Hi All,
a bit of information for you!
- November meeting happening this coming Monday 5th November. Topic: Beekeeping for beginners
- Annette and Karlene are closing up a shop and bringing their stock for sale at ridiculous prices: clothes for adults and kids.
Bring your money with you (and a bag to carry home your purchases please)
- Anyone have an old sewing machine which they won’t mind donating to our sewing groups? See Vera at the meeting.
- Want to be in a Permy Pod? read on!….
We are encouraging people who live near each other to start their own support groups and are calling them Permie Pods.
Like ‘peas in a pod’ being close to each other it’s easier to help each other.
Why be in a Permie Pod?
- Have mini-blitzes at each other’s homes.
- Share resources via bulk buying or scrounging.
- Share expertise where each brings some different knowledge or experience.
- Share tools and equipment e.g., shredder, compost tea aerators, trailers, chain saws, etc.
- Make light, fun work of some awkward or boring tasks that your garden needs done.
- Use your ‘collective brains’ to apply permaculture design principles to your sites and to solve problems.
- Share internet searches to learn about plants, pests, soil fixes, water saving, etc.
How do Permie Pods work?
- Let people know you would like to try out being in a permie pod. (We will be sending a separate email around for that and have a link on our website)
- Find people near you (say 4 -6 home/units) and decide who will host your first meeting. (Our next email will help with this too.)
- Once together work out some guidelines:
- How often to meet? What day? For how long? Bring some food to share?
- Share/note what each of you wants to achieve with your site. Garden beds? Structures? Animals? Pests? Resources? Skills? Knowledge?
- Share and note what each of you brings to the Pod. Skills? Experience? Knowledge? Books? Research skills? Materials? Tools?
- Try to have at least one member with a working knowledge of the Permaculture Principles (e.g. someone who’s done a PDC, GOOF, other training, self-taught.)
If you’re all relatively new to Permaculture, then, get a ‘sponsor’ who can help guide your designs and methods. (Remember, when you’re not sure what to do, ask: “What would nature do?” to get started.) - Create an agenda for the days you meet. Include some time to:
a. apply permaculture to the specific aspects of each site.
b. do some physical work to improve the site.
- discuss future possibilities for the site.
- teach each other some new skills e.g., seed saving, pruning, tool sharpening, soil additives, bed building, composting, fermenting, soap making, preserving, etc .
So, if you think you’d like to give it a go and be part of a Permie Pod, send us an email. [vfb id=6]
Vera Meyer
Secretary, Permaculture Sydney West Inc.
https://www.permaculturesydneywest.com.au