Planning meeting notes from Saturday night for the 2010 Upstate NY Permaculture Gathering.

2nd Planning Meeting for 2010 Upstate NY Permaculture Gathering (March 13, 2010)
1/16/10, 7:30pm - 9:00pm, 24 people in attendance.
(David, Jessica, Marcia, Seth, Michael, Sasha, Nick, Vanessa, Valerie, Helen, Lucy, Candee, Inma, Eli, Staphanie, Jody, Lenora, Ursula, Frank, Raishad, Zay, Pete, Kayleigh, Arthur)

1.  Name

• Changed from Consulta to Gathering to avoid confusion on the part of the public.
  
• Subtitle "Care of People, Care of Earth, Return of surplus to both"
  

• Program/Agenda (Valerie, Marcia, Nate)
• Timeline
  
• 10am - 11am, opening/welcome/open space configuration
  
• 11 am - 1 pm, 4 Pre-Programmed sessions, 2 running concurrently at a time 11-11:50 and 12-12:50
  
• "Green Infrastructure for the Health of Onondaga Creek" - Lindsay Speer, Permaculture Designer and Community Organizer
  
• Intro to Permaculture - Andrew Leslie Phillips, Hancock Permaculture Center
  
• Financial Permaculture - Jason Eaton,
  
• Social justice?  Beekeeping? Other? Liberation Ecology?
  
• 1pm - 2pm soup and bread lunch
• 2pm - 4:30pm Open Space sessions
• 4:30pm - 5pm Closing
• Venue: Heat, Air quality, parking (signage), set-up of workshop areas for day of event.
  
• Endorsements/Promotions (Frank, David, Jody, Michael)
  
• RSVPs using the Meetup.com platform
• Dedicated Gathering webpage will be on Alchemical website
  
• Flyer (draft from Corinne)
• use 2 columns
• add ethics sub-title (Care of People, Care of Planet, Return of Surplus to Both)
  
• add short 1-2 sentence Permaculture definition
• Include mention of childcare and possibly types of activities
• childcare should specify age group (4+ ?)
  
• Committee should provide any final info within two weeks for final flyer copy (by 1/30/10)
• Spanish translation particularly for Westside
• Target audience 1) Upstate NY Permaculture Community 2) Syracuse environmental and sustainability groups 3) General Syracuse population
  
• Logo
• rare moccasin snake from central ny?  I can't find anything on this yet
  
• Endorsement letter
• Start last paragraph with I/We instead of just We
• Ask endorsing organizations for small cash donation towards signage
  
• Include mention of Gear Factory
• Mention of venue as warehouse/air quality
  
• electronic distribution/promotions
• Goodle spreadsheet will be used
• Mention of outreach to SUNY-ESF Landscape Architecture dept, Cooperative Extension, Slow Foods
  
• Sign for outside of Gear Factory for week of event, Raishad provided referral.
• Other possible activity/visual outside of GF leading up to event
• Press Release to be drafted by David
  
• Child Care (Ursula, Kim, Cher, Karen, Casey, Allison)
• Ideas/activities - numerous have been proposed within committe
  
• Scheduling supervision
  
• Coordinate with parents for volunteer time
• Childcare Age Limit?
  
• Food (Joanne, Jessica, Eli , Kayleigh, Helen)
  
• Stone Soup - to be made day of with contributions from attendees
  
• Volunteers to make soup - additional pots to be made beforehand according to number of RSVPs
  
• Bread - donations sources
  
• Sweets?
• Clean-up?
• Zine Project (Nate, Karen, Eli)
• Format
• Creation station at event
• copying and mailing - ask for $1 to cover postage and copying, and get address for mailing
  
• Information/Guests (Candee, Michelle, Sasha)
• Brochure/Flyer with appropriate information for sending to RSVPs
  
• directions/map
• acommodations (couchsurfing/hostel on Oak St/house guests/etc/hotels/motels/camping)
• Restaurants/food/SRFC
• Calendar of other events (SUNY-ESF Green Building Conference)
• Point of contact/distribution of info
• Budget (Frank, David)
• Needed costs - committees to provide this info
  

• "Split Estate" Free film screening at Palace, Thursday Jan 21, 7pm - land rights/hydrofracking, and panel discussion following
  
• Finger Lakes Permaculture Guild - Community Training in Ecological Design Thursday evenings 6:30pm - 9pm, Feb 18 - May 6 - Tuition $200 - fingerlakespermaculture.org - 607-227-0316 - Ithaca, NY
  

• Committee work within themselves, send appropriate info to Frank for flyer/budget
• Final potluck and planning meeting - Saturday, February 20, 6:30 pm
  

In June, ANP member Lindsay Speer, a community organizer with the Onondaga Nation, participated in a canoe trip down Onondaga Creek with representatives of the Onondaga Environmental Institute and County government to highlight ideas for the revitalization of the Creek.

A video was just posted on the Post-Standard web site, at: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/plan_aims_for_revival_of_onond.html

Besides the great turnout of folks to watch the film, the donations, and the general good time at Saturday's "Homegrown" screening and Bulb Give-Away, there was a chance to network about possible partnerships and boy did I come out of that day with some great possibilities.

 I want to point out a student initiative at S.U. that I learned about for the first time on Saturday through students who were volunteering for the day at the WCC.  I talked with Elizabeth, who is co-heading the development of a student run EcoHouse at 821 Comstock Avenue in the University Neighborhood.  

 It seems like they have the support of the University to be able to get some funding, as well as the assistance from other groups on campus like the Landscaping Club, so things should move along at a smooth pace there and showcase what students can do for the neighborhood.  It would probably be good to keep in mind the challenges that renters face in the midst of trying to create healthier and more ecologically sensitive living arrangements.

  You can check out there blog online at http://syrecohouse.blogspot.com/

"Fall Equinox, also known as Mabon, occurs in the middle of September. It is the main harvest festival of the Wiccan calendar and marks the beginning of Autumn. The Goddess manifests in Her Bountiful Mother aspects. The God emerges as the Corn King and Harvest Lord. Colors are Orange, Dark Red, Yellow, Indigo, and Brown. It is the festival of thanksgiving.

Select the best of each vegetable, herb, fruit, nut, and other food you have harvested or purchased and give it back to Mother Earth with prayers of thanksgiving. Hang dried ears of corn around your home in appreciation of the harvest season. Do meditations and chanting as you store away food for the Winter. Do a thanksgiving circle, offering thanks as you face each direction -- for home, finances, and physical health (North); for gifts of knowledge (East); for accomplishments in career and hobbies (South); for relationships (West); and for spiritual insights and messages (Center)."

- Lore and Rituals by Selena Fox