that GREEN blog

Dartington’s Schumacher College is offering members of the local community a chance to develop skills in growing their own produce and sustainably working land for maximum benefit.

The forward-looking College, which has an international reputation for its education work in environmental and social sustainability, will host a series of one-day practical sessions from 19th to 21st July, with contributions from leading land and agricultural practitioners.

Entitled Practical Skills for Sustainable Local Food, the sessions will demonstrate sustainable agriculture in action and teach participants how to grow and harvest their own vegetables, herbs and crops.

Educator and professional gardener Dyane Osborne, who holds a degree in Environmental Education from specialist agricultural school Bicton College, leads the course. Martin Crawford, founder of the Agroforestry Research Trust, will demonstrate methods used in the Forest Garden at Dartington; Horticulturalist Nick Gooderham will show students around the pioneering School Farm; and Permaculture expert Rhamis Kent will explain how agriculture can transform urban areas for the better, using his regeneration work in Detroit as an example.

In order to get a real flavour of College life, Taster Day students also have the opportunity to engage with the community living ethos – an essential part of the Schumacher experience. In supervised morning and afternoon sessions, students can spend time in the Schumacher kitchen, playing their part in the creation of the delicious vegetarian food that the College has become famous for or in discussion forums and workshops.

The taster days take place on Monday 19th July, Tuesday 20th July and Wednesday 21st July. Each one-day session costs £75 and includes access all tuition and course materials; vegetarian lunch and refreshments; and access to the College’s Open Evening with Rhamis Kent on Tuesday 20th July.

Full information can be found at www.schumachercollege.org.uk and you can book your place by contacting Schumacher College on 01803 865934 or admin@schumachercollege.org.uk.

About Schumacher College and Dartington
Schumacher College is a department of The Dartington Hall Trust.
Dartington is an international centre for the arts, social justice and sustainability – a unique place where enterprise, creativity, social and environmental responsibility flourish together. In our charitable activities, we work to create social change in collaboration with pioneering thinkers, artists, entrepreneurs and activists in the UK and around the world. Our enterprise activities include the Cider Press Shopping Centre with 15 boutique shops, a conference centre with accommodation and the award-winning White Hart restaurant and bar. Over 1 million visitors annually come to visit Dartington. For more information, visit www.dartington.org.

Steve Kemble & Mollie Curry are terrific instructors!
More information here: http://turtlerockfa rmretreat. com/default. aspx
June 6-12 — Strawbale Construction
* *
Join us for a fun week of hands-on experience building a hermitage using
straw bales and mud at the Turtle Rock Farm and Retreat on the Oklahoma
prairie. This educational workshop will be led by natural building
experts Steve Kemble and Mollie Curry of MudStrawLove, LLC from
Asheville, NC and local builder Tom Temple of Sustainable Design. During
this week, we will stack the bales and apply the first coat of mud on a
small hermitage.

For those who want a shorter workshop, Mollie and Steve will lead a
Stray-Bale Instruction class on Sunday, which week-long participants
will also join.

Fee for the week of instruction, lodging and meals is $425. Couples,
$375 each. Instruction, meals and camping, $375. Deposit to hold your
space is $150. Spaces for this retreat will be limited. Call for more
information.

*Date: June 6 – 12, 2010 *

* Registration ends May 6.* All classes have a non-refundable
reservation fee. If the class is cancelled, all funds will be returned
to you. If you are unable to attend, funds can be applied to a later class.

Recycling through a recession will be the focus of this year’s Oklahoma Recycling Seminar, scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8 in Stillwater. The full day seminar will take place at Oklahoma State University’s ConocoPhillips Alumni Center. “Participants will be getting the latest updates on everything from recycling markets and operations to organics diversion and container deposit bills,” said Ilda Hershey, OSU ooperative Extension assistant state specialist for solid waste management programs.

The seminar is designed for city and county government officials, recycling professionals, community leaders, educators, students and Oklahoma residents interested in the business of recycling or expanding local programs.

“December’s seminar will provide plenty of opportunities for learning, sharing and networking,” Hershey said. Seminar registration includes all sessions, a buffet lunch and breaks. Cost is $25 if registering by November 23 and $35 thereafter. Students can attend for $20. Exhibitor rates are $100 for business or government and $50 for non-profit organizations. Participants can download registration forms or register online at http://recycleok.org/recyclingseminar.php or by contacting OSU Ag Conference Services at 405-744-6489.

Michael Patton of the Metropolitan Environmental Trust will begin the program with an update on current recycling markets and the economic outlook for recycling. Patton will also discuss how to set up a recycling center during a Recycling Operations Panel moderated by Fenton Rood of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Other panel topics include Measuring Recycling Efforts and Successful Partnerships.
Al Drinkwater of Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc. will present information about the organization’s new plastics processing facility in northeastern Oklahoma and several members of the Oklahoma Recycling Association (OKRA) will present new initiatives such as the online Materials Exchange Program for business and industry.

“We also felt it important to feature an Organics Diversion Panel, given that so much of municipal waste is biodegradable,” said Hershey, who is also OKRA’s membership chair. “Representatives from the cities of Edmond, Miami and Norman involved in yard waste collection will present case studies and answer questions about their composting or mulch operations.”

The seminar will conclude with a session on container and bottle bill deposit programs, including a discussion about the current bottle bill being considered by the Oklahoma Legislature. “Jim Bologna, site-energy manager for Saint-Gobain Containers Inc., will be among the experts on hand to present the benefits of a bottle deposit program and its implications for increasing recycling, reducing waste, saving energy and generating revenue,” Hershey said.

After the seminar, there will be an optional site visit of the Stillwater Convenience Collection Center. This tour is included as part of the basic registration fee. “Recycling through a Recession” is hosted by the Oklahoma Recycling Association and the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, and is sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, OGE Energy Corp. and Busch Container Systems.
Up to five hours of continuing education credits will be available to members of the Solid Waste
Association of North America who attend the seminar.

Anyone seeking additional information about the Dec. 8 seminar should visit OKRA’s Web site
at http://recycleok.org or contact Hershey at 405-744-9806
###
Media Contact:
Ilda T. Hershey
Assistant State Specialist
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Solid Waste Management Programs
Oklahoma State University
536 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-9806
Fax: 405-744-9835
ilda.hershey@okstate.edu

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today encouraged consumers to visit their local farmers markets in honor of
National Farmers Market Week, which will take place from August 2-8.

“One of the Obama Administration’ s top priorities is to make sure that all Americans – especially children – have access to fresh, nutritious food, and USDA’s ongoing support of farmers markets is important to
reaching that goal,” Secretary Vilsack said. “At the same time, farmers markets help support small family farms, help revitalize rural communities, and often promote sustainable agricultural practices.”

Currently, nearly 4,900 farmers markets operate nationwide, up from 4,685 in 2008. To make it easier for consumers to locate farmers markets in their states, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’ s Agricultural
Marketing Service posts The National Directory of Farmers Markets online at www.ams.usda. gov/farmersmarkets
<http://www.ams. usda.gov/ farmersmarkets>.

[Note: their information is very outdated; for a better listing, see Local Harvest's listing
at: http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/list.jsp.]

USDA is a leader in government efforts to encourage healthier eating, has operated a farmers market at its Washington, D.C., headquarters since 1996. Open to the general public every Friday, June through  October, as many as 14 farmer-vendors set up stands that feature their locally produced items.

USDA supports farmers markets through several programs in addition to National Farmers Market Week. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) awards grants, provides technical assistance, and helps with marketing and promotion. Meanwhile, the Food and Nutrition Service also supports farmers markets through the Farmers Market Nutrition Program and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program by providing coupons that many low-income Americans can exchange for eligible foods at farmers markets and similar outlets.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call
(800) 795-3272(voice) , or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

Dear Readers,

Mark your calendar for the 2009 State of Green Business Forum. This exclusive one-day event will be held on February 2, 2009 at the PG&E Auditorium in San Francisco, California. The Forum will coincide with the release of GreenBiz.com’s State of Green Business 2009, our highly-acclaimed annual report on the status of corporate environmental trends and progress.

The Forum – hosted by Joel Makower, Executive Editor of GreenBiz.com, and featuring more than a dozen industry experts and thought leaders – brings the report to life. Attendees will participate in sessions comprised of compelling speakers and panel discussions, all focused on key business trends and issues, from minimizing the risks of water scarcity to maximizing the value of green innovations.

Seating for the State of Green Business Forum is limited, so register early. Additional information on agendas and speakers will be announced shortly, and regular updates will be announced in GREENBUZZ and on the 2009 State of Green Business Forum page on GreenBiz.com.
Take advantage of our early-bird discount: Register before January 9th to receive a special registration rate of $119, a $30 savings. To register, go to
2009 State of Green Business Forum.