January 23rd

Today we went on a field trip to the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek. The Garden was started in 1974 but Ruth Bancroft at the age of 64 (She’s now 105!!), and was opened to the public in the 1990’s. The Garden sits on land that was once a 400 acre Walnut and Pear Tree orchard that was started in the 1880’s by Hubert Howe Bancroft. The land was passed down until Philip Bancroft Jr. gave it to his wife, Ruth. Ruth became interested in succulents in the 1950’s and which are now the main attraction in the Garden.

“Today, The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which owns the garden and raises funds for its preservation. The garden is protected by a conservation easement, which ensures that the property will always be a garden and will be preserved in the spirit of its founder, Ruth Bancroft. The Garden has become an outstanding example of a water-conserving garden, appropriate for our Mediterranean climate. The garden also houses important collections of aloes, agaves, yuccas, and echeverias. Aeonium ‘Glenn Davidson’, the first succulent in Ruth’s collection, is still growing in The Garden.” (www.ruthbancroftgarden.org)

You can read more about the garden and its history here.

Here are some of the photos from our trip:

This is Sophie Damerel, the Education Director and our guide for the afternoon.

This is a giant agave plant that is over 20 years old!

This tree was planted by Ruth herself over 40 years ago!

(that’s me!)

 

Here is how you can help support this wonderful garden.

There is a list of the plants they grow here.

January 22nd

Today was another work day. There is also a new post up about KickStarter and a few great projects you can help fund! Here are some of the photos from today’s work.

 

This is the Signage Team experimenting with different fonts and paints.

The Mosaics Team started finishing up the glass tiles for the first table.

Each piece of glass is cut out separately and glued together. Later they will be adding frit between the pieces and then finally fired!

This is one of the sketches of an idea for the second table.

This is some of the donated tile that will be used by the Cob Team in the patio area.

KickStarter!

KickStarter is an online market where anyone can help fund a new idea, product, or project.  Here are the top 7 things you should know about KickStarter (straight from their website):

“1. Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative projects.

We’re a home for everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of projects, big and small, that are brought to life through the direct support of people like you. Since our launch in 2009, Since our launch on April 28, 2009, over $951 million has been pledged by more than 5.5 million people, funding more than 55,000 creative projects. If you like stats, there’s lots more here.

2. Each project is independently created.

The filmmakers, musicians, artists, and designers you see on Kickstarter have complete control over and responsibility for their projects. Kickstarter is a platform and a resource; we’re not involved in the development of the projects themselves. Anyone can launch a project on Kickstarter as long as it meets our guidelines.

3. Together, creators and backers make projects happen.

Project creators set a funding goal and deadline. If people like a project, they can pledge money to make it happen. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing — projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. All-or-nothing funding might seem scary, but it’s amazingly effective in creating momentum and rallying people around an idea. To date, an impressive 44% of projects have reached their funding goals.

4. Creators keep 100% ownership of their work.

Backers are supporting projects to help them come to life, not to profit financially. Instead, project creators offer rewards to thank backers for their support. Backers of an effort to make a book or film, for example, often get a copy of the finished work. A bigger pledge to a film project might get you into the premiere — or a private screening for you and your friends. One artist raised funds to create a wall installation, then gave pieces of it to her backers when the exhibit ended.

5. Creative works were funded this way for centuries.

Mozart, Beethoven, Whitman, Twain, and other artists funded works in similar ways — not just with help from large patrons, but by soliciting money from smaller patrons, often called subscribers. In return for their support, these subscribers might have received an early copy or special edition of the work. Kickstarter is an extension of this model, turbocharged by the web.

6. Backing a project is more than just giving someone money.

It’s supporting their dream to create something that they want to see exist in the world. People rally around their friends’ projects, fans support people they admire, and others simply come to Kickstarter to be inspired by new ideas. Some projects take longer than anticipated, but creators who are transparent about issues and delays usually find their backers to be understanding.

7. Our mission is to help bring creative projects to life.

We’re an independent company of 71 people based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We spend our time making Kickstarter a little bit better every day, answering questions from backers and creators, and finding new projects to share. If a project is successfully funded, we apply a 5% fee to the funds collected.

We believe that creative projects make for a better world, and we’re thrilled to help support new ones. Building a community of backers around an idea is an amazing way to make something new.”

 

Here are some of the great things KickStarter has already done. 

Built classrooms out of shipping containers (Berkeley, Ca)

Innocente won an Oscar! (New York, Ny)

A Satellite was launched (San Jose, Ca)

 

…And here are a few that you can still help make happen!

Everitt Farms, a sustainable farm and market (Denver, Co)

Quic-Mats, outdoor adventure flooring (Oakland, Ca)

New Life Farm’s very own Tractor (Boone, Nc)

 

 

January 21st

Today each Team worked on their respective projects. One of our classmate’s family members came and donated a bunch of old tile for the garden! Some of it will be used for the Cob Team’s patio and some will be used for the Signage Team’s plant signs. It was such a wonderful gift and will make our projects run so much more smoothly!

 

This is Betty, Maureen (our classmate), and Tim. They are the wonderful people who donated the tile.

Although the tile does need a bit of scrubbing first!

This is where the tiles will be going for the patio.

And here’s some more cob-making.

This is the Mosaic Team learning how to property cut glass without cutting themselves!

And here is the Butterfly Garden Team working on shoveling out some clay to make stairs and a pathway.

January 17th

Today was another Project Day. We all gathered in our teams and perfected our ideas and worked on the planning process.

The Cob Team worked on digging out more clay and preparing a nice patio area to cover with some tiles that were donated to us.

The Butterfly Garden Team began digging out some steps to form a trail through the garden.

The Mosaic Team started planning and designing what they wanted to put on their two tables.

And the Signage Team made up some prototypes for their sign ideas for the plants and the X-Y Axis of the garden.

Then a few of us stayed after class to help out some more in the garden. We planted a Gala Apple Tree and a Liberty Apple Tree. Julie also gave us each some broccoli, bok choy, garlic leaf, parsley, and each a great big leek to take home and cook for our families!

January 16th

Today the class went to the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden! The garden (started in 1890!)  is a non-profit research garden for UC Berkeley home to over 13,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. Their mission is: “To develop and maintain a diverse living collection of plants to support teaching and worldwide research in plant biology, further the conservation of plant diversity, and promote public understanding and appreciation of plants and the natural environment.” 

You can read more about their astonishing history here. Or you can visit year round from 9am-5pm! Admission is only $10 and considering everything you’re supporting and getting to see, it’s quite the deal.

Here are just a tiny portion of the types of plants in the garden:

 

January 14th

Today Susan Dannenfelser, a local Ceramicist and Board Member for the Lafayette Community Garden (one of our field trips last week!) came in and taught all of us how to make the loveliest tiles. Here is a post about her and her artwork (Susan Dannenfelser). Sadly, there aren’t any photos of us all working on our tiles because we were all so busy making our tiles for the garden!

 

Here’s the cob bench after sitting for a few days!

Susan Dannenfelser, Ceramicist and Board Member for the Lafayette Community Garden.

The Age of Sustainable Development – Free Online Class!

 

 

Jeffrey Sachs, Professor and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University is teaching a free online course about Sustainable Development! The course launches on January 21st 2014 and lasts for 14 weeks with only 5-7 hours of work per week. You can access the course here (this website also has tons of other free online courses).

The course description as stated online says:

“This course provides an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of sustainable development, drawing on the most recent developments in the social, policy, and physical sciences. Sustainable development is the most urgent challenge facing humanity. The fundamental question is how the world economy can continue to develop in a way that is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. The course describes the complex interactions between the world economy and the Earth’s physical environment. Ecological processes and constraints (climate, disease ecology, physical resources such as soils and energy sources, topography and transport conditions) significantly shape the patterns of economic development, demography, and wealth and poverty. At the same time, human activities (farming, land use, urbanization, demographic change, and energy use) change the physical environments, increasingly in dangerous ways. The course offers a broad overview of the key challenges and potential solutions to achieve sustainable development in the 21st century.”

By clicking the above link, you can also see the full Course Syllabus as well as the Suggested Readings.

 

P.S. Here are a bunch more online courses about Energy and Earth Sciences that are coming up soon!

 

Susan Dannenfelser

Susan Dannenfelser, a local ceramicist, came to the garden today and taught us how to make the most beautiful ceramic tiles and butterfly pool for the garden. We had met her earlier last week during our trip to the Lafayette Community Garden where she is a board member. From her website, you can see her amazing work in local parks, gardens, pools, homes, and even at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel!

Her work generally features local and natural plants and animals and uses up to 30 different glazes on one piece!

This is one if her pieces at the Grape Wall of Lodi at Vintner’s Square:

(http://dannenbeck.com/id6.html)

(http://dannenbeck.com/id6.html)

And here are some photos of her teaching us her special techniques and secrets:

January 13th

Today we broke off into teams to work on our own projects while the cob bench and oven dried. Right now we have 5 main teams, but each team sometimes breaks up into smaller and more specific groups to get things done more efficiently. We have:

The Cob Team: They focus on making the side patio and wall next to the bench area. They will be adding some beautiful tiles that were donated to us and some glass bottles into the wall.

The Butterfly Team: They will be working on making some steps and a path through the small butterfly area as well as focusing on planting some butterfly-friendly plants and decorating the area.

The Signage Team: They are making signs for each plant in the garden as well as making large signs for the X-Y Axis of the garden. A smaller portion of the team is working on decorating the front gate as well.

The Mosaic Team: This team will be making a square table to go into the oven/bench area to be used for pizza-making. They are also decorating a rectangular table to go in the community area.

The Blog Team: We will be focusing on the documentation of the class and their ideas, plans, and progress throughout the class. We will also be researching sustainable resources to use in your own life as well as showing local “green” artists.