permaculture

["Robert Waldrop" <rmwj@soonernet.com>]

Actually, the reason I was asking is that there are 600 workers losing
their jobs in September in a rural town southeast of OKC (their
Wrangler jeans factory is moving to Mexico)   So we are starting a
project to help some of them start small market gardens to supplement
whatever they find to do next.  There are not 600 extra jobs in that
town, and everybody is pretty gloomy about their prospects.  We, on
the other hand, are looking for more growers to sell their produce
through our local food cooperative.

And... for helping beginners to organize a market garden, the "square
foot garden" method is pretty fool proof.  And as the method has
evolved since the book was originally produced, it is more
permaculture oriented (i.e. building soil up rather than digging
down).  he advocates building planting beds and then filling them with
a mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 peat moss or ground
coconut shells.

So what I am trying to do is adapt this to be better by not using
vermiculite or peat moss/ground coconut shells.  That was why I asked
what people thought about vermiculite...should we keep it in the
"method" we are sharing with them or not use it, and the gist of
opinion thus far seems to me that it is not very permacultury.  It
also has the disadvantage of costing money, as do both the coconut
hulls and peat moss and we need something that has very little up
front money investment, and which leverages personal effort.

So what I'm thinking is a mixture of soil, compost, and straw.  All
are easily available from stuff they can get for free, or already
have.  Mel's website says that in India, they don't use the
vermiculite or peat moss, and so this seems to me to approximate that.

Robert Waldrop, okc

PS. Here's the flyer being distributed to all the Wrangler displaced
workers.

+++++++++++
Hope is renewed when you believe in yourself and your ability to build
a prosperous and secure future for yourself and your family.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Wrangler workers during this
difficult time.  But more than offering good wishes, we want to be of
practical assistance.

Cooperatives are an important job alternative for displaced workers.

Throughout the world, displaced workers have found that owning their
own job via a worker owned cooperative is a primary support for job
security and household prosperity. A cooperative is an independent
association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common
economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a
jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.  For example,
the Mondragon Cooperatives of Spain have tens of thousands of worker
owners in 120 different enterprises, doing everything from selling
newspapers in kiosks on the street to manufacturing household
appliances. Workers elect the management and own the profits.

The opportunities of cooperative enterprise are extensive, practical,
and profitable.

As to what kind of business you might start, think about what you are
doing now and consider trends in the marketplace and the advantages of
cooperative ownership. There is definite movement in the marketplace
towards custom service, individual attention, and high quality.  By
selling direct to the public, by mail order, on the internet, in your
own stores, and/or at fairs and flea markets, your cooperative
enterprise would have wholesale and retail revenues. There are guys
who hate to buy shirts, for example, who would be interested in having
someone make shirts for them. Since its getting hard to find Made in
the USA jeans these days, by utilizing the advantages of cooperative
ownership, you could perhaps launch your own brand of blue jeans in
various styles for different segments of the marketplace, and sell
them directly to the public.

You do not have to be dependent upon the good will of others to have a
secure job.

By joining with other workers in a cooperative business, your job will
be secured by your own hard work in cooperation with your neighbors,
as you move forward together meeting the ongoing tests of the
marketplace. One principle of the cooperative movement is to help
others to do likewise, so there are resources and people available
to help you work through the cooperative organization process.  You
dont have to walk this road alone, or reinvent the flat tire.  There
is a world of practical experience in organizing and managing
cooperative enterprises that you can take advantage of to build
yourself a better future.

Opportunities also are available in growing food for direct sales to
the public.

You can make money growing vegetables to sell directly to the public.
By using intensive and efficient cultivation practices, you dont have
to have acres and acres of land.  There might be $10,000 in annual
income in your back (or front) yards waiting for you to find it with a
bit of work and effort.. If you have as much as a typical vacant lot
(120' x 60'), you could be looking at $20,000 annual income.  If you
have access to land, the up front cost of this kind of small scale
market garden is very minimal.  Since we are organizing a cooperative
that will only sell local foods, grown and processed by Oklahomans, we
can help you market your produce.

If you start this fall, you could have money coming in by May 2004.

Even if you are not an experienced gardener, you can still make money
your first year. Depending on how much land you have, you may not be
able to make a full time living, but small scale market gardening is
an excellent part time job that certainly pays better than most such
jobs available these days.. We can show you how, and help you find
markets.

Are you interested in more information about these opportunities?

In September, we will have a free public presentation in Seminole to
talk about these ideas at greater length, and later we will offer free
workshops for those who are interested in exploring these challenging
opportunities in more depth and detail.  Please contact us at
613-4688, send us email at rmwj@soonernet.com , or write us at 1524 NW
21st, OKC 73106 if you are interested.

Robert Waldrop,  on behalf of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative Organizing
Project and the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker Community, Oklahoma City

The future will be different if we make the present different.

For more information about cooperatives, visit:
National Cooperative Business Association,USA,
http://www.ncba.coop/index.cfm
Oklahoma Food Cooperative Organizing Project,
http://www.oklahomafood.org
Zvi Galor Cooperative Page, Israel http://www.coopgalor.com/
Mondragon Cooperatives, Spain, http://mondragon.mcc.es/

For information on small scale market gardening, visit:
Cash from Square Foot Gardening, http://www.squarefootgardening.com
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, http://www.kerrcenter.com
New Farm Magazine, http://www.newfarm.com
Noble Foundation, http://www.noble.org/

For information about reducing your utility bills with energy
conservation, visit
http://www.energyconservationinfo.org/almanac.htm
_______________________________________________

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Valley <bamboogrove@cmug.com>
>My understanding is that vermiculite is a mica, hence a metamorphozed
clay,
>and reverts to the same in a short time. Does your soil need it? And
is
>vermiculite the most ecologically and cost effective way to do what
it does?
>
>-Rick
>