-
Title
-
Eng
Environmental Design Organic Farm: 1971-1972
-
Identifier
-
Eng
1976-32_ProgramHistories_8D24_10_01
-
Source
-
Eng
1976-32
-
Eng
8D24
-
Eng
10
-
Date Created
-
Eng
1971-1972
-
extracted text
-
A
PROPOSAL
®
i
1·HE EVERGREEN COMMUNITY
!
SUBMITTED BY
THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN PROGRAM
Members of the Evergreen community, particularly students and faculty in
the Environmental Design progran, have shown a strong desire to create an
organic farm.
There have been several meetings held at which ideas have been
generated and developed.
At this point, we, "the farm group", are submitting
a request for the use of the property and building facilities at
Lewis and Sim:nons roads.
~he co~er
of
This land was a small farm prior to the develc:.:nen L
of The Evergreen State College.
A boundary survey, included in this proposal,
has been completed.
The Evergreen comrm.:.ni ty farm is to be an organic farm modeled af te!' t.t:c
Santa Cruz and the J.I. Rodale experirr.ental farms.
examples of working experimental farms.
These are both classical
Organic means that no chen1ical
fcr~i-
lizers or pesticides are used and that the machinery
is muscle-powered t:mlr.nl
.und/or human) and/or a non-pol1uting form of energy.
SCOPE
Because the production of food is the very bnsis of human existence and
because any .' tgricultural endeavor involves altering the natural environment,
this farm is a vi tal experiment for our program that is concerned
ing in hannony with the environment.
\ti th
design-
The prime consideration of organic farm-
ing is sound ecological planning, i.e. altering the natural environment constructive.ly.
r'or CX.:!..1:ple, it. is ncceDsary to conserve proper soil fau."la
2
through composting to maintain the health and productivity of the soil.
Environmental study and design will be one of the main responsibilities and
learning experiences of the farm groupo
PURPOSE
The farm is intended to serve as a learning resource area where new
ideas and skills can be developed.
Improved methods for farming organically,
such as alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, can be explored.
Initially, the farm project will be limited to basic research and building
projects - soil and VQgetation surveys, repairs to or removal of existing
structures, land-use studies.
As additional information is gathered and
as skills develop, the farm and people and projects will expand beyond the
basics of farming into areas such as new insect resistant strains of crops •
The farm has long range potentials for studies in future years when more
land can be put into
..•
pro~uction,
animals can be obtained, new structures
•
can be erected and flowers can be grown •
GOVERNANCE
Governance of the farm project will be by general consensus, or collective
opinion, of the farm community.
run as a community.
This form is adopted since the farm will be
'!'he people, i.e •. community, making the decisions will
be those putting time and energy into the project and who have a working
knowledge of the farm.
This form of governance, rather than by committee, will
facilitate the involvement of all members of the farm community in the decision
making processes - a valuable' learning experience - and consequently increase
the knowledge base for these decisions.
.
~
It will eliminate communication
•
'
· ~
problems through group fragmentation; the knowledge isolation that results
will be removed.
All activities will be posted in order to insure that any
interested member of the college community may participate.
community will serve as an important resource area.
The Olympia
Since the farm is a
part of the college, the farm group will be held directly accountable to
The Evergreen State College administration, faculty and students •
.
I
l
-
·-
j
4
PELI MINARV
I)
SCHEDULE
ECOLOGICAL PLANNING
Develop a land-use plan consisting of (a) soil survey, (b) land survey
of boundaries and contours
{.one foot intervals), (c) location and condition
of buildings and other structures, (d) water drainage, (e) catalog of plant
life and wildlife habitat types.
This information will be cataloged by
overlay maps patterned after Ian McHarg's techniques described in Design with
Nature.
These studies will be used as our reference for land-use decisions,
dovetailing into a pYanting plan for spring.
This plan will include a map
of how the farm will look after planting (size and location of fields, crop
location, type af planting style used, where other farm functions will
occur).
~\
Presently, there is a contour and boundary map of the farm (included
in this proposal). · Soil and drainage surveys are in progress as well as an
evaluation of existing structures.
II)
COMPOSTING
In order to build up an adequate supply of compost by spring, a winter
composting method will be started the first week of December.
This includes
remodeling one of the outbuildings as a compost shelter since composting
must be done inside during
th~. winter
Y'
to maintain necessary heat.
A garbage
shredder rnusy be constructed in order to break down large pieces of garbage
to facilitate faster decomposition.
Because it is already late in the year,
it is imperative that we begin irrmediately to allow sufficient time for
decomposition processes.
Plans to gather organic refuse from the school are
under way with Bill Kenworthy.
r
'" I~.J.!.'
'1.,
':_
.;J
,
't.
.....
..a
,_,
1''\'
....
·,
c'
r
.
1::.:
z '·
-···· ~·\ l
,~
-''·· ,, BuD
:!'' JI
..
.I
t '
J
";_;__it_.-.;'-' \ 1 1
.,.)
{-.1.
.j.,_
r
'
..
J
T
. ·~
''
'"'
'
r. ,-
\I
l
l.l.
(
\o-
.i
~:.yfr_
..
.,
.
c
)7
'te
:J.-~~
tl>;; see
d'}.
'
V~
' b.}
n
'f.'!l.f:_
I
1
;,s: ,
(
(> ·' -;· .:1
j_(!
''
h
L
"
~*'I-A
,,
a
.( a .'Di
E.·~·;d
..
d. .y
c
·'· r-:
Irt,:
)
•
\
p
m
., ! (
r;-(_;f!
f
~~
,:-,
i~H·
·r/;a__, e
I''!
I~
l
.,
_'!'"
--~ ll·~
l\.'ii>itlJ'
d.
....,
lt
l
'1.
J
'(.(
