By: Jesse Lemieux, February 2012
Lecture Date: March 1st 2012
Location: Strut Studios 203 – 910 Richards Street Vancouver, BC V6B 3C1
Some of you might already know this, and I am assuming that most of you don’t. Above all other environmental issues: air pollution, deforestation, water pollution, and even CO2 emissions; soil loss is the most critical threat to human survival on this planet. Both historic and pre-historic culture have had dramatic, and often catastrophic, affects on soil. Soil repair and soil conservation are the keys to our continued existence on this planet. Restoring and maintaining robust fertile soil lays at the heart of turning the tide on our current environmental and economic woes. It is a good thing we can all take immediate and positive action toward building and protecting healthy soil.
Soil is an overwhelmingly complex web of life. Without soil, land based life is not possible (that includes YOU). A professional soil scientist will dedicate a lifetime of study, and might only scratch the surface of understanding the most basic interactions in a healthy living soil.
Fortunately, we need not be experts to restore and build healthy, complex and resilient soil in our: planter boxes, backyards, and neighborhoods. Successful soil building and thus successful gardening depend upon our ability to recognize and implement the simple patterns of natural soil production. Whether you are an experienced gardener; a first time balcony gardener; or want to know more about how soil will save life as we know it; YOU NEED THIS INFORMATION.
We invite you to join us on Thursday March 1st. Jesse Lemieux will be giving a lively and entertaining presentation on key Permaculture strategies for building healthy productive soils.
Don’t forget your notebook
Remember healthy soil = healthy vegetables = healthy You.
Can’t make it to the workshop?
Have a look at this book:
“Teaming with Microbes: A Gardeners Guide to the Soil Food Web” by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Or
This website:
As a teacher of Permaculture design, I am regularly recommended books to read. I am a slow reader, I always have been, and I always will be. Even if I made a full time job of reading, I doubt I would ever get to the end of the recommended reading list. Not all books are created equal. When I read a book I need it to be high value. So, I will only read a book after it has been recommended to me by at least two people I know and respect. It keeps my reading list impressively small, and the books on it of high value. “
In May of 2011 I taught a Permaculture design certificate, for Global Peace Hut, in Uganda. During that course we had an afternoon workshop on solar photo voltaic (PV) systems led by, USA expatriate, Peter Scott. This workshop was an eye opener for me. Peter showed us tiny scale solar systems that would supply the direct current (DC) watt/hr demands of a modest house wired with LED lights2 3 and laptop computing technology. These systems consisted of a single solar panel, a single small battery, and a charge controller for the battery. In some cases these systems came in under $1000 US. For a relatively minor investment a family can be working and reading after the sun goes down and be able to connect with the larger information network. With more time available for study and education, such small scale technology can have far reaching and lasting benefits locally and globally.
See the foundation of this first hut pictured here. These will be roomy abodes complete with solar power and LED lighting. We’re anxiously looking forward to the completion of this first hut to fine-tune and demonstrate the design. We have also sourced DC powered computers (12 volts, like a car battery) that can run off these systems as well.
There is a large estuary on the lake at the location that is a major destination for migrating birds from all over the world. The Lutembe site manager has become a good friend – our Dewe site is just a 5 minute walk down the road. There are new investors involved at the site and they are beginning renovations in January with a view to re-opening the resort early spring 2012. They expect to attract local vacationers as well as international eco-travellers who visit the region for bird watching and the ecological wonders that the lake and estuary have to offer. We are excited about this development and the relationship established there. Every visitor to Lutembe must drive right by our site and we expect to benefit greatly from the traffic and this association. We are looking at establishing a small cafe on the roadside side of the building. And make our camping facilities available to those who prefer a camping experience.
After several days of intermittent rain we are making progress on the first hut at the site. When I say rain I’m not talking about the usual drizzle one would expect around my home town, Vancouver, Canada — this is real wrath-of-god biblical deluge stuff with constant rolling thunder and lightning. Frightening at times. Last week a local school was hit by lightening while the children were out on the field at play. 
We also met with Peter Scott this week at his home in the Muenga area in Kampala. We had a wonderful dinner with Peter, his wife Sheri and daughter Nikki. Peter is pictured here demonstrating his portable solar power technologies to our last group of PDC students. He and his family are now living full time in Uganda. Educated in the sciences in Washington State USA, he has been contracted by agencies such as the UN to work on power, sustainability projects all over the world. 
There are no power outages at Pete’s place. Energy is stored in an impressive bank of batteries that are constantly monitored. Also, all the water that comes into the house is filtered, ozone treated and a couple of other processes I couldn’t quite follow, so that the water used in his home is absolutely pure – and tasty too!
Also pictured here is Peter demonstrating the power of a solar cooker made from a satellite dish clad on the inner surface with small mirrors. These things are very powerful, with heat output several times higher than a traditional stove. These are ideally suited for an outdoor kitchen facility. We have the one shown here at the Roofings site now for demonstration there. We’ll set up another at the Dewe site soon. 
He has recently contracted with a Welsh-born educator named David Batten to build a school and orphanage on the site. David is a trustee with The Kindred Project, a charitable organization in Spain. He has traveled the world as an educator and is currently the head master of a school in Andalusia Spain. He was on site as well over the weekend and we had an opportunity to meet with both him and Herman to discuss the overall vision for the site. David has support from the UN for the orphanage project and he and his wife will be re-locating here in the near year to build the school and orphanage.
Recently they have been heavily involved in solar energy and LED lighting. They’ve developed systems that can be used in remote locations (80% of Uganda’s population is rural) to provide reliable lighting and power for appliances and computers. For example, they have a computer with a built-in hard drive that draws only 12 Watts of power! Using their highly efficient solar panels, in a solar rich environment, these systems can provide all of the power requirements for a home, school or office. Reliable, 24Hr a day service — something that is not found anywhere in Uganda presently, unless you’re in government or the military 
On Saturday, Nov. 26th., we were back at the Dewe site. We’re getting materials brought in from local suppliers to begin build the first of three “African-Style” huts on the site — sand, gravel and bricks have been dropped off and the crew will arrive Monday to begin building the first hut. Very exciting. These will be fantastic structures to have on the site and we’re looking forward to getting these done.
Building chairs like this s relatively simple. All you need is a few hand tools and have a feel for symmetry and design and you can build a very unique, functional, long lasting (heirloom type vintage) piece of furniture. This chair is made with fresh cut green wood and the joinery is done with butt joints and nails. The structure gives it strength and as the chair dries out the wood contracts and makes these nailed joints very strong. We will also harvest a collection of wood that can be pre-dried and suitable for mortise and tenon joinery. More tricky and time consuming but chair building is an art, a practical one that produces very singular pieces that can fetch an excellent price. So we’re thinking that we can run a small chair building business off the site and generate employment and revenue for the project.
