MARCH 2020

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School of Living News

MARCH 2020

 

Welcome to our School of Living electronic newsletter where you can catch up on what is happening in our land trust communities and SOL committee work.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE

The SOL Quarterly meeting, April 24-26, 2020, has been moved online due to the COVID-19 crisis. Watch your email for upcoming agenda and Zoom information. Email: hello@schoolofliving.org if you have questions or need more information. 
​SCHOOL OF LIVING COVID-19 RESPONSE: CALL FOR RESOURCES AND UPCOMING ONLINE EVENTS

Warm greetings,
In these surreal and trying times, it seems like communities are truly coming together in many tangible ways. Practical living skills are actually coming to the forefront for many of those not well versed or experienced in the various aspects of living closely with nature, farming or homesteading. One way SOL could serve our broader communities would be to serve as a digital resource for those turning to DIY, farming and
practical living during this changing moment in time. There is now a topic on the SOL Forum where everyone can post videos or articles that would help form our new digital aggregation of practical skills resources. Living and working in our extended networks and communities, I hope this new resource can be of benefit to those wanting to learn more. I urge everyone to share this email and to post their own favorite videos and articles that would be most helpful right now and in the future. Thank you all for any contributions or input you might have!

Here is the link to the practical skills resources forum.

Knowing this will pass and relying on that center in us all, much love and much peace.

In abundance,
Seth Wheeler
667-228-7002 mobile
SOL ONLINE EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

SOL is doing all of its educational events online until further notice. Check out our free webinars!

VIRTUAL HOME-BASED SEED SAVING EXCHANGE
ZOOM WORKSHOP
Saturday April 4, 2020 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Learn How You Can be a Citizen Scientist Volunteer from Your Porch, Balcony, Yard, Garden, Farm, or even your Armchair!
Register Here!
At Our Webinar You Can: 
  • Learn how you can contribute to starting a Chesapeake open seed exchange library co-op
  • Follow our NOFA inspired best practice protocol to adopt an open seed variety or a perennial plant or tree or bush seedling and be a 2020 home-based pilot CHIO-SQ citizen science grower/nurturer.  We can provide the seeds or seedlings/cuttings, (or use your own) that can be planted in a corner of your garden or in a container.
  • Observe and record on-line from spring to harvest as your plants go through their amazing yearly cycle.  Save your seeds to contribute to our open seed library exchange
  • Not able to be a pilot nurturer/grower/observer but interested in co-learning and helping—you can provide support for the many other activities related to developing our seed exchange library..  
For more information and to learn about other webinars planned in this
series see the Heathcote website.

Karen Stupski and Maggie Cahalan
School of Living Heathcote Education Committee and Chesapeake
Education, Arts and Research Society (CHEARS)
education@heathcote.org
240-542-9786 (Heathcote)
    

INTRODUCING SCHOOL OF LIVING’S ZOOMCAST SERIES!

School of Living’s (SOL’s) Education Committee is initiating a Zoomcast series. On the first Wednesday of each month at 7-8:30 p.m. we will have a presenter or specific topic of discussion relevant to SOL’s mission and work: practical skills of living, regenerative agriculture, land use, community land trusts, intentional communities, etc. SOL membership and the public are invited to participate. There will be opportunities to ask questions, network, and to speak to the topic. 

SOL ZOOMCAST SERIES: #1
Permaculture Living Lands Trust: Creating Cultural Landscapes for Long Term Resilience 
David Harper & Andrew Faust
April 1, 2020  7-8:30 p.m.


 

Learn about the Permaculture Living Lands Trust (PLLT). This is a non-profit land trust organization, fiscally sponsored by School of Living and founded by David Harper, Andrew Faust, and Lisa DePiano. It’s Mission: Create a global network of permaculture land commons by holding land in trust for human communities to meet our needs within the natural limits of the ecosystems and bio-regions in which we live. There is a Facebook event page here. 

Join us in learning by following this Zoom link at 7pm, April 1st, or contact us at hello@schoolofliving.org  

SOL ZOOMCAST SERIES: #2
Soil, Carbon, Water, and Climate: The Rest of the Story
Dale Hendricks
May 6, 2020 – 7-8:30

Learn about how human stewards and ecosystems have built rich soils and productive diversity; how the several forms of carbon and their dynamic interactions play a role in nutrition, plant and soil and microbial interaction; how the role of water and water vapor evaporated from plants (or not) in cooling and or heating the Earth. Learn about a few of the regenerative practices now being employed to rebuild healthy living soils in ways that help with water cleaning, drought and flood mitigation, healthier food and much more. There is a Facebook event page here. 

Join us in learning by following this Zoom link at 7pm, May 6th, or contact us at hello@schoolofliving.org

FIND FRESH, LOCAL FOOD DURINGCCOVID-19
MID-ATLANTIC FARM AND FOOD RESOURCES

To help farmers and shoppers weather this crisis, MDFMA and Future Harvest – along with collaboration from other local groups like MWCOG and Delmarva Grown, has created an interactive map of local food resources for direct sales. If you wish to be included on this map, go to this submission form. Here is additional information on safety protocols for food distribution and purchases.
SPRING NOTES FROM JULIAN WOODS COMMUNITY
by Deborah Fisher
Image Courtesy of Deborah Fisher

In early March one of my broody layer hens started hatching out her chicks.  So I decided to order some “Freedom Ranger” chicks to add to her clutch. These meat birds take a few weeks longer to size up, but I like the idea that they actually walk around more than the standard Cornish variety. The mother hen took in 6 of the Freedom Ranger chicks and the other 10 I moved up to the greenhouse where they can have protected free range. In addition to their own free range finds of insects and worms, I give them non GMO grains from a local mill. I like to soak the larger grains for a day or so before feeding it to them.

We have been getting our vegetable gardens ready for being more productive this year.  We’re planning to grow more root crops like onions and potatoes. Robin found a local source for onion plants and put in a group order for community members. This week I will be seeding lots of lettuce and kale.
​MEMBERSHIP

Are you due to renew your membership? Are you interested in joining us at School of Living? Click on this link. 
​SOL RECOMMENDS