Christian Shearer

To my permaculture friends and family,

I am super excited to share with you the project that I have been working on for the past year and I truly believe has huge potential to transform the global relationship to degradation of landscapes and global climate change.

Regen Network  -  https://www.regen.network -  Is an open source, transparent, and trusted ecological monitoring and rewarding platform that utilizes blockchain technology, remote sensing, IoT and the power of the worlds farmers to revitalize the planet.

The project has been incubated by Terra Genesis International over the past year, and is ready to launch off on its own.
The team's roots are in the permaculture world and when this project is up and running, permaculture practitioners around the world will benefit from it as they may be rewarded for the ecological benefits they are offering through their projects. The vision is that all the worlds farmers can be involved as the most important stewards of this planet. With a bit of incentive, our belief is that the worlds community of land managers are willing to shift to practices that build soil, increase biodiversity, sequester carbon, and create resiliency in their communities.

The project will be operating as a 501(c)(3) where all IP is made open source and available to the world. The foundation with be governed by a consortium of organizations and companies that want to help steward regeneration on this planet. Maybe your organization is one of those groups!

We are hosting a webinar on Tuesday May 22, at 12:00 EST. Please join us, and please share it around!
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fx50tRLfTWy14cUIlyAaHw

Much appreciation for all your hard work.
In regeneration,
Christian Shearer

For more detailed information, and to register, follow the link:
http://www.panyaproject.org/permaculture-design-course-november-2017/

The Panya community invites you to join us for a two-week Permaculture Design Course (PDC) November 13-27. The Panya Project is an example of an integrated Permaculture site with many exciting examples of Permaculture design in practice. Not only will you be partaking in a two-week long immersion in Permaculture, you will also be part of the Panya community and thereby learn how to live and thrive in an intentional community. Our aim is to create a supportive learning community for the duration of the course where trust, compassion, support, and connection is built among participants

What to expect:

This PDC promises to be a very powerful experience. We teach based on our real life experience with Permaculture here at Panya. It is our goal to live, breathe and practice Permaculture every day and we are very eager to share as much of our knowledge as possible. The 72-hours of coursework, required to receive a Permaculture Design Certificate, will be covered over the two week period. It promises to be a PDC full of energy and excitement, where sessions will be taught to accommodate different adult learning styles combining lectures, group discussions, visual demonstrations, hands-on participatory learning and other creative ways of teaching permaculture. Participants will take part in the existing permaculture activities on our farm. All students are required to be present for the full two weeks if they wish to receive the certificate.

Course Details:

This 2-week program is designed to give participants the inspiration and knowledge they need to become a positive change in the world. The course will include a broad range of topics applicable to life anywhere on this planet, it will be tailored to the needs of the students present as well as the location at hand. We will cover every major topic in Bill Mollison's Permaculture: a Designers Manual in the classroom and also in the gardens. The course curriculum is as follows:
Philosophies and Ethics underlying permaculture

Permaculture principles and how to apply them in your daily life

Patterns in Nature and how to use that in permaculture design

Methods of design. How to apply permaculture design tools and strategies to your design problems. How to increase your chance on a successful design by following a well-defined design methodology.

Climatic factors and strategies. We will cover all the major climates and how to work with them.

Trees, Forests and Forest gardening. How to mimic natural forest systems to create an abundance of food, fiber, and fodder.

Water: catchment, usage, importance, and conservation.

Soil: Learn about the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil and how to work with the soil food web to build new soils, prevent erosion, create a healthy ecosystem and regenerate degraded land.

Earthworks. Shaping the land to reap the rewards of mother earth and create positive effects on ecological systems

Aquaculture Exploring the symbiotic relationship between fish and plants

Natural Building. How to build beautiful, spiritually uplifting homes using locally resourced natural materials.

Alternative systems. Community living and alternative lifestyles that unite people and the planet. Bioregional organizations, community development, alternative economic systems, permaculture as aid.
As part of the course, participants will help to co-create designs for real-world projects that could include elements such as food forests, permaculture-style gardens, natural building, water catchment and irrigation systems. Participants will have the opportunity to design their own land or any projects they are involved in during this project. (Please contact us for more information if you are interested in designing your own land or project you are involved in)

Course price: US$875 (30,000 Baht)

This price includes all meals and a place to stay for the duration of the course.

We ask all registrants to make a deposit of US$200 to secure your spot and the remaining fees be paid in cash on arrival.

REGISTER NOW!


**Scholarships are available to people from Thailand or surrounding SE Asia countries.**

We like to be as transparent as possible with our finances, as an example to other projects and to be open and honest with our visitors, who each contribute so much to the building and maintenance of our farm. Panya is funded through the support of our volunteers, who each contribute to food and accommodation costs through a weekly payment. This helps us break even on the cost of having a short-term community on site. Our bigger projects, maintenance systems and financial support of our managers is gained through the courses we run.

Please Note:

In the unlikely event of us canceling the course, your deposit will be refunded in full. Additionally, we will not be held responsible for any financial losses accrued. The closing dates for registering for the course is the 1st October 2016. Deposits are non-refundable. We will accept late bookings if there is space available.

Fundraise for your Tuition

If you are interested in a creative way to come up with funds for this course, look into fundraising for it through WeTheTrees.com. It is a great way to reach out to your family and friends, let them know what you are up to and give them an easy way to contribute to your education.

The Accommodation:

At the Panya Project, we have two dormitory buildings, as well as a number of private rooms available. If you would like to reserve a private room (not fancy!) we are asking for an extra contribution of $100 for the course. Either way, you will be provided with a place to sleep, mosquito net, mattress, sheets, blankets, and pillow. Please be flexible about your sleeping space. If for some reason you would strongly prefer to be in one space or the other, please let us know, and we will try to make that happen for you. Fresh, vegetarian food will be provided throughout the course. Special dietary needs can be accommodated for but please let us know in advance.


Contact information:

Please feel free to email us on panyaproject@gmail.com for any additional information you may need.

2017 Long-term Permaculture Internships available at the Panya Project in Northern Thailand

Come join this incredible opportunity to spend 6 months to a year at the Panya Project, in Northern Thailand.

If you are interested in experiencing permaculture in action, living in community, and engaging with DIY permaculture projects in a hands-on and dynamic environment, review this page and fill out the application!

For Panya community members, daily life is dynamic and dependent on the season. Involvement may include farming activities, gardening, food processing, natural construction, managing projects, event hosting, hospitality, and cooking.

 

Panya Project is now accepting applications for interns / long-term volunteers for the year of 2017. These positions start at the first of March or April 10 and include a full permaculture design course with super inspiring and experienced course facilitators. See course listings here:

March 4 PDC course - with Nick Tittle and Geoffroy Godeau

April 20 PDC course - With Christian Shearer and Christian Carow

After a couple months of an introductory period, including the permaculture design course, Interns will be asked to participate as part of the staff of our education center and farm, taking on real decision-making authority and responsibility to the upliftment and the well-being of the education center. This is a great experience for anyone interested in living in an ecovillage or running an education center at some point.

Communal living is integral to our daily lives at Panya. Applicants should be comfortable living, communicating, working and playing in a community setting as well as contributing to community upkeep. As a community, we wake up together, eat meals together, take turns cooking for each other, and share in the responsibilities of keeping daily operations running smoothly. Each community member may have different responsibilities, but we do our best to work together as a cohesive group. Inevitably there are challenges, both physical and interpersonal, but even in these, we try our best to learn and grow from them.

The Panya Project is an 11-year old permaculture site and possibly the best known in all of South Asia. The farm is approximately 10 acres and located about an hour north of Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand. It was originally a Mango orchard and has been greatly diversified in that time. The farm boasts a large amount of mangos, avocados, bananas, and tons of other edibles. Panya is a natural building education center as well, so many of the buildings onsite were built by workshoppers and your time there will certainly include some exploration of natural plasters and building.

It is an exciting time at Panya, because with your help we are charting a new path toward more productivity and enlivening farm and community systems. We plan to be conducting many integrated permaculture projects and you will find yourself delving into everything from implementation of organic garden beds, to work with natural plasters, from working with short-term volunteers, to feeding and caring for animals, from social media design to pruning and mulching the food forest. We look forward to your input to help craft the vision moving forward and create even more self-reliant and stable systems

Participation is experiential education; you are learning about permaculture and community by living in it. The most helpful, effective, and happy participants are self-motivated, interested, responsible, and accountable.

What we are asking of you:

We are looking for people who already have some permaculture experience. You don’t need to have taken a Permaculture Design Course, as you will get one as part of your first month onsite. If you already have a PDC, that is also fine, as sitting in on another is always a great experience with information you did not get the first time. The internship is ideal for anyone looking to get some solid permaculture and community living practice. Our internship is intended as a hands-on learning experience, rather than a workshop to be taught. You will be learning by working on various projects day in and day out. You must be able to guide your own learning experience and are sure to learn a ton during your time here.

Each Intern is asked to be a solid contributor both to the physical work of the site as well as to the social and emotional well-being of the community. Remember you will be living and working in a community!  You are given the freedom to make a genuine contribution to the future of our farm systems. As an intern, you are sure to get a full plethora of experiences from your time here!

Our design and community are ambitious, exciting and holistic. We look forward to seeing some amazing permaculture happen as the year goes by!

Work requirements are a minimum of 5 days a week, 4 hours a day of group sessions and 2 hours of personal tasks, with some occasional weekend duties (such as: watering garden beds, flipping compost, feeding animals, etc).  All interns will also participate in community chores such as cooking, cleaning communal areas, and maintaining the site.  Interns will also participate in community meetings ranging from managerial tasks to personal feelings.

Interns should consider their position at Panya as a job. We like to have fun, but we have serious work to do. The place cannot function without the hard work and energy of all the members. If you care deeply about the work you are doing, you are sure to get most you can out of your time.

 

What Do you Get?

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  Permaculture Design Certification (PDC), a 72-hour intensive permaculture training experience that will give a basic foundation of applied ecological design

  
  


• 
  

  Weekly Thai Language class (equivalent to a beginner and intermediate Thai language course over a full year)

  
  


• 
  

  Community living experience

  
  


• 
  

  Hands-on Permaculture experience

  
  


• 
  

  Develop leadership and teamwork skills skills

  
  


• 
  

  Develop advanced permaculture skills through hands-on experience in natural building, gardening, plant propagation, food forest establishment, community development, and much more

  
  


• 
  

  Mentorship and networking opportunities from an established network of professional permaculture designers, consultants, and farmers

  
  

 

Timing

< We are looking for people willing to commit to 6-12 months on site. 12 months is ideal as you have the opportunity to experience the full cycle of the seasons. >

Start Dates: March 1 or April 10

Duration: We are asking you to commit to 6 months or 1 year.

Applications must be received by February 15th

We expect this internship to fill!

 

Costs

Six Month Internship - $1200 (including a PDC course) ($2100 for couples)

12-Month Internship - $1600 (including a PDC course) ($2800 for couples)

It’s our goal to keep the costs as low as possible while getting the needs met of everyone involved. The costs above reflect a need to pay our PDC course teachers and then cover some portion of your food costs for the duration of your time here. The community will cover the rest in the hopes that this can be affordable to you. It is our goal to make this trade a worthwhile one and ensure that you go away having learned a ton, and had a lot of fun!

 

Apply Now!

Application need to be received by February 15th at the latest.

Apply Now by clicking here.

 

Thank you so much for your interest!

If you have specific questions, please email us a panyaproject@gmail.com

www.panyaproject.org

Hi all my permie friends,
I wanted to let you know about the white paper that our company just released today outlining our view of the Levels of Regenerative Agriculture.

Please check it out here, and join the conversation:
http://www.terra-genesis.com/regenerative-agriculture/

Just to share with you some of the reasons that we felt it was of timely importance to write this up, is because there are significant actions being taken behind the scenes to bring about a certification for Regenerative Ag. This isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but we are seeing that there is a potential for the whole of Regenerative Agriculture to be fragmented down (flat-landed) to simply Carbon Farming.

Building soil and sequestering Carbon are certainly key pieces that any definition of Regenerative Agriculture must include, but there is so much more to it, and way more potential to make the Regenerative Agriculture movement truly transformative rather than just another small step in the right direction.

Please take a look at our work and let us know your thoughts.

http://www.terra-genesis.com/regenerative-agriculture/

Thanks so much,
Christian Shearer
Terra Genesis International

Looks like you might have already found a speaker for the event, but if you are still looking for others, I would be open to it.

Hi Jr.
Miles Flansburg gave me your information and said I should contact you about a speaking opportunity for the Farmers Market.
My name is Christian Shearer, and I have been teaching permaculture Design for the last 8 years, and now live in Driggs, Idaho. My wife and I are starting our homestead / education center here, and will be hosting our first design course this summer on this piece of land. You can see it here: www.higherE.org

I also do permaculture consulting as a living, but find that teaching is where I thrive.
I am available for speaking events and would be happy to share my inspiration for permaculture design with the Casper community, as well as to make connections there.
If you want to get a sense for who I am, I was recently in a documentary about permaculture. You can see that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cr10nOm0xU

Please contact me at: christianshearer1@gmail.com if you are interested in having me out.
Thanks for what you do.
Christian Shearer

Permaculture Design Course in the Tetons

Higher Elevation is hosting the first ever Permaculture Design Course in Teton County, Idaho!
July 26 – August 11, 2015
A team of very talented permaculture designers and practitioners, including the founder of Higher Elevation, Christian Shearer will be facilitating this great course. Come join us in bringing the inspiration and information of Permaculture to the Tetons.
We expect this course to fill, so register soon to reserve your spot:

Please check out the original page here to register and learn more:
http://www.highere.org/permaculture-design-course-in-the-tetons-august-2015/


Higher Elevation Permaculture is in an incredible position to offer a super engaging environment for a Permaculture Design Course. Just in their second year of development, the site is in the early stages of implementing an integrated permaculture model site, including an impressive array of climate appropriate design elements to work with the high elevation of Teton County. The participants in this design course will have a great opportunity to learn about, work on and gain understanding of many of these elements, including:
an earthship; a passive solar home constructed from rammed earth tires, reclaimed lumber and ingenious design to reduce the need for conventional energy sources, create a superior living environment, recycle waste, grow food, and re-use materials that would otherwise be headed for the land fill.
A highly productive and beautiful zone 1 garden, producing food for the course, for the residents on the land, and for a mobile organic pizza business that fits into the enterprise ecology of the site.
A new zone 1 which is in need of design and implementation to make it the wonderful, productive space it can be.
A young food forest planted out with apples, pears, plums, currants, service berries, chokecherries, elderberry and much more.
Animal systems including a 2.5 acre rotational sheep grazing pasture, pastured pigs, and chickens. (The food provided during the course will contain the option of pork and eggs from our animals as well).
Composting humanure toilet systems
Compost powered hot water shower (as one of the options)
Reclamation of conventional potato fields back the rich soil of an organic system.
an education center / volunteer area rich with an outdoor kitchen, social tipi, fire pit and gardens managed by the volunteers.
land based enterprise in the form of an organic pizza business on wheels, serving incredible pizza every Friday through the summer at the Driggs Farmers Market, as well as catering to private events. (learn more: www.firedearthpizza.com)
Having such a dynamic place to conduct the course will be very advantageous to the participants in being able to see first hand one way in which the ethics and principles of permaculture can be applied to a small homestead type project.
Permaculture is a proven design system which draws from indigenous and traditional agricultural methods, the understandings of science and from a deep consideration of natural systems. Permaculture brings together organic gardening and smart landscape design with the newest technology, water harvesting methods, compost and soil management, natural building methods, alternative energies and alternative solutions for trade and markets. The unique feature of Permaculture is that these elements are integrated into a system where they support each other, requiring less inputs and producing more outputs. This art of imitating nature and the combination of elements is called Permaculture Design. At Higher Elevation, we have come to truly believe that the way of thinking embodied by permaculture can truly help move each of us toward a healthier, more fulfilled life; more connected with the natural world around us and more in tune with our own needs.
You can apply this design principles to small scale or urban gardens as well as on large scale farms in any kind of climate or landscape. By the end of this course you will have gained the skills necessary to design your own land, get deep insight into what to include, get an overview of many alternative ways of living, and how to live a more self-reliant life, all of which contribute to solving urgent problems facing our world . This course can definitely change your life!
IMG_20140807_075153
We invite you to join us for this certified 72-hour Permaculture Design Course (PDC). This PDC promises to be a very unique experience. We teach, based on our real life experience with Permaculture from around the world. The 72 hours of course work, required to receive a Permaculture Design Certificate, will be covered over the two week period. It promises to be a PDC full of energy and excitement, balanced with groundedness, awareness and centeredness, where sessions will be taught to accommodate different learning styles combining lectures, group discussions, visual demonstrations, hands-on participatory learning, and design activities.
All participants are required to be present for the full two weeks if they wish to receive the certificate. (*Day 16 and 17 of the course are highly encouraged but not necessary to receive the certificate. We plan on taking a hike up to the wind caves in Darby Canyon as a group, and finishing the course with a discussion of next steps and ongoing learning opportunities. The course will be complete at mid-day on the 18th of August.)



The course will consist of a broad range of topics applicable to life anywhere on this planet, yet will be tailored to the needs of the students present as well as the location at hand. As part of the course, participants will help to co-create designs for real world projects that could include elements such as food forests, permaculture-style gardens, natural building, water catchment and irrigation systems. All will have an opportunity to take part in the existing permaculture activities on the hosting land.

In this course, we will cover every major topic in Bill Mollisons: Permaculture: a Designers Manual. What that includes is the following:
1. Philosophies and Ethics underlying permaculture
2. Basic permaculture principles
3. Patterns in Nature and how to use that in permaculture design
4. Methods of design. How to apply permaculture design tools and strategies to your design problems. How to increase your chance on a successful design by following a well defined design methodology.
5. Climactic factors and strategies. We will cover all the major climates and how to work with them.
6. Trees, forests and Forest gardening. How to mimic natural forest systems to create an abundance of food, fiber and fodder.
7. Water: catchment, usage, importance, and conservation.
8. Soil structure, minerals, microorganisms, building new soil and preventing erosion. Learn to work with the soil food web to create a healthy ecosystem and regenerate degraded land.
9. Earthworks. How to shape the land to help it achieve the goals we are aiming for.
10. Natural Building. How to build structures with materials available on-site.
11. Alternative systems. Community living and other ways of living differently that works well for people and the planet. Bioregional organization, community development, alternative economic systems, permaculture as aid.
Each of these categories has subcategories and each teacher also has their own additions and certain topics that are stressed over others.

Costs for the two week certified PDC course:
Course fee
Commute to the course: $650 + optional scholarship contribution
(Lunch included)
Bring Your Own Tent and Stay with Us: $795 + optional scholarship contribution.
(All meals included, plus all the benefits of living on site!)
Meals will be made with tons of food from on site. We will do our best to accommodate the dietary needs of the group.
We ask every student for a deposit of $150 to reserve your space. This reservation fee is non refundable.
Space is limited, and we expect it to fill, so register now (or later. Up to you)!

Full and Partial Scholarships available to a select few.
If you feel that you are unable to cover the costs of the course and would like to apply for a scholarship, please submit a proposal to us for what you can contribute, and why you believe that you would be a good choice as a recipient of some of the scholarship funds. What is your situation that stops you from being able to contribute economically toward the course? How will you use the information in the course? How do you plan to pay forward the scholarship funds that you do receive?
Would you like to contribute to the scholarship fund?
There are many people that would benefit greatly from the information presented in the Permaculture Design Course but cannot afford to take the course. We are proud to offer scholarships to a few of these people, and would be glad to accept funds to be able to accept more. Please let us know if you would like to contribute toward this effort. Any amount helps, as it all adds up!

Fundraise for your Tuition:
If you are interested in a creative way to come up with funds for this course, look into fundraising for it through WeTheTrees.com. It is a great way to reach out to your family and friends, let them know what you are up to and give them a easy way to contribute to your education.
Click on the banner below to learn more:
Fundraise your course tuition with WeTheTrees!

REGISTER NOW! We expect this course to fill, so get your spot locked in.
(click on that link above or copy this url into your browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YFmdXKnIfvA-2vwtlsu6ZIWz4DPvhknKWlgqI0CBMbE/viewform?usp=send_form)

Contact: Christian Shearer
christianshearer1@gmail.com
208-850-0563 (e-mail is better for us, unless it is urgent. Thanks)

About the Facilitators
CHRISTIAN SHEARER
The primary facilitator of the course, Christian Shearer, has broad knowledge of permaculture, having taught, consulted and worked on permaculture projects for over 10 years all over the world, including Thailand, Malaysia, India, Taiwan, Barbados, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and The Philippines. He was also featured in a full length documentary about permaculture in Thailand in 2012, Seeds of Permaculture. Christian founded the Panya Project, a permaculture education center in Northern Thailand and currently works as a permaculture consultant for Terra Genesis International. He has taught the Permaculture Design Course over 25 times and his teaching has been described as "incredibly inspirational," "his passion for human happiness, environmental change and permaculture in general is obvious from Day 1," and "this course changed the direction of my life!"
Check out Seeds of Permaculture here:


GREGORY CRAWFORD
Gregory Crawford has a decade of work experience on small-scale, organic, community-supported farms in Washington State. A six-month apprenticeship at Pun Pun—a sustainable living center in Northern Thailand—sparked a passion of natural house design & productive architecture, leading Gregory to design & build over seven natural homes to date. It was during this apprenticeship that he became involved in the Panya Project, which was in its formative first year; collectively, Gregory has spent over two years at the Panya Project, facilitating courses & managing the natural buildings. Creating his own course-curriculum through an entirely self-directed education at the Evergreen State College led Gregory to study sustainable urban planning, unconventional methods of homesteading, innovative material reuse, & creative writing across Europe, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. His learning experience is embodied in his self-published, self-produced novel—Fall Apart Park—about the radical re-purposing of a broken, modern city. Gregory is currently transforming a neglected & abandoned 3,700 sq ft home in Detroit, Michigan into an urban permaculture resource center called Win/win Reactor.
Win/win hosts workshops & courses focused on permaculture's value within the city, replicable appropriate technologies, food production/preservation, ethically-aligned livelihood, personal & community empowerment, & much more.

This course is a four day intensive exploring the traditional finish plaster technique of tadelakt. We will be finishing the walls of our shower using this technique.

Here is the full description: Check it out:
http://www.highere.org/tadelakt-plaster-workshop/

Tadelakt Plaster Workshop
Join us at Higher Elevation Permaculture to learn the traditional Moroccan technique of Tadelakt plastering!
shower1
Tadelakt wall
June 27-30, 2015
$500.00
Limited to 12 participants


Tadelakt is an ancient technique from Morocco that utilizes lime plaster to create waterproof, durable, marbled looking surfaces. This is a great opportunity to experience and learn, in a hands-on environment, this rare finishing technique. We will be plastering from start to finish a shower, and some other areas, possibly including a bathroom backsplash and counter.
tadelakt handsThe course will include:
Lime plasters
Materials and preparations for Tadelakt
Application and troweling
Finishing steps, including using olive oil soaps, polishing with special stones, and waxes. lime and trowel
​ The workshop will be held in an earthship and we will be doing some of the work to finish off this beautiful structure. In addition to the plastering, you will have the opportuntiy to be introduced to the concepts of earthships and passive solar homes.
We are very fortunate to have Ryan Chivers, from Boulder, CO teaching this course. Please read more about Ryan and his work below.

Lunch and camping are also included in the course fee. Lunches will be organic, and mostly vegetarian, with much of the produce coming from the on-site gardens.
If you are camping for this workshop, you will have the use of an outdoor kitchen to cook your breakfasts and dinners. We have and outdoor shower, and a composting sawdust toilet. Outside of the workshop, you will be living in an "outside" environment, so please prepare accordingly. There are hiking and biking trails very near for evening excursions. The town of Driggs is a few miles away with restaurants, stores, and everything you may need.
REGISTER NOW! – We expect this course to fill.
Costs: $500
includes the four day course plus lunches each day.
You are welcome to camp on our land and make use of the outdoor kitchen (with fridge and stove and solar oven) as well as our shower and compost toilet facilities for course participants and volunteers. Alternatively you can stay locally and commute to the course each day.
REGISTER NOW! by clicking here.
The registration fees are required to cover the costs of the course as well as the teacher. Our motivation for this course is not to make money, but to have one of the experts in the US come to teach us about tadelakt. Your participation in the course helps us bring Ryan up here to share these great skills, so thanks for participating!
Come learn with us!
About the Course Instructor:
Tadelakt artist Ryan Chivers founder Artesano Plaster in Boulder, COWe are very fortunate to have Ryan Chivers of Artesano Plasters coming to lead this course.
Ryan is a renowned natural builder and is highly skilled in the art of natural plasters. He is widely recognized as one of the leading practioners of tadelakt in the U.S.
He travelled to Morocco to study the incredibly beautful plastering art of tadelakt. Ryan is the owner of Artesano Plaster, in Boulder CO.
www.artesanoplaster.com
About Higher Elevation Permaculture:
P1050282Higher Elevation Permaculture is a homestead / small scale diverse farm / education center in it's 2nd year of growth. We have many exciting things happening on the land, including the completion of our earthship style home. It is in this earthship that we will be doing the tadelakt plastering. We have extensive gardens, and a young food forest. We have animals included into our systems, and a space for volunteers and workshops to be hosted.
All the windows are now in on the !!! We need a few doors and all the finish work and then we're done!
We live at 6500 feet elevation, right at the base of the Teton Mountains. Usually, the end of June is beautiful weather, but there is always a chance for a frosty night or even snow! This is a beautiful area to get out into the mountains and explore.
Getting here:
The closest airport is Jackson Hole Wyoming. That is 1 hour from our property. This is a small airport, so sometimes it is a bit more expensive to fly into. Salt Lake City is the nearest International airport, and Southwest Airlines flies there. It is 5 hours away. If flying into Jackson, you can take a cab or bus from the airport into the town of Jackson. Once there, you can hop on a 5pm (approximate) bus to Driggs (the summer schedule starts in April, once that is out, more exact times will be posted). Once in Driggs, we can pick you up.
If you are coming from afar, please plan on arriving Friday, June 26th.
Our address is:
1899 S. 1750 E. , Driggs, Idaho, 83422

We're looking forward to plastering with you!

For the right couple, this apprenticeship looks amazing.

Live in a yurt, help build and earthship, take care of animals, plant food forest, design and implement zone one gardens, and lots more. Plus, an incredible winter, with ski resort only 30 minutes away.

check it out:
http://www.highere.org/year-long-apprenticeship-caretakership/

Here is more info from that site:

Year Long Apprenticeship / Caretakership
Higher Elevation Permaculture is a homestead / small scale diverse farm / education center in it's 2nd year of growth. This coming year will see the completion of our earthship style home, the designing and planting of our high tunnel, our first Permaculture Design Course hosted on property, and many more exciting projects happening on property. Gardens of life
UntitledPart of our design for this phase of the project is to incorporate a couple for a year-long, live on site apprenticeship / caretakership. We have specific criteria and skills that need to be met for this position. For the right people, this will be a great opportunity to gain experience in many areas of permaculture, including gardening, building, animals, alternative energy, landscaping, food production and preservation and much more. This area is also an amazing outdoor recreation utopia, so being in the mountains, hiking, biking, skiing, fishing is a big part of the experience as well. The ideal applicants would also love the winter environment, as our property is at 6,500 feet meaning that there is snow for about 5 months of this time (and Grande Targee ski resort just 30 minutes from our door)!
Who are the ideal applicants for these positions?
We are looking for a couple, who are in a stable and healthy relationship to commit for a year (and the possibility of staying on longer).
At least one of the couple must have already taken a Permaculture Design Course, and both have a deep interest in the gardening / farming / homesteading type activities. This year you will be wrapped up in it.
We are looking for a garden / food production manager, so one of the persons must have some experience growing food for production. (You won't have to achieve this on your own, but need to be able to manage the ongoing gardens independently at times.)
We are looking for people (or at least one of the couple) who like to build and take on projects of all sorts (independently or as a group project).P1050282
Self motivation and excitement to dig in deep to make the most out of the experience is essential to us. Your attitude and enthusiasm directly affect the work that you do as well as the well being of other people on site.
During the summer months there may be multiple other people living on site. You must be okay working and living in a community setting. You will have your own space to live in, but we would like you to take an active role as a member of the community on property when people are around.
A one year commitment starting in May 2015.
We would prefer people with open, honest communication that are open to giving and receiving constructive feedback.
You should love the great outdoors. We are located only 2 miles from the foothills of the Tetons with great trails, backpacking trips, wildlife and immense beauty. We encourage you to get out!
You should love the winter! We live in a winter sports mecca, with Grande Targee Resort only 30 minutes from our door and Jackson Hole Ski Resort only an tetons, C&Thour away. And there is tons of cross-country and back country skiing in our area as well. Beautiful new years day sunset. Happy new years to all.
If you are still excited about this opportunity, and feel you and your partner meet this criteria, please read further as I will give a more in-depth look at the coming year, including our expectations, and what you can expect to recieve!

What is included and expected in this opportunity?
What we are hoping to get out of your stay here is basically support on the land. We have so many things going on that sometimes it can seem a little crazy. We also have the perfect living space to offer so want to make the best use of it. Christian really values having like-minded people around, and thrives when he can collaborate on work and play. The garden consumes a lot of my time in the summer, especially when we are hosting courses and we are trying to provide as much of the food as possible from site. Having someone with experience, who can help the management of the gardens would be a huge help to me and open up more time for experimenting and growing more diversity!
My Sheep friends, Caleesi and Paddington.This is what we see as what would be expected and included:
A one year commitment, starting in May, 2015. This is important to us for a number of reasons, as you will see below.

An awesome 24 foot Yurt. Christian and I have been building our home for the past two summers! We are committed to moving in, regardless of the "finished" state, no later than July 15th. This opens up our yurt to you, which has been a beautiful home to us for 8 years. It is a 24' diameter yurt with running water, hot shower, electricity, washer and dryer, brand new wood stove, and most ameneties of a small house. This does mean, that the first two months of the time spent on property would be camping out. We have a pretty nice set up for that as well, with an outdoor kitchen, hang out space, outdoor hot shower, composting toilet, etc..IMG_20130919_190818

Home-grown food. You are responsible for your own food during your stay, but that being said, the gardens produce a lot of food and you are welcome to it. The chickens contribute their eggs, and the freezer is full on sausage and other great pork cuts. We are happy to contribute to you whatever we have from the land. Anything else will be on your own bill.

IMG_20130903_155049A full growing season in the gardens. We are looking for one of the two people to step up as the garden manager for the site. You will get to work through a full growing season, including planning, planting, harvesting, food preservation and putting gardens to sleep for winter. We have an extensive zone 1 garden around the yurt with mixed annuals and perennials in production, plus we just installed a 30 x 72 foot high tunnel for helping us extend the seasons. Our goals are to produce lots of food for the residents on the land, feed the Permaculture Design Course as much as possible, and grow produce for our mobile, organic pizza business that we run throughout the summer and fall. (Check it out: www.FiredEarthPizza.com) We are excited to experiment with winter growing in the high tunnel and earthship and see what edges we can push!

Animals. We have a small herd of sheep that we rotationally graze throughout the summer, and who will be lambing in March. We have egg-laying chickens and raise pigs in the summer for meat. The care for the animals as well as the slaughter and butching of the pigs are all activities you will be encouraged to help out with.Love our happy animals

Building projects. We will be continuing to build and work on our earthship this next summer. There will be lots of finish work to do, including using clay plasters. In addition to the finish work we will also be adding the sun room and the sauna on to the south side of the house. We may or may not take on the construction of a sunny john humanure toilet structure, using earthen building techniques and inevitably there are other building projects that pop up (animal shelters, fencing, etc).

IMG_20130706_173419Food forest and windbreak planting. We currently have over 400 trees and shrubs in our nursery that are really wanted to be put in the ground. We'll try to tackle this with you in the spring, planting up two different areas of wind breaks, privacy barriers and food forest plantings.

Zone 1 garden design and creation. We are super excited to be wrapping up the construction zone feel around the earthship and creating it into a beautiful, functional and productive zone 1. We are really starting from scratch here and will have lots of opportunity to put into practice the concepts from Christopher Alexanders A Pattern Language, as well as build on-contour terraced garden beds, curving paths and planning an incredible mix of perennials and annuals. Not sure if it will get planted this year, but even if we just prep it for the following year, it will be an IMG_20130706_174127incredible process.

Helping with the Permaculture Design Course in August. We will be hosting our first PDC course on the land, and there is a lot of work that goes into making it the best experience it can be for the participants. Along with 3-4 other summer apprentices, we will ask that you lead some of the hands on time and prepare the lunch and dinners for the course. And if you would like some teaching experience we can talk about the possibility of teaching a few of the lessons. When these responsibilities are taken care of, you are welcome to sit in on classes, and take part in the course to any degree you like. During this time, projects on the land will slow down a bit as all of our energy will be going towards hosting and teaching.

Caretaking when we are away. One of the challenges of having a diverse and alive permaculture project is that it can be challenging to get away. We would like the opportunity to travel next winter and to know that we have responsible people here to help take care of the animals and the land. Christian teaches Permaculture abroad most winters and I hope to join him this coming winter. We'll make a schedule so that you can get away too, and when we are all P1040015around we'll share the responsibilities.

Lots of other experiences that come along with homesteading. Collecting firewood for the winter, (you can either buy it or we can all go out to the woods and get standing dead wood and buck it up for firewood). Preservation of food, from canning our excess bounty to drying, freezing and even salting and curing some of the meat (we have two prosciutto's hanging right now!) Making fruit wine! And lots more.P1040007
You will experience the rush of summer, the intense energy of the area, the wildflowers, the mountains, the buzz, and then the settling and hibernating into winter when the wood stove needs to be fed, and snow blankets the trees. All seasons here are amazing, intense, and can offer something beautiful for all of us.

What's not included?
Your travel. You are responsible for getting yourself to and from Higher Elevation, as well as for your local transport needs. It is fairly important to have a vehicle of your own on site. (If you don't have a vehicle we would be open to working out a rental / cost share on one of our vehicles.)
Your food. Like we said above, when the gardens are kicking and the chickens are laying, you can help yourself to our home grown stuff, but in general, you are responsible for your own shopping needs.
Utilities. $40-$50 per month, plus internet if you want it.
Your Ski Passes! – But we can let you in on some secrets to getting a great deal!
Who are we?
IMG_20130724_163212
Taiga Marthens (that's me) and Christian Shearer are what I like to think of a young (mid 30's), enthusiastic, and fun loving. We love getting out in the woods, we love growing our gardens, raising our animals, and we really love contributing to the movement for change on this planet. Christian is a great teacher and permaculturalist. He has been teaching and practicing permaculture for about 10 years now, starting with his founding of the Panya Project in Northern Thailand. He and I got married about two years ago and I already had this piece of land in a the region that I grew up (Montana, Wyoming, eastern Idaho). So we created a permaculture design to try to meet our holistic goals, which really revolve around being deeply happy, having meaningful work, and contributing to the movement for positive change on this planet. And so Higher Elevation was born out of that.
I also run Fired Earth Pizza, which serves organic, locally sourced ingredients on really tasty pizza at the farmers market and at private events. I also do some landscaping work in the Jackson area throughout the summer, but have been scaling back on that due to lack of time!
Christian works professionally as a permaculture teacher and consultant, working for Terra Genesis International. He has recently been traveling to Barbados, Ecuador and Thailand for his work. That's pretty cool, and next year I want to travel with him a bit.

Applying for the Positions:
We expect to get a number of applicants for these positions, so please let us know if you are interested. We will be accepting applications and talking by phone or skype with interested parties until the spot is filled.
To start the application process, please click here.
or copy this link into your browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12LnOvumC9PqWbRpqwGNTYtIshuO9JShayFvAhnpEIWk/viewform?usp=send_form
Thanks so much for your interest!

Hi, we just wanted everyone to know that Christian Shearer and Taiga Marthens are looking for four apprentices for the summer at their young project in the Tetons, USA.

The apprenticeship is for 3-4 months (June-September) and there is not cost to apprentices. Lots of great stuff happening there, including finishing up their earthship, working with animals, planting food forest and lots of other activities. Plus, it is in one of the most beautiful places on earth, right near yellowstone national park.

Check out their website here: http://www.highere.org/summer-apprenticeship-at-higher-elevation-permaculture/


Summer Apprenticeship At Higher Elevation Permaculture

Higher Elevation Permaculture is looking for 4 summer apprentices! This is an amazing opportunity to grow and expand on your permaculture skills. The summer season here runs from June until the end of August, and if you like, there is the possibility of staying on into september.
June 1 – August 31, 2015
There is a lot going on here that is pretty awesome and exciting, and perfect for getting lots of hands on experience:

The continuation and finishing of an earthship style home- There is going to be lots of natural plaster happening, building a sun room and a sauna off the front of the house, and other finishing details.
Gardening and food production- We already have a lot of established gardens, and in the spring we will be starting to plan and plant out our 30 by 72' high tunnel.
Tree planting- We have a wide variety of fruit trees and native trees that we are using for food forests, landscaping and windbreaks. They need to get planted this coming year so they won't outgrow their pots!
Animal systems- We currently have chickens, sheep, and every summer we get pigs. We rotational graze the sheep, and often times the chickens and pigs as well. We are always excited to expand on the animal systems on the farm.
Planning and landscaping zone 1 area- The area in front of the earthship is a blank slate currently. We would love to start the installation of paths, irrigation lines, beds and aesthetic beauty. We are so ecxited to see a beautiful and functional space that incorporates the idea of Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language along with the permaculture ideas of terraced beds on contour. We envision a great mix of natural elements (stones, logs, etc) along with a mix of aesthetic and productive perennials and annuals.


Other exciting things that will be going on here this summer are:

The first ever Permaculture Course in the Tetons! This will be happening the end of July and the first week of August.
A tadelakt plaster workshop June 27-30 (more info coming soon)
One-day workshops for locals on various topics

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Who are the ideal applicants for this position?


Ideally apprentices already have taken the PDC course. This is the perfect setting to expand on your skills.
Self-direction and motivation – We are excited to have people on the land that are capable of heading up a task or project, as well as being enthused about it.
Experience living in a communal setting- you will be living with other people all summer, and at times with a large group. This can present various challenges for people.
Motivated to get out into the mountains and explore the amazing area we live in- This is one of the most beautiful places on earth (in my opinion), and it has a lot to offer as far as recreation. We love seeing people get off property and exploring!


What is included and expected in this opportunity?

We ask that you commit to 30 hours of work a week. This leaves ample time to enjoy the area and have your own time!
Helping with the Permaculture Design Course. During the PDC in August, you will be asked to share the cooking duties. This will be for lunch and dinner, and shared between 4-6 people. We also need support in leading the morning hands-on sessions with the students. Whenever you are not helping with the course you are welcome to sit in and take part in any of the classes.
We will provide basic food for the kitchen, and of course you can eat all you like out of the gardens. There are fresh eggs usually available, and you will get to occasionally indulge in some pork from the freezer (from our pigs last summer).
We provide an outdoor kitchen space, outdoor showers, a composting toilet and a couple different places for hang out and relaxation. You provide a tent (that can withstand wind and weather) and all your own sleeping gear.
This is a vibrant and enriching environment, we have fun, work hard and enjoy our down time. This is not a party atmosphere (although we enjoy a good time), and we ask that you respect our home and our neighbors.


Other relevant information:
We live at 6500 feet elevation. Being so high in elevation means we can get very extreme weather all year round. We can have snow in May, and we get our last frost sometime mid June. We can also get frosts, snow and hail in July and August (although it doesn't happen too often)! Even in the middle of summer, nights get down into the 40's and 50's. Summers can be hot with temps usually from 75-85 degrees during the day. We also get amazing thunderstorms, which can roll in pretty quickly in the afternoon. Living out of a tent can be challenging, and we just want you to know what you may experience.

The nearest town is about 2.5 miles by bike and has all ammenities (yoga, restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops etc). There are hiking and biking trails very near to our property, though not quite in walking distance. Having your own wheels can offer you great freedom to get out and do things. There are numerous music festivals and events during the summer. Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone are very near here and we highly recommend exploring them!
Apply now for one of these Internship positions.
Because we will be living and working with these interns for the whole summer, we are going to accept applications and conduct interviews with a number of candidates. We don't have a set date for final selections, but will be accepting the right people for these positions as they apply.
Please get your application in as soon as you can to have the greatest chance of securing one of the spots.
To start the process of applying please answer the questions at this questionaire:
Click here: REGISTER NOW!
or copy and paste this into your browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rrP...?usp=send_form
Thanks so much for your interest in helping out and learning at our site!

Hi All, We are happy to announce that our team has selected an applicant for the position of manager of the regeneration of the Sand Quarry in Barbados.

We decided to accept the application that came from a group of people representing the Permaculture Institute on Trinidad, so the locality, knowledge of species and climate conditions, and the potential of future collaboration (as well as the up-liftment of the permaculture movement in Trinidad) were the factors that helped us to make this decision.

We look forward to a successful regeneration of this land, and many other synergistic outcomes.

Christian Shearer
www.Terra-Genesis.com