Ummm no. People already think I'm bananas for wanting to do this. I think the gardens will be Olla Gardens and resturant will be Purple Carrot.
How about the Orange Banana?
When I get my land next year, can I steal your idea for the name "Purple Carrot"? I love it!
Now that I have found Mandala Town, it will be a chore to evict me! I look forward to learning and sharing. It would be wonderful it were not only an Intentional Community, but also an International Intentional Community. All my hopes for the work you and Kate are doing.
It seems you are on a similar journey to Kate and I. Purple Pear is set up as a Pc model with CSA and education. We do a lot of farm tours and school activities as well as PDC and skills for living sustainably workshops ( such as cheese making and sour dough bread as well as compost and propagation and the like) We have adapted some marginal land on the outskirts of Maitland and have developed the Community Supported Agriculture Project currently supplying twenty families with a box of food each week. We run a transition town project (early days) and are looking to develop an Intentional Community on the farm next door which has just come on to the market. I would love to stay in touch as I am sure we could benefit greatly from the work you are undertaking
Pt2 I would like it to be a business model that can effect the necessary agricultural changes in this area. Portland has traditionally been very progressive toward sustainablility. I think given the right business model, much of the city will follow suite. Even if the operation were to run at a "break even" point, the social and economical changes it would create would be worth it as it will create better nutrition, jobs, and a chemical free environment as well as greening the city. I will be on vacation for three weeks over the winter break. This is when I plan to compile all of my research into this new business model. I am hoping to lease land from the power company next year. And so that's my story and I'm sticking with it!
I grew up gardening the "old" way that is commonly called permaculture today I've spent my professional carrier as an engineer and project manager. Now that my kids are almost grown and don't need mom around all of the time, I've delved deeply into permaculture reasearch. Turning deserts into rain/food forests would be my ultimate dream, but for now I am working on a business/project plan for a commercial scale food growing operation that will utilize the unbuildable lands between industrial/commercial sites in my area. I am hoping to create jobs, set up an educational center, and have a resturant that serves our foods next to a produce store that only sells our produce. If we don't grow it, we don't serve/sell it.
I am interested in you previous experience as your contributions show maturity (thats not the word I want) I say away from roucous debate too unless some moron provokes me but not in Mandala Town which is a peaceful refuge.
Thanks for the welcome purplepear. I just read Linda Woodrow's book, and am totally taken aback. Love every word of it. I'm not into roucous debate, I prefer cooperative discussion that continues to move toward solutions.. I hope to learn a lot in this forum.
Welcome to mandala town Mel - be sure to tell us about you and mandala gardens when you visit. We seem to avoid controversy in Mandala Town and roucous debate is taken to the main forum if required. We have a gate you can sit on somewhere if you can find it Welcome
