Master Gardener Jan Enthoven will offer a “Regenerative Living and Gardening” program this summer at Karmê Chöling, thanks to seed-money awarded to the Foragers — a group of local sangha members advocating food security and sustainability in the age of Climate Change.
The program takes place mostly in the garden with Jan, and with walks and practice in the forest led by Shastri Donna Williams.
“Every day there will be a morning and evening session of meditation, and I will talk about spirituality and the garden, spirituality and our ordinary, daily life,” said Jan.
The $4,000 grant was awarded to the Foragers by the Harmon Foundation for developing the curriculum and marketing the program, and other things.
In addition to gardening, the program will raise awareness of how basic living habits can affect the planet and the quality of our lives.
“We all have to learn those things more than we have in the past. We’ve been talking and thinking about it, but we really haven’t changed our habits very much,” said Jan. “How can we live simpler lives that are yet very rich?”
Participants can attend for one weekend or for two full weeks. It’s currently set for August, when in-person visits to Karmê Chöling are hoped to be the norm again.
“The difference with the people doing the two-week program is that they will actually, actively, make compost and they will actively plant something and they will maybe seed a cover crop,” said Jan.
This is a Tyrolese Mountain Sheep from Stubai Valley, Tyrol, Austria. It’s not an actual sheep that lives in Vermont. For Illustration purposes only. Wiki Commons.
“At that time there will be sheep grazing at Karmê Chöling, on some meadows,” he said.
Grazing animals create a healthier climate by taking part in a process that sequesters carbon below ground. Jan has found a local sheep farmer looking for pasture who has agreed to let his sheep roam the meadows.
The program is aimed at people who have an interest in backyard gardening and meditation, and who share concern about climate change and environmental degradation.
The Foragers are a group of local sangha members who share concerns about climate change and food security. One of their goals is to encourage Karmê Chöling toward more sustainable living.
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