From Jason Gerhardt of Real Earth Design:
I wanted to let you all know about the CU Permaculture Design Course coming up. This is also offered to the public so if you know anyone looking to delve deep into permaculture on the Front Range it will be a fantastic option. The flyer is attached below with details.
May 11-29, 2015, 10am-5pm, Mon-Fri
![2015-CUPDC-Flyer[1]](http://boulderbeet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-CUPDC-Flyer1.jpg)
GreenSTEM: Using Permaculture Design to Create Dynamic Learning Environments
Facilitated by Michael Becker, originator of the Permaculture Classroom Project at Hood River Middle School, Oregon
Do you work with children or teenagers and want to help them practice ecological literacy and systems thinking? Are you a teacher interested in strategies to augment sustainability education while actually reducing your total workload?
This course will teach participants to apply systems design thinking in a classroom setting through lectures, discussions, tours, and hands-on projects. Focused on creating more connected and practical lessons that increase student ownership and commitment, participants will create action plans and support networks for returning to their schools or workplaces. Michael will detail his own experiences as a public middle school teacher working to augment his existing curriculum with outdoor education and land stewardship while encouraging student-led learning and enterprise. Participants who complete the course are eligible to receive 5 500-level credits from Antioch University for an additional payment of $200.
GreenSTEM consists of full days with diverse and engaging activities. Lunch and dinner will be provided, with evening engagements most nights through the week. Prepare to leave these five days changed, invigorated, and full of practical strategies to revolutionize your teaching experience and that of your students. Pairs or teams of teachers from the same school are encouraged to take the course together to maximize effectiveness upon returning in the fall.
No PDC required. Scholarships are available, with applications upon request.
From Avery Ellis of Colorado Greywater:
Hello Concerned Citizens of Colorado!
Some of you may have heard that our state will be adopting a new Water law about Greywater Re-use. It has been in the works for almost 2 years and we are on the verge of a final public hearing. If you believe in water re-use and conservation, Please write to the CDPHE (cdphe.wqcc@state.co.us) with the message below and/or come out to support efficient and practical greywater solutions on April 13th from 9:30-5 at:
Florence Sabin Conference Room
Department of Public Health and Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver CO 80246.
Wear something green to support the inclusion of “Fruit and Nut trees and other plants where the edible or medicinal part does not touch the soil or water directly” This is one of our big hurtles in the allowance of truly ecological greywater systems. The beaurocratic process can be slow and frustrating. Please come prepared to wait for your moment to share your thoughts. This public hearing will be addressing the adoption of two new regulations (Reg 61 & Reg 86) and Regulation 86, the greywater rules will be second in the process and therefore it will be discussed later in the day. As a stakeholder in the process, I will have several minutes to state my case in favor of less stringent regulation and the allowance of fruit and nut trees. The case would be made stronger with public support at key moments and an audience wearing green. In the CDPHE notice to stakeholders, public participation is encouraged “The commission encourages all interested persons to provide their opinions or recommendations regarding the matters to be addressed in this rulemaking hearing, either orally at the hearing or in writing prior to or at the hearing. Although oral testimony from those with party status and other interested persons will be received at the hearing, the time available for such oral testimony may be limited. The commission requests that all interested persons submit to the commission any available information that may be relevant in considering the noticed proposals.”
Feel free to read the current Draft of Regulation 86 here (ftp://ft.dphe.state.co.us/
To the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment – Water Quality Control Commission
Re: Graywater Regulation 86 Public Comments
I support the efficient and practical graywater solutions laid out in Regulation 86. I want to encourage my local county and city to adopt this law with minimal restrictions, and I believe that “mulch basins” provide the most ecologically robust solution for dealing with graywater irrigation. They are practical, affordable, and can utilize gravity to convey the greywater to the landscape without the oversight of complex engineering, pumps, or filters. I plan to use my laundry machine to irrigate my landscape and would like to see a simple permit for those types of simple systems. I also believe that the best beneficial use of graywater is for watering fruit and nut trees, and other plants where the edible part does not touch the soil or water directly. I have never heard of anyone getting sick from an apple on a tree where graywater was used for irrigation, and scientific research supports this approach. For toilet flushing systems, I would like to see less restrictive rules for decontamination, since this water will be used for flushing waste. I support the adoption of Regulation 86 and would like to see these rules become less strict, so that we the people can utilize ecological solutions for our land and the environment. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
__________(your name)
Please feel free to share this message with your networks so that we might have a big impact on how this law gets adopted. If you want to learn more about greywater, how it can be used, and why it matters, check out www.ColoradoGreywater.com and stay tuned for our upcoming workshops, services, and events after this law is finalized.
For the Earth,
Avery Ellis