On Aug. 1st, 2011 we closed the Sustainability Center. However, we are renting the upstairs space as a project and community meeting location. Our Sustainable Backyard continues to be our primary education space. It is available for rent for education events, parties, and gatherings. We have a lovely cob oven in which to cook and a beautiful setting for fun!
Thanks for your continued support!
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Here is a video of our backyard. More to come!
Our Sustainable Backyard is open to the public. Geoff Hall and Kamala Bennett of Sentient Landscape led a workshop that began in late
summer 2006, where we created the foundation for our Sustainable Backyard.
Marin Community Foundation and Hal Brown of the Marin County Board of Supervisors provided funding for this project.
Self-guided walking tours will be available soon and we will host film nights in the backyard as well as other best backyard practices classes and workshops.
We are always looking for permaculture enthusiasts to  help show off this garden and educate the public.
Join our Docent program.
Contact Pam Hartwell-Herrero.
More photos from the class taken by Michael Dunne at http://photo.archangeles.com/
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Read more...
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How we harvest the Rain in our Backyard |
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 In 2005, when we began designing our Sustainable Backyard, Fairfax and San Anselmo got hit with the second 100-year flood in 25 years. We believe that climate change is causing extreme weather and raising the sea level, which only means more flooding for us.
What can we do? That is what we asked Geoff Hall and Kamala Bennet of Sentient Design, who were working with us to design a backyard that represented best practices. The said "Water Reclamation" What's that? For us it meant re-guttering our small house with about 600 square foot roof. Then channeling that water into a 1000 gallon tank. And directing the overflow of the tank into our pond and then into two vernal ponds. Our pond is lined and permanent. Our vernal ponds or swales are unlined seasonal water features. Please check the read more section below to learn more about how you can plant a vernal pond.
Since we set up this system we have found that the first rain of the season fills our tank. We actually found that in an average rainfall year we will be routing 15,000 gallons of water. We have had visits from the Town Council, County Board of Supervisors, FEMA and the Dept. of Homeland Security, MMWD, MCSTOPPP, SPAWN, Regenerative Design Institute, and numerous citizens. We received funding from Marin County Board of Supervisors to make this work possible.
 Our system not only demonstrates how to help prevent flooding, it also creates unique microclimates, cleans the water before returning it to our creek systems, it helps to recharge our local ground water system, and we have 1000 gallons of water to use during the summer for topping up our pond or emergencies. In permaculture the water mantra is Slow it, Spread it, and Sink it.
Visit our backyard to learn more. Or check out this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nyzNMzk4W0
We also have a rain_garden_brochure for you to view. Visit the SPAWN site for more info on rainwater harvesting. |
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Early in Sustanable Fairfax's activity, the center was featured in a comic strip by Jeroen and Donna Lapre' of Fairfax...
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