Course:Fall semester
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This is an overview of the the Fall semester of the MUSE course. See also the spring semester and summer practicum. Note that this is only a draft, and that changes are likely to be made to the order and content of the Fall semester classes. Make sure to check back later for updates!
Please note that the class times have changed from last semester and now run Wednesdays from 6pm to 7:30pm
Mushrooms
Date: September 2nd, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
- Types: edible, medicinal and for soil mycoremediation.
- how to grow them in:
- buckets with coffee grounds and cardboard
- pasteurized straw in bags and buckets
- innoculating logs
- mason jars
Application: hands on workshop on how to grow them in different mediums
Fermenting
Date: September 9th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
- sourdough, kombucha, sauerkraut, mead, beer, wine, sauerkraut, lacto-ferments, vinegar
Application: practical fermenting sessions
Bioremediation
Date: September 16th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
- Types of contaminants: molecular contaminants, heavy metals.
- Which methods are applicable for each type of contaminant: remove, immobilize, transform.
- Phytoremediation- with plants, Mycoremediation- with mushrooms, compost tea.
- Resources from RUST mini workshop on soil testing
- Application: demonstration - brewing compost tea. Bring jars for compost tea and worm castings!
Seed Saving
Date: September 23rd, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
- Importance of saving seed, heirloom and local varieties: rich heritage, self-sufficiency etc.
- Understanding the complete cycle of life and our relation to it.
- Example of seed banks.
Application: Saving seed together from MUCS garden, Seed storage for winter
Straw Bale and Cob Construction
Date: September 30th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Instructors: Kyra, Spence, Kim, Alex
- Why and how to build them.
- Non load bearing vs. load bearing structures.
- Talk on sustainable/natural building techniques- earthships etc.
- With possible weekend trip to Killaloe during the alternative building open house weekend?
Application:
- Possible tour of MUCS with info about LEED certification and explaining the natural building techniques used on site, including discussing cob bench if that goes through in the summer practicum.
- Confirmed Earthship fieldtrip Saturday October 4th, see below for details!
Hands on MUSE session!
Date: Friday October 2nd, 2009
Time: 9am-11am
Instructors: Steve
- Come enjoy a hands on session at the MUCS garden with the perma guild and whatever they're working on at the moment! Projects include: solar dehydrators, mushroom incubators, cold frames, hoop houses, root cellars, and much more!
Earthship Fieldtrip!
Date: Saturday October 4th, 2009
Time: 10am-?pm Instructors: Alex
After learning all about straw bale and cob construction come join us on a fieldtrip to the one and only Earthship House in Québec! It's a wonderful house made mostly out of recycled and natural materials: A structure of old tires, earth plaster walls and earth floors, a green roof made with salvage materials, a humanure cob outhouse, indoors planters, an indoor rocket stove and bread oven,... so so great!
The owners of this private house will give us a free grand tour in exchange of a day of help with projects. The site is wonderful, with a nice river for swimming. The owners have done a lot of research in alternative sustainable living methods and are putting them in application. We recommend you bring: working clothes, very warm clothes (We will be working outside and that area gets cold), rain gear, boots or shoes (no sandals), pants, work gloves, water bottle, your lunch!
The tour will start at 10am and the rest of the day will be spend helping them out with projects around the house. The house is almost 2 hours north-east of Montréal. Please e-mail Alex if you have a ride or need one so we can organize the carpooling.
For the carpooling, directions or other information, and to confirm your attendance please contact me at alexandrecrombez@hotmail.com
For more information on the project click here
Hope you can come to this wonderful and inspiring day!
Extending the Growing Season & Root Cellaring
Date: October 7th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Instructors: Steve, Megan, Wen
- Cold frames, overwintering, mulching, sprouting, hoop houses, bioshelters,
- Root cellars, cold rooms, Insulated pits and mounds: why build them and how
Applications:
- Dig insulated pits and mounds in people's yards or convert a cool place into a food storage facility for the winter, Conservation of roots for seed production with biennial plants.
- Build a cold frame and experiment with mulching and overwintering in the MUCS garden- Friday October 9th!
Hands on Hoophouse/Root Cellar/Cold frame session!
Date: Friday October 9th, 2009
Time: 9am-11am
Instructors: Steve
- Come apply what you've learned in our last class and help us build a hoophouse or solar dehydrator, mulch to overwinter hardy perennials, discuss technical aspects of root cellaring and check out our super cool coldframes at the MUCS courtyard garden!
Alternative Energy Sources overview
Date: October 14th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
- Overview: peak oil, energy descent, appropriate technology
- house-scale options
- wood stove designs
- bike technology
- village-scale options
- transition towns
- collective dreaming of a low-energy neighbourhood activity!
Hands on MUSE session!
Date: Friday October 16th, 2009
Time: 9am-11am
Instructors: Steve
- Please note the regularly scheduled hands on muse session will be CANCELLED for this week, do not show up!! Next week things are back to normal. Sorry for any inconveniences this may cause!
Plant Walk
Date: Friday October 16th, 2009
Time: 2:30pm-4:30pm
Location: Meet at MUCS at 2:30pm, then we will walk throughout NDG and Westmount, towards Marianopolis CEGEP
Instructors: Nicole Fournier, Monica Giacomin
- Wild native edible and medicinal plant identification
- Which parts of plants to harvest when
- Uses: eating raw, cooking, fermenting into wines & vinegars, tinctures, infusions etc
- Meditative exploration
Preserving
Date: October 21st, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Instructors: Catherine
- Canning
- Freezing
- Dehydrating
- Cold water canning
Application: canning sessions
Hands on MUSE session!
Date: Friday October 23rd, 2009
Time: 9am-11am
Instructors: Steve
- Come enjoy a hands on session at the MUCS garden with the perma guild and whatever they're working on at the moment! Projects include: solar dehydrators, mushroom incubators, cold frames, hoop houses, root cellars, and much more!
Social Permaculture
Date: October 28th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Wear a halloween costume to express your true permaself! Best costume wins a permaprize!!
- Perma Economy
- Free schooling
- Access to land
- Free to Learn movie
Hands on MUSE session!
Date: Friday October 30th, 2009
Time: 9am-11am
Instructors: Steve
- Come enjoy a hands on session at the MUCS garden with the perma guild and whatever they're working on at the moment! Projects include: solar dehydrators, mushroom incubators, cold frames, hoop houses, root cellars, and much more!
Spiritual Approaches to Permaculture
Date: November 4th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Instructors: Dawn
- How can Permaculture principles apply to our personal lives?
- How have some groups applied Permaculture to their group process? (Reclaiming Community, Biodynamics, Starhawk and EAT course, Catherine on Spirituality and Ecology)
- Open discussion on the relationship between permaculture and spirituality
- Observation of nature (including ourselves) as a ritual (Wen)
- Closing meditation
Permaculture Movie Night!
Date: November 11th 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Instructors: Ed
PLEASE NOTE: Our guest speaker on biodynamics is unavailable to attend this lecture so we will be showing a movie instead, perhaps Establishing an Edible Forest Garden with Geoff Lawton. Come one come all for a relaxed movie night with discussion and meal afterwards!
Consensus and Facilitation
Date: November 18th 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Instructors: MPG, Charlie, Spence, Guillaume
- An exploration of why consensus decision making and good facilitation skills are important to group process
- An open discussion on what has worked and not for us in the past, skill sharing, possible role playing
Intentional Communities
Date: November 25th, 2009
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Instructors: Ed, Rosemary, Kyra, Kim, Guillaume
- Intentional communities, examples of
- Autonomous community building, exploration of how to
- What makes people happy? How do we build communities that go beyond meeting our basic needs and nourish us spiritually and creatively? (Source: Rudolf Steiner)
As this is the last MUSE class of the semester, we will be having a permaparty afterwards, so bring your beautiful voices and musical instruments!
