Class Details:
Permaculture in Principle and Practice: Exploring Resilient Patterns in Northern Colorado and the Community of Sunrise Ranch
This two-part workshop will introduce the participants to the core values and principles of permaculture, the practice of permaculture design techniques, and show examples of permaculture based installations that exist within the community of Sunrise Ranch during a walking tour. Join us during the first workshop to become familiar with the concepts within permaculture and learn how this design framework is being used to develop edible landscapes, soil restoration as well as resilient ecological, economic and social patterns. We will look at shifting and mobilizing community resources with reference to Permaculture Action Days, and emphasize ways participants can make meaningful change in their environment and communities. During the second day we will guide workshop participants over to the Sunrise Ranch community farm to see functioning examples of storm water management, holistic grazing, composting toilets, natural and straw bale construction, and more. During this guided tour we will hear from members of the Sunrise Ranch community who manage their greenhouses, gardens, animals, and construction. A history of the organic farming practiced in the community will contextualize solutions and challenges that currently exist and are yet to arise.
Biography:
Stone Hunter is a Biodynamic farming practitioner and former consultant at Sustainable Settings Ranch in Carbondale, Colorado. Born and raised at Sunrise Ranch, Stone attended River Song Waldorf School and later graduated from the International Baccalaureate program in Fort Collins, Colorado. After attending Evergreen State College and working on permaculture-based projects in Costa Rica and Panama, he began farming in 2013 at Happy Heart Farm in Fort Collins. In 2015, Stone began working at Sustainable Settings, where he completed a two-year North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program training with experience in dairy cattle operations, holistic grazing, grain cultivation, draft horse implementation, stone masonry, CSA gardening, green construction, natural beekeeping and more. Stone facilitated the project management of the Arise Permaculture Action Days in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Currently he lives in Paonia, Colorado and is working with Skyhawk Construction building straw-bale, passive solar homes while still teaching and participating within the Permaculture and Biodynamic movements. Avery Ellis is an Ecological Designer with a whole systems approach to life. Avery was raised in New Jersey, the Garden state, by a master gardener. He has always felt a kinship with nature and the natural processes. He spent the past decade pursuing his passion for sustainability with experience ranging from permaculture design to natural building practices, solar installation to biodynamic farming, ecological waste treatment to communication dynamics and he loves to share his knowledge with the world. He holds a Masters degree in Ecological Design and a Bachelors of Science in Biology. He studied permaculture in India in 2006 and in the Rocky Mountains he has been learning and practicing permaculture since 2010. He has earned several Advanced Permaculture Design Certificates (2012-2014), and obtained his Permaculture Teacher’s Certificate in 2012. Integrating these skills into diverse businesses, he now focuses on designing ecosystems that serve humanity by mimicking natural processes. As an eco-entrepreneur, his business endeavors include: Avery Ecological Design, Colorado Greywater, and Integrated Aquaponics, where he brings science and craftsmanship together in his designs and installations. Patrick Padden, a graduate of Colorado State University, studied natural systems building design in Namibia and urban food forest implementation in Johannesburg, South Africa (2007). Patrick received his design certificate from the International Permaculture Design Course in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2009 and in 2014 completed a Master’s Degree in Integrative Eco-Social Design with Gaia University. He spent five seasons growing organic food for the community at Sunrise Ranch. Patrick is currently living in Fort Collins with his wife and children. He is a practicing permaculturalist, consultant, public speaker, and educator through his company Padden Permaculture, where he offers residential landscape designs and installations.