Andrew Personette

Hi Matias,
We have discussed all kinds of add-ons to flush out functionality of the system. I would imagine you could build something to do what you are asking, though I'm not 100% clear on the question. If you send a little sketch I can give better feedback. Sounds like you are talking about little baskets/bins that go inside the shelf openings. Is that the case?

Andrew

Forgot to give a link to the Modos site too:

http://modos.io/

Horton Fisher wrote:Looks pretty cool. How big can your structures get with the connectors?

Hey Horton, great question. I don't know the limit. But we were toying with that question when we made this:



That's about 14 1/2 feet tall. Its only like 3 feet wide at the base and 14 inches deep. It would need to be anchored to the wall to be kid safe, as anything with this proportion would. But its solid. A version of this has been in our office for almost a year. I'm sure you could go taller, wider, etc, and you can turn corners and such.

Its kind of like a geodesic dome, in that the more parts you connect the greater the stability due to dynamic forces. Also the mildly hexagonal shape contributes to that effect.

Hi Permies,

I'm Andrew


I don't actually wear glasses, I just love this photo.

I've, been enjoying the wealth of information and experience in the forums for a little over a year now as I dig deep into Permaculture. I've only posted once, last fall, when I created a food forest workshop on my property in upstate New York.


Today I'm writing for 2 reasons.


1. I have an environmental design company that makes furniture.

Its called EcoSystems

My partner and I make products based on a holistic design approach. We built a furniture system by looking at every stage of product life cycle from materials, and manufacturing to shipping and even end of life. We set the scope of the life cycle in the bounds of a global system, because our goal would be to take a bite out of the wasteful butt of monsters like IKEA, and other big retailers.

Here is some of our environmental approach.

Our alpha product launch, in years past, was a near total market failure. We were trying to use traditional channels for selling and manufacturing. In the end we were just very expensive. We also dropped the ball on " care for people". We had made furniture that was pretty good for the planet, but didn't work for people. So we went back to the drawing board.

We reworked the product focusing on what was important to the people that would use it, all the while holding on to the environmental innovation that spurred the original development. Now we are taking the frightful step of submitting our baby to the public , and trying to take it to the next level of production, so the people can access it. That brings me to #2!


2. We just launched our new product, Modos, on Kickstarter!



http://kck.st/1j3yYSO
(campaign ends June 15th.)


Modos is a modular furniture system that uses connectors and boards to make desks, shelves, standing desks, stools and more. (Your imagination is the limit!) It's also tool free, and you can rearrange it as your life demands.

The London Financial Times calls it, "Legos for the design savvy adult".
Not that we care so much what they think, but we think they TOTALLY NAILED the short version of the description!


The system totally caters to DIYers. In this case you buy connectors and make your own boards.




We also sell complete furniture, for those who would rather be in the garden than the wood shop.


But really our goal is to make beautiful high quality furniture accessible to everyone. One friend called it the "democratization of furniture". He's a good friend. I'd love it if one day we can really deliver on that one.


Curiously, we found that pushing our environmental message caused a lot of *noise* in the minds of potential customers, so we don't push that message so hard in our marketing, though we keep it all in our product.


If you like it, please jump in, fund a little, and help us make it available to folks like yourself.
http://kck.st/1j3yYSO 


If you hate it, or just have questions, comments or any kind of feedback, please leave it below. This is a community that I would truly like to hear from and participate in. Its really my first time engaging in a virtual community (my Facebook page normally gets an update ~2x/yr), so be gentle, and I'll make sure to check in regularly while the thread is active.

Cheers!


Ps. Just for fun, here is the second Hugelkulture mound Hoot and I were making for my garden today. More on the Homestead later.

#54 is pretty much how I see the daily-ish. It is constantly drawing me in. Where as I would otherwise only come when I have a specific question, about say, nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs that work in the northeast US. Or hugelkulture, electric tractor research etc.

The Daily-ish brings the forums "alive" for me, as opposed to just a "resource/archive" of contextual information experience and opinions.

TRANSFORMING FRONT YARDS TO FOOD FORESTS
A HANDS-ON PERMACULTURE WORKSHOP

with Andrew Faust of the Center for Bioregional Living
Food Forest Design by Andy Personette of Ecosystems

NOV 19 + 20 // 9am to 5pm

@http://www.thebarnintivoli.com


Preliminary design for the food forest


Learn and apply permaculture concepts to the evolution of a food forest design.

25 nut & fruit trees and 25 berry plants will be incorporated into the landscape of a single family home.

In the future this edible forest will provide an abundant supply of fresh fruit and nuts from early spring to late fall.


DATE
November 19-20, 2013 - 2 Full day workshops 9am-5pm

LOCATION
33 Broadway // Tivoli, NY 12583 Mid-Hudson Valley
Amtrak to Rhinecliff Station - cab to Barn

SITE DESCRIPTION
4.5 acre land in Dutchess County (2 hrs north of NYC) With a central pond, gentle hills, a stream bordering two sides of the property, and a mixture of regrowth forest and open spaces, this site offers an appealing set of parameters for a permaculture design application. There are two main structures on the property. The first structure is a is a 1400 sq. ft. single family home undergoing energy efficiency upgrades. Your hosts, Andrew, Bruna and Luca, live here. The second structure is a similarly sized, turn of the century barn converted for use as a gathering/vacation rental and heated by a wood burning stove. The Barn in Tivoli, as it is called, hosts retreats and city escapes for up to 8 guests. The Barn is an immersive lodging option for up to 8 workshop participants. If you would like to share the king bed nook or one of the 2 queens with a friend/partner, the price is lower. Camping on site is also available. Full details at the bottom of this page.

CONCEPTS COVERED
- solar aspect and siting
- water harvesting with swales
- soil health and amendment
- tree and shrub planting
- fertilizing with cover crops
- companion planting
- beneficial flowers and herbs
- mulching
- pest prevention strategies

SITE AMENITIES
- barn accommodations for 5 to 8 people, on first come first served basis
- camping available for up to 10 people including full use of barn facilities for cooking and bathing
- outdoor shower
- 3 fire pits
- outdoor gas grill
- picnic table

AREA AMENITIES
- 5 restaurants, 1 coffee shop, 1 bakery and 1 bar within 2 blocks - a 5 minute walk
- Bard College campus with beautiful Hudson views 5 minutes away by car
- bed and breakfast and hotel/motel options are abundant by car
- accommodations also available within walking distance
- Hudson river 1 mile away
- Tivoli Bays: freshwater tidal estuary within walking distance


ANDREW FAUST
Center for Bioregional Living
One of the premier Permaculture teachers and designers in North America with nearly two decades of experience in the field. His passionate and visionary presentation and curriculum has been inspiring and motivating students since his days as an alternative school teacher at Upattinas in Glenmoore, PA. Andrew lived off the grid in West Virginia for 8 years where he designed and built a Permaculture inspired homestead including a 1600 sq ft straw bale house. He moved to Brooklyn in 2007 and has been applying his knowledge to the urban landscape culminating in a Permaculture Design Certification course many consider life changing. He is developing The Center for Bioregional Living in Ellenville, NY with his partner Adriana Magana as a pilot campus for his students, clients and baby daughter Juniper.
Andrew Faust has been practicing permaculture and biodynamics since receiving his Permaculture Design certificate in 1996. Some of our design clients include Ezekiel’s Place Retreat Center in Hedgesville, WV, Leaveners Respite Center in Essex, NY,Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, VT, and local businesses and residents. Previous clients include the Gesundheit! Institute in Hillsboro, WV and Camphill Village Kimberton Hills in Chester County, PA. Faust has extensive experience in doing designs for a wide range of climates and habitats including desert, forest and mountain. He is a certified Alternative School Teacher, focusing on Bioregional Education; he instructed at Upattinas Open Community High School for ten years. Faust holds a B.A. in comparative religions from Guilford College.


WORKSHOP
***Tuition does not include meals. DOES include CAMPING***
$150 - $180 *Sliding scale*
Workshop starts at 9am on the 19th

REGISTER
http://www.thebarnintivoli.com

ATTENTION STUDENTS
Inquire for student discount – valid ID required – email hellobruna@gmail.com


Fruit Tree Plantings
- Chicago Hardy Fig
- Cox’s Orange Pippin Antique Apple
- Golden Delicious
- Goldcot Apricot
- Emperor Francis Sweet Cherry
- Illinois Everbearing Mulberry
- Hardired Nectarine
- Pennsylvania Golden Pawpaw
- Mango Grafted Pawpaw
- Saturn Peach
- 4th of July Peach
- Hardy Giant Asian Pear
- New Century Asian Pear
- Prok American Persimmon
- Bubblegum Plum
- Redheart Plum
- Earlblue Prune-Plum

Nut Tree Plantings
- Hardy Almond
- Chestnut Seeding Pollinator
- Colossal Chestnut
- Supercrop Pecan
- Carpathian English Walnut
- Lake English Walnut
- Missouri Mammoth Hickory
- Bountiful Butternut

Berry Plantings
- Tripple Crown Thornless Blackberry
- Chester Thornless Blackberry
- Sweetheart Blueberry
- Somerset Seedless Grape
- Concord Grape
- Royalty Purple Raspberry
- Anne Yellow Raspberry
- Primocane Red Rasberry
- Lingonberry
- Hardy Kiwi