bank of the New River Ancholme and over the last 10 years has established a viable business making and retailing organic goats’ milk and cheese through local farm shops and farmers markets. The farm is about 20 acres and is both Soil Association certified and operated with high regard for conservation.
There is an associated education unit for young people on site which is based on organic vegetable production with produce sold through the farm. We also run occasional rural skills workshops. The successful applicant should have a knowledge of animals although some training will be given. Mobile home accommodation is available on site.
Phone Patty on 01673 818272 email patty.bridgefarmconservat@virgin.net
Visit us at our annual Open Day on Saturday 2 August. From 12noon to 5pm. Wonderful organic teas and local produce on sale. Children welcome.
Opportunities
Rare opportunity to rent chalet and land on organic Corsican
smallholding, from October "08, minimum 6 months. Income possibilities. Suit practical
French speaking couple. Driver essential. Contact Simon and Laura 0033 (0) 495
24 33 42 or email simon.snell@libertysurf.fr.
Farmer or "Farm Couple" for Genuine Carbon-Neutral, sustainable, resort in Tuscany.
We are looking for a Farmer or Farming Couple who are versed in permaculture or sustainable agriculture method to join us on this unique project in Italy. We are renovating 8,000 square metres of buildings and rehabilitating 1,200 acres of field and forest. The project aims to be genuinely carbon neutral and sustainable when it opens in 2011. Our new Farmer[s] to completely redevelop the property to provide the resort"s food, biomass and biofuel requirements by 2011. We have 3 hectares of wine, 3,000 olives and circa 100 acres of farmland - the remainder is in forest. We expect to develop food production ranging from wild boar to goat"s cheese and from pasta to honey.
The Farmer[s] will become part of the management team developing the whole project. We envision a package that will include accommodation, salary and profit sharing. We are very flexible on this and will tailor the package to the successful candidate[s]. English is essential, knowledge of Italian would be excellent but we will provide appropriate courses as necessary. We are looking for a dedicated individual or couple who will relish the chance to apply sustainable and sympathetic agricultural method within a project which hopes to become a pattern for future living in Europe.
To discuss the position, please e-mail contact details to mike.payne2@gmail.com
Cooking help sought on French Design Course
We are looking for a cooking volunteer to help on a Permaculture design course with Steve Read at the Dharmahouse this August 13th -23rd. You will be on a rota with another cook (cooking for between 12-16 people) and able to attend at least half the course. Please get in contact if you are interested. Contact thedharmahouse@yahoo.co.uk.
Hockerton Housing Project - home for
sale
There is a unique opportunity to purchase one of the most
energy efficient homes in the UK, and become part of the world renowned &
award winning Hockerton
Housing Project (HHP), a Nottinghamshire sustainable development. As occupants
and members of the HHP community you can also play a significant part in promoting
sustainability more widely through the associated business, Hockerton Housing
Project Trading Ltd, based at the on-site community building, the Sustainable
Resource Centre. Email hhp@hockerton.demon.co.uk
for an information pack.
Funding
Funding
for bringing communities together
The Barrow Cadbury Trust has announced
a £750,000 programme to fund voluntary and community groups that encourage
people from different backgrounds to work together to tackle mutual problems.
Typical grants are expected to be in the region of £30,000. Closing date:
18 July. See http://www.bctrust.org.uk/news/detail.php?nid=44.
Access to Nature
Access
to Nature is a lottery funded programme run by Natural England, designed to encourage
more people to enjoy the outdoors. See http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/leisure/grants-funding.
Artist Project Earth funding
round
The size of grants given by APE depend on the total funding available, the number of applications and the strength of the project. To date our grants have been in the range of £500 to £10,000. The deadline for the current round is June 30th.
Applications are welcomed from organisations working:
* To prevent the causes of climate change
* To defend communities and ecosystems against the impacts of climate change
These are broad topics and may include, among other things, projects that:
*
create awareness of the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change
*
create political and social awareness of the need for rapid change and preparation
* lead to the adoption of low carbon technologies and lifestyles
* prepare
vulnerable communities and ecosystems for climate impacts
* protect ecosystems
at risk from climate change
We regret that we cannot accept applications from individuals unless they are working in close partnership with a recognised and accountable organisation.
See http://www.apeuk.org/ for further details.
For further news, events and courses visit the PAB website.
Remember, you can support the PAB"s work by joining the Association.
Best wishes
The Leeds office team
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Permaculture
Association (Britain). Charity number 1116699, company number 05908919.
Postal
address: BCM Permaculture Association, London, WC1N 3XX.
Tel: 0845 458 1805
Email:
office@permaculture.org.uk
Web: www.permaculture.org.uk
includes information about courses, groups, projects and much more. You can join
by going to: http://www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mmfile=join
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