TerrieMiller.com

Permaculture at Commonweal Garden and Regenerative Design Institute

Yesterday I was excited to finally attend an open house given by the Regenerative Design Institute (RDI) in Bolinas. I’ve been intrigued by their programs for some time now, but the Commonweal Garden site is also a residence, so it’s only open to the public on a limited basis.

I was really affected by the place and the people here, as I expected to be. I love that their programs address not only the physical nature of permaculture work, but also integrate more nature awareness (including tracking) and healing of the spirit. But I was wary also. One might expect an organization like that to be a little flaky…would I hear about crystal vibrations as pest control or Luddite anti-technology rants?

It was exhilarating to find how down-to-earth this program is, with a healthy respect for science, and a considered use of modern technology with a view towards the long-term affects of any decisions or use of resources. They combine a concern for the serious and depressing problems facing our culture with enthusiasm and optimism for being part of the solution…truly they see these problems as an opportunity. The tour was lead by founders James Stark and Penny Livingston-Stark….these are people who operate on a level I describe as “It’s important. I know it’s important. It’s what I do.”

Here’s a slide show of the photos I took, and the rough notes I jotted down during my visit.

• Permaculture means learning the systems and principles of nature and living things and learning how to apply those same principles.
• James told us a couple of times…I might used the term “warned us”…that there is a big emotional response to the programs at RDI. It is very common that people experience an new awareness of a huge grief over the the separation of their modern lives from nature. They feel that psychological counseling is an important part of their programs.
• Wood chips are their biggest import…they listen for the sound of woodchippers in Bolinas and make friends with the tree companies to get as much as they can.
• There are some fish in the pond now that control mosquitoes; they plan to put in catfish and maybe a small species of perch in the near future; they’ll harvest those for food. The pond is unlined…it uses the natural clay of the soil, which was also used to construct a large bench overlooking the pond. When they arrived, the pond was an unhealthy bog.
• Penny talked about wanting to do an ecological study of the farm. (Overall I was impressed by the respect for the principles of science here…sometimes these kind of organizations seem almost anti-science, and this one is not).
• The sheep are Navajo-Churro, an endangered breed. They’re very hardy and disease-resistant, and their meat is considered to be far superior to most other sheep meat (more like lamb than mutton). Their wool will be used to make blankets to be used at RDI.
• They eat very well. Descriptions of cheesecake made from goat cheese and lemons, pizzas and bread from the wood-fired ovens, and all manners of fresh produce and herbs left our mouths watering. Animal food products come from chickens, goats, sheep, and probably something I’m forgetting. They do some minimal gopher trapping but report that they “haven’t gotten into that as a main dish yet.” I also liked that they have a very sharp and witty sense of humor.
• They’re planning to rehab a barn and build a workshop. In addition to agriculture for food, they want to do furniture building, blanket making (with weaving and spinning), and even pottery from the local clay.
• They showcase and teach a variety of building techniques, including cob building, straw bale, and Wattle and Daub. James pointed out that many people start out construction with the idea that they’re going to build a straw bale house or make a cob house, but in many cases a combination of techniques is the right choice. A north-facing wall might benefit from a technique with greater insulation than a south-facing wall. They also use as many reclaimed components as possible…doors, windows, floor, lumber, etc. Building here is complicated by being in a earthquake zone, so they have to consider this at every step.
• A primary concept here is living in concert with the wildlife. Bobcats and foxes are regular visitors, and they know their habits. They’ve even had a mountain lion staying on the property (they noticed agitation among the livestock and had their nature awareness and tracking experts investigate). They plan for a 25% loss of anything they raise to the local wildlife. This integration with nature study and tracking is also very attractive to me; Jon Young is an instructor at RDI. They preserve a riparian zone for the wildlife to move through. No dogs or cats are allowed on the property due to the affects their presence would have on the wildlife; I didn’t see any birdfeeders, either…there are challenges here to my ideas of having a life with animals.
• There is a lot of iron in their water supply; they filter and the iron collects as a sort of scum on the top of the sand filter. They take this iron oxide and use it as a coloring agent in their building materials, creating a beautiful reddish brown hue.
• They have large groups stay here for classes. One overly large group of over 150 people caused them concern about their water supply; they brought in another storage tank and asked people to treat water as gold. At the end of the gathering they were shocked to find that people had averaged only three gallons of water per day per person…less than the amount used for a typical single toilet flush.
• Composting toilets have separate seats and containers for urine and solid waste. Urine is used directly as a plant fertilizer, unless they have groups visiting. Then the urine has to also be composted because of prescription drugs that are excreted. Compost from the toilets is buried on the land (not applied to the garden areas).
• The greenhouse is used for a nice classroom out of the elements during cold, wind, or rain. With an additional tarp, it can seat up to 180 people.
• This fall they’re starting an arts program with plants. People will learn to tend the plants and what they’re used for, they’ll make dyes, then they’ll create artwork. The art will be photographed and then used as sheet mulch around other plants to complete the cycle. Well…maybe some artwork will be saved if people are really attached to it.
• They are trying to create ways for people to reconnect with living systems. Humans have a unique ability to foster and create life on the planet. They are rooted in a belief that it’s inner healing that is going to help heal the planet.
• Horsetail or Equisetum is a native plant that they’re experimenting with. It has exceptionally long roots that draw water up. They found that a patch that had been mowed created saucer-shaped damp depresssions from water that continued to be brought up by the roots, so they theorize that they could use these as an irrigation method by planting them among other plants and snapping them off.
• The reality: there isn’t enough natural material on earth to build housing for eight billion people. We need to embrace solutions using recycled and man made materials. They feel fortunate to be so naturally resource-rich. But clearly our current levels of consumption are not sustainable and we need to plan for a future that is very different. They are excited about helping to show the way for sustainability.
• The eucalyptus grove is a drawback from the park service’s perspective because it is an invasive non-native. But RDI is managing the grove as a source of wood. They call it their “home depot”.
• There were a lot of good quotes I jotted down. James, “HOw good can you feel in a shopping mall? How radiant can you be in there?”
• They do fence to prevent deer damage because the deer lack enough natural predators. Deer frequently enter anyhow. They have actually run deer down…chasing them. As sprinters, deer will tire and simply collapse. Then five people (one on each leg, one on the head) can carry the deer outside of the fence and release it.
• They make things visually interesting to attract photographers and garner publicity. For example, as in the home they had in Point Reyes Station: they might make a trade-off in how a roof is constructed, shaping it in a more visually interesting way that creates more scrap that they have to figure out how to use.
• Someone asked what they used for insect control. They said “nothing”, but the answer is really “everything”. They see insect problems as a symptom of unhealthy soil and plants.
• James stressed that you need to have fun with these activities. That they need to be done as a celebration of life. Can’t be serious all the time. Critical to heal ourselves from the injuries of our past so we can move forward…our bodies have limited energy, and if we don’t do that healing, that energy will be spent on the past instead of the present.
• They see their work, particularly with their education and leadership programs, as a way of inoculating contemporary culture with tools that have been with humanity for eons.

The visit reinforced my idea of taking an two-week intensive permaculture course here. It’s a little unnerving…the place makes me feel very emotionally vulnerable in ways I don’t fully understand, and I don’t think I can take this step without coming out of the program profoundly changed. Even good change can be scary.

Previously in this category: The Ladies