Saturday 17 May 2008

Vision and Strategy

Dear Students,

We have just finished our last retreat of the Vision and Strategy Group before the final meeting with the trustees on 31st May (in two weeks time). There has been a process of first tuning into the needs of the society at large, and the anthroposophical movement more specifically; and after that we have been trying to focus on the most urgent and current issues that we feel Emerson College can link to and try to address. One of the proposals appearing is the Rachel Carson Centre: the green bd-building transformed into a centre where the 2-year biodynamic training will be housed, as well as courses in the area of anthroposophical nutrition and cooking. Outside the Carson building it is proposed to (re)establish a biodynamic garden that supplies the college with fresh seasonal biodynamic food (vegetables, fruit, eggs) and where a fulltime employed gardener guides students from all kind of courses in weekly gardening sessions. It is also thought that that garden could feature in the afternoon work rota for the students on the biodynamic training, and that one or two bd-students could do their second-year placement on the college garden. Robin and myself are going to do a fundraise action in order to get money for a real glasshouse which can be attached to the Carson building in permaculture style - providing heat for the building in winter and fresh veg in winter for the kitchen.

There are several other proposals, but this is the one most obviously related to the biodynamic training and in the next two weeks Robin and myself are going to work out the financial side of this proposal and on the 31st May the trustees will decide if they want to go ahead with this proposal. Please send some positive energy to us and if you have any suggestions or ideas please let us know!

Arjen

3 comments:

ORMUS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ORMUS said...

This sounds very promising. From the steering group meetings it came across that the desire of people from different courses' to get involved in the gardens was quite strong. Would require someone good at organising these people. Let's hope that it will happen...

Goatman stof said...

Going in the right direction it seems. You have my full support.
It can be done in several ways of course but I do trust you guys to choose the good ones.
As soon as you have more detailed info I would love to read it.

Kristof