07/31/2015
Here's a message I recently sent out to the DEGP listserve (https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/divine_earth_gardening_project)
Hello friendly Permaculture supporters!
This list is about Lorax family permaculture (formerly Kelda Miller's) Divine Earth Gardening Project. There haven't been many email updates lately because our work has been in the Tacoma area, and those local networks are enough outreach. But changes are afoot:
This September we are moving to NE Oklahoma, for what we guess is 3-5 years. My grandparents are aging and requesting some family members join them at their 20+ acre site on the edge of the small town of Fairland. It's a rare privileged gift to have land in the family (paid off, two houses onsite) and we hope to help steward it into something that my father's side of the family will use and share for generations to come.
Currently the soil is in poor shape and the site is used for fairly low-quality hay. We hope to start up some perennial grains (it's not far from The Land Institute), a farmstand supplied with more food raised onsite, a town composting program, and to build a bermed/earthship-inspired structure. We will blog about it on our website, and send periodic updates to this list.
What happens to our projects here? They're all being handed off to stewards such as you!
*NW Permaculture Convergence happens in Eugene at the end of August (earlybird registration at $90 for the weekend ends tonight at midnight!), as Kelda's run on the Board of Directors comes to an end. You might consider helping with this important regional event, or see you there for Kelda's last class in the NW for a few years.
*Nick has been working to reorganize PLU's Sustainability Office and has written himself out of a job in order to help create the new position of Sustainability Director. We'd love to get permaculturists in that office!
*The Swan Creek Park Food Forest leadership team is looking for more organizers who would like to help out behind the scenes. We're looking for a good website designer, tour guides and workparty leads, signage and translators (Korean, Ukranian, Vietnamese, Cambodian), newsletter editor, special projects/grant coordinators, and of course permaculture designers. We are funded to build a shed (light-straw-clay, greenroof), the design is finished, builders are ready, and it's taken longer than anticipated with the back and forth between us and MetroParks Tacoma in order for construction to begin. So we're open to more eager builder-networkers continuing with this conversation.
*Kelda's work with Harvest Pierce County (Fruit Tree Stewards trainings, Edible Garden Series, etc.) is handed off to the eloquent and skilled Tyler Burns. Catch some of his classes coming up first in November
*Nick will be stepping down as the Secretary for the NW Ecobuilding Guild based in Olympia. If you're interested in accessible, educational events having to do with ecobuilding, more ideas and organization are welcome on that team.
*Kelda has been coordinating the Tacoma Permaculture group and is now looking to divvy up those tasks so the outreach about permaculture events continues in the Tacoma area. I'm looking for someone who likes to handle money, a point person for event listings on Meetup & Google Calendar, a newsletter editor, a picture-taker website manager, a crew who likes to table at events (Sustainability Expo, DIY Fest, etc), and as always more event hosts for potlucks, workshops, etc. There are a handful of people who've shown willingness and we'll likely have an in-person meeting before mid-September.
Did I forget something? Probably! Though we're headed out soon we still have a few weeks of wonderful summer to spend with you all. Catch us at an event soon!
Kelda, Nick, & Gela Lorax
