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Laytonville Ecovillage

A sustainable living community in Mendocino County, California

Fall/Winter 2017 Newsletter

December 21, 2017 By Dan Antonioli

Personal Reportage of 2017 at Laytonville Ecovillage—John-eriK

The seasons change again. The heat, sun and dryness of summer has morphed into the cool, wet rain and falling leaves of fall—and preparations for the coming rainy winter season. It’s nice, after a day’s work prepping for the rains, to sit around a fire and chase away the wet cold of this season for a while, connecting with that simple ancient phenomena of people gathering with a warm meal, enjoying the trance of the flames.

As we purposefully wander around the Laytonville Ecovillage property, covering this structure, finding that tool and staging firewood and humanure barrels (along zone 2 or 3 corridors), we encounter also memories of all the interesting people and projects from this year as well as imaging new projects and what is needed to add finishing touches to those that remain incomplete.

There are cycles in Nature. Indigenous people speak of East-Spring, South-Summer, West-Fall and North-Winter. Each has its own rhythms and moods. Life follows death. This season of change is transitioning into the shorter daylight days of winter, as we go more internal (winter, the North) and digest all that has happened this year and make important decisions about how our vision, intentions and custodial guidance of the property’s potential will change in the coming years.

Perhaps the front parcel and outdoor living hub of the property will attract a buyer next year—if so, there would be a migration of tools, equipment, and supplies to farther back on the property. This would change the feel and dynamic of Laytonville Ecovillage, and the intention would be to peacefully coexist with the new people in the front parcel. Much of the permaculture-styled infrastructure developed over the years would still be available, but obviously the feel and functioning of life at LEV would morph and adapt.

I was our compost “mad scientist” this year. Using Geoff Lawton’s method for producing high quality, usable compost in a month. From chicken coop scraps to piles of leaves to pine needles and acorns, several compost bins of fantastic compost-soil were made this year for future gardens. The classic 3-bin compost processing area allowed complete turning and rapid breakdown of the composted material. Feeling and seeing the heat rise from a fresh turn is a magical experience! It’s amazing to witness how micro-biology returns sunlight back into rich soil, through the mechanism of seeds becoming plants and flowers and fruits and eventually, dying plants, giving up their bodies to mama Nature; this so the new year’s cycle’s life can burst forth in the garden next year.

Let’s see how my experiments with biochar work next year. Biochar-infused compost soil is blanketing most beds in the garden, delivering nutrients and fresh fuel for next summer’s bounty.

One can make biochar by gathering a couple inches of burned charcoals from past fires into a wheel barrel and crushing them with a brick into corn kernel-size chunks and dust. Charcoal is a hotel for microbiology. There is as much surface area in a small chunk of charcoal as there is on the top surface of an acre or more of land. By sprinkling this biochar in with the brewing compost, the new soil amendment is activated and supercharged with additional good soil biology. Also, the charcoal helps turn the compost into a better sponge—a very useful characteristic for sunny, hot, dry summer gardens.

The large yurt, Ethel the chicken and the young family neighboring the commons area have all moved on, opening the constructed wetlands to new possibilities. The front and side food gardens are mostly harvested and prepped with home brew compost, covered in a blanket of straw and going dormant until awoken again next spring. What can be remembered about garden layout, usage, people’s likes and dislikes, production and maintenance that can inform next year’s crops? Each new year’s participants generate their own tribe and culture, preferences and ways of doing things.

Our “creative workhorse,” Christine, who had intended on staying on for some years, has also felt the winds of change and moved up into the Mendocino hills. The land remains and continues to reclaim what us mere mortals leave behind—from the blackberry brambles which she cut way back that will reemerge in the spring, to her excavations and constructions which mother nature will swallow in time. Blessings to her and her mom on the mountain.

Elaine has been raking up a storm trying to keep ahead of the falling leaves. Still the relative calm of just a couple of work-traders left on the land is in stark contrast to the activities and groups of people who called this place “Home” this summer.

We learned a lot about natural building with cob this year. We also learned how labor and material intensive it can be and how difficult it is to be a “pure cob builder” when local clay and human resources are not as abundant as the job requires. So how can we marry natural building with other traditional techniques that can help us “get the job done” while also respecting the aesthetic and romance of naturally built structures?

The rebuilt rocket stove heater works like a charm, but one has to pay attention to it, learn its moods and find the right rhythm of starting and feeding the fire to get that distinctive rocket stove roar of flames from which the name “rocket stove” comes. This roaring fire creates the intense burn that makes the heat transfer tank hot enough to handle the inflow of cold water coming in to the submerged copper tubing coil. We heat a holding tank of water with the stove which transfers its heat to the coil. The coil receives cold water coming in and delivers hot water going out. When you dial in just the right mix of air, fuel and heat into the burn, you get a nice stream of hot water, even in winter. The wonderful flow of hot water available from the solar thermal heater in summer spoils one regarding how marvelous outdoor showers are. In winter the sensitive solar plumbing must be drained and the shower switched to the rocket stove to prevent freezing damage. If you learn how to dance with the rocket stove, you get hot showers during cold seasons. There is an attitude adjustment required in order to prepare, start and maintain the fire long enough for the right temperature to be achieved before multiple people can enjoy the shower. This is quite a different mindset from just “hopping in the shower,” turning on the hot and getting a nice shower whenever we choose.

The apples are coming back. After the summer fruit tree pruning workshop, we got to work trimming most of the trees and the results were quite noticeable. The old apple tree back by the outdoor shower gave delicious fruit this year! The overabundant, fruit laden plumb tree cracked one of her branches, just about where one could predict a break would happen, so we trimmed the tree back with some surgical cuts. Can’t wait to see how the trees respond next year. It was quite a revelation to learn the difference between “winter pruning” and “summer pruning” and how the trees (and fruit) will respond to each.

As the season winds down, the somewhat invisible Air BnB guests become more a part of the scene. With less people around, there is more opportunity to share stories of life “back home,” to share some instruction on how to make compost or some favorite recipes.

We had wildfires come close this year. Sonoma/Napa was burning. The city of Santa Rosa had neighborhoods wiped out. Wineries, pot farms, livestock, and all of nature were affected by fire burning or being put out. The flush of new life next year, after a season of rain will be spectacular—all that nutrients from burned vegetation going back into the ground. Let’s hope the lives of the people directly affected by losing homes and employment will also take root after the tears and shock of the disaster are processed and practical matters dealt with.

Now months later, LA is burning. Atmospheric conditions can create special Venturi effects that can speed up wind. Fast, dry winds from the NE, inland coming at you spell disaster for lands and homes on fire. Beneficial winds come from the west and are cooler and moister from the ocean’s influence. What “space weapons,” meteors or natural circumstances could create such utter, yet selective, destruction? How will such historical California fires and a heightened awareness of the destructive power of wildfire affect life in the Golden State?

This opens the Pandora’s box of investigation into private timber industry slash and poison campaigns on chaparral oaks to favor more profitable ponderosa pine. What happens to the standing dead oaks that result? The runoff from the poisons can affect downstream animals, plants and people as can the fire retardant dumped on fires. Do first responders face extra physiological burdens from inhaling fire retardant and burnt slash chemicals? What is Agenda-21 and why does one of its maps coincide well with the urban Northern Cal burn areas?

So, I’m back east now, over-wintering in the Northern Catskills of New York. Already the snows are starting a couple of weeks before Christmas and there are predictions it will be a cold and snowy winter. Great opportunity to snuggle in and reflect on the many blessings, challenges, laughter and learning opportunities this amazing summer and fall at Laytonville Ecovillage and in California have offered. Winter hibernation, interspersed with long walks, shoveling and snowshoeing, will provide the time and opportunity to deeply digest all that 2017 has been and will allow the good composted nutrients to regenerate for the next cycle of growth and adventure this spring!

My personal mantra continues to be “What does Personal Sustainability mean to me and how do I choose to manifest that in this world?” Good food for thought, as I watch the snow falling outside.

Season’s Greetings to all and may your holidays be warm and loving and your new year bright and fulfilling!

John-EriK

Filed Under: Newsletter

Summer 2017 Newsletter

August 28, 2017 By Dan Antonioli

Natural Building with Cob, Earth Bags and Rocket Stoves

Our work traders from France cooked marvelous French lunches for the workshop

This summer the Laytonville Ecovillage hosted a natural building workshop during which we learned how to build with earth, and created several useful structures. Our workshop focused primarily on cob building, earth bag construction, and rocket stove hot water heating technology and was lead by Sasha Rabin and John Orcutt of Quail Springs Permaculture (quailsprings.org).

Cob building is an ancient natural building method that mixes clay-rich soil, sand, and straw to form an earthen material used for building walls, stoves, benches, and more. Cob is similar to adobe bricks, but differs in that it creates monolithic structures instead of masonry that is typical of adobe buildings. If you’ve ever seen a cob cottage, cob pizza oven, or cob bench they were all made using the same basic materials that are readily available and affordable. Although building cob structures is a common and fun learning project in most Permaculture Design Courses, to design and build lasting cob structures takes skill. (Our course is part of a larger “advanced skills” curriculum being developed at LEV.)

Traditionally, “natural building” may incorporate a wide range of techniques and materials, such as cob, adobe, timber framing, classical masonry, thatch roofing, etc., depending on what is appropriate for a given site.

Rocket stove rebuild successful!

The dynamic five-day intensive was an introduction to cob building, adobe brick making, and earth bag construction, and Sasha and John discussed a wide range of earthen building techniques. We also learned about rocket stoves and rebuilt the Laytonville Ecovillage’s rocket stove hot water that was designed by Kirk Mobert of Sun Dog Natural Building (sundogbuilders.net). Its exterior was damaged by last year’s torrential fall storm but the interior was intact and usable, requiring only that we redo the exterior. We also got a base coat of plaster on the rocket stove. The rocket stove heater will provide an abundance of hot water during the colder season when sunshine for the outdoor solar shower is in short supply.

Clean burning and highly efficient, rocket stoves are increasingly popular in cob buildings. Rocket stove innovations are developing at a rapid pace—to say that the rocket stove movement is “on fire” would be an understatement! We had a nighttime demonstration on the effects of adding proper flue/chimney piping to a demonstration burn barrel and simple camp fire and could really hear the “rocket” sound when the draft was just right. This also, and importantly, demonstrated how clean and smokeless a properly drafted fire can be!

Garden shed—earth bag foundation and first layer of cob

The second structure we started is a round cob garden shed with an earth bag, or “superadobe” foundation. Developed and refined at Cal Earth (calearth.org) as an earthquake resistant form of natural building, superadobe uses on-site earth and very few tools. Short or long sandbags are filled with moistened earth and arranged in layers of long coils. After compacting with a tamper, strands of barbed wire are placed between each layer to increase seismic resistance. The earth bag foundation also elevates and prevents moisture from wicking into the cob walls, and will not easily erode since the earth is contained by the sandbag.  

Earth bags can also utilize small rocks and granular material, which the Laytonville Ecovillage has an abundance of from a concrete foundation salvaged from an old structure we had to take down. Instead of throwing this material into landfill we have used it for various projects and it worked perfectly as a reconfigured foundation material. (No waste!)

The garden shed will make for an attractive and useful structure and demonstrate more natural building at the Laytonville Ecovillage. If you’d like to come and help us finish it please get in touch with us at laytonville.ecovillage@gmail.com or call 707-984-6536.

Getting started with the cob mix

Refining the cob mix

Preparing the earth bags

Instructors Sasha Rabin and John Orcutt explaining how the first layer of cob is applied to the earth bag foundation

John Orcutt getting expert help!

Laying down the first layer of cob

Making adobe bricks

Learning rocket stove dynamics

Rebuilding the rocket stove water heater

Cobbing up to the water tank

Getting muddy making plaster

Applying the plaster

Smoothing and finishing the stove

Tuesday lunch!

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Winter/Spring Newsletter 2017

March 1, 2017 By Dan Antonioli

Here’s the latest from our ecovillage-in-progress in the heart of Mendocino—where we’ve got a one-month Sustainability Immersion in the works for June/July. Be sure to read the description below.


What’s Brewing?

In summary, 2016 was a challenging year at LEV due to a shortage of labor on the land, but many transformations took place. We did extensive landscaping, planted more fruit trees, and created a spiral permaculture garden at the front of the property. We have several new raised beds where we’re building soil, completed the tear-down and clean-up of the old carport and set in place posts for a privacy fence that will also serve as an eventual storage structure. And we got so busy we forgot to get the Fall newsletter out, so if you missed it or were wondering why you didn’t see one then, well, we had our hands full!

We also completed the first round of renovations on the “farm house” that was built in the late 1940’s. The original fir floors have been restored, painting was done (of course with all Low-to-No VOC paints), furnishings brought in, and a beautiful kitchen counter revamped with a reclaimed redwood slab loving crafted by a local artisan. We also installed our fourth solar system: a solar thermal hot water heater with electric heating back-up. Since we have a grid-tied photovoltaic system in place this union of “solar thermal” as the primary heat source and “solar electric” as a back-up puts us one step closer to achieving “net zero energy.” (More on this in a future issue.)

We also purchased a fantastic new tool: a chipper-shredder that we can use to transform an overabundance of small diameter wood into wood chips! The garden pathways now have wood chips over cardboard sheet mulch producing an abundance of mycelium which in turn contributes to the soil health of the adjacent garden. And it looks good, too!


Going Forward: 2017 and the Role of Intentional Communities

After the election I was determined not to write about politics in the newsletter, but since then it feels inevitable to talk about the current political climate as it’s consuming most of us in ways we never imagined. What does the future hold for us: a sustainable future or another holocaust? Once I heard that researchers at the Department of Energy working on climate change were being put on a “list” I knew that now, more than ever, the sustainability and social justice movements are more important than ever.

There’s now plenty of talk in the larger sustainability movement about the importance of ecovillages, permaculture, co-housing, renewable energy, etc. Like all of the front-line fights we need to sustain in the new political climate, we need to stay the course towards a sustainable future. We have to keep our visions clear and work together to keep on keeping on, even in the face of adversity. And we need to support each other in movement so that we can create refuges for sanity, social justice, and sustainability!


Real Estate

We’ve taken a step back on how to present “parcels for sale” at the Laytonville Ecovillage. We’re leaning now more towards a “green neighborhood” rather than an “ecovillage,” proper, because while the latter is an exciting movement for those who are familiar with them, or live in one, it’s still very much outside the mainstream and difficult for people to grasp. So it’s one step back, two steps forward, and we’ll be re-listing parcels in March or April.

 

Real estate tours by appointment


Sustainability Immersion

We’re designing a one-month “sustainability immersion” at LEV starting mid June and going through mid July. Rather than hosting another Permaculture Design Course, we wanted to create a broader scope of what “sustainability” is and have more time for hands-on projects. We’ll be covering the fundamentals of regenerative design including an expanded section on social permaculture, rebuilding the Rocket Stove hot water heater, getting our feet muddy in the cob, and learning about current trends in green building.  We will also be installing a small off-grid solar system and learn the fundamentals of how solar works for numerous applications (and how the world can shift to renewables and fully phase out non-renewable energy!).

We’ll revamp a branch-drained greywater system, examine the soil and water abundance in the existing mulch basin, and learn about the larger significance of water, how to counter-act the drought, hydrology, etc.

The last week will conclude with an overview of the Intentional Community movement, look at the various examples of successful sustainable communities, and address many of the legal restrictions, pitfalls, and challenges that come with buying land and embarking on a sustainable vision. The Laytonville Ecovillage is a living laboratory offering insights in how to deal with county and state regulators, zoning, codes and permits, difficult neighbors, and how you can fit a round peg into a square hole!

You can take the entire course or participate in one of the one week sessions. (Pricing to be determined but as of this writing our ballpark figure for the entire month will be only $1,200! Early bird pricing to be announced soon!)

The goal is to cover a broad range of topics with a very large theme of “sustainability.” We’ll take weekends off to rest and integrate the information we took in during the week, have fun, and explore Mendocino. We’ll also take several field trips to local sites demonstrating various aspects of sustainability, natural building, rocket stove technology, etc.

For information about the Immersion, go to permacultureecovillage.com/lev2017/


2017 Work Trade Opportunities

Work trade involves fifteen hours of work a week in exchange for living on ten acres of beautiful Mendocino County land. 

We are a small but growing community and 2017 is a big year for prospective buyers and investors. We hope to see new long-term ecovillagers coming on-board. The size of the community will depend on who shows up for work-trade, internships, and buyers/investors. Long-term work trade opportunities will be considered this year as the community grows.

You will be sharing the land with the residents of the Laytonville Ecovillage.

Work trade tasks include the following:

  • General cleaning and organizing.
  • Assisting in various permaculture and natural building projects.
  • Making supply runs to town.
  • Brush clearing and trail maintenance.
  • Maintaining campgrounds.
  • Assisting with various construction projects.
  • Mowing, watering, and tending to lawn, landscapes and gardens.
  • Making dump/recycling runs.
  • Orienting in-coming students and new work-traders.
  • Answering and directing phone calls for the Laytonville Ecovillage
  • Assorted tasks as needed.

Most tasks are light impact. You will not be expected to exceed your physical limits. You will not have to work in poison oak if you’re sensitive but there is a lot of poison oak on the land—if you’re highly sensitive please note this in your application.

If you have any particular skills and talents to offer as part of your work trade please let us know. We’d love it if someone could build a chicken tractor this year!

Accommodations include use of outdoor kitchen, solar and on-demand showers, common areas, Wi-Fi. Sleeping accommodations are currently limited to tent camping. We can provide you with a comfortable tent if you don’t have one. You’re welcome to bring a trailer or RV.

To apply for Work Trade opportunities, download this PDF application form. Using Acrobat Reader, fill out the fields in the form. IMPORTANT: After completing the form, “Save As” the pdf to your computer, renaming it “LEVwork-trade2017_YourName.pdf” and email it as an attachment to laytonville.ecovillage@gmail.com with the subject “Work Trade Application.” Applications can also be printed and mailed to Dan Antonioli, P.O. Box 914, Laytonville 95454. We will respond within two to three weeks.

For more information or to arrange a visit, email Dan at laytonville.ecovillage@gmail.com or call: 707-984-6536.

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Filed Under: Newsletter

Fall 2015 Newsletter

December 28, 2015 By Dan Antonioli

We’re seeking founding members!

Become part of pioneering an ecovillage—two beautiful parcels are for sale, with approved septic design for four bedrooms. We’re forming a working group of like-minded folks who would be interested in sharing land and bringing down the cost of buying land and building homes. See our FAQ page to answer common questions.

For information on parcels for sale, go to

greenkey-real-estate-logo

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Newsletter

Summer 2015 Newsletter

September 3, 2015 By Dan Antonioli

Hope to see you at the 2015 Building Resilient Communities Convergence October 8–11 at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, CA! The Laytonville Ecovillage is a Community Partner and we look forward to a dynamic gathering of movers and shakers in the local sustainability movement. [Read more…]

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Spring 2015 Newsletter

May 16, 2015 By Dan Antonioli

Happy Spring, the season for regeneration and renewal at our emerging Mendocino County multi-family homestead and sustainability education site.

Interested in joining us? The Laytonville Ecovillage has two beautiful parcels for sale, with approved septic design for four bedrooms. [Read more…]

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Winter 2015 Newsletter

March 3, 2015 By Dan Antonioli

Welcome to our Winter 2015 newsletter! We are excited to be launching this new seasonal source of news and information about our emerging Mendocino community, garden and educational site. [Read more…]

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Parcels for Sale

A green community in the making located in California’s beautiful Mendocino county town of Laytonville offers a real estate opportunity. Find out more…



Cohousing Consultant

Katie McCamant of CoHousing Solutions has been involved with cohousing development for 30 years. Having developed and designed dozens of communities, as well as having lived in her own communities for most of the last 25 years, Katie brings a wealth of experience to our Project. She co-authored the book that introduced cohousing to the US, Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, as well as its update, Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities. Learn more on CoHousing Solutions’ website.


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