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Winter 2012 Adult Programs

BOOK DISCUSSION SERIES

Come and discuss titles related to sustainable living in a mutually supportive and encouraging atmosphere. Join us for all five thought-provoking sessions, or select a discussion or two of particular interest.

When: Wednesdays

Time: 7:30 - 9 pm

January 11

The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World, by Paul Gilding

"An Australian former director of Greenpeace International, Gilding says that our current economic model is driving the system over a cliff. We are already living beyond the planet’s capacity to support us and a crisis is no longer avoidable. … But this is actually a good thing. It will force us to learn that there is more to life than shopping. Times (UK)

February 15
The unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, by Wendell Berry

Since its publication by Sierra Club books in 1977, "The Unsettling of America" has been recognized as a classic of American letters. In it, Wendell Berry argues that good farming is a cultural development and spiritual discipline. Today's agribusiness, however, takes farming out of its cultural context and away from families. As a result, we as a nation are more estranged from the land - from the intimate knowledge, love and care of it. Sadly, as Berry notes in his afterword to this third edition, his arguments and observations are more relevant than ever. We continue to suffer loss of community, the devaluation of human work, and the destruction of nature under an economic system dedicated to the mechanistic pursuit of products and profits. Althouth "this book has not had the happy fate of being proved wrong," Berry writes, there are good people "to make something comely and enduring of our life on this earth." Wendell Berry is one of those people, writing and working, as ever, with passion, eloquence, and conviction.

March 14
The Nature Priciple: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv

The immediacy of Richard Louv's message in "Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder" galvanized an international movement to reconnect children with nature. Now, in "The Nature Principle", Louv reaches even further with a powerfull call to action for the rest of us.
Our society, says Louv, has developed such an outsized faith in technology that we have yet to fully realize or even adequately study how human capacities are enhanced through the power of nature. Supported by groundbreaking research, anecdotal evidence, and compelling personal stories, Louv shows us how tapping into the restorative powers of the natural work can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities and economies; and ultimately strenghten human bonds. As he says in his introduction, "The Nature Principle" is about the power of living in nature - not with it, but in it. We are entering the most creative period in history. The twenty-first century will be the century of human restoration in the natural world."

Rich Louv makes a convincing case that through a nature-balanced existence - driven by sound economic, social, and environmental solutions - the human race can and will thrive. This timely, inspiring, and important work will give readers renewed hope while challenging them to rethink the way we live.

April 11
Silent Spring , by Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" was first published in three serialized excerpts in the "New Yorker" in June of 1962. The book appeared in September of that year and the outcry that followed its publication forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson's passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It is without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century. Join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publication of this great work.

May 16
Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill , by Daniel Imhoff

Every five years, the U.S. Congress passes a little understood legislation called the Farm Bill. Primarily accountable for setting the budgets and work plans for the U.S.Department of Agriculture, the Farm Bill is anything but bureaucratic trivia. It is an essential economic and policy engine that drives the food and farming system and provides nutritional assistance to tens of millions of Americans - many of them children. In recent years, more and more citizens are realizing just how much is at stake in this political chess game.

Originally published in 2007, "Food Fight" was Daniel Imhoff's highly acclaimed primer on the 2008 Farm Bill. Now in a newly updated and expanded edition, Imhoff looks ahead at this important issue, as the debate for 2012 is already underway. With the legislation due to be reauthorized in late 2012, "Food Fight" offers a critical resource that can help readers to deconstruct this challenging bill, organize in our communities to gain a seat at the bargaining table, and ultimately vote with our forks.

Includes a foreword by Michael Pollen.

When: Wednesdays

Time: 7:30 - 9 pm

Fee: Free! Please call at 508-655-7666 to pre-register
Facilitator: Melissa Kenny Probst, NCOF member and radical homemaker

Please call the Farm at 508-655-7666 or send an e-mail to Regina to pre-register!

Classes and Workshops

SIMPLICITY PARENTING
Imagine a simpler new year imagine your kids… having time for fun, relaxation, connection... having unscheduled time to daydream and play… enjoying each stage and age, not in a rush to “grow up”… imagine your home… filled with space to play in uncluttered, peaceful, rooms... with days that unfold with a sense of order, rhythm and flow... as a place to “unplug” so the family can be together....
You can create the change you imagine. Join simplicity parenting group leaders, polly mahoney and diane seaborn for three winter workshops:

WHY SIMPLIFY
Discover the power of simplifying your home life and aligning family activities with your values

When: January 12
Time: 9 - 11 a.m.

Fee: $33 NM/$30 M

CREATING A SIMPLER HOME
Explore how a calm environment and predictable routines can deepen family connections When: January 26: 9-11am

Time: 9 - 11 a.m.
Fee: $33 NM/$30 M

SIMPLE SUPPORT
Support your vision for your family through taming technology use and schedules
When: February 9

Time: 9-11 a.m.

Fee: $33 NM/$30 M

Instructor: Polly Mahoney and Diane Seaborn; Simplicity parenting group leaders

Raising backyard chickens
Phrases like "hen pecked", "birds of a feather flock together", and "flew the coop" dapple American vernacular from the days when most familis kept chickens on the farm. American culture is enjoying a return to local food resources.

Come to this workshop about Raising Backyard Chickens to learn more about how you, too, can have eggs fresh from your very own hen house! You'll learn how to care for them, how to build a coop, which chickens to choose and that you don't need a noisy rooster to produce eggs. (Local town rules vary so be sure to look into that before you get started.)
When: Wednesday, February 29
Time: 7 - 9 pm
Fee: $36 (members $32)
Instructor: Barbara Emerson is a Principal Master Gardener and 16 year veteran of Horticulture magazine. Her chickens wer proud to be featured in the May 2008 issue! She is an enthusiastic home gardener and raising hens has become a favorite pastime at her Manchester, MA home.

Cleanse, nurture, revive
Join a fabulous group of people at the farm to cleanse, nurture, revive your body!
One of the most important steps we can take to immediately improve our overall health is to learn about detoxifying our bodies. We are exposed to an enormous amount of toxins daily from the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the medications we take. As a result, we increase our chances of manifesting diseases such as cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, ADHD, ADD, and autoimmune disease. Cleanse your body by removing toxins and strengthening the organs involved in the body’s detoxification process. Nurture and revive your body systems by eating an abundance of healthy foods. Whether your goal is to eat better, reduce stress, reduce cholesterol, lose those extra pounds, or lessen your risk of disease, we will examine how the foods we eat impact our health and wellbeing.

What have we got to lose? Just excess weight and toxins!
Program components: Comprehensive Guide Book, Three educational meetings, Daily e-mail inspiration, Support throughout the de-tox
Here's what past de-tox program participants had to say:
"Through de-toxing, I've reduced my cholesterol from 202 to 134. It's changed the way I eat forever!"
"These past 2 weeks were the best nights of sleep I have had in years".
"This has been so good for me in so many ways! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"I was very happy to lose weight! I'm extremely inspired to lose more."
"I feel so good knowing I could stick to a plan of healthy living by choice."
"I will definitely want to do this again in the Spring."
When: Thursday, March 8, 15 and 22

Time: 7 - 8:30 pm
Fee: $65
To register please call Linda Tighe at 508-333-1202 or e-mail Linda at lindatighe@gmail.com, no registration through NCOF
Instructor: The Wellness Initiative, Linda Tighe (find us on our facebook "De-Tox for Optim

NM = Non member
M = Member

To check on your membership status please send an e-mail to tumbrell.ncorganic@verizon.net

If you would like to become a member or would like to renew your membership you can do so at the same time you sign up for a program.