Urban Permaculture Workshop: Berms, Swales & Paths
So, you want to transform your urban or rural homestead into a productive, sustainable Permaculture landscape. You may have read the books and gone to lectures, but how do you start to DO it?! This workshop is designed to teach by doing as we begin taking a Permaculture site design into the reality phase.
Using a site plan developed for an existing central Austin homestead, we will discuss and build various Permaculture basics, including:
• Site-specific master planning & site design
• Importance of dealing with water flows
• Material selection and sources
• How to construct berms, swales and paths
The project is the first phase in the implementation of a Permaculture site design for an existing home and proposed cob cottage. Owners Mina Loomis and Robert Norris continue to “green” their 1930s Rosedale homestead.
The instructor, Kirby Fry, studied Permaculture under the original master, Bill Mollison, then went on to become a Permaculture teacher and design consultant. In addition, he has over 15 years of experience as a building contractor, including natural building. Kirby studied Natural Resource Conservation at Texas A & M University, served in U.S. Peace Corps - Guatemala.
Assisting Kirby will be Austin architect and DBL Director, Gayle Borst. Gayle worked with Mina to develop the site design from which we will be working.
Fee for the workshop is $75 (Partners: $67.50) and includes a healthy vegetarian lunch and all necessary workshop materials and tools. Water, tea and snacks will also be provided. Enrollment is limited to twenty people. Register for the workshop at www.designbuildlive.org or contact Gayle at 512-478-9033 for questions.