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| | O.U.R Ecovillage Cooperative Update
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| by Brandy Gallagher PUPPIES-PUPPIES-PUPPIES and lots of new beginnings...or OUR Coop and more! Well my whole newsletter report started out to be about Climate Impacts but after two nights of no sleep....well yeah we have to talk about a whole new beginning for OUR year - as Katara has just had PUPPIES!
2018 has already taken off with a whole new pace for OUR ECOVILLAGE with the United Nations representatives and trainers of the "Sustainable Development Goals" and international Trainer of Trainers coming in this weekend. There is an alignment of vision, values, and possibilities that are leading OUR ECOVILLAGE into becoming more of what we always have been - a space for personal and global transformation. There is a different feel here in the quality of the day. You can sense something potentiated in the journey that has been seeded, tended, and is now blossoming. This is very challenging to describe -- we invite you to come and see for yourselves.... [READ MORE]
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| | Sustainable Wellness Update
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Stephen Jenkinson at O.U.R Ecovillage!
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| June 30, 2018 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Early Bird rate $89 CAD by April 30
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| Harvard-trained theologian Stephen Jenkinson and founder of Orphan Wisdom School in Ontario is coming to O.U.R. Ecovillage this June! We are so honored to be hosting Jenkinson for this one-day book reading and talk in the Cowichan Valley. This event is part of the international tour for his new book "Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble" Once the leader of a palliative care counselling team at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, Jenkinson has been teaching internationally and redefining what it means to live and die well. Jenkinson argues that elderhood is a function rather than an identity–it is not a position earned simply by the number of years on the planet or the title “parent” or “grandparent.” In this book reading event he will explore "the great paradox of elderhood in North America; how we are awash in the aged and yet somehow lacking in wisdom; how we relegate senior citizens to the corner of the house while simultaneously heralding them as sage elders simply by virtue of their age." Don't miss this chance to immerse yourself in his lyrical prose, storytelling and insights! To encourage more dialogue on sustainable wellness in our community, we are offering a special early bird rate before April 30! Bring your own lunch or you can book a natural, local hand-crafted lunch at OUR Eatery!
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Welcome Sarah & Samantha into OUR Wellness Team!
We're excited that Sarah Smith, R. Ac and Samantha Caissie, RMT are joing our team. They will start offering treatment in the Healing Sanctuary this April. Sarah is a registered acupuncturist who practises Japanese style acupuncture which combines classical Chinese medical principles with modern pathophysiology. She also use a wide range of therapy techniques including Moxibustion (infrared heat plant therapy) magnets, ion-pumping cords, cupping, meridian message, and Japanese needles. Japanese style acupuncture is now available for booking at the village!
Samatha is a registered massage therapist, with a background in horticultural therapy. She is taking cilents at the village on Friday; Sam is also working with Gracelynn to develop a integrative ecotherapy program in the garden. Stay tuned!
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by Elke Cole Done! A floor, stairs, skinny walls and keeping the pigs in...Working with re-claimed materials
In November I shared a piece about repairing our earthen floors in the Sanctuary. The oil seal eventually dried and we recently finished the job with a coat of specially formulated natural wax from Claylin. Check it out!
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If you’ve spent time at OUR Ecovillage you’ll know the stairs leading from the outdoor eating area to the root cellar and camp shower. After 18 years the old log edges had rotted out and the railing was ready to fall- time for a rebuild. Landscape stairs are not a simple task- there are concerns of safety, comfort and beauty.
Our volunteers took up the challenge: the steps were dug fresh, and solid edges built with concrete blocks from our stock of donated or reclaimed building materials. We backfilled with road base and skipped the scented herbs along the edge in favor of good visibility.
We pulled some nicely shaped cedar branches from our bush for the handrails and installed them with the skilled leadership of Peter Shumaker.
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We’ve used old metal roofing sheets before as rainscreen on the walls of the Art Studio. With a little ‘outside the box’ thinking there are other fun possibilities with this material. Have a look at the plumbing cover in the bathhouse and the dividing walls between stalls in El Banco, the composting toilet at Taj2.
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Speaking of composting toilets: Gord Baird will be teaching a hands-on workshop on legal composting toilet options in August.
The latest effort is a retaining wall along the edge of OUR pig run. In this case the material of choice is old tires filled with gravelly soil. OUR volunteers have been preparing the work by digging and setting the line. We’ll include a school group in the building of a tire wall- a long lasting strong edge to form the boundary between chickens and pigs.
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We have plenty of walls to create on- join us and leave your mark in the Village!
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O.U.R. CSA Goody Box is Back!
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OUR green house is full with fresh kale, cabbage, swiss chard and germinating seedlings! Abundance! OUR garden has been producing fresh greens for salad and stir-fry this Spring. The propagation room is filled with endless trays of rare & hertiage seedlings - cabbage, tomato, broccoli, cucumber, cauliflower, eggplant, pumpkin, medicinal plant and more "surprises"! OUR team is busy rebuilding garden beds and setting up irrigation systems again for the season. We are excited to bring Samantha and Jared into the team this April. Stay tuned for more news from your farmers! Can you imagine receiving homemade jam, chukney, handcrafted organic bread, ornamental plant in pot, coupon from local business and a variety of fresh greens in your kitchen every week? We are planning weekly surprises for our CSA Goody Box program this year! You can subscribe for 10 weeks (Jun-Aug / Aug-Oct) or full 20 weeks. Subscribe online today! Email educ...@ourecovillage.org for any inquiry.
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Save 10%, 20% or 50% off ALL OUR Courses
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Become a Monthly Sustainer!
We invite you to make a commitment to the Village by becoming a Sustainer! OUR Sustainers are valued members of the community who help support the day-to-day running of the Village with automated monthly contributions while at the same time showing VanCity and other major funders and financial supporters that the local and international community also sees and supports the incredible value of the work of the Village.
As OUR Sustainers, you gain access to some fantastic value-based perks depending your levels of monthly participation. We can’t wait to see you at OUR next Sustainers event!
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Coming from the USA? You'll pay 30% less!
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Permaculture Design Certificate/ Earth Activist Training with Starhawk April 27 - May 13, 2018 Residential: $1,950 CAD
Non-residential: $1,230 CAD
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Little Permie People's Camp During Permaculture Design Certificate April 27 - May 12, 2018
Residential and day camp options available
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Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) certified by Gaia Education
(UN ratified curriculum)
April 27 - June 2, 2018 (5 weeks) Residential: $3,850 CAD
Non-residential: $2,410 CAD
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Clay Plaster and Sculpture with artist builders Athena Steen and Elke Cole
July 14 - July 27, 2018
Join a 2-day weekend workshop or
Opt in for 1 week or the full 2-week immersion!
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Just BioFibreConstruction -
Hemp Building for Home Builders, Industry & Regulatory Authorities
July 31 - Aug 11, 2018
Option for joining 4-days workshop (Tue-Sat) or 1 day special event! Find out more!
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Guided Public Tour
Design best-practices suggest a large font size for easy readability both on desktop and mobile devices. April 28, 2018 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
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