February Events with the Indus Valley Sustainable Living Institute

We are doing several permaculture related hands on workshops in February. These workshops will give confidence that students need to go and start the project in their backyard.
As usual all profits will go to support our Non Profit “Pure Mutts Animal Sanctuary“.
And to support our community we are offering 2 internships for each workshop to students, retire, unemployed or low-income person.

We have Michael Judd of Project Bona Fide fame coming over from Nicragua to teach us about Food Forest, Swales Gardens, Mushroom cultivation on logs and Mush room Patch, Straw Bale Gardening. He will be supported by our local Native Tree expert Jason McKenzie from Piney Wood Nursery. We may also have Heidi from Tree Search Farm join us if her schedule opens up.

Our “Build your own Rain Barrel” Class is coming up just around the corner. Master Gardners of Montgomery County has offered their Rain Water Harvesting specialist to teach this hands on Workshop.

We are touched by all the generousity these top specialist in their fields are showing to help the animals at the sanctuary.

Please forward these classes to your networks if you think they will benefit from any of these offerings so we can have great turn out and can continue bringing in top quality specialist to teach these workshops.

Build Your Own Rain Barrel – Saturday, Feb 13th 2010, 9:30 – 12:30

Participant will construct a 55 gallon Rain Barrel from a recycled plastic food grade containers to take home with them for immediate use. Cost: $75 (Fee covers the cost of rain barrel, materials and instructions)

Fundraiser for project Bonafide – Friday, Feb 26th 2010, 6pm-9pm

Absynthe Lounge, 609 Richmond Ave
Project Bona Fide is a non-profit organization working toward sustaining culture through organic agriculture, community correlated outreach, and re-forestation projects in Nicaragua. Wine, light hors d’oeuvres and a bar drink
Also on hand will be Nicaraguan art and jewelry at great prices with proceeds
benefi ting Project Bona Fide and local artists. If you can’t make it but would
love to donate please contact the email – info@todhoustononline.com

Wild About Mushrooms – Saturday, Feb 28th 2010, 9:00 am- 12:30pm

You can grow delicious and nutritious culinary and medicinal mushrooms in your own garden or home (in apartments, on rooftops and patios, too!) In this interactive class you will learn the type of mushrooms that grow well in our area, the conditions required and the equipment you will need.  We will discuss growing mushrooms on logs and stumps. sawdust and wood chips and other natural culture options.  The class will also cover the basics of mushroom science and how fungi functions in nature. Learn how to inoculate stumps, logs, and sawdust bags. Take home your

Mushroom Log. Cost: $45 (Fee covers the cost of Mushroom Log)

Organic Vegetarian/Vegan Lunch – Saturday, Feb 28th 2010, 12:30 – 1:30, $15

We are providing the lunch in case you want to stay for both classes or want to stay

after first class or want to come early for the second class. We need to know the

count before hand so please let us know in advance

Straw bale gardening and Mushroom Patch – Saturday, Feb 28th 2010, 1:30 – 4:00

Straw bale gardening is referred to as “inspired laziness” and creates an instant garden that can be

Planted in just a few weeks! Don’t have access to a garden space or soil? Plant in straw bales! Don’t want to spend time hunching over your garden beds? Straw or hay bale gardening is the easiest and most instant way to garden, and it asks very little of your back. Trade your shovel for the hose as we learn to turn bales into plant food and loamy soil. In an urban garden, this technique rejuvenates compacted or depleted soil and is a great way to grow your own raised bed.

Join us for this fun, hands-on class to learn about this innovative growing technique! We will

discuss growing mushrooms in sawdust and wood chips and other natural culture options. We will also be building a mushroom patch using wood chips and sawdust. Cost: $35

Suburban Swale and Food Forest Workshop – Sunday, Mar 1st 2010, 9:30-4:30

Sculpt your lawn into an edible Eden. Learn to transform dry and monotonous landscapes into verdant gardens. By building swales on contour we will create raised growing beds that help capture rain and moderate storm waters while turning your lawn into an edible paradise! This easy-to-learn, low-tech skill is a building block for any home or homestead. And it’s fun to get your hands in the earth!

Cost: $75 (Fee includes whole day workshop plus organic vegetarian lunch)

Indus Valley Sustainable Living Institute
2463 Bill Smith Rd, Conroe, TX – 77384
(We are in The Woodlands!)
www.IndusValleyInstitute.com
832-277-3577
EcoLiving@IndusValleySustainableLivingInstitute.com