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Laytonville Ecovillage

A sustainable living community in Mendocino County, California

Winter 2021 Newsletter

March 4, 2021 By Dan Antonioli

The Laytonville Ecovillage is in transition. Last Fall, the front parcel and house sold to some wonderful people who were drawn to the vision and want to create their own version of an intentional community. Although the name “Laytonville Ecovillage” might change, and the vision will surely be modified depending on who joins in, we’re moving forward into some creative future developments. Want to be part of creating the new vision? 

Many people have asked me (Dan Antonioli, founder) about the history of the Laytonville Ecovillage, how it started, where it’s going, and why I wanted to create a green neighborhood in Laytonville. As such I’ve decided that this issue of the newsletter should answer those questions and provide some context. This is a short summary.

How It All Started

In 2004 I was exploring different parts of Northern California in search of an affordable property that could be legally developed into a sustainable green neighborhood, hence the name “ecovillage.” I chose the word “ecovillage” as a meme to draw attention to the vision of a sustainable green neighborhood where neighbors work together to create an intentional community, share common values of sustainability and social justice, and hopefully have fun along the way. I had long been inspired by the many intentional communities I had visited and lived at and it was time for me to put on a founders hat and go start one. Having done that, many people have asked me: “Why Laytonville?”

Why Laytonville?

The answer to this question is simple: serendipity. I was exploring properties further north and as I passed through Laytonville I stopped at the local health food store and saw a real estate office. I figured they would have some printed material for local listings, which they did, and when I returned home that day I read through it and found one that stood out: “A Developer’s Dream!” Looking past the hype in the listing I found a property that was affordable, only a mile out of town, and that could be legally developed. Two days later I was back in Laytonville exploring the property and two months later handed the keys to the house on ten acres of land and the journey began. I also wondered—what have I done?

Laytonville is affordable. If I waited to embark on this vision in Sonoma County or any other place that was all about “location, location, location” it wouldn’t have happened.

Trials and Tribulations

In order to “legalize sustainability” I had to follow strict county and state guidelines. My proposals of cluster housing and low impact development were routinely rejected by Mendocino County officials, but I persisted. I used the process to give presentations on green building, preservation of open space, and making development green and affordable. To my surprise, many county officials supported my proposals but said that they were hamstrung by state regulations. Who could argue against affordable green housing and the preservation of open space? The vision is consistent with the Mendocino County General Plan supporting green development close to town centers, but how can this be done legally?

In order to build new homes, of any type or size, the state requires subdividing, roads, surveys, approved septic systems, and a host of assessments to determine whether or not the land is safe for development. When the dust settled the ten acre parcel was split into three two acres parcels and one four acre parcel. Although the subdividing process was expensive and time-consuming, the upshot is that each parcel can legally support two single family homes. And those homes can be a deep shade of green! Additionally, neighborhood associations can be created, resources can be shared, and small micro-businesses can thrive.

Working as a community, it would be possible to achieve food security, energy independence, live with a low carbon footprint, and move in a regenerative direction. And live in a fun neighborhood!

What’s in a Name?

Sixteen years into this journey I handed the keys of the farm house to the new owners. Parcel #1 was a dream, a vision, an opportunity to manifest an example of what a sustainably built environment can look like. A permaculture landscape, multiple solar systems, several greywater systems, extensive green building measures, natural building, and a host of sustainability features set the stage for a potential green neighborhood. See mendocounty-greenneighborhoodhomeforsale-laytonville.com.

Is it possible we could live in a more sustainable way or are we stuck with the status quo? Are ecovillages the answer to global warming? These are some of the guiding questions I’ve asked myself through the years and continue to ask as the world faces both cataclysmic destruction and tremendous potential at the same time. The Laytonville Ecovillage stands as a tiny example of what’s possible with innovation and dedication. The journey encountered supporters, naysayers, educators, fellow visionaries, gossipers, curmudgeons, and the usual pantheon of perspectives that comes with change. Rather than retreating under the radar to “just do it,” I chose the legal path and believe strongly that we can “legalize sustainability.”

The name “Laytonville Ecovillage” has served its purpose. It’s on the map and while the name might change, it’s not going away.

Parcels for Sale

Interested in being part of the neighborhood? The world is undergoing a dramatic change and if we can create hubs of sustainability, social justice, and sanity we can truly come closer to living our dreams. And the dream begins with you! 

If you’d like to join us, we are offering affordable parcels for sale and generous owner financing. Please visit the website, mendocinoparcels4sale.com, for more information.


Join Fans of Laytonville Ecovillage


Laytonville Ecovillage’s Communications Director, Juliana Birnbaum, authored this award-winning 2014 book featuring profiles of 60 examples of permaculture sites around the globe, with contributions by Paul Hawken, Vandana Shiva, David Holmgren and Starhawk.  Get an inscribed copy here or find it at your local bookseller. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Spring 2020 Newsletter

March 25, 2020 By Dan Antonioli

CRISIS AND COMMUNITY

The world is changing before our very eyes! The pandemic is sweeping the globe and wreaking havoc on our health, our health care systems, and the economy. No need to repeat the obvious here. You know what’s going on and how much of a crisis we’re in!

The response to crises is multifaceted. Personal, regional, or global, a crisis is a crisis and the response to it takes many forms. Of course this is very generic language, but it leads us into a look at the role that community plays in response to crises.

The Role of Community

Communities come in many forms, from well-established neighborhood to, condominiums, villages, churches, Brooklyn housing cooperatives, co-housing and ecovillages. In times of crisis people naturally look to each other for support and help, and to offer support and help. “Mutual aid” is a common response to crises and there are multiple examples around the globe of the simple act of people working together and helping each other. Whatever community you’re in, working together increases. In many cases, people love the sense of connection they have when collaborating with others, and when the crisis ends the connection often fades.

The small town of Laytonville functions much more closely as a community when crises strike, and it’s comforting to see how many people care about the crisis and want to work with each other to get through hard times.

Intentional Communities

What about intentional communities? The basic premise of an intentional community is that you are living in a setting with people who share your values and who want a cooperative relationship with their neighbors. This often amounts to a friendly neighborhood setting, and in others one with covenants, income sharing, shared businesses ventures, etc.

In times of crises an intentional community can offer a high level of cooperation as cooperation is already a function of the community; everyone is on board to help, everyone knows each other, and collaboration has already happened. As such, the benefits of intentional community are too many to list, but a few examples of how they manifest in our current pandemic crisis are noted.

The benefits of living in community really boil down to two basic things: sharing and caring.  In permaculture ethics it is described as care for the earth, care for people, and sharing the surplus.

Care For The Sick and Elderly

If someone is sick and needs to be quarantined, neighbors living a 2-5 minute walk away can deliver food and medicine as opposed to a friend driving across town. The same goes for the elderly who are particularly challenged right now due to their age and decreased mobility. Numerous systems that are both safe and efficient can be put in place to care for people and a community setting is a perfect place for them.

Sharing Resources

Sharing resources such as food and medical supplies (and, yes—toilet paper!) means less worry, less fear, and the comfort of knowing that your neighbors are there for you and you are there for them.

When someone living in an intentional community goes shopping, instead of doing a small shopping for themselves they can do a large shopping for several people. This saves time, money (for gas and when food can be bought more cheaply in bulk), and reduces carbon emissions and drivers on the road.

Food Security

Before crisis strikes, a community can create shared food systems that create food security. Gardening, canning, fermentation, purchasing bulk supplies in advance of shortages can all add to a good basic supply of foods available when supplies run dry in the stores. Both collective and private foods can be mixed to provide a system of food security.

Taking Care of Children

School closures means kids are at home. Small community homeschooling groups that are set up observing social distancing and safe practices can be implemented. Community members can share the responsibilities of being the teacher or monitor, and with online classrooms now available to just about all age groups and classes a healthy and safe class environment can be created. And if you live in the country there is always the opportunity for outdoor education, gardening and walks. (Just don’t let them play together on a jungle gym!)

Baby sitting is one of the oldest sharing economies there is, and it’s easy when you live in community.

Money and Finances

With so many layoffs and people out of work, money is tight and the economy is taking a nosedive. Intentional communities can set up cooperative currencies and barter so that many goods and services can be exchanged without the need for cash or credit. People can exchange a wide range of skills and services: baby sitting, landscaping and gardening, haircuts, shopping, meal preparation. If you’re sick and have to stay inside, imagine having a home cooked meal delivered to your door!

If a community is owned by a cooperative, LLC, or land trust, then seeking mortgage payment relief can be facilitated by one or two people to handle the paperwork and document submittals as opposed to every household having to individually apply for the same benefits. This saves a tremendous amount of time and with multiple parties housed under one legal entity there is more financial leverage as opposed to one home owner, now unemployed and with marginal savings, to secure a mortgage payment reduction.

Energy Security

Most intentional communities are committed to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and a low carbon footprint. When the power goes out, having shared energy resources means it’s easier and more affordable to keep the lights on, refrigerate food, and heat homes. Imagine a community house with a large community kitchen with walk in refrigerators that can keep perishables from rotting. A large back-up generator that supplies energy for the kitchen is more efficient than every home having back-up generators or expensive battery-based systems. If a home has lights, a wood burning stove, and a small but efficient portable power supply then much of the energy needed for refrigeration, laundry, bathing, well pumps, etc., can all be housed in a community building. All it takes is a willingness to share!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Fall 2019 Newsletter

December 17, 2019 By Dan Antonioli

Fire!

Hotter temperatures. Dryer conditions. Fire. Power outages. And record cold temperatures. Is this really the “new normal” for California? Climate change is producing extreme fires, both in size and catastrophic damage, and California has once again experienced another disastrous fire season.

In addition to the fires and evacuations, equally dramatic this season was the number of utility power outages or “Public Safety Power Shutoffs.” In theory, when hot, dry windy conditions exist the power shut-offs would reduce the chances of failing electrical transmission lines sparking new fires. This strategy means that everyone in a high fire area has to endure repeated power outages, and this year millions of people suffered through multiple days of having no power.

The rains have finally come to Northern California, but we are already experiencing drought conditions. As of this writing we are 89% below the average rainfall for the rainy season that begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The rains have brought welcome relief, but the bigger rainfall picture is grim, with little indication that things are getting better.

Getting Through It

Laytonville was lucky this year and did not experience fires and evacuations, but there was a threat of fire for weeks that created a high level of stress throughout the community. We experienced power outages and warnings of more outages that never materialized. Gas stations closed, food went bad in grocery stores and in refrigerators, and many services were simply not available.

Fortunately the Laytonville Ecovillage has resources for when the grid goes down—off-grid solar, a generator, and propane. While the ultimate goal is to achieve net zero energy, utilizing 100% renewables, we’re not there yet. Although we have four solar systems, our off-grid photovoltaic system is small and has limited capacity. But it does get year-round use and is very handy when the grid goes down.

The use of generators and propane is a trade-off. Ideally, we would benefit from a large solar backup for when the grid goes down, but such systems are expensive. Using fossil fuels to provide our own power means we are contributing to global warming at the same time that we struggle with the effects of global warming!

Although we are currently phasing out propane, it was nice to be able to boil water and cook during the outages. We use these resources sparingly, but appreciate having them as a backup. Green neighborhoods, ecovillages, and co-housing communities offer a deep look into low-carbon lifestyles and demonstrate resilience in the face of natural disasters. Every step we take in a sustainable direction is good, and we have many more steps to take.

The Future

Anything we do to lower our carbon footprint is progress, and the working objective here is progress, not perfection.

There are many environment-related projects that ecovillages and sustainable communities work on, but one of the biggest is developing a new relationship to fire. Rather than shunning and avoiding fire we welcome the role it plays in the forest ecosystem to help reduce the chance of catastrophic fires.

Beyond achieving “defensible space” (in theory, 100 feet of non-combustible matter set back from structures), we are practicing sustainable forestry management on ten acres of historically neglected land. And sustainable forestry management means giving the forests an opportunity to burn in a sensible way.

Forests love to burn—and ideally they would burn in small, controlled ways similar to the controlled management strategies of indigenous peoples who understood the value of fire. Sustainable fire management allows for small, manageable burns that land stewards can practice.

Climate Change

Battling climate change is a huge, multifaceted issue that everyone can participate in. The scope of what needs to be done is epic, and, after this year’s fire season, more people and agencies are waking up to the fact that climate change is real and that we all must do our part. California’s forests are finally beginning to get proper management, and an increasing number of property owners are doing their part to make their homes fire safe.

Hopefully the rains will not cause amnesia to set in regarding the recent threat of fires and the urgent issue of climate change. For us, the rains mean we can work the woods safely and sustainably.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Summer 2019 Newsletter

August 5, 2019 By Dan Antonioli

Summer Fruit Tree Pruning

Our next workshop, to be held on Saturday, August 17, 10am–2:30pm at the Laytonville Ecovillage, is coming up soon!

Seasoned fruit tree expert Richard Jeske will be teaching a one-day class on how to prune fruit trees in the summer. Many fruit trees are overgrown due to lack of maintenance. Instead of pruning in the winter to invigorate trees, summertime pruning de-invigorates fruit trees to make them more manageable and to have richer quality fruit. The Laytonville Ecovillage has several older overgrown fruit trees and summer pruning has allowed them to produce abundant fruit and also has made the trees easier to maintain.

For more information about this workshop, go to: laytonvilleecovillage.com/workshops

Walking in Wonder

On July 13, the Laytonville Ecovillage hosted a nature walk with naturalist and author Kate Marianchild. Author of Secrets of the Oak Woodlands, Kate’s work opens our eyes to the abundance of nature that coexists within and around oak woodlands. Rather than focusing on oak trees themselves, Kate weaves a rich tapestry of detail about the ecology of oak woodlands. Birds, fungi, mice, mistletoe, newts, manzanita, wood rats, and dozens of other species play a reciprocal role—both supporting and benefitting from oak trees.

Pictured below, Kate is reading from her book about poison oak. While many people don’t like poison oak and shudder at the mere sight of it, it actually plays a critical role in oak woodland ecology. Rats, mice, bear, coyotes, and over sixty types of birds eat poison oak berries!

You can learn about Kate’s work here: www.katemarianchild.com

Salt Point Seaweed

Tessa, Avery and Catherine of Salt Point Seaweed practice sustainable seaweed harvesting on the Mendocino coast and dry their seaweed at the Laytonville Ecovillage. They returned this year for another season, bringing a troop of friends to help, and they installed a greenhouse to help the drying process. Salt Point Seaweed is growing and their products are wonderful!

For information about Salt Point Seaweed, go to: www.saltpointseaweed.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Spring 2019 Newsletter

April 10, 2019 By Dan Antonioli

Green New Deal

“There is talk everywhere of a ‘Green New Deal.’ But what this looks like and how we get there needs to be hammered out.” —Geoff Lawton

Excerpt from the new documentary “Green is the New Silver (Lining): Crisis, Hope, and Permaculture.” See full documentary here.

Last fall, on November 13th, dozens of activists with the Sunrise Movement stormed Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office demanding support for the Green New Deal (GND). Joining them in this now famous action was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been a leader in the promotion of a GND. They demanded action—now—and they rejected the all-too-common political refrain, “We’ll look into it.”

Look into it? What is there to look into when we understand the problems and know what the solutions are? The time for action is now! And that’s where all of us working for a sustainable and socially just future come in. Everyone can play a role and do their part. For those of us in the sustainability movement the GND will be wind in our sails and offer a mainstream reference for much of the work we’re doing.

Hardly a day goes by now without the GND being in the news. Although it is gaining momentum on many fronts there is also strong resistance to it, and for good reason: the GND is a social and ecological revolution that the status quo fears. What would happen to the oil and gas industry if their profits went down? The politicians that the oil and gas lobbyists have supported know that their political careers will be in jeopardy if they don’t reject the GND; hence the vitriolic and condescending rhetoric coming from Republicans and Democrats alike.

But due to the GND’s popularity, some Republicans have decided to at least pay favorable lip service to it.

“The sort of Green New Deal the resolution describes poses an existential threat to entrenched, deep-pocketed industries that donate to Democrats. Building a constituency powerful enough to challenge fossil fuel producers, automakers and utilities requires support from the labor movement.” —Huffington Post, February 7, 2019

Unlike the original New Deal, the GND has a strong anti-racist, social justice component to ensure that it’s a movement for everyone.

The lack of political support for the GND does not mean it’s going away. Those of us working for a socially just and sustainable future will continue to do the work we’re doing, but with the larger political debate finally getting some important memes into the mainstream that we can reference.

As the GND goes mainstream undoubtedly there will be greenwashing. It’s up to us to ensure that a sustainable future is possible and that good ideas like the GND don’t get put on the back burner while politicians “look into” the proposals.

The Sunrise Movement is at the forefront of political action supporting the GND. This month they are launching a two-month “Road to a Green New Deal” tour and will be hosting dozens of events nationwide. If you’re interested you may be able to host a tour event.

The Green New Deal is a good deal.

Carry on!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Summer 2018 Newsletter

July 7, 2018 By Dan Antonioli

A New Social Enterprise at the Laytonville Ecovillage

Hi! We’re Salt Point Seaweed—three friends who formed a business harvesting and selling culinary seaweed from the Northern California coast.

We’ve been harvesting wild seaweed on the coast of Northern Mendocino County for years, but only this year found Laytonville Ecovillage to use as the home of our drying operation. We wild-harvest California Kombu, California Wakame, and California Nori in the early mornings of summer low tides. We forage by hand and are committed to sustainable and ethical harvesting techniques, making sure to minimize our impact and protect the intertidal ecosystem that we cherish. We sell our seaweed to chefs, food businesses, and directly to consumers through our packaged products.

We dry our seaweed using passive solar dehydration—and Laytonville Ecovillage has been the perfect place for our micro operation. It’s been a blessing being able to take a break from our long workdays by making a snack at the outdoor kitchen or taking a refreshing shower in the outdoor shower. Thanks Laytonville Ecovillage!

Check out our website www.saltpointseaweed.com for more information on the varieties of seaweed we harvest or for recipe ideas!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Spring 2018 Newsletter

April 23, 2018 By Dan Antonioli

GREEN HOME FOR SALE

The Laytonville Ecovillage’s house and all of the green infrastructure is up for sale!

We’re looking for eco-friendly folks who would appreciate a truly green renovated home, solar energy, a permaculture landscape, and delicious pizzas from a cob pizza oven, among many other wonderful features. Have you been dreaming of your green and sustainable future in a beautiful forest? This home is ready to go, with forest trails, gardens, and life ready to live!

While a number of people have expressed interest in the undeveloped parcels, upon evaluation they decided that homesteading from the ground up was more than they wished to take on. Developing green property is a large undertaking and can be daunting—even for those with a passion for permaculture and natural building. Many have inquired about the house and whether it would be up for sale in future, so I’ve decided to make the house available for purchase as the next phase in this adventure.

We’ve created a dedicated website with all of the pertinent information, but here is a brief description:

Parcel #1 is two acres and includes the original homestead with the house (built in the late 1940s), grid-tied power, an abundant deep well, and all of the green building, natural building, and permaculture improvements. The house is a two-story, three-bedroom home with redwood siding, two baths, two kitchens, and a large outdoor kitchen as well.

I purchased the land in 2004 with the intention of creating a green neighborhood, or “ecovillage,” so that people could comfortably build affordable green homes in a community setting without fear of getting red-tagged or harassed by the County Building Department.

A total of ten acres has been subdivided into four parcels, each with approved septic system designs that allow you to build up to two single-family homes per parcel. Parcel #1 has an additional approved one-bedroom septic system so one could build a fantastic community house or could partner with someone who would like to split the cost of the parcel and share the existing infrastructure. (Think “Sharing Economy”!)

All the details are on the website so please visit here if you’re interested or want more information.

www.mendocounty-greenneighborhoodhomeforsale-laytonville.com

And please pass this along to anyone looking for a green home in a developing eco-friendly neighborhood setting!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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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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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