Permaculture, sustainability, regenerative practices…all synonyms for a holistic approach defined by Bill Mollison as “a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.”
Thanks to the non-profit, Green Wave Enterprise, this will be Futuro Verde’s second year of implementing permaculture concepts, in hopes to one day create a functioning permaculture campus. This year, we will have an experienced permaculturist provide hands-on workshops to students at each grade level, focusing on different environmental topics related to sustainable practices. A long term plan is already in the works to keep the program flourishing throughout the years.
A few sample permaculture workshops offered across the grade levels include:
1st Grade – Happy Chickens: An introduction to basic chicken needs, including sustainable feeding practices, and the maintenance of a chicken coop.
2nd Grade – Biointensive Gardening 1: An introduction to sowing seeds and planting with the moon.
3rd Grade – Lasagna Compost: Creation of layered compost by gathering materials and ingredients, measuring contents and maintaining compost pile to later be used in our garden.
6th Grade – Biofermentos and Foliar Sprays: An introduction into the creation and use of different fermented foliar sprays made from fruits and plants
8th Grade – Biointensive Gardening 2: An introduction into biointensive gardening techniques: transplanting, companion planting, succession, maintaining a garden, planting with the moon, natural pest and disease control.
Hopefully as you walk throughout our campus, you will see the slow transformation and are always welcome to go visit the chicken coop and new covered garden area at the back of the school. We are very excited for the addition of permaculture-based workshops to our comprehensive environmental education program.
