The community-scale permaculture farm The D Acres model for creating and managing an ecologically designed educational center

Josh Trought

Book - 2015

Emphasizing collaboration, cooperation, and mutualism, this book promises to inspire a new generation of growers, builders, educators, artists, and dreamers who are seeking new and practical ways to address today's problems on a community scale.

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2nd Floor 631.58/Trought Due Mar 27, 2024
Subjects
Published
White River Junction, Vermont : Chelsea Green Publishing [2015]
Language
English
Main Author
Josh Trought (author)
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
xi, 395 pages ; 26 cm
ISBN
9781603584753
  • Introduction
  • 1. Current Paradigm
  • Addressing the Times
  • The Value of Labor
  • The Value of Food
  • Competition
  • 2. Historical Precedents
  • Environmental Awakening
  • Back to the Land
  • Intentional Communities
  • Localization
  • Specific Examples
  • Permaculture
  • 3. Sense of Place
  • Geography
  • Weather
  • Natural History
  • Human History
  • 4. History of the Project and People
  • D Acres Begins
  • Progress and Adaptation
  • Building a Community
  • Zoning
  • End of the Beginning
  • 5. Daily Life
  • Rest and Relaxation, Health and Well-Being
  • Work Standards
  • Roles and Responsibilities
  • Applying to D Acres
  • Challenges
  • 6. Meetings
  • Background
  • Communication Philosophy
  • Structure
  • Agenda
  • Facilitation
  • Frame of Mind
  • Communication Evolution
  • 7. Budget
  • Contributions and Grants
  • Educational Programming
  • Fund-Raising Events
  • Sales and Services
  • Expenses
  • 8. Governance
  • Ownership of the Land
  • Decisions and Accountability
  • Board of Directors
  • Governance Methodology
  • 9. Animals
  • Pigs
  • Oxen
  • Chickens
  • Ducks
  • The Grain Dilemma
  • Electric Fencing
  • Veterinarians and Animal Health
  • 10. Buildings
  • Design Build
  • Site Evaluation
  • The Boots
  • The Envelope
  • Combining Structure and Insulation
  • Glazing
  • The Hat
  • Climate Control
  • Green versus Natural Construction
  • Building Profiles
  • Renovation Projects
  • 11. Renewables
  • Domestic Hot Water
  • Photovoltaic Uses
  • Solar Dehydrator
  • Solar Cookers
  • Root Cellar
  • Bike Power
  • Methane Digestion
  • 12. Water Systems
  • Watershed Design
  • Southern Microwatershed
  • Northern Microwatershed
  • Watershed Protection
  • Woods Roads: Access and Erosion
  • Well Options
  • Irrigation
  • Roof Rainwater Catchment
  • Wastewater Management
  • 13. Food Systems
  • Food Philosophy
  • Labor of Love
  • Food Choices
  • Preserving the Harvest
  • 14. Garden Development and Soil Strategy
  • No-Till Agriculture
  • Developing Arable Land
  • Animals as Agricultural Partners
  • 15. The Farm Ecology
  • The Evolving Design of Nature
  • Potting Soil
  • Cycle for Annuals
  • Cycle for Perennials
  • Mushrooms Predatory
  • Insects and Pollinators
  • Tools
  • 16. Forestry
  • Philosophy of Holistic Forestry
  • Forest Composition
  • Developing a Forestry Plan
  • Practical Aspects of Working in the Woods
  • Tools
  • Working with Oxen
  • Building Trails and Access
  • Value-Added Goods
  • 17. Community Outreach
  • Community Food Projects
  • On-Site Educational Programs
  • Community Food Events
  • Youth Education
  • Adult Education
  • Public Art, Theater, and General Fun
  • Permaculture through the Seasons
  • Overnight Accommodations
  • On-Site Visitors
  • Conferences
  • Signage and Accessibility
  • Catering to the Community
  • 18. Cottage Industry
  • Why Cottage Industry?
  • Elements of Successful
  • Cottage Industry
  • Woodwork
  • Metalwork
  • Herbal Products
  • Baked Goods
  • Plants
  • Design Consultation
  • Fiber Arts
  • Education
  • Tourism
  • 19. Marketing and Promotion
  • Logo
  • Desktop Publishing
  • Website
  • E-Mail
  • Social Media and Video
  • Additional Outreach Tactics
  • Yearly Marketing Plan
  • Face-to-Face Contact
  • Mailing Lists
  • Public Participation
  • 20. Ideas to Come
  • Taking Steps
  • People Power
  • Service to the Community
  • Infrastructure
  • A Framework for the Future
  • Public Ownership
  • Cultural Shift
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Resources
  • Index
Review by Booklist Review

The word permaculture, a shorthand term fusing permanent agriculture with permanent culture, is a recent innovation based on the ecological ideal of caring for the earth and for people by reinvesting any surplus back into the system to minimize waste. Although there are still only a handful of fully functioning permaculture farms worldwide, D Acres near Dorchester, New Hampshire, serves as a role model for other communities aspiring to a high level of sustainability. In this sumptuous handbook of tools and ideas, D Acres cofounder Trought provides a comprehensive blueprint for creating an environmentally and culturally balanced community homestead and shares some of the economic and organizational experiments he and his collaborators have tried over the years. Twenty detailed chapters cover all the fundamentals of running a permaculture-based farm, from governance to budgeting and communication philosophy, as well as designing buildings, setting up water irrigation systems, and managing no-till agriculture. An immensely useful guidebook for organic farmers, cohousing advocates, and anyone interested in learning about a place where sustainability is truly possible.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In this meticulously detailed book, Trought relates the lessons gleaned from 17 years of establishing and running D Acres, a nonprofit, community service-oriented farm in the challenging soil and climate of northern New Hampshire. With a serious, pedantic style more common to business books than to the cheerful permaculture genre, he provides extensive descriptions of historical precedents; local geography, geology, climate, and economy; fund-raising; marketing; and community governance and decision-making (there's a whole chapter on meetings). In addition, there's more-typical discussion of soil-building, animal husbandry, alternative building techniques, cottage industries, ecological integration, and community engagement. The exposition is threaded with political commentary and seasoned with a strong dose of an admirable but dauntingly earnest ethic. Despite Trought's sincere love for his work and willingness to share abundant knowledge and experience, his somber, didactic tone may discourage budding eco-villagers still at the initial dreaming and planning stages. His lessons may be more useful and inspiring to those already ankle-deep in their own land-based community ventures. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved