Welcome to the Sustainable Living Arts School home page (Roberts Creek).
If you are looking for the Vancouver site, please see www.slas.ca

AT THE SUSTAINABLE LIVING ARTS SCHOOL - We wish to close the gap between those with particular skills in the sustainable arts and those wishing to hone their abilities, by providing learning opportunities, existing landscape samples, and time for networking.

The Sustainable Living Arts School will assist learners to be better equipped to deal with changes (both chosen and those that may be thrust upon them) in their lives and environment, that they may be confident in living a healthy and happy life within the restrictions of what the planet can actually offer, and capable of creating a new standard of normalcy within their own communities.

BENEFITS

• Students will meet others with common dreams and ideas and will take home a new networking base.
• Today's Students are tomorrows Instructors
• Save money on food and utilities.
• Feel good about using your new skills to reduce environmental impact.
• Experience working models of sustainable landscape design

WHY A SCHOOL OF SUSTAINABLE ARTS?
Peak oil, anyone? And has Free Trade Agreement got you nuts? Megalomaniacal leaders to the South who also control most of Canada's food supply? A world gone mad with consumerism and debt? It seems like a sensible time to relearn simple, low tech skills that will reduce our local footprint, decrease our impact on others in the world, and to permit breathing space and time for connection with our landscape.

WHY HERE?
The Sunshine Coast, with its proximity to small farms, forest, and quiet retreats, and its wonderful population who have spent years developing their country crafts and abilities , is an ideal location for city folk and newcomers alike to inherit those skills. The Edible Landscape property is an experiment in low-tech, low finance forest land that now carries examples of permaculture, winter gardening, Chinese and western medicine gardens, native plant stands and annual vegetable gardens.

WHY THIS SHAPE AND FORM?
What shape should humans learn in? Once we took away the four walls of a classroom, some basic truths unfolded. Humans learn well in short bursts, before thirst, hunger and a full bladder distract us. We learn well when we are happy, unafraid, and are using all our senses to absorb information. We learn well when we can laugh and ask questions and take time to absorb a particular truth.

Custom made classes, full days or weekends of your choice of material - click here to take a look at our past programs page, and put together a group of five or more people - and we can advertise for more people to make your group happen if you are a couple short.

Our classes are generally one and a half hours, intensive and often hands on - with as many sensory components as we can provide, with instructors who we know to be good at what they do and enthusiastic at passing knowledge on to others.

TOPICS COVERED
So much knowledge has been lost, even in the past 50 years! Our grandparents could feed themselves out of a garden, preserve food for winter, medicate an infected animal and tend a woodlot. These were simple but crucial arts that kept their footprint small, and their dependence on outside forces minimal.

• winter gardening
• herbal medicines
• long term storage of foods
• seed saving
• water management
• plant propagation
• bee keeping
• fowl rearing
• woodlot management
• garden planning
• mushroom cultivation
  and more!

LOCATION OF CLASSES
LOCATION OF CLASSES Most classes will take place at Edible Landscapes at 1732 Pell Road. On specific Practical Permie Weekends, full day Sunday classes will take place at Peter Light's place on highway 101. However, some classes may move to various farms in the area. We encourage carpooling, and plan classes in an orderly physical progression, with time after the first venue to arrange carpooling to a second one. All venues will be near a bus line. bus line.

How to get there, where to stay: Edible Landscapes is only about a 20 minute drive from the Langdale ferry. If you're coming for the whole weekend camping is available at Edible Landscapes ($5 per person per night up to $15 per tent) or connect with www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/roberts_crk/ The Back Packers B and B can be found at upthecreek.ca and is quite close.

Directions to Edible Landscapes on the Sunshine Coast Get to Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver. Get in the lane for/buy ticket for the Langdale ferry. When you get off the ferry, get into the middle lane that heads to Upper Gibsons (up the long hill ahead of you), and then follow the traffic around North Road, and turn right onto the highway at the first FULL set of lights in the town (not the little blinking yellow at the top of the first hill!).

Drive up that highway for about 15 - 17 minutes (I think it is an hour or so by bike). It will leave Gibsons and head through trees. After driving about 15  minutes, you will see the Golf Course on your right, and next the fire hall on your left, and that is Roberts Creek Road intersecting the highway right there.

Staying on the highway, start counting the roads on your right. The next one after that intersection is Lockyer, and the one after that is Pell (they are far apart!). Drive up Pell about half a km, pass under the power lines and then immediately look to your right. You will see a sign with a red Chinese symbol (means "grassroots" and the word "Workshop". That sign is on the bottom corner of Edible Landscapes and the next driveway on your right (about 80 feet later) at the Edible Landscapes sign is mine and you are safe and sound! Park in the first lot and walk through the gardens, or curve around to your right and you will see my house behind the big deer fence. Call or whistle for attention!

WARNING - I encourage bussing and cycling, but there are two dogs loose on Pell - a large orange thing named Pedro and his little pittbull friend. Pitbull is friendly. Pedro looks and acts very threatening. Throw rocks, scream etc - he is 100% cowed by this behaviour - multiple calls to bylaw officer totally ineffective - still working on owners. Record complaints with me.

MEALS
At your request a seasonal vegetarian lunch with home grown tea will be provided for $6, or visitors may bring their own lunches. Lunch hour is an opportunity for participants to share their learning and their own projects and ideas. I encourage visitors not to drive out for meals - it is extra fossil fuel use plus arriving back late (and holy cow, if you go to the Gumboot for lunch you are going to be late, all right) disrupts the class.

Drinking water is a valuable resource. Students are asked to bring a container of water for their daily use.

FORMAT OF CLASSES
Most classes are one and a half hours long, with only short breaks to maximize learning time during the day. When venues switch between classes, 1/2 hour travel time is required.

CLASS SIZE
Small class sizes of normally no more than 10 students guarantee maximum learning, access to Instructors, and enable the class to physically manage narrow paths and gather around small projects.

FEES
Most classes are $25 each (1.5 hours). Exceptions will be noted. Registering for whole day/weekend? Take 10% off total!

DONATIONS - This school is privately run but earns very little money. If you feel compelled to assist us with a donation, that would be stupendous, and would be put towards improving on-site overnight accommodations, to hiring help to maintain paths and gardens, to acquiring new plant gene pool, and to buying new books for the ever growing library - thanks for considering this option!!

GENTLE REQUEST TO STUDENTS

• Our wish is that the classes are as efficient and enjoyable as possible. We know that many students have come a long way, and some are using valuable funds to take these classes.
• Please be on time so you don't interrupt a class! Arrange transportation early. We will help you wherever we can to do this.
• Bring water thermos, snacks, notepad and pen, gloves and boots.
• Please turn off your cell phone!
• Last minute cancellations on unpaid registrations are becoming a major issue - spaces are booked so others cannot sign up, plus instructors have been hired who now must be paid whether there are adequate students or not. This school runs on the thinnest of strings. Please make every attempt to prepay!