THANKS FOR A GREAT CONFERENCE!!
We're still feeling all the extraordinary energy from this past weekend's Conference. Thanks to all our sponsors, speakers, volunteers, vendors, and attendees for another great event! As the staff looks back over the photos from the weekend it is astounding to see the great care (and effort) that our instructors took to bring quality education to the event, and it is equally astounding to see the many ways in which their knowledge was so enthusiastically received. This event continues to be a true testament to our growing community and the importance of sharing. And so again: we came, we saw, and we learned to change the world!
We'll be updating the Spring Conference Library as we receive class materials from our speakers. Stay tuned! Note than in the library, materials are categorized by topic (not chronologically). So, look for the proper category, and then the title and year of the class. Happy browsing!
Hope to see you again next Spring!
to our 2012 Conference Sponsors!
It's not too late to join them in support of the southeast's ultimate sustainable living convergence! We're expecting close to 2000 people at UNC-Asheville March 3-4, 2012.
Posted by: Meredith Leigh McKissick
If you haven't already marked your calendar for March 3 & 4, 2012...it's time to get out the memo book. The Organic Growers School's 19th annual Spring Conference is scheduled for that weekend at UNC in Asheville, NC, and promises to be better than ever. Last year, we had just shy of 1700 attendees from 18 states and Canada. Green thumbs the nation-over came out for classes ranging from starting your first vegetable garden to transitioning your commercial farm. In between we baked bread, made fire from friction, and pontificated on the future of bio-char and food policy. What's to come in 2012? Well...THAT IS UP TO YOU. We've already combed the 2011 conference evaluations for your class ideas, and our team is currently pulling together another dynamic class line up for 2012. What do you want? TELL US, please via a comment on this post, or an email. Can't wait to hear from you!
ALSO, if you're hankering to get signed up for a vendor booth, or a sponsorship opportunity, you can download details here.
If you've never heard of the Conference, you can read more about it here.
Thanks to all the participants at our 5th annual True Nature Country Fair this past Saturday at Highland Lake Cove in Flat Rock, NC. We had fabulous weather, and in between the cider pressing, basket making, bread baking, contra dancing, plant walks, blacksmithing, horse logging, visiting with friends, (and a whole lot of other stuff), it was an awesome Saturday to be in good company under the autumn sunshine. If you're looking to follow up on anything you saw or heard at the event, feel free to contact Karen Vizzina, the Fair's manager via email. Hope to see you next time! Pictures coming soon!!
Posted by: Meredith Leigh McKissickWell, despite the rain and snow, the Conference was again a great success! 1679 participants from all over the nation (and Canada) came out for a weekend of action packed learning and networking. Thanks to all the passionate participants, speakers, volunteers, and others who came together to make this weekend happen. I usually don't get away from my desk much at the event, but at one point on Sunday I was able to sneak down to the artisinal bread baking class. Flour was flying everywhere, and all participants were so engaged in their kneading that no one even noticed I was there. Usually, from my angle, I get to see our staff's logistical maneuvering, our instructors' hard work, and the participant's excitement as separate forces. To see all of these forces coming together on Sunday in that one class, I witnessed a true testament to why this event has been such a success over the years. I hope everyone learned, grew, and most of all felt the same positive energy that I felt when looking into that class. It seems, that with everything going on in the world today, a place where we can all come together, work together, and share in a positive way is a bright spot that deserves to be recognized. So thank you...from all of us at OGS!
We're hard at work getting speaker materials uploaded to our Conference Library, and hope that if you haven't already done so, you will take the time to fill out an evaluation of the event. We read and record these word for word, so you can be sure that your feedback is truly considered!
Posted by: Meredith Leigh McKissick