Monday, October 6, 2008

Class Cancellation

I am so sorry for having canceled class tonight with no notice. I called the school and asked them to put up a notice, I hope you got it. I was walking my dog before coming in to town for the class when she got bit by a Rattlesnake. I had to rush her to the emergency room, I just got back, she's going to have to stay the night. They say she should be alright. I hope so. Needless to say I did not have much time to give warning about this class cancellation, I am very sorry.

Next week, we will still be having our hands on class in the room we were supposed to be in this whole time, rm 216.

My apologies
Sean

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Permaculture Related Events around the Westside

Saturday, September 13th 9-10:30am
Seed Saving.
Learn how to save seed from many of our familiar (and not so familiar) vegetables.
At the Community Garden (6700 W. 83rd, corner of Dunbarton & 83rd, Westchester/LA 90045). Classes are free and open to all.

Sunday, Sept. 14, 6pm
Movie
"The End of Suburbia"
followed by community discussion.(6700 W. 83rd, corner of Dunbarton & 83rd, Westchester/LA 90045) Free and open to all.

Monday, September 15th 7pm, 6pm Potluck
Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Slide show & Lecture with Brad Lancaster
Santa Monica Main Library, Multi-purpose Room, 2nd Floor
, FREE
601 Santa Monica Blvd, parking on 7th & Santa Monica Blvd

Saturday, September 20th 9am-5pm
"Designing the Transition"
- a full day conference exploring the Transition concept (6700 W. 83rd, corner of Dunbarton & 83rd, Westchester/LA 90045) $50 PLEASE PREREGISTER FOR THIS SESSION

Sunday, September 21st 12-5pm
Westside Permaculture Festival Enjoy a Community Potluck, Natural Cob Building Workshop,Permaculture Design Class with Larry Santoyo, Seed Planting and Sales, Live Art, and so much more!! Sustainable Works & Santa Monica College 1744 Pearl Street, Santa Monica, Free

Thursday, September 25th 7pm
Movie: THE POWER OF COMMUNITY: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
Following the collapse of cheap oil, supplied by the former Soviet Union, communities across Cuba rebuilt their quality of life. This mesmerizing film shows how Cuba survived and prospered in spite of their decreased dependence on imported energy. A clear account of sustainable practices improving community life. 601 Santa Monica Blvd, parking on 7th & Santa Monica Blvd, Free

Saturday, September 27 9-10:30am
Organic Pest Control. Snails, slugs, aphids, cutworms, how do you keep these pests at bay without all those toxic chemicals? At the Community Garden (6700 W. 83rd, corner of Dunbarton & 83rd, Westchester/LA 90045). Classes are free and open to all.

Saturday, September 27 9am-5:30pm
Introduction to the Ecology of Leadership Program Organized by the Regenerative Design Institute Unitarian Society, 1535 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara Participation is free with pre-registration, or $25 at the door. Click here for more information about the program.

Saturday, October 4th 10am-4pm 2 day event
Essentials of Permaculture Garden Design
Principles and Design with the Grow Food Party Crew
Ventura, CA $25-$50 Sliding Scale for both days, Register at Devin@abundanceinbalance.com

Sunday, October 5th 10am-4pm 2 day event
Essentials of Permaculture Garden Design
Garden Creation with Grow Food Party Crew
Ventura, CA $25-$50 Sliding Scale for both days, Register at Devin@abundanceinbalance.com





Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Intro to Permaculture Course Syllabus


Instructor: Sean Jennings
Email: swjennings@gmail.com

COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Permaculture

There are no prerequisites for this course. We will meet from September 8 through October 13 for 6 meetings. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SECOND MEETING IS LOCATED AT THE SANTA MONICA MAIN LIBRARY AND OUR GUEST SPEAKER WILL BE BRAD LANCASTER, AUTHOR OF RAINWATER HARVESTING.

All class meetings, except for ONE (noted below) take place in Room 216 on the SMC Bundy campus located at 3171 S. Bundy Drive, 1/2 block South of Airport Ave. 7-9pm Monday evenings. Parking is FREE.

Course Purpose
At the conclusion of this course, students will be familiar with the issues that we face and how Permaculture can fit in. Students will understand what changes are most beneficial in an age of Climate Change and higher energy costs.

Suggested text for this course:
Permaculture: Designer's Manual, Mollison, Bill ©1997, Tagari Press. The Permaculture Bible.

Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, Holmgren, David ©2002, Holmgren Design Services. Updated text on Permaculture in a Post Oil Age.

Gaia's Garden, Hemenway, Toby ©2001, Chelsea Green Publishing There will be no specific assigned reading from this book, but it is a great homescale permaculture book.

Rainwater Harvesting for the Drylands and Beyond v. I & II, Lancaster, Brad, ©2006, Chelsea Green Publishing, Great text on Rainwater conservation for our climate.

The Transition Handbook, Hopkins, Rob ©2008, Green Books, This book offers a template for change.

The Hand Sculpted House, Evans, Ianto ©2002, Chelsea Green Publishing, Great book on Natural building and home design.

Date Mtg TOPIC
09/08 1 Lecture: Introduction – roll, Extension policy, meeting time and place, attendance and tardiness, office hours, expectations, objectives. Ecology, Ethics and Principles, Zones and Sectors.
09/15 2 Field Trip: Santa Monica Main Library, Brad Lancaster, Rainwater Harvesting for the Drylands and Beyond, 601 Santa Monica Blvd, Multipurpose Room, 2nd floor, 7pm, 6:30 potluck.
09/22 3 Lecture: Water/Zone 0 (Shelter)
09/29 4 Lecture: Zones I & II, The Home Garden
10/06 5 Lecture: Zones III, IV, & V, Beyond the Home and into the Community
10/13 6 Hands on Demonstrations: Practical application of the class, Mushroom Inoculation, Seed balls, Natural Paints, etc.

Office Hours
I have no set office hours, however, by email. I am willing to meet with students almost any day of the week at my place of work in Malibu or a mutually convenient coffee bar. It is my most sincere desire that you learn and you will find me very approachable. After class is usually not a very good time because that’s when all students vie for answers and we are all tired after a long day. You can net a more thoughtful answer by contacting me another time.

Updates and Handouts
For this course I will utilize my personal blog page at http://smcpcintro.blogspot.com/ to post handouts and extra material for the class. There is an RSS feed through which each posting is automatically forwarded to your email so you can have access to handouts whenever they are posted. This approach is most handy when dealing with field trips because links to maps can be posted and any last minute updates are easily available. If this technology is new to you, another classmate or I will guide you through it. It is not difficult.