Labor of Love
Our venue this year is slightly different from what you might expect for a permaculture gathering. We will be going (back)... to school!
Natural learning
Our host for the weekend is Tuburan Institute, a Waldorf-Steiner inspired, nature oriented school, nurturing children and young people between the ages of 4 and 16 years old. Why? Because Tuburan, and Waldorf education in general, is rooted in the idea that children don't learn by sitting in a chair all day and listening to the teacher... Instead, teachers create learning environments that will light a fire in the child and draw out what’s already inside them. Including: their innate love for nature, and for life.
Doesn't that sound a little like permaculture already? Permaculture is rooted in the idea that crops shouldn't be planted in straight lines, with agribusiness dictating what chemicals to spray on them next... Instead, permaculturists create growing environments that will draw out what is already all around us: the natural world, which creates, protects and nurtures all life.
And just like plants, children too need a healthy environment and plenty of nutrients to grow. This is why Tuburan is located in a forested area, where the classrooms are surrounded by tall, beautiful trees. No airconditioning needed! And the kitchen crew prepares fresh, vegetarian meals for the children, every day. The ingredients are organic, as much as possible, and some of it even comes from the gardens that the children tend to.
Aahh... Gardening! Now we're talking 🍅🥕🌱
A helping hand
From the head, to the heart, to the hands.
As you can imagine, running a school while also maintaining the surrounding gardens and forest is a lot of work. Tuburan only has 1 gardener and 1 groundsman on duty, so the students and parents chip in from time to time to help out. This is wonderful, but not always enough... The area has so much more potential!
This is where we come in, as permaculture convergers. What if we extend our gratitude for Tuburan, by offering our time and labor to do some serious "perma blitzing" during our stay at the convergence? We bring our gloves, our spades, and perhaps some planting materials, and we get a little dirty. During our breaks, we listen to the various workshops on offer, and we enjoy just being together in nature.
Are you getting excited already? 🤠
