Our new front yard, part 2: theory

...picturesque trees– an aesthetic that has shaped what we think parks and suburban yards should look like–no matter where we live. Some people think this bias may even go back to our earliest ancestral memories–to the savannas, where we liked long, clear views so we could spot both dangers and opportunities easily–and handy trees to scramble into if we needed to get away from a predator. Whatever the reason, we like open spaces which are easily read...

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The Soil Beneath Our Feet

...something like this under my feet. (Another post in our Back to the Garden series. Find others by clicking the series tag on the left, under the date.) I’d planned to talk about soil this week, and by happy chance, it turns out that this happens to be (the 3rd) Global Soil Week, marked by a big conference in Berlin. It’s actually being livestreamed, so if you want, you can put on a suit, sit in a folding chair with a notepad balanced on your knee,...

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Post Petroleum Lecture

...rk on Saturday March 24th as part of the 2007 Sustainable Habitats Lecture Series. The series is put together by permaculture expert David Khan, and those of you who missed the last lecture, raw milk outlaw and dairyman Mark McAfee, missed an engaging, and provocative afternoon. So don’t miss this next one! From Khan’s announcement: Albert Bates is a permaculture and appropriate technology instructor at the Eco village Training Center at The Farm...

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Learn to Build with Adobe

...first, month long Adobe Residency runs weekdays from October 24 through a series of progressive workshops that will show folks how to build an adobe structure… from start to finish! The four week program will be taught by noted adobe educator Kurt Gardella in beautiful Pioneertown, California. Register here! Five Day Classes: Not ready to commit? We are also offering weeklong classes concurrent with the residency that can be taken a la cart. Adob...

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Fermentology: Mini Seminars About Cultured Food

...thanks to Carol Bornstein of the Natural History Museum for this tip on a series of short fermentation talks coming soon. The 20 minute talks will cover sourdough, cheese, beer, history, biology and even something called “zombie medicine.” Join us for a series of short talks (20 minutes on average, some shorter, some a little longer) for anyone hungry to engage in food, culture, history and science–but in the context of what you have at home. Thi...

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