The Ongoing Education Series began in 2022 as a way to expand on the content that is covered at the Crestone Energy Fair in a more in depth way. Last summer we hosted workshops on Grubenkulture gardening, earthship building and alternative toilets.
This year we are excited to expand our series with 6 workshops over the summer! All courses are taught by local experts in their field. Read on to learn more about each specific course.
To sign up, please email OESDirector@CrestoneEnergyFair.Org or call Goldie at 303-903-0968
Upcoming Ongoing Education & Workshops
July – Alternative Toilets – July 22
We are revisiting this class from last year because it was so popular. There is a lot going on right now in our county concerning the permitting of toilets, composting toilets, septic systems and anything else related with waste. It’s high time that we start addressing what we are doing with our waste and stop pretending that we can just flush it away and it just gets magically taken care of. There are many tried and true methods of dealing with human waste and in this class we will cover many of them including composting toilets, biodigesters, outlaw septic and greywater toilets. This workshop is an informational discussion and is offered by donation.
August 5 – Fall Planting and Plant Nutrients. Another class with Pharmer Bob, this time to get ready for the fall garden. This class also includes information on summer cover crop planting for weed suppression and soil health as well as Joy, Love and Nature Spirits in the garden. Class is 9am-5pm Sliding Scale of $30-75
October 14 – Winter Cover Crops and Soil Feeding. Pharmer Bob is back to cover overwintering cover and food crops. He will also bring his knowledge of fall soil feeding for the best preparation of next year’s garden. Class is 9am-5pm. Sliding Scale $30-$75
Our team is looking for:
- Teachers
- Workshop sites
- Build projects
To teach or attend contact Goldie – OESDirector@CrestoneEnergyFair.org 303.903.0968
Past Workshops
May 27th – Garden Protection and Beyond
Join us for a day with Pharmer Bob, local expert gardener and creator of “Pharmer Bob’s Microbe Bar.” This is a great class to make sure you are all set for summer gardening. Topics will include soil preparation, timing and succession planting, soil food and plant nutrients, drip irrigation, home grown cannabis growing for health and pleasure, and more. Plus, participants of this class will be able to purchase some of Bob’s Microbe cocktails that are specifically made for the best health of soil and plants! We are asking for $30-75 for this one day class. Grow Food – Save Money!!
June 10th – Solar Basics
This class will cover all of the foundations of solar applications in a home. Local builders and experts will share their knowledge of how to best design a home with the natural power of the sun in mind. Topics will include how to design and service a photovoltaic system with the basics of solar panels, batteries, inverters and charge controllers. We will also dive into the solar design of a home and how to best capture the sunshine that we have so much of in colorado. This class is from 9am-5pm with lunch provided. With the purchase of this class, you will receive 1/2 off of a consultation with any of the teachers and go home with a packet of all of the information covered. The price is $200. Space is limited and there are scholarship options available.
May 19-21 – Tadelakt and Natural plasters
Viva Hansen of Mudblood Builds will be guiding the course. He is a natural builder and a rocket stove enthusiast. Viva taught a workshop last fall and installed a rocket mass heater in a mini earthship and will be coming back to do the finishing touches this May! This is a weekend immersion course that will take participants through the entire process of finish lime plasters and also adobe plaster. Tadelakt is a technique that comes from Morocco where a special kind of lime is used in combination with a very specific way of polishing. The finished product is breathable but waterproof and is ideal for bathrooms, kitchens and outdoor applications.
Alternative Toilets Talk
October 8, 2022 – Noon to 4 pm
Saguache, CO
Natural Plaster Workshop
August 6th & 7th
Learn the art and technique of natural plasters from expert builder Curtis Scheib in Crestone, CO
Strawbale Building Workshop
July 23rd & 24th
Learn the art and technique of strawbale from expert builder Curtis Scheib. Class will cover design, bale stacking and more.
Earthship Build
June 4 – 5, 2022 ~ Baca Grande ~ Crestone, CO
Experience an Earthship build, and learn about the techniques, benefits and skills needed to build your own!
- Learn and participate in bottle wall building, pounding recycled tires for structures, and the adobe finish.
- Led by Earthship Academy graduate Goldie Mariola, experienced owner-builder in the baca.
- Meals served, camping on site.
Hügelkultur & Grübenkultur Garden Beds
May 28 & 29, 2022 ~ Baca Grande ~ Crestone, CO
Led by Pharmer Bob
of Beyond Organica
We are building a variation on traditional hugelkultur, which is a centuries-old, traditional way of building a garden bed from rotten logs and plant debris above ground in a mound formation. We will spend two days building what is known as a Grübenkultur garden bed, which is an underground version more suitable to the Crestone Environment.
bob is a certified permaculture specialist, living on an organic farm in Salida. His company Beyond Organica makes high quality soil amendments, and plant nutrients.
Farmer bob pedersen will guide us through the build of the garden bed, and help you create a plan for your own.
https://www.beyondorganica.com
growfoodnow@yahoo.com