Coley Caldwell

Better Farm is a sustainability education center, artist colony and organic farm along the Canadian border in Redwood, NY. We offer year-round workshops, residencies and events all centered around green living.

For information about our education programming, visit www.betterfarm.org/sustainability-education

More info here: www.betterfarm.org

(www.betterfarm.org/sustainability-education for more information!)

Better Farm’s Sustainability Education Program is a hands-on immersive, introductory crash-course in sustainability initiatives.

Instead of a traditional working farm with acres upon acres of one or a few different crops, Better Farm has several gardens demonstrating different styles of gardening and farming. These gardens demonstrate the need for diversity of crops instead of monocultures. Better Farm equips students with a variety of solutions to real-world agricultural issues, including small spaces, temperamental soils, pests, and climate change. The aquaponics, hydroponics, layered gardens, fruit orchard, and forests on the property are extremely varied so students coming from all over the world will learn practical tools that can be applied back home.

The Sustainability Education Program runs in one- to three-month intervals. Those attending receive daily assignments and chores all related to sustainability initiatives and organic farming, as well as the opportunity to design and implement projects on their own. Upon completion of all units and responsibilities, participants will receive a certificate from Better Farm. College students may additionally receive course credit for completion of Better Farm's Sustainability Education Program.

Individuals are immersed from day one in the local culture while working alongside other residents at Better Farm and in the Redwood community. Also staying at Better Farm are staff members and artists visiting through the betterArts residency program. Individuals should be prepared to take on solo work as well as group efforts; ranging from mundane tasks to unusual, exciting projects.

Many sustainability specialists visit Better Farm throughout the year to offer mentoring and guidance to students interested in coming here to work and gain valuable experience. Additionally, individuals have the option of taking any workshops and participating in any excursions or field trips scheduled during their time at Better Farm.

Students live communally in bunk rooms in Better Farm's main house.

Amenities: WiFi, landline phone, all linens and towels, parking, kayaks, canoe, sailboat, laundry access, bicycles, on-site library, shared computer, printer and sauna.

Better Farm’s Sustainability Education Program was created to offer individuals an immersive, introductory crash-course in sustainability initiatives. Those enrolled in the program receive a hands-on education in a myriad of seasonal topics related to sustainability and environmental issues, including:

* organic small-scale farming and gardening
* greenhouses and four-season farming
* compost methods
* alternative building and energy
* rain and graywater collection
* aquaponics, hydroponics
* chicken care
* community outreach initiatives (supper clubs, volunteer work at area farms, workshops, presence at local events)
* homesteading (organic cooking, canning/preserving, splitting wood)
* outdoor survival

Instead of a traditional working farm with acres upon acres of one or a few different crops, Better Farm has many gardens demonstrating different styles of small-scale farming. The gardens demonstrate the need for diversity of crops instead of monocultures. Better Farm equips students with a variety of solutions to real-world agricultural issues, including small spaces, temperamental soils, pests, and climate change. The aquaponics, hydroponics, layered gardens, fruit orchard, and forests on the property are extremely varied so students coming from all over the world will learn practical tools that can be applied back home.

The Sustainability Education Program runs in one- to three-month intervals. Those attending receive daily assignments and chores all related to sustainability initiatives and organic farming, as well as the opportunity to design and implement projects on their own. Upon completion of all units and responsibilities, participants will receive a certificate from Better Farm. College students may additionally receive course credit for completion of Better Farm's Sustainability Education Program.

Individuals are immersed from day one in the local culture while working alongside other residents at Better Farm and in the Redwood community. Students are expected to do their share in maintaining the condition of Better Farm as well as its peaceful environment. Those in Better Farm's Sustainability Education Program are expected to work seriously—and to conduct themselves in a manner that aids fellow residents in their endeavors. Also staying at Better Farm are staff members and artists visiting through the betterArts residency program.

Many sustainability specialists visit Better Farm throughout the year to offer mentoring and guidance to students interested in coming here to work and gain valuable experience. Additionally, individuals have the option of taking any workshops and participating in any excursions or field trips scheduled during their time at Better Farm.

Students live on-site and communally on the Better Farm campus in shared rooms. A small stipend required of each student ($500/month) covers educational fees, supplies, lodging, field trips, wireless Internet, use of the laundry machine, all linens and towels, on-site parking, and use of the communal kitchen (stocked weekly with food).

Students at the conclusion of Better Farm's Sustainability Education Program will be able to:

* Think critically about and be able to debate issues of sustainability on a micro and macro level; and have a firm grasp of what sustainability means
* Identify the appropriate vegetables, fruits, and herbs to plant in a specific climate and be able to plant them with high success
* Troubleshoot and solve agricultural challenges related to irrigation, pests, and soil quality
* Identify immature edible plants wild and domestic
* Understand compost systems and how they can benefit gardens while reducing the need for fertilizers
* Employ basic construction and carpentry skills
* Survive overnight in a wild habitat
* Hatch, rear, and care for chickens
* Install a rainwater catchment system, basic water filtration system, and build a standard compost toilet
* Install and run a basic hydroponics and aquaponics indoor growing system for use residentially or commercially
* Preserve, dry, and can produce from the garden

Get more information and apply here: www.betterfarm.org/sustainability-internship

Hi Mike!

I own and operate Better Farm, a sustainability campus, artist colony, and organic farm in Redwood, NY (about 24 miles north of Watertown)! Nice to see a fellow upstater on here! Check us out: www.betterfarm.org

Hi Chris,

My sustainability campus, Better Farm, offers year-round sustainability education that is custom-tailored to each student. In the application you can list your specific interests; we then provide you with the learning tools and space to research, study, and enjoy a truly hands-on educational experience. This certificate program runs in one- to three-month intervals and only costs a very low monthly stipend. If you'd like to learn more, check out www.betterfarm.org or shoot me any of your questions. Hope this helps!

Nicole

betterArts (www.betterarts.org) offers a unique opportunity to artists, writers, performers, and musicians with a residency program based out of Better Farm, a 65-acre sustainability campus nestled in the foothills of the Adirondacks and the Thousand Islands Region. Residencies are designed to offer artists of every discipline space and time to work on specific projects; whether a series of paintings, a composition, book, set of sculptures, or album.

Located 10 miles from the Canadian Border along the St. Lawrence River and Indian River Lakes System, Better Farm offers an unparalleled rural living experience. There are three lakes within walking distance; an on-site pond; vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens; shop space; open-air sheds for pottery and painting; and a two-story, renovated barn functioning as gallery and studio space. A private room, 24/7 access to a fully stocked communal kitchen, linens and towels, WiFi, parking, and round-the-clock access to the Art Barn are all included in a low stipend required of all residents.

The environment is simple and communal. Residents are expected to do their share in maintaining the condition of Better Farm as well as its peaceful environment.

betterArts residents are encouraged to interact and participate in the goings-on around the property, and to help out with chores and farm-related responsibilities between three and five hours each week. These responsibilities may include working in the gardens, participating in arts-related community outreach projects, helping with house chores, cooking, or assisting with other odd jobs. At the conclusion of each residency, an artist is required to present his or her work to the public in a gallery show, reading, performance, or via some other appropriate medium.

Residencies are for two weeks, three weeks, one month, or two-month periods. Basic facilities at Better Farm will be provided; but betterArts residents are expected to provide the majority of materials and equipment they would need for the production of their work.

The standards for admission are talent, desire to live and work at Better Farm, and a willingness to have a go at the Better Theory: a belief that each moment presents us with the opportunity for exponential personal growth.

Download the application at www.betterarts.org/residencies