The solutions are in the soil!
Attention: this course is postponed till 2024.
On Friday July 9 through Wednesday 13 2021 I will, for the second time, give a course on soils at Provision in Alunişu, Romania. I live in The Netherlands and have given over 150 courses and over 250 lectures since 2013.
Sustainability is not enough. We need regenerative cultures. We need to know in our hearts that we are nature, that everything and everyone is connected. To really understand this, we need to shed light on our blind spot: the soil!
During this course you will meet several important inhabitants of a healthy soil: bacteria, fungi, protists, nematodes, earthworms, and more. What’s their purpose? How do they relate to each other? And more importantly: how can we help them so they can do their important work?
Although soil life is infinitely complex, taking care of it is not. We must learn to trust the complexities and team up with all life.
Although we need healthy soils for the health of plants, animals and even the planet, we lose soils at breakneck speed. Agriculture causes desertification, erosion, deforestation, pollution and the degradation of life in general. Planet Earth is losing its biodiversity at a rate of about two hundred species per day and her climate is increasingly erratic.
Problems abound, but many solutions can be found in the soil!
Here’s a short impression of the course I gave in 2019:
Newsletter
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Language
The course will be in English, but that’s not my mother tongue. We will help each other if I can’t find the right words or someone doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say.
Cost
The price of the course includes on-site accommodation, drinks and meals.
I generally work for free, living on donations with my wife and son. We’ve succesfully crowdfunded three quarters of the funds needed for this five-day course. That means that the course should be affordable for all. Still, we maintain three fees to make sure no one is left out:
- The standard fee is 230 RON per person. This will not cover all our costs, but the rest should come from the crowdfund.
- If you cannot afford this, please contact us if you wish to pay the basic fee of 130 RON.
- If you have more financial resources, please pay the community fee of 330 RON.
Bank information
- Reference Name: Asociatia Provision Transylvania
- IBAN (RON): RO67BTRLRONCRT0492346201
- IBAN (EUR): RO17BTRLEURCRT0492346201
- Swift/Bic: BTRLRO22XXX
- Bank: Banca Transilvania S.A.
Food and drinks
Food and drinks are included in the fee. They are provided by Provision and will be locally and organically grown as much as possible. Please feel free to bring food or non-alcoholic drinks to keep our costs down.
Register
You may register for this course using the form at the bottom of this page. Once your payment is received, you will receive a confirmation email.
Do you know people that might be interested? Please inform them! You can also invite them via the Facebook event.
At the moment, there is one participant.
Cancellation
Cancellation is possible until June 9 2021, you can get a full refund. After that, no refunds are possible.
Location
Provision
Alunişu 25
407516 Alunişu, Sincraiu (Romania)
Your stay
There are several accommodation options:
Offered free of charge at Provision:
[1] Camping; bring your own gear.
[2] Hay barn; bring your own sleeping gear.
[3] Shared room; limited number of mattresses available, please bring the bedding you require.
Outside solar shower and compost toilet are available.
Otherwise:
[4] Informal lodging with locals of Alunişu. The beds are made and all within walking distance from Provision. Cost 50 RON per person per night, payed at the time of registration for the course.
[5] Bed and Breakfast in Sancraiu (3 km distance from Alunişu and Provision). You will have to arrange this for yourself, using this link.
Please let us know when you register for which option you are choosing (1 – 5).
Program (under construction)
The program may change due to weather conditions. There is ample time to get to know each other during breaks and evenings.
Friday, July 9 (12:00 – 17:00)
- Thinking in systems: it’s all about relations
- Feedback: nature speaks!
- About soils: texture, structure and how to test the soil quality
- Photosynthesis: the basis of life on Earth
Saturday, July 10 (10:00 – 16:00)
- Fun with fungi: healthy systems rely on fungal networks
- The Return of the Fungi: making good use of succession
- The water cycle: what’s life got to do with it?
- Complex not complicated: the illusion of control
Sunday, July 11 (9:00 – 18:00)
Today we go for a refreshing walk through the hills! Bring your hiking shoes!
- Observing your surroundings: reading the landscape
- The Soil Food Web: the interconnectedness of all things
- Picking up trash along the way
Monday, July 12 (10:00 – 17:00)
- Composting
- Workshop by Lars: how to set up and use a composting toilet
- Nutrients in the soil: how to get them inside the plant
- Nitrogen: essential but troublesome
- Dynamic equilibrium: striving for balance
Tuesday, July 13 (9:00 – 12:00)
- Nutrients in the soil: how to get them inside the plant
- Nitrogen: essential but troublesome
- Dynamic equilibrium: striving for balance
- Farewell ceremony