Ann Arbor Re-Skilling

New Blog for Ann Arbor Fall ReSkilling Festival

2009-09-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

We've created a new blog for the Ann Arbor Fall ReSkilling Festival (Saturday, October 24, 10:00 - 4:30): http://a2reskill.blogspot.com/

You can also check out transitionannarbor.org/events.htm

See you in October!

--Jeanne

Fall Re-Skilling Event

2009-09-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

We will be hosting another re-skilling at Rudolf Steiner High School in October. Check back soon for details!

Reskilling Festival

2009-07-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Ann Arbor Reskilling Festival is right around the corner! Registration will begin at 9:30am.

Highlights:

*Efficient Home Food Production: How To Grow Fabulous Organic Food with Very Little Time

*The Energy Efficient Home: 15 Low and No Cost Actions to Cut Your Energy Consumption

* Backyard Chickens

* Making Plant Medicines

*Solar Hot Water

*Building An Earth Oven

*Canning with Molly

* Charcuterie: Salting, Seasoning and Enjoying Meats

* Basics of Spinning

* Eating Locally Year Round

*Composting: Turning Over a New Leaf

*Clothesline Tips from a Lazy Grandma

*Brewing Kombucha

*Sock Darning

*Keeping Cool Without Air Conditioning

* More to come soon!

Click here to see how you can get involved with Transition Ann Arbor!

Keeping Comfortable Without Air Conditioning

2009-07-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

2 - 4pm

How to manage your body temperature so you can enjoy yourself in our hot and sometimes sticky summers. This will include tips on cooling your home without air conditioning and how to use the 99 Cent Personal Cooler. The presentation will be followed by time for participants to share their own cooling tips with us all.

Instructor:
Marsha

Bio:
I am a Woman's Traditional Dancer and have danced all afternoon in the hot Pow Wow sun without suffering "heat stroke" while the spectators in chairs were running for their air conditioned cars. And my thrifty parents kept our family home comfortable through the summer with old fashioned know-how, not 'air'. I'll share some of my secrets.

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Sock Darning

2009-07-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

11am - 12pm

When your toe breaks throught the wool on a cold winter day, don't you just say "Darn those socks!" Well now you can, at this instructive workshop!

Instructor:
Karyn Schoem

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Clothesline Tips from a Lazy Grandma

2009-07-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

12 - 1pm

Learn how to maximize drying, minimize wrinkles, reduce fading, conserve line space and clothespins using sun, wind and ingenuity. There will be some hands on experience for those who wish to practice.

Instructor:

Marsha

Bio:

Marsha says: "My family didn't own a clothes dryer until I was 10 years old and then we only used it during the winter. I helped my mother on laundry day (Monday) when I wasn't in school. This included hanging laundry on the clothesline according to the principles of personal energy conservation she learned from her mother and expanded herself."

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Making Bamboo Trellises

2009-07-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

10 - 11:30am

Learn Japanese lashing technique using waxed cord to create surprisingly sturdy structures from bamboo and your imagination.

Instructor:

Kris Kaul

Bio:

Kris Kaul is interested in learning and sharing all things that help us toward living more sustainable lives. She works with Sustainable Michigan, Edible Avalon (Project Grow) and the SE MI Permaculture Guild.

Brewing Kombucha

2009-07-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

12 - 1pm

This class will give you the skills you need to feel confidant brewing Kombucha in your home. We will go over a step by step process and also discuss safety & hygiene guidelines to keep your culture healthy for a long time. Each student will leave the class with: A Kombucha Culture (from GEM Cultures), glass jar, instructions, Organic tea & Sucranat.

Instructor:

Bird Gaudette

Bio:

Bird Gaudette is a Jane of all trades - organic gardener, vegan baker, maker of fantastic foods from scratch, musician & fire dancer. She lives simplistically and holistically in a peace and justice co-op in Ann Arbor. Currently she spends her days a nanny, having lot’s of laugh out loud, silly play time. She has been brewing Kombucha for 5 years and has had great success with her batches.

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Efficient Home Food Production: how to grow fabulous organic food with very little time.

2009-07-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

10 - 12am

In this class we will cover the basics elements of efficient home growing including soil preparation and care, mulching, crop rotation, and effective staking. In addition, several techniques for small-scale season extension will be explained. We will have the opportunity to walk to a local garden demonstrating these techniques, so bring walking shoes for a ten-fifteen minute excursion.

Instructor:

Cecile Green

Bio:

Cecile Green began growing food at the age of seventeen and has continued doing so for the last 25 years, expanding her knowledge first through a degree in Community Supported Agriculture from theUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst. After graduating, she participated in a small business program and started her own farm through the Intervale Foundation in Burlington, Vermont where she also initiated an apprenticeship program as a means of staffing her farm. After successfully selling her small farm in 1997, Cecile went on to deepen her farming experience through community-based food growing and offered her small business skills through a consulting service that she developed for startups. She then started a small business – Heart & Soul - focused on ecological landscaping and natural building which she has operated with her husband for 10 years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As part of the ecological focus of her business, she has coached scores of neighbors, employees, and clients in the art and science of growing food and building with natural materials.

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Building an Earth Oven: A Hands-on Exploration of Oven Construction

2009-07-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

1- 4pm

In this workshop we will discuss the theory and practice of earth ovens including instruction on ‘oven-mud’ recipes. Then we’ll get dirty building mini-ovens that each participant can take home (with a little hefting!). If we have time, we will even fire them up and bake… a muffin! Join us for a mud and fun-filled extravaganza!

Materials Fee: $15 (cash preferred)

Instructor:

Cecile Green

Bio:

Cecile Green began growing food at the age of seventeen and has continued doing so for the last 25 years, expanding her knowledge first through a degree in Community Supported Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. After graduating, she participated in a small business program and started her own farm through the Intervale Foundation in Burlington, Vermont where she also initiated an apprenticeship program as a means of staffing her farm. After successfully selling her small farm in 1997, Cecile went on to deepen her farming experience through community-based food growing and offered her small business skills through a consulting service that she developed for startups. She then started a small business – Heart & Soul - focused on ecological landscaping and natural building which she has operated with her husband for 10 years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As part of the ecological focus of her business, she has coached scores of neighbors, employees, and clients in the art and science of growing food and building with natural materials.

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Solar Hot Water

2009-07-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

10:30 - 11am

An explanation of solar hot water, metering it and how it works in Michigan.

Instructor:
David Collins

Bio:

David Collins has a background in Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering (thermodynamics), and well as secondary education certification and experience. He received a grant this year to design and build a solar hot water meter suitable for residential applications that will log energy produced, efficiency of the collector, and transmit the data wirelessly to a third party for verification. He is a part of USH2O: an association aimed at increasing the use of solar water heating in the USA.

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The Energy Efficient Home: Fifteen low- and no-cost actions to cut your energy consumption 25% or more

2009-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

12pm - 3pm

When it comes to energy, most of our homes resemble sieves -- leaking energy through cracks around doors and windows, through 100 year-old technologies, and through "vampire power". Fortunately, it doesn't take a lot of time or money to make significant improvements in our homes' energy efficiency. If you've been curious about what to do beyond changing light bulbs, this course is for you. If you're already doing this stuff, keep up the good work and teach your friends, family, neighbors, members of your congregation, etc. to do the same. For those who own or are considering renewable systems, these steps will help you reduce your baseload and maximize the benefits of the sun, wind, earth, etc.

* household energy footprints

* understanding your energy bills and using DTE's online bill analyzer

* detecting and plugging air leaks around doors, windows, outlets, and other holes
* weather-stripping

* door sweeps

* plastic window kits (both blow-dry and reusable types)

* programmable thermostats

* low-flow showerheads

* low-energy cooking

* low-energy laundry

* low-energy heating and cooling

* tax and other financial incentives

All participants will leave complete a household energy reduction plan. Savings from energy efficiency and conservation can be used to finance more major improvements, from insulation to photovoltaics. Supplies will be sold below retail cost at the end of the session.

Instructor:

Justin Schott

Program Director, Detroit Youth Energy Squad (D-YES)

Bio:

Justin Schott, is founder and program director of the Interfaith Youth Energy Squad, a program that trains youth in Detroit to perform these retrofits for lower-income families. He holds a masters from the U of M's School of Natural Resources and Env, where he focused on the psychological aspects of energy conservation. D-YES empowers young people to make homes more energy-efficient and pursue successful, sustainable careers. D-YES is a program of WARM Training Center, a leader in energy efficiency and sustainability programs since 1981, and Voices for Earth Justice, an interfaith non-profit dedicated to fostering healthier, more sustainable human and ecological communities.

For more info, visit:

www.youthenergysquad.org

www.voices4earth.org

www.warmtraining.org

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Canning Workshop

2009-07-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

2 - 4pm

Learn about preserving local fruits and veggies through canning in this workshop!

Instructor:

Molly Notarianni

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Backyard Chickens

2009-07-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

12 - 1pm

Learn about the many delights of urban chickens in this workshop. Topics covered range from building a coop and raising chicks to keeping your ladies healthy, fending off backyard predators, and remaining in your neighbors' good graces. Time will be reserved for q & a and sharing of chicken-related stories: all levels of urban homesteaders are welcome!

Instructor:

Molly Notarianni

Bio:

Backyard chickens changed Molly Notarianni's life, and she hopes they will change yours as well! Molly kept chickens for several years in her Portland backyard, and these days, she keeps busy managing Ann Arbor's lovely Farmers Market. In addition to being a friend of chickens, Molly is an avid gardener, a zealous canner, and a strong believer in the transformative power of bikes. She enjoys dancing, meeting her neighbors, outdoor adventures, baking pies, and waking up to see it has snowed.

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Making Plant Medicines: How, Exactly, to Make Useful Medicines with Common Local Herbs Yourself for Home and Family

2009-07-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

10 - 11:45am

Nine Gaia Herb School program students will demonstrate the easy techniques of how to make tinctures, elixirs, cough preparations, stomach soothers, sleep aids, poison ivy remedy and more in an open-format "drop in" workshop.

Instructor:

Gaia School of Herbal Studies

Info:

Gaia School of Herbal Studies / Naturopathic College of Ann Arbor offers certification programs, enrichment programs, classes and consultations through a free herbal medicine clinic. The students presenting the reskilling fair workshop are currently midway through the annual Medicinal Herbalist Certification Program for the School. Learn more at www.gaiaherbalstudies.net.

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Basics of Spinning

2009-07-13T06:14:00.000-07:00

12 - 1pm & 1 - 2pm

Learn the basics of spinning your own beautiful yarn!

Instructor:
Frank Bohanon of Tromp 'n Treadle Spinning Wheels

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Charcuterie - salting, seasoning and enjoying meats

2009-07-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

2:30 - 4:00pm

Learn the basics of meat curing. For an optional $25 fee, you can take home a high-quality, 5 pound belly with the cure and bag, etc. (participants may split this)

Instructor:

Jeff McCabe

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Eating Locally Year Round

2009-07-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

10 - 11:30am

Southeastern Michigan is blessed with an abundance of local produce growers, but every fruit and vegetable has a limited season of freshness. Food preservation allows us to eat the fruits of our gardens all year. In this workshop, you will learn about canning, freezing, and drying, and discuss their respective costs and benefits. Whether you have done some preserving or are feeling inspired to start this year, there will be something to learn!

Instructor:

Kristin Uthus, Biologist

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Composting: Turning Over A New Leaf

2009-07-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

10am-12pm

Composting is as easy as recycling bottles and paper, it is a BMP for water quality and a sustainable practice for soil web life. Lisa will available to show interested individuals how to begin composting at a demonstration table, and to answer questions.

Instructor:

Lisa Perschke

Business Recycling Coordinator, Recycle Ann Arbor.

Bio: Lisa Perschke is currently, a Master Composter with SOCWA and the Business Recycling Coordinator for Recycle Ann Arbor. She is an Advanced Master Gardener; a Master Citizen Planner; a Conservation Steward; Lake and Stream Leadership Institute Alumni with Michigan State University Extension Program and a Huron River Watershed Council Volunteer and Member. Lisa has served as an Americorp Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Educator from 2005-2006 and also worked as a storm water pond inspector for the City of Ann Arbor from 2006-2007.

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Fiber Arts

2009-05-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some resources to get you started with knitting, crocheting, spinning, etc. More coming soon!

Knitty: Quarterly online knitting magazine chock full of free patterns and great ideas. Check out their archives for even more great patterns!

Knitting Pattern Central: Index of hundreds of free patterns from all over the web.

Crochet Pattern Central: Same as above but for Crochet!

KnittingHelp.com: Free Online video tutorials that walk you through the basics of knitting!

Check back soon for more!

Alternative Energy/Powering Down

2009-05-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

More information soon! If you have ideas or plans to submit to this section, please send them to jlpavich@steinerschool.org.

Gardening

2009-05-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Part of creating local resiliency is learning to grow our own food. The A2 community is full of amazing folks who know how to grow anywhere, whether you have 50 acres or an apartment balcony! Here are some resources to get you started growing your own delicious veggies, fruits and herbs:

Squarefoot Gardening: It's amazing how much you can grow in just a few square feet. Click to find out more about starting your squarefoot garden.

Check back soon for more updates and ideas!

Canning and Preserving

2009-05-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Do you have a canning recipe you'd like to share? Perhaps a scruptious jam, a mouth watering chutney or a fabulous way to pickle green beans? Please consider sending it for inclusion in the Ann Arbor ReSkilling site. All recipes can be sent to jlpavich@steinerschool.org. Thank you!