Permaculture, as the name suggests, is all about truly sustainable living. Permaculturist Jim Barton, a West Asheville community activist and organizer, has worked since to permaculture theory into the realm of public policy. Most recently he offered the most comprehensive critique of Buncombe County’s plan to lease landfill space for a new oil-fired Progress Energy power plant. “Global warming demands that we take action here and now,” was his message – one ignored by the Board of Commissioners. (See stories in the Jan. 24 Xpress.)
Barton later told Xpress, “I think it was an enormous mistake for the county commissioners to vote to lease county land to Progress Energy for one dollar per year for the purpose of building an unnecessary power plant that will create profits for Progress and carbon emissions for the rest of us.”
Barton organizes classes through the Smith Mill Creek Permaculture School. The next session will be held at the N.C. School of Holistic Herbalism (2 Westwood Place, West Asheville) on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sessions will be taught by Xpress garden writers Chuck Marsh and Patricia Allison as well as Andrew Goodheart Brown. The cost is $50 ($90 for two). E-mail smithmillcreek@gmail to reserve a space, or visit the Web site.
Allison and Marsh will also offer weekend permaculture workshops at Earthaven Ecovillage (south of Black Mountain) beginning in April. For more information e-mail Permaculture@earthaven.org.
– Cecil Bothwell, staff writer
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