2018 has brought forth an exciting collection of monthly talk series held on the farm. These nights have included and involved local and young regenerative farmers, innovative people working in food, food waste and sustainability in fun/friendly discussions and panels. Our goal is to create a community of mindful humans through connectivity and shared experience. We believe that real-life interaction, conversations and local Australian stories will allow us to do so.
In October we're chatting about retrofitting the suburbs. The panel will kick off with David Holmgren sharing about his new book Retrosuburbia: The Downshifters Guide to a Resilient Future. The book is a compendium of innovative designs that Australian householders (renters included!) can use to live well while making better use of the house, growing food and other activities that kick-start the household non-monetary economy towards resilience in the face of uncertain futures. He'll be joined by a panel of local retrosuburbans working on great projects around Sydney.
Cost: $20
Provided: First Young Henry's beer on arrival + snacks
Bring: Coins for beer donations that will go towards resources for our education program.
THE PANEL
DAVID HOLMGREN is the co-originator of the permaculture concept following publication of Permaculture One, co-authored with Bill Mollison in 1978. David is globally recognised as a leading ecological thinker, teacher, respected writer and thought-provoking speaker promoting permaculture lifestyle as a realistic, attractive and powerful alternative to dependent consumerism. Other key publications include Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (2002) and Future Scenarios: How Communities Can Adapt To Peak Oil and Climate Change (2009) and most recently, RetroSuburbia; The Downshifter Guide to a Resilient Future (2018).
CECILIA MACAULAY is a Permaculture designer with 28 years of experience. She sets up and lives in low-friction, attractive and self-maintaining shared homes, that honour and bring out the best in the people who live there. These days she consults and runs seminars internationally for Shinka Management, equipping factories and homes alike to protect their resources and get good things done. This work combines Japanese culture as expressed in Toyota Production System (Lean), with Permaculture strategies. She does hands-on workplace and home declutter consulting for CEO’s and for strugglers alike, with the goal of freeing up our minds, and have good connections with the people around us. She lives in Gardenfarm, Gippsland, inner Sydney, and Kamakura Japan.
RACHAEL POTTER is a permaculture chef and educator treading as lightly as she can in suburban Sydney with her husband and two young boys. She was always destined to grow and cook her own food. Raised by her grandmother who grew much of the family's food with a waste-not-want-not ethos (out of necessity - not because it was trendy), she learned early on the true value of freshly harvested produce and its connection to sustainability and reverence for the earth. Since becoming a chef and having Brent Savage as her mentor at Yellow, she has used her former career in education to become one of Australia's leading waste-free culinary educators. Rachel teaches Cornersmith's Waste-Free Kitchen workshop and teaches beekeeping, waste-wise and suburban sustainability classes across Sydney as well as cooking workshops for private enterprise. You read more about her work on insta @the.wastefree.chef or cambridgehillfarm.com.au
MICHAEL MOBBS In 1996 Michael Mobbs converted his Sydney terrace into a sustainable house, and he’s disconnected it from mains water, sewerage and electricity. Its powered by the sun and rain water, and no sewage or stormwater leaves.For the last 22 years, with four people, house energy and water bills have been less than $300 a year. Designs and data are in two books, Sustainable House, and Sustainable Food. Michael designs and obtains approvals for projects which are off-grid for water, energy, materials and food
EMMA DANIELL is a sustainability educator, community change maker and facilitator of participatory design processes. She has worked implementing programs at a council level that focus on urban sustainability and resilience. She currently works at the Green Living Centre (part of the Urban Sustainability team of Inner West Council) and for many years worked within the Inner West Council teaching skills for living closer to the earth and implementing community sustainability programs such as the Compost Collective and Compost Hut. Emma has an Associate Diploma of Horticulture (Landscape design) and a background in Permaculture and urban food growing. She is dedicated to increasing the knowledge of sustainable living practices, supporting the acquisition of skills, as well as assisting and encouraging our community to live with a connection to nature.
IN CONVERSATION WITH NICK RITAR
Nick is Milkwood’s primary educator and consultant. Nick is passionate about authentic outcomes for students studying permaculture and life skills, and cultivating community. Based at the iconic demonstration site ‘Melliodora’ in Hepburn, Victoria, Nick spends his time growing good food, keeping bees, cultivating mushrooms, teaching permaculture design & advocating for community-scale resilience.
OUR SPONSORS
YOUNG HENRYS is an eclectic group of passionate brewers, distillers, musicians and artists, united for the love of good beer and fine gin. www.younghenrys.com