UniEcoBudget Working Group
Do unto the Earth as you would have the Earth do unto you!
See Ecobudget solution also nov 16 2008red deer ab casundayto the editorThe Current global crisis synopsisI feel and sense that our current state of global affairs is the result of the Global public getting a mixed or confusing message from global governments.Governments have in a sense been saying for some time now that the planet and environment are in a ...learn more
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Nov 18, 2008
Updated: Nov 21, 2009
Membership: Open To Apply
Semi-Private
Organization Info [Edit]
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network [Add] · [List] · [Visualize]
   |
Areas of Focus [Edit]
About [Edit]
The Internship Program
Starting every June and September, groups of up to fourteen interns join our ten staff members for an intensive eight-week learning experience. Classes and activities typically run from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Instructors and assistants teach each course, assuring many opportunities for personal attention and guidance. Classes combine lecture and discussion formats with practical, hands-on activities. We encourage a holistic understanding of each subject area that is grounded in specific experience and enhanced by the broader intellectual perspectives available in our diverse learning environment. Readings, independent projects, and field trips supplement other coursework. All interns typically live on-site, sharing rooms in our strawbale dormitory and participating in the active daily life of our ecologically-oriented research and education center. We apply our newly learned skills every day, cooking with food from our garden, heating and building with wood and other materials from our forest, utilizing native plant species for food, medicine and crafts, and using various appropriate technologies to meet our basic needs. Room, board (all organic), and instruction are all included with tuition. Students often can receive undergraduate or graduate college credit through arrangements with their advisors.
The Setting
Aprovecho Research Center is a forty-acre land trust operated since 1981 by Aprovecho, a 501(C)(3) non-profit membership corporation formed “to provide a basis for scientific research on appropriate technologies and techniques for simple and cooperative living, and to serve an educational role in disseminating information on such technologies and techniques.” Our initial mission has expanded somewhat, to emphasize sustainable forestry, food production, and related skills as well as appropriate technology, but the spirit of our work remains unchanged: to learn how to live together sustainably and ecologically, and to help others do the same, in this and other countries.
Located between the Cascade and Coast Ranges in central western Oregon, the Research Center is five miles west of the small town of Cottage Grove, twenty miles south of the university town of Eugene, and within easy reach of some of Oregon’s most beautiful natural areas. Weekends are unscheduled and are favorite times for interns to explore some of the rich cultural activities and diverse ecosystems nearby. Many interns also choose to stay at the Research Center on weekends to work on independent projects, to spend more time in the garden or woods, or simply to relax and enjoy our beautiful rural setting.
Thirty-five of our forty acres are forested. On approximately twenty of these, selective logging is done using sustainable forestry practices, while fifteen are protected in perpetuity as a wildlife area where no cutting is allowed. The remaining five acres encompass our buildings (including the straw bale dorm and Rotegrity shop), garden, orchards, and meadow. A seasonal creek bisects our valley, and we are surrounded along most of our boundary by forested land.
The Interns
Interns come from diverse backgrounds, with varied interests and different levels of experience, but share some common traits. They want to learn how to live in ways that are more ecologically and socially sustainable, and to acquire specific practical and intellectual skills that will aid them in this transition. Interns from Kenya, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere have returned to their own countries to aid in the creation of fuel-efficient cookstoves, solar ovens, insulated cookers, and other appropriate devices that can improve lives and reduce resource consumption. Other interns have gone on to create community gardens, work in ecological restoration, to homestead or farm, to work with other groups focused on positive social and ecological change, and in general to inject a new ecological ethic into their own and other’s daily lives. The majority of our interns are college-aged, but we strongly encourage all ages to experience the program.
Whether attempting to ground their academic studies in real-life experience, to develop ecological living skills, or to explore more deeply the principles of sustainable living… interns can not help but be changed by their experience here. Some return or stay on, and eventually become staff members, others continue their adventure elsewhere, but everyone leaves knowing that they are part of our ever-enlarging family.
The Classes:
Organic Gardening
In our acre-plus organic garden, we grow the great majority of fresh produce we consume year-round, at the same time that we learn about and research various sustainable food growing techniques, ranging from Biodynamic French-intensive to Permaculture and natural farming. Interns become involved in all aspects of food production, from seed-saving, bed preparation and planting, to crop maintenance, harvest, use, and preservation, composting, vermiculture, perennial-annual interplanting, and wild edible foraging. Practical activities vary with the seasons but each intern gets their own bed to experiment on and all principles of growing are explored. Readings, independent projects, and field trips to various local farms supplement the on-site classes, discussions, and activities – giving interns a basic foundation in ecological horticulture. Homegrown organic food which we have taken part in creating helps ground and connect us with one another and with the land, at the same time that it nourishes us physically.
Sustainable Forestry
Our Lane County zoning status as a Forestry Research Center has made our work with sustainable forestry techniques more visible and accessible both to foresters and to the general public. Interns take part in this research, which focuses on selective thinning as an alternative to clear-cutting, low impact methods of timber removal (such as horse logging), planting, cultivation, and use of non-timber forest products, and restoration of areas impacted by logging. Interns also spend time exploring our watershed, maintaining our bamboo groves, experimenting with mushroom cultivation, and taking part in seasonal activities such as native plant propagation, seed collection, and cider making.
Appropriate Technology
The Appropriate Technology Group works to develop energy-efficient, non-polluting, renewable technologies that utilize current research but which are designed to be made in most any country. Our designs use readily available materials, many of them considered “trash,” to create devices that can improve the quality of life while lessening environmental degradation. Our classes, projects, and research concentrate on meeting primary needs such as cooking, sanitation, heating, cooling, shelter, etc., using both direct and indirect (stored) solar energy. Interns learn not only how to build specific designs, but more importantly, how to be a designer: how to adapt basic design principles to the use of locally-available materials, while taking into account the social and environmental factors unique to each situation.
Other Classes: A holistic understanding of sustainability
Along with Aprovecho’s central coursework, we offer some additional classes as season, interest, and staff availability allows. These can include, but are not limited to: herbal studies, hide tanning, weaving, slaughtering animals, map making, natural building, medicinal herbs, fermentation, beer making, and many more classes that are all connected by the central issue of self-sufficient and sustainable living. There will be field trips to permacultural sites in the area; and there will be a class on social movements and conceptualizing ourselves in the social matrix. There is also the possibility of interns remaining in the area for an additional week, working with one of three local organizations: Center for Appropriate Transportation, Grassroots Garden or Full Circle Community Farm or other local farmers. Contact us for more information.
Aprovecho’s Other Work
Friends and members of Aprovecho are active worldwide in the movement for social and ecological sustainability. Our various fuel-efficient cookstove designs have been used in many parts of the world and we are actively involved with organizations from many countries around the world working with appropriate technology. We publish a quarterly newsletter, News from Aprovecho, (available to members who pay $30/yr.), write articles for various magazines, and publish the heavily praised booklet Capturing Heat($7 postage paid), which describes in detail how to build five of our favorite devices. We host an open house the first Sunday of every month at 2 pm where we give the public an in-depth look into our lives here. In addition to our internship program we also host occasional shorter courses, bring educational presentations to fairs and to schools, and offer consultancies. Call us for details!!!
How Do I Apply?
Internships are offered on a space-available basis to qualified applicants. Priority will be given to applications received at least three months prior to the start of the session. Although there are no specific educational or work-related prerequisites, we seek individuals who are enthusiastic, have a sincere interest in our subjects of study and a willingness to join in a cooperative learning experience. The eight-week intensive starts the Monday closest to June 18, and September 3rd this year. Tuition is on a sliding scale basis of $2250-$3250 and includes a shared room, all-organic food, instruction for the term, and printing fees. A sliding scale is offered in order to make the internship accessible to a diverse range of individuals. We encourage you to pay according to your means. Aprovecho offers a quality program for a minimal cost and relies on some individuals paying the high end of the scale. Interns generally need only a small amount of spending money, as most necessities are provided on-site.
To apply, please provide the following information. Limit application to no more than three pages.
1) Name, address, telephone number, term you’re applying for, how you heard about us and (optional) age.
2) Why would you like to be considered for an internship at Aprovecho Research Center?
3) Which aspects of Aprovecho’s course offerings most interest you?
4) How do you think the knowledge and skills you acquire here will fit into your vision of moving towards a socially-just, sustainable society? What do you intend to do with the knowledge and skill you acquire here ?
5) Tell us about yourself and your goals.
6) Tell us about your educational background, special skills, or anything else you consider important.
7) How do you feel about living in an intentional community/group setting? Are you open to helping with household responsibilities (for example, cooking a meal/doing dishes once per week and daily chores)?
8) How did you hear about the Aprovecho Internship Program?
Return your application to Aprovecho Research Center, Attn.: Internship Coordinator, 80574 Hazelton Rd., Cottage Grove, OR 97424. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our Internship Coordinator at (541) 942-8198. Thank you for your interest.
