8-Day
Permaculture Course October 2007
(Preceded by 12-hours of webinars before the on-site portion of the course.) 

Instructors:
Wayne Weiseman
Bill Wilson

Location: Stelle, IL

Design Challenge:
Create a Permaculture Design for the Stelle Community Waste Water Treatment Facility

Early on students toured the community learning permaculture observation exercises.

These solar panels power our community telephone and computer internet services.

Since the design project for this course was to offer some permaculture options to our aging sewage treatment facility, a tour of the plant was an early stop.  Roger Wilson (age 85) has been our plant operator for 20 years.  He’s also my father.

Rust is eating away the steel structure of the aeration tank.

While touring around Stelle, one can see the green pastures of our neighbors organic sheep farm and the barren bean and corn field beyond that.

We stopped at the community garden cooperative.  This chicken pen on wheels is moved daily while the chickens eat most of the bugs, grass and weeds under their feet – thus earning the name of ‘chicken tractor’.

This pen is empty because the chickens have already been ‘harvested’.  They provided some of the food for our course meals.

The students made a quick stop to look at the soil structure on a neighbors conventionally farmed land.

This 10-Kilowatt, Bergey wind generator is visible from just about anywhere in Stelle.

The electricity from the windmill operates the electric pumps and equipment necessary to bring potable water into our community.

The windmill is grid-tied so when we need electricity we take it first from the windmill and then from the grid for uninterrupted service.  When we generate excess electricity our billing meter runs backwards.

We estimate that the windmill is producing about 40% of the water plant’s annual electrical requirements.

Some of our students chose to stay in several of our community resident’s homes while the others simply put up their tents in our yard.

Meals were prepared in our community center from mostly locally grown and organic foods.

The classroom was also conveniently located in the other side of our community center.

A great addition to the course early on in the week was guest speaker Larry Korn.  We brought Larry in from California so students could meet him in person and to learn of his fascinating story.

Larry spent 5 years in Japan, two of those on the farm of Masanobu Fukuoka, the author of The One-Straw Revolution where he learned about a truly natural and sustainable way of farming.  He lived in one of the mud-walled huts in the orchard and performed farm chores with other workers and students.

Larry’s visits are always enlightening from a historical perspective regarding permaculture, but also heart warming simply because of who Larry is.
Click Here to Learn More about Larry Korn
and Masanobu Fukuoka’s Foundational Work

Knowing that most of us don’t just learn by sitting in a classroom, a ‘hands-on’ project was adopted – doing the earth works necessary for a permaculture garden in Becky’s and my yard.

Before the students began, I used small flags to mark out where I wanted our rain gardens to be dug.

Although this worked all right, today I would do it with some garden hoses and/or large rope. It’s much easier to get a feel for the shape.

I also reviewed with the students the essential aspects of the design work developed by the August design team before them.

Once ready, we all started to dig in.

I think we all felt a little timid at first but once we started, progress was rapid with 22 people working.

We started by digging the ditch (or swale) next to the sidewalk that would move water from rain garden #1 to rain garden #2.

Adrienne L. (from Ottawa, Canada) said she was hungry to get the exercise and happy to be ‘playing’ in the dirt.

This stake and the thin line attached marks the border between our property and the neighbor’s.

With the neighbors consent, we made plans to build a berm down the entire length to hold any overflow water from our rain gardens on our property.

Our two households agreed to plant berry bushes along the top of the berm right down the middle (along the property line) and we would each pick the berries on our respective sides as well as having the freedom to plant anything else we wish on our side of the berm. They planted strawberries and we planted green beans (along with other things).

Becky and I don’t let any carbon-matter (leaves, branches, trimmings, weeds, etc.) leave our property. It is a great source of organic matter for future fertility.

Before the students started to build the berm with the diggings from the rain gardens and swale, we asked them to lay out all of our excess branches and trimmings and center them on the property line.

With an old garden-cart and a wheel barrow it didn’t take too long for the berm to begin to form.

Audrey H. (right, from Tarpon Springs, FL) oversaw the orderly and even distribution of the sod and dirt.

All the sod and soil for the berm came from digging out the rain gardens and swale. No additional soil was trucked on to the property.

Eventually, it was all smoothed over and readied for white clover seed (a good nitrogen-fixing cover crop).

Robin S. (Mt. Shasta, CA) and Tim B. (Evanston, IL) look on while Johnna D. (New York, NY) works with a permaculture tool called an “A-frame” to check the level of the swale.

This 5-foot plastic drain tile disperses the downward force of rain water to avoid erosion while also guiding it directly into the swale and rain gardens.

Here, a couple of students are putting the finishing touches on rain garden #1.

One of the Stelle children happened by one afternoon and was welcomed to join the work party.

32.

Over the course of two afternoons, working a couple of hours on each day, all three rain gardens, the swale, and the berm were all completed.

Community and student’s garden tools line our front porch.

The braided garlic on the wall came from our community garden earlier in the season.

We were hoping it might rain after the students completed the earth works for our yard but since it didn’t, I emptied the remaining 300-gallons of water sitting in our 425-gallon rain tank to see how the rain gardens and swale worked.

You can see that the 300-gallons didn’t go very far.  I estimate that it takes about 1400 gallons to fill all three of the rain gardens to overflowing.

Over the course of the past year this has happened 5 different times, drying out completely between each rain event.

For a picture summary of how the rain gardens look when they are full see the picture summary of our home.

Suburban/Urban
Permaculture Tours

As part of the course, we traveled to Chicago and the suburbs to look at some examples where permaculture principles are being applied in an urban/suburban setting.

That’s the Sears Tower towering over the city scape.

Our first stop was to the Chicago Honey Co-op. You can still see the Sears Tower in the distance to the left of the main building.

On this abandoned warehouse parking lot sit over 100 bee hives.

The Honey Co-op is located in an economically depressed area of Chicago with many abandoned lots and weeds everywhere.

To most people this looks like a dying area.

38.

To Michael Thompson however, one of the visionaries behind the Co-op, he saw opportunity for himself, his friends and neighbors, and for the surrounding community.

Because he was an experienced bee keeper he saw an opportunity mixed amongst all the weed-laden empty lots – food for bees.

Just as Chicago is a melting pot for people who have come to the city from all over the world, so have trains, trucks, cars and freight, carrying weed seeds from all over the world.

39.

At any give time of the year from March through November, there are a multitude of flowering weeds growing everywhere in these abandoned lots.

Not only does this provide ample food for the bees, the honey they produce is some of the most unique, even exotic-tasting honey in the world.

The Chicago Honey Co-op sells this honey to gourmet shops and restaurants at a premium price.

To keep up with the care of the bees, the harvesting of the honey and the marketing of the products made from the honey and the bees wax, the Co-op hires local people who are underemployed and teach them how to run the business.

To keep the bees watered, there are several open watering troughs that are checked and filled regularly. Bottling corks are thrown on top so that the bees have a safe place to land to drink.

I count 4-5 bees in this picture.

Another side product of the bee venture was a community garden plot that sprung up in the weed lot next to the bee-hives.

Some of the employees, their friends and family had never gardened before.  With the gift of truck loads of horse stable sweepings (manure and straw) donated to the co-op, they were able to establish a garden area and now have over a dozen families growing food.

There were so many truck loads of stable sweepings however that they couldn’t move it all into the garden area.

The extra material that sat on the concrete slab started to sprout weeds so some of the gardeners planted a wide variety of vegetables just to see what might happen.

What they hit upon was a bonanza.  There are over a dozen varieties of food plants growing is these beds sitting directly on the concrete…!

Just think of all the abandoned lots in urban environments just waiting for a few truckloads of compost to turn them into community garden areas.

One of the beautiful things about growing vegetables on top of concrete is the ease of harvesting root crops.

To harvest the sweet potatoes pictured here, all Michael did was to slide his garden fork along the concrete into the pile and then shake the fork a bit. All the dirt loosens and the sweet potatoes could then be harvested by simply picking up the entire plant and shaking off the excess dirt.

For those of us who have spent hours digging these garden gems deep out of the ground, we marveled as Michael pulled out clump after clump of perfect, unblemished, sweet potatoes.

Not a cut or a bruise on one.

For a more detailed picture summary of the
Chicago Honey Co-op
and how/where to buy their honey…
Click Here.

Our next stop was at theChicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT).

47.

It was the first Platinum Certified LEED building in the city — the highest ‘green’ rating available.

To achieve LEED Certification they used environmental friendly materials and methods when rehabilitating the structure, produce much of their own energy today, and use novel methods to collect rainwater runoff.

This picture was taken standing on the roof of the building where a vast array of solar panels have been placed.

Students made the observation that an alternative to so many panels would be the implementation of more energy saving techniques within the building.

If you don’t need the energy, You don’t need as many panels.

Here we are standing in the same spot, looking West.

This ‘green’ roof significantly reduces heating and cooling loads on the building, extends the life of the roofing material (3-4 times as I recall), and collects a tremendous amount of rain water.

Green roofs also absorb the radiant heat from the sun instead of reflecting it into the surrounding air.  Cities can be 10-degrees hotter in the summer because of the reflective heat from hard surfaces such as streets and roofs.

Back on the ground we examine a sample display of what a typical tar roof looks like by being exposed to the sun. Notice all the cracks.

Sitting next to it is this other example of how they assembled the CCGT green roofs.

This simple diagram posted on the display explains the design and technology that goes into these sophisticated types of green roofs.

As permaculturists we discussed how one could create a ‘green’ roof at a fraction of the cost simply by using some larger planters with small fruit trees in them along with a few raised beds growing vining vegetables.

Weight loads are always a factor however on roofs so where one places planters and beds can be critical.

Outside the back door of the building is a courtyard (lots of interesting plants) flanked on one side by a solar greenhouse that absorbs excess heat during the winter in a thermal mass wall. This stored heat is passively released during the night to keep plants from freezing.

Notice the pavers that the students are standing and walking on.

A great rain water harvesting technique.

The Center also has several of these large 12,000 gallon tanks that collect rainwater from the roof all season long.

We have a more detailed picture summary of the building on our website.
Click Here

For the CCGT official website:
Click Here

On the far North side of Chicago lies the Waters Public School with their adjoining community garden project.

Here is what the area looked like before the gardens were put in.

Part of the asphalt parking lot was torn up and some topsoil was brought back on to the land.

Before…

…and after.

Now there are flower and vegetable gardens that absorb sunlight, heat and water while producing beauty and food for local residents and the school children.

Children delighted in assisting with the colorful painting of the garden and maintenance building.

Besides the garden plots there are meeting spaces nestled around the area.

What is significant about this garden is not the plants and flowers, but what the social effect has been on the children and the surrounding area. Gardens are a magnet for creating authentic community.

Pete Leki has been one of the main inspirations behind this project from the beginning. Often, it only takes one person to bring about positive change.

Click Here
for a short ‘YouTube’ video made by the elementary students at Waters School. The school is removing the rest of the parking lot and replacing it with bio-swales.

Elmhurst, IL

Moving to the suburbs, we stopped at an interesting home in Elmhurst that has incorporated several water harvesting techniques to keep excess rain from running off their property.

Marcus de la Fleur and his wife Cathy have carefully designed many interesting features.

This is the home that inspired Becky and I to make some significant changes to our own yard.

A trio of connected 55-gallon drums are the first to capture excess water off the roof.

Next, the sidewalks are all made from slightly-spaced brick and stone with micro-gravel packed in between them to allow overflow from the barrels and excess rain to percolate into the soil beneath.

Finally, if the rain event is big enough, the overflow from the first line of water collectors ends up in the grassy areas next to the sidewalks.

To the right of this walkway is a shallow swale (or ditch) that moves water to the rear of the home.

Because the swale is filled with prairie plants, one hardly even notices it. But still, the impression is there and water is captured and directed to where it can be used or stored.

Around other parts of the property they have dug various swales and rain gardens that move and hold the rain water where they want it.

68.

The largest impression is the rain garden in the back yard. Prairie plants cover the area producing a constantly changing appearance of textures and colors through the seasons – something never seen in a grassy lawn. The deep roots of these plants soak up all excess water. Water has never pooled here for more than a few hours.

They estimate that they are now capturing over 95% of the water that lands on their property.

To view a wonderful website of Marcus and Cathy’s work,
Click Here

Nowicki’s Suburban Permaculture Home

Downers Grove, IL

The other stop we made in the suburbs was to the home of Vicki and Ron Nowicki.

They have been ecological landscapers for almost 30 years and have transformed their home into a marvel of beauty and functionality.

Here Vicki is in their side yard talking about how this area was developed with mostly native plants from the Illinois area.

The areas to the front and sides of their home remind one of being in an arboretum.

This photo is taken from their back deck looking over the yard while our students are quietly exploring.

Notice the canopied swing in the very center of the picture.

This photo was take from the swing looking back at the house.

As you can tell, it isn’t an enormous yard – 1/4 acre to be exact.

Vicki toured our students throughout their back yard sharing ideas and tips that she has garnered over the years.

Her main emphasis; gardening can feed your eyes, your body, and your soul. Everyone’s yard should be a place of joy and respite from a busy world.
Their’s certainly is.

74.

Since it was the last day of October, Vicki and Ron had several mini-greenhouses that they could throw around some of the plants if they didn’t want frost damage.

This sophisticated item is designed as a simple umbrella but is made from high quality greenhouse plastic. It has a stake where a handle would typically be and a handle at the top. All they have to do to use it is to pop it open and stick it into the ground where ever they want a bit of protection.

This is a trellised canopy with several chairs underneath. The vine covering it is a cold temperature hardy kiwi. It produces delicious fruit about the size of a small plum that are smoothed skinned.

In the summer when I was there, I noticed a 10-degree drop in temperature when walking underneath it.

A small greenhouse and garden shed assists them in extending their vegetable production in the early spring and late fall.

Just about anywhere we turned we were met with beauty, herbs, flowers and food.

78.

Beautiful Swiss Chard

Besides other things, there are chard, basil, parsley and celery in this bed.

This beautiful plant is
Tuscan kale.

When I see a picture like this it reminds me of the bumper sticker “Food not Lawns”.

Looking out from underneath the kiwi arbor.

When we finished exploring their yard we move inside for dinner beginning with appetizers of freshly picked yellow peppers and celery with a pesto dip – all from the garden.

We learned about the permaculture features of their home while enjoying some of Ron’s homemade chili.

To learn more about Vicki and Ron’s work and/or the possibility of having a permaculture design done for your own home, you can access their business website.
The Land Office

The Design Project

Back in Stelle, as our classroom work and tours came to an end, it was time to take what was learned and to develop a permaculture design for the Stelle community sewage treatment plant.

Click Here
to view the text and
diagram
summary of the
final design
(As a .pdf file)

Students were broken up into teams to develop different aspects of the design.

Robin S. (Mt. Shasta, CA) and Thaddeus O. (Grand Rapids, MI) did some of the research using the internet.

In permaculture it’s not only about what you know,
but also knowing where to find what you need to know.

Once the details of a final design were decided upon,
it came time to sketch it out for presentation to members of our community.

Click Here
to view the text and
diagram
summary of the
final design
(As a .PDF file)

On the last day of the course, everyone who completed the training is awarded a certificate of completion from Wayne Weiseman.

Here Emma Y. (Kenosha, WI) looks over her certificate.

Everyone who wants it, gets a hug from Wayne. It is hard to spend an entire week with people learning about a caring way to treat the earth and each other without becoming somewhat of a family.

Melanie G.
Milwaukee, WI

“What I got was a hands-on educational experience, great friends and a renewed sense of hope for the future.”
Michelle O.

Michelle O.
Sarasota, FL

91.

Steve T.
Denver, CO

“The knowledge, experience and the idiosyncrasies of the instruction I anticipated from going through the webinars.
Yet, the experience in person was ten-fold. I learned so much.”
Ann D.

Ann D.
(Minnetonka, MN)

Tim B.
Evanston, IL

“I had a great week and the people were to die for. The course was presentable, interesting and filled with hope.”
Zach B. (age 14)

…and Tim’s son
Zach B.

Johnna D.
New York, NY

“The experience of learning about community, permaculture and about myself was invaluable. I feel inspired to move forward.”
Jody L.

Jody L.
Chicago, IL

94.

Vidya C.
Los Angeles, CA
& England, UK

“The best part of this course were the people – being able to interact with some of the most thoughtful, energetic and diverse folks I have met.”
Kate H-C.

Kate H-C
Monona, WI

Michael C.
Chicago, IL

“I now have the understanding and clarity to move forward in my life and with my work. This course confirmed in me that I am not alone nor am I off my rocker. This is real. I am renewed. Thank You.”
Katie O.

Katie O.
Whitefish, MT

Andrea S.
Homewood, IL

“Exactly what I was looking
for. Thank you.”
Aaron B.

Aaron B.
Mt. Shasta, CA