Less than two weeks old and already "San Antonio Permaculture in Practice" has two great meetups planned

San Antonio's first certified Permaculturist, Dodrick Evans has established the SA Permaculture in Practice meetup group.

Already the group has two meetups planned.

On Thursday October 1, 2009 Doddi will lead a workshop on medicinal herbs.
Here's what he has to say about it:

Learn about the wealth of medicinal herbs that can be grown in local gardens at a 1 hour workshop taught by Doddi Evans.

The workshop will focus on the role of herbs and herbal medicine in preventing and treating disharmonies. "I'll discuss how to use garden plants for health and wellness, including how to make teas and other preparations from plants and weeds you'd find in many backyard gardens," says Doddi.
During the workshop, Doddi will discuss sources of medicinal plants, how to select plants, what plants do well in San Antonio gardens, and how to harvest herbs.

There will be a sign by our sponsor Permaliving with my name "doddi" on it.

To find the place and more details go to the SA Permaculture in Practice meetup site.

On Sunday October 18 at 12 pm the group is planning a field trip to an intentional community that practices permaculture.

The term Intentional Community is inclusively used for eco-villages, co-housing, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, alternative communities, and other projects where people strive together with a common vision.

We'll have a day visit to the Santuario Sisterfarm intentional community. This will be an awesome opportunity to see some permaculture in practice! Just remember, every permaculture site is different.

"Santuario Sisterfarm is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Latina women and Dominican Sisters and co-directed by Adrian Dominican Sisters Carol Coston, OP and Elise D. García, OP. Located in the Hill Country of south-central Texas and rooted in the rich multicultural legacy of the Borderlands, Santuario Sisterfarm is dedicated to inspiriting the work of transforming human relationships with Earth and among ourselves, from dominance to co-creative partnerships."

Please visit their website for more information:

http://www.sisterfarm...

I've visited several eco-villages and intentional communities around the world. Most that I've visited were composed of people from diverse social-economical, ethnic, professional, religious, and cultural backgrounds, who share the common goal of living sustainably.

In my opinion, "sustainable living" needs three functional elements:

Economic Sustainability - Micro-Industries (small business that can be established utilizing local resources and community member's skills, educations, professions, and talents).

Cultural Sustainability - Events and activities that address social needs of every member of the community.

Enviromental Sustainability - Use of rainwater catchment, solar and wind energy, organic gardening, and recycling etc.

Permaculture is often practiced by Intentional Communities because it's ethics and principles can easily be applied to address all of these needs.

During our visit to Santuario Sisterfarm, I recommend you to look for evidence of these three elements and assess their levels of functionality.

Santuario Sisterfarm requests a $10 per person donation for the tour of their permaculture site. So, please RSVP as soon as possible so we make car-pool arrangements and we may get a group package!