Today my guest is Rosa Maicas, a certified permaculture designer and the founder of the educational non-profit Perma-Fun-K. Perma-Fun-K offers hands on permaculture workshops and lectures for children and adults in California and Spain. Today Rosa joins us to talk about a series of permaculture lectures – open to the public, which she is hosting this spring at the Butte College, Chico Center on Forest Ave., with accompanying hands on workshops.
Q: Let’s start with what is Permaculture?
A: Well, the series began with apiece on Permaculture is an eco design science that uses deep observation and applies methods and techniques to mimic nature systems and adapt them to our education, economy, housing, farming and wild-life. It is an effort to care of the land, for the people who work on the land, all the life that lives off the land and to care for community, specifically to integrate all of these goals and activities –
an effort to take care of one of these goals should not harm the advancement of the other goals.
Q: This is your third series of classes and hands on workshops, the first two series in previous years. This year’s spring series is being held at Butte College’s Chico Center on Forest Avenue in Chico. What topics will this series cover:
A: The series started in mid-February with a class introducing people to permaculture, its origins, ethics, and principles, including how it has evolved through climates and across climate and continents over time. The second class discussed Urban Homesteading and how permaculture design can be applied to urban backyards to include intensive and productive gardens, small animals, living fences, pollinators, compost areas and water catchments. The classes still to come include some very specific applications:
March 13 – Chico: Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Lectures with Rosa Maicas “Edible Mushrooms and Inoculation”: 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Butte College Chico Campus Chico Center Student Lounge Room 146, 2320 Forest Ave. Chico. Free for Butte College students and staff. $5 to $10 sliding scale donation for community. Learn how to propagate edible mushrooms at home and in small areas. Proceeds to benefit Perma-Fun-K. For more info visit: Perma-fun-k.com.
April 3 – Chico: Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Lectures with Rosa Maicas “Water Catchments”: 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Butte College Chico Campus Chico Center Student Lounge Room 146, 2320 Forest Ave. Chico. Free for Butte College students and staff. $5 to $10 sliding scale donation for community. Learn how to calculate your roof water run-off, place rain water collecting tanks, and have a grey water system in your home. Proceeds to benefit Perma-Fun-K. For more info visit: Perma-fun-k.com.
April 17 – Chico: Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Lectures with Rosa Maicas “Food Forests”: 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Butte College Chico Campus Chico Center Student Lounge Room 146, 2320 Forest Ave. Chico. Free for Butte College students and staff. $5 to $10 sliding scale donation for community. Create a food forest wetland in your backyard integrating canopy trees, fruit and nut trees, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, bulbs, vines and cover crops together. Maximize production, diversity and soil biology with minimal space and water consumption. Proceeds to benefit Perma-Fun-K. For more info visit: Perma-fun-k.com.
Q: The original series is a class/lecture format, but there are also hands on events being offered as well?
A: For each of the classes, we are also planning an Urban Strategies hands-on workshops series at 689 East 18th Street (Happy Corner) in Chapmantown from 12 – 5 pm. The cost for these is $20 for Butte Students, $40 for general community members, pre-register at: Perma_fun_kinfo@yahoo.com. In these workshops, participants will actually build or put into use some of the principles we’re covering in class. These include:
March 23 – Chico: Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Hands on Workshops with Rosa Maicas “Edible Mushrooms and Inoculation PARTY”: 12 pm – 5 pm. $40 (log inoculation only: $1 log $10, 2 logs $15, 3 logs $20). To register email perma_fun_kchico@yahoo.com, or call: 239-272-9661. 689 E. 18th Street, Chico. Come out for a great hands on workshop learning about edible and medicinal mushrooms and how to propagate edible mushrooms at home and in small areas. All participants will go home with an inoculated oak log to begin growing your own mushrooms. Proceeds to benefit Perma-Fun-K. For more info visit: Perma-fun-k.com.
April 13 – Chico: Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Hands on Workshops with Rosa Maicas “Homesteading: Intensive Gardening and Backyard Food Forests”
May 11 – Chico: Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Hands on Workshops with Rosa Maicas “Water Catchments, roof calculations and Water Tank Building”
June 15 – Chico: Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Hands on Workshops with Rosa Maicas “Hydrogen Cell building”
Q: In your personal experience, Rosa, why is this information so important?
It is just so important to integrate what we need with what we do. To care for people, to care for the land and to do this in harmony. It is vitally important to all of our futures.
For more information on how to attend upcoming perma-fun-k events, or for upcoming fundraisers and to support their efforts, please visit their website: perma-fun-k.com.
Follow Jewellgarden.com/In a North State Garden on Facebook.
To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, send the pertinent information to me at: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com
Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming topics and gardening related events? If you would like to be added to the mailing list, send an email to Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.
In a North State Garden is a weekly Northstate Public Radio and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in Northern California and made possible in part by the Gateway Science Museum – Exploring the Natural History of the North State and on the campus of CSU, Chico. In a North State Garden is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell – all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In A North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time. Podcasts of past shows are available here.
