TLC Farm Accomplishments in 2007

Land Projects
*Shaped bioswales and planted native plants to direct and store storm water in three different areas of TLC Farm. Transformed approximately 15,375 square feet (over a third of an acre!) from invasive blackberries into food forests and organic gardens.

*Site for the 7th Village Building Convergence, hosting workshops on food foresting, weeding for fertility, and swales/greywater. VBC participants removed blackberries, planted a food forest and re-designed the Village Green.

*Installed Portland's first public composting toilets! Along with increasing TLC Farm's ability to host visitors and classes, the toilets are a new educational tool, inspiring a PSU Master's Thesis and discussions about sewage and composting with every field trip that visits the farm.

*Successfully birthed and raised six baby goats, and sold 90 gallons of raw goat milk from TLC Farm.

Partnerships and Advocacy
*New and continuing partnerships with SERA Architects, Shining Star Waldorf School, Trackers NW, City Repair, Architects Without Borders, Architects For Humanity, Ancestral Lifeways Community, Portland Permaculture Guild, Coalition for a Livable Future, Center for a Sustainable Today, Salmon Nation, Sunroot Gardens, Cedar Moon, and more!

*Partnered with Shining Star Waldorf School to host Mother Earth Kindergarten, the nation's first bio-immersion kindergarten.

*Launched ReCode Portland, a campaign to develop new legal codes and permitting processes to allow for sustainable residential design.

Education
Hands-on Sustainability Youth Education Program
* Hosted 103 field trips to over 1200 students and 300 adult chaperones.

* 19 volunteer teachers gave 292 teacher hours

* All classes provided on a donation basis, with $5540 in donations received this year

* Held TLC Farm's first sustainability-focused summer camp and second annual youth drum camp.

* Helped catalyze networking meetings with other farm/garden educational programs in Portland

* Received a $20,000 grant from Spirit Mountain Community Fund
and hired Matt Gordon as part-time education coordinator.

Community Education
*Hosted the Earth Activist Training in May, a two-week residential permaculture design certification course for 20 participants.

*Received a $3,500 Community Watershed Grant from the Bureau of Environmental Services to construct educational land signs, and have begun to design and construct the signs.

*Completed a comprehensive guide to over 100 medicinal plants found or grown at TLC Farm, which is available both on our website and as a laminated compilation to use while visiting the farm.

*Hosted over 20 community workshops on a variety of sustainability-related topics.

*Hosted seven interns, with internships from one week to one year,

*Hosted service projects with groups including Nike, PSU, AEI, Riverdale High School, Gilkey Middle School, Lewis & Clark College, and Northwest Service Academy Americorps.

Approximately 120 volunteers gave about 8,800 hours — WOW!!! TLC Farm is truly a volunteer effort, fueled by the love and generosity of the community. Thanks for another great year!

Zimbabwe House Party!!

** PLEASE NOTE: This event is NOT at TLC Farm.**

A benefit to bring Tryon Life Community Farm to Kufunda Learning Village and the Berkana Exchange.

Join us on Sunday, April 13th from 6-10 pm at 1905 NE Going St to support cross-continental and cross-cultural learning, while eating Zimbabwean food, listening to great traditional Zimbabwean music, and learning more about the sustainability movement in Zimbabwe.

This benefit will support TLC Farm's involvement with the Berkana Exchange (see below) and Zimbabwean activists. TLC Farm needs to raise at least $1,500 to fund travel expenses for representatives of TLC Farm to travel to Kufunda Learning Village in May, and any funds raised in excess of travel needs will help allied activists in Zimbabwe visit TLC Farm in the future.

The benefit will include:

* a traditional Zimbabwean food for dinner, including groundnut stew, sadza, and Zimbabwean-style cooked greens;

* a slide show about Kufunda Learning Village, where TLC Farm volunteer Jenny Leis lived during her travels last year;

* great Zimbabwean music by Pachi Pamwe (http://www.myspace.com/pachipamwe) and Njuzu Mbira (www.cdbaby.com/cd/njuzumbira)

* silent auction items and a raffle!

* beer & wine for donation.

** PLEASE NOTE: This event is NOT at TLC Farm.**

** This will be a house party at 1905 NE Going St., in Portland. For a map click here.**

COST: $10-20 sliding scale donation (includes dinner). Volunteer opportunities available. Come ready to be merry!

For more info please contact: mattg[at]tryonfarm.org or call 503.245.3847.

[Note: if you can't come to the benefit, but want to make a donation to support cross-cultural sharing, please send a check (to TLC Farm, 11640 SW Boones Ferry Road, Portland, OR 97219) or make a donation online (at www.tryonfarm.org) and indicate that it is for the Berkana Learning Journey.]

Global learning opportunity: Berkana Exchange

TLC Farm is honored to be invited to the Berkana Exchange Art of Learning Conference happening this May in Zimbabwe! The Berkana Exchange facilitates connections between 13 "learning centers" located in various countries around the world: Senegal, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Greece, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. The centers all share a commitment to grassroots organizing, ecological sustainability, and healthy living and are doing inspiring work in their local communities.

Each year Berkana facilitates an Art of Learning Centering Gathering, which is an opportunity for representatives from each learning center to come together and share ideas and skills, create relationships, and weave together pieces of the global puzzle. The purpose of the gathering is: "To consciously, deliberately and collectively create a field of shared learning around the art of learning centering, which is the practice of hosting local spaces where people gather to explore and invent ways for communities to become healthy and resilient."

The gathering this year is being held from May 4-14 at Kufunda Learning Village, in Harare, Zimbabwea. TLC Farm connected with Kufunda when volunteer Jenny Leis lived there last year. To learn more about Kufunda visit www.kufunda.org or read Jenny's blog at www.journeydejenny.blogspot.com.

We are excited to participate and to explore the possibility of TLC Farm becoming the Berkana Exchange's newest Learning Center, and the only center in the United States. After thoughtful consideration we have selected farm residents Hope Medford and Matt Gordon to make the journey and represent us at the conference and are preparing them to share what we are learning in Portland. Do you have things you'd like Matt and Hope to share about TLC Farm or the wider community in Portland with other Berkana centers? Questions you'd like them to ask? Ideas for them to share? Don't hesitate to email berkana@tryonfarm.org, and stay tuned for stories of their travels and learnings.

Financial Update

This place belongs to the earth; this project belongs to you. Some of us work daily with TLC Farm as an organization so that the broader sustainability movement -- that's you! -- can more easily engage the work and play of learning to become respectful allies with all our relations, starting right here.