What is the Big Green Summer schedule like?

Here is a typical question about the Big Green Summer schedule from K of Ohio, and the response from Big Green Summer founder Lonnie Gamble.

''Dear Lonnie Gamble,

I am sending this note to get a little more
information regarding your big green summer in
Fairfield. First, are there still positions available?
If so, could you maybe flesh out the tempo and
intensity of an average week? I am currently seeking a
program with the most comprehensive knowledge base for
permaculture/agriculture design with plenty of hands
on experience. Thanks, any information is much
appreciated.

Sincerely,

K from Ohio''

Dear K,

I think we can provide the kind of comprehensive and
intensive hands educational experience you are looking
for.

Here is an overview of the program for 2007 and some details
on a typical week:

The program starts on May 25 with an
adventure sport/leadership training program. This
year, we also have the opportunity to sit in on a
workshop with film director David Lynch and 60's
singer Donovan on Consciousness, Creativity, and the
Brain that is happening in Fairfield the first weekend
of the program. You will have a few days to get your
personal garden started, to settle in, and to explore
Fairfield. The energy, food, and water systems are
monitored and maintained as needed on a daily basis,
and you will begin to get connected to the flow of
energy, water, and fertility across the land as you
learn the routine for this.

The Permaculture Design Certification course runs
June 1-16. This is the core of our curriculum, and
will give you a wide range of classroom instruction
and hands on experience in integrated sustainable
design. Integrated sustainable design means
integrating housing with agriculture, energy
production, water supply, and livelihood. We'll
look at design at the scale of the home, the
neighborhood, the city, and the region. Aesthetics
in design are important of course, but we will focus
on the functional design of human settlements. You
will be in class or doing hands on projects from 9-5
every day during the course, and we will also have
special presentations and films in the evening. There
are a dozen or so guest speakers/teachers who will
helping present this part of the course, including
special guest teacher Douglas Bullock, one of the top
permaculture designers in North America, with a wide
range of design experience from temperate to tropics.
Delicious organic local food is catered during the
course so you do not have to think about cooking. You
can take this part of the program separately from the
10 week Big Green Summer program.

The rest of the summer will be divided between
field trips away from Fairfield and educational
opportunities in Fairfield. Field trips will include
the American Solar Energy Society annual conference in
Cleveland, Ohio, the Seed Savers Exchange annual
conference and several others.

Students promote and host a weekly potluck and
film/speaker series that is open to the public. These
are typically well attended with 20-100 people coming
to each event.

We will be doing theme weeks, with hands on projects
scheduled in the areas of energy, water, food systems,
and natural building. We will also host concerts and
other cultural events. We'll be installing solar
panels and wind generators, battery systems,
inverters, controls systems, solar hot water, building
with straw, clay, and stone, building greenhouses and
cold frames, learning to work with wood and metal, and
much more.

Students choose a public service project to apply
their new design skills to. Past projects have
included forming a biodiesel coop, and creating a food
forest commons.

You will have the opportunity to document your work
through a variety of media, including digital
photography, digital video, and audio projects.

The last week of the program is called Write for
the Planet, and students put together a newsletter and
content for the program wiki.

Cafe Paradiso hosts a weekly open mike night that
is popular with students.

Students can learn about the open source/free
culture movement at Fairfield's community radio
station KRUU. You can also also help host my radio
show collective called Abundant Planet
(www.abundantplanetradio.com).

Students have the opportunity to work with other
projects around town, including an urban permaculture
site, Abundance Ecovillage, and various organic
farms.

For independent study, we have our own large book
and film library, and high speed internet access. We
are a bike ride away from a university library and a
town public library.

We have a broad range of opportunities. Part of
your schedule will depend on your interests and I will
work to direct you to resources that you need
to develop your interests.

I hope this answers your questions, and I encourage
you to send in an application and deposit soon if you
are interested in the program.

                                   Regards,

                                   Lonnie

"Do the best you can in the place that you are and be kind" - Scott
Nearing