Employment opportunity

Received from Anna Lodge [a.lodge@dartington.org]:

Schumacher College, Dartington is looking for a Living Classroom Educator.

Ideally, the post holder will be experienced in forest garden/permaculture systems for food production; as well as being a good educator and collaborator.
Initially, this is a fixed term on year post – salary £23,000 (pro rata).

The deadline for applications to Monday, 18th May 2009.

The job description and person spec are on-line at http://www.dartington.org/about-the-trust/job-opportunities

New people to look after the land

It is a time of change here at ‘The Field’ and we are not sure quite what is going to happen in 2009 and onwards. For a number of reasons we (Ken and Addy) have decided to look at the possibility of leaving the land and going to live somewhere warmer (probably tropical) where we can continue to develop perennial food systems with the particular intention of developing virtual self-sufficiency in food within as short a space of time as possible. If finances and other factors allow we may be going to look at possibilities at some point during this coming year.

Before leaving, one of our main priorities will be to ensure the safety of the land here in Cornwall. Therefore we are looking for like-minded people who would like to take on responsibility for caring for a part of it once we are gone. We have already set up a land club which includes a number of people who have taken on a responsibility for part of the land. What we are looking for now is for a person/people who would like to look after the main area of land around the shed where most of the Plants for a Future plantings took place.

Anyone interested in becoming involved would have to be able to find somewhere to live in the area since, at present, there is no planning permission for people to live at the land. There are a number of opportunities to establish a business based on activities at the land such as a plant nursery or providing specialist restaurants with alternative salads and edible flowers. There is also the possibility of obtaining some part-time gardening employment from a nearby person who is very interested in growing plants by the Plants for a Future method.

Anyone wishing to become involved would need to spend some time working with us as volunteers on the land in order to become acquainted with the project. In addition, special priority will be given to people who have been involved with the land in the past. If you are interested in this opportunity and would like further information, then please can you phone us on 01208 873554 (the Land) or 01208 871253 (house in Lerryn). You are likely to get the answerphone, so please leave a message with your phone number and we will get back to you. Alternatively, you can email us with more details about yourself – our address is kenfern1@btinternet.com.

(From Ken & Addy Fern)

Plants for a future blog

Welcome to the new Plants for a Future blog!

Charitable status

Comments?

How does the PFAF Charity fit the Charity Commission ‘Descriptions of Charitable Purposes in the Charities Act 2006’, http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/spr/corcom1.asp ?

The PFAF Charity’s ‘Charitable Purposes’ is a subject we could all think about. When we have a new board of trustees, which we aim to achieve on 2 November, we will be re-thinking our Aims/Objects, our objectives and activities to meet those Aims/Objects, our governing documents, and whom and what (socially and ecologically) we are here to benefit, in what ways.

This is an invitation for those interested in taking PFAF forward to engage in discussion on this important subject.

The table, below, is a start. Please copy and amend that, and/or send your comments and contributions, to chris_e_marsh@hotmail.com

Our current Objects:

The Charity’s Objects are to advance the education of the public by the promotion of all aspects of ecologically sustainable vegan-organic horticulture and agriculture with an emphasis on tree, shrub and other perennial species; and the undertaking of research into such horticulture and agriculture, and dissemination of the results of such research.

[We may change ‘vegan-organic’ to ‘plant-organic’, a point we have had much useful discussion on recently.]

Purpose as defined by Charity Commission	Is this our purpose, given our current Objects?	If we were to change our Objects and our activities directed at meeting them, how, potentially, would we meet this purpose?
The prevention or relief of poverty		Enabling progress towards food security in Britain, including home and community growing. Enabling people to produce nutritious food for almost no money. Making information available about plant combinations suitable for small areas, building and improving degraded soils, and more nutritious food plants.
The advancement of education	ü
The advancement of religion
The advancement of health or the saving of lives	ü
The advancement of citizenship or community development		ü
The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
The advancement of amateur sport
The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity
The advancement of environmental protection or improvement	ü
The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage		ü
The advancement of animal welfare	ü
The promotion of the efficiency of the armed forces of the Crown or of the police, fire and rescue services or ambulance services
Other purposes currently recognised as charitable and any new charitable purposes which are similar to another charitable purpose.		ü

A project involving two people also engaged with PFAF: Planting Nut Trees in Totnes

Steward Community Woodland call for support

Dear Friends

I am writing to let you know about the 8 year old eco-community I am involved in and our current struggle with the planning authorities. I hope that that you can pass on these details and publicise our project and appeal for financial support at this time.

Steward Community Woodland is a low impact, sustainable project based in a 32 acre woodland near Moretonhampstead. The community currently comprises 11 adults and 7 children (with a baby on its way) living in dwellings we have built ourselves with materials from the wood and recycled/reused materials. Most are timber-frame structures, canvas covered and built on stilts to provide a flat floor on the sloping valleyside, with insulation and wood-burning stoves. Amongst our structures are raised beds with vegetables and flowers, fruit bushes and trees, as well as our renewable energy systems and large Growing Area.

We spend our time managing the woodland (tree felling and planting, coppicing etc); growing food organically; building and maintaining our low impact structures and infrastructure; home educating our children; running Forest School sessions; running courses (such as permaculture design courses); and organising and catering for visiting volunteers.

Unfortunately, despite the urgency of finding solutions to climate change and overwhelming local support for the project, the Dartmoor National Park Authority refused us planning permission to continue our sustainable way of life. Consequently, we have launched an Appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. A public inquiry has been set for 11/12th November 2008. We now urgently need donations to help pay for the solicitors costs and witness expenses (which will add up to as much as £20,000). Please, if you value what we are doing, consider contributing to our Appeal Fund.

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR

We have achieved much over the 8 years the project has been running. We have, for example

• inspired thousands of visitors to the woods, to our website and to our stall at events, passing on skills, knowledge and information on sustainable living and permaculture (and we, in turn, have learnt from and been inspired by many of our visitors)
• demonstrated renewable energy systems, such as micro hydro power, solar and cycle power
• demonstrated organic food growing, incorporating permaculture ideas such as growing perennials and forest gardens
• demonstrated low impact building and living over several years
• sold some timber and woodland products (such as larch trees to build a barn at Proper Job in Chagford, and split larch fence posts)
• run several successful residential permaculture design courses with students from around the UK and the world
• contributed to the local community, through our involvement in various voluntary groups, running computer courses at the Library, offering computer support, organising events for Transition Town Moreton, breastfeeding peer counselling, etc.

We have carried out a Carbon Audit which concludes that our carbon footprint is 23% of the national average. Fourth World Ecological Design have conducted an independent report this year which shows that “the average Ecological Footprint of the residents of Steward Community Woodland over the period studied was 2.06 gha, 39% of the the Ecological Footprint of a typical UK individual. The equivalent Carbon Footprint was 3.75 tonnes, 34% of the UK average at 10.92 tonnes.”

Consequently, we are a working model of sustainability and positive action for the benefit of people, animals and the Earth. We are an asset to the National Park and the local area.

Our planning application is available for viewing on our website and in hard copy (please ring and we can lend it to you). Also, if you wish to visit us in the woods, you’d be most welcome (please call to arrange).

KEY FEATURES OF OUR NEW PLANNING APPLICATION:

• We are applying for a further temporary permission of 5 years, which would continue to be subject to conditions guaranteeing that only environmentally benign, low impact development and activities take place on the land.
• Living on-site is essential for the continued viability of this sustainable project. Living on-site facilitates us to grow food and live without connection to any of the utilities (water, electricity, gas, sewage disposal). We provide all these services ourselves by ecological and sustainable means (filtered spring water, compost toilets, renewable energy, using wood from the land for fuel, etc). Living in conventional housing in nearby towns and commuting to the site could only be supported by having full-time (and well-paid) jobs elsewhere, leaving us with little or no time to carry out the project. Living in the woods enables us to dedicate our time to the project and be fully committed to it, and to home educate our children in a safe and nourishing environment.
• We aim to meet our needs from a combination of subsistence living, commercial activities on site and from other ethically based work (such as working at Proper Job, the local composting, reuse/recycle centre).
• We would like scope to employ eco-build techniques such as cob and strawbale construction, turf and thatch roof (these techniques have been used in many other places for low impact structures).
• We are committed to reducing vehicle usage, sharing vehicles and only using biofuels in our vehicles.

LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS

We won our original 5 year planning permission on Appeal in 2002 and there are other important appeal decisions granting permission for low impact projects such as those for Tinkers Bubble in Somerset and Landmatters in Totnes. We are confident of success and are employing Battens solicitors who acted in all the above appeals.

Love,

Dan, Beccy, Merlin, Son, John, Seth, Mel, Becky, Chris, Owen, Jamie & all the children

Dan Thompson-Mills

Please make a donation to help us.

If you wish to make a donation, please make a cheque payable to ‘Affinity Woodland Workers Co-operative’ and send to Steward Community Woodland, Moretonhampstead, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ13 8SD.

Email: community@stewardwood.org

Tel 01647 440233

www.stewardwood.org

The International Peasant's Voice

Interesting link: La Via Campesina