We bring nonindustrial subsistence technology to (over)developed societies. We exist at the nexus of ancient, ethnographic, and modern subsistence. We aim to 1) identify ancient and contemporary nonindustrial technologies appropriate for use in modern, small-scale, self-sustaining infrastructure; 2) create do-it-yourself, resource-light solutions to sustainability problems; 3) provide our findings to the public for free use; and 4) create platforms to share information related to sustainability, especially solutions derived from ancient or ethnographic sources. We prize simple solutions over complex ones and eschew needless complication.
The hour-per-day gardening project continues. Spring is the busiest time of year, followed by fall harvesting. With the addition a part of our neighbor’s plot, we have more work and space than ever. It has been cool and a little wet, but dry enough to get some seeds in the ground. The Neighbor’s Plot This … More Hour-Per-Day Gardening Continues
It is springtime and I see gardens being put in around the village. Did you go out to your garden shed and find that a tool you need broke? Are you looking for a quicker way to plant even rows of seeds? Do you want to try a new tool before buying it? Check out … More Borrow Garden Tools from the Tool Library
The institute’s tagline is “housing, clothing, and feeding ourselves in a post-fossil-fuel world,” but we give short shrift to the “clothing” part as we work on gardening and construction projects. We were lucky enough to be offered some growing space near the institute and in addition to growing chicken feed, we thought it would be … More How Hard Could It Be to Make a Shirt?
We have a big garden and try to grow an increasing percentage of our own food. We’ve still got potatoes and some canned vegetables from last year in the larder. People often comment on how large the garden is and how much work and time it must take to keep up, so again this year, … More One-Hour-Per-Day Gardening is Back
In the last report, we found that the institute bees survived the “polar vortex” -30°F (plus windchill) temperatures but the research hives, which were split heavily and smaller in size, did not. It is now reaching flying temperatures most days (>50°F) and the bees in all four institute hives have been out. Institute Hives … More Bee Report — Early Spring is Here
Our neighbors have run a market garden for years, selling produce at the Dane County Farmers’ Market and others. This year they have decided to scale back and just grow for themselves. They have a large plot with excess capacity and have offered us about five thousand square feet of full-sun growing space. We’re incredibly grateful … More How to Use a Windfall: An Extra 5,000 ft² of Growing Space
Our Sustainability Skill Share is approaching on June 1 and 2, and we have initiated an early-bird registration discount. Did you have a look at the classes but were still deciding if you want to sign up? Deliberate no longer: this is the best price for our classes (prices are lower than when you looked … More Sustainability Skill Share: New Early-Bird Prices Now Offered!
The institute will be on reduced staff until the end of March due to parental leave. Registration for the skill share remains open and functioning, however. Emails will be answered when possible. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Last month, research professors Matt Fitzpatrick and Rob Dunn took a look at 540 urban areas and created a tool to help us understand exactly what high- and medium-emissions futures mean for us. As they point out in their paper, “A major challenge in articulating human dimensions of climate change lies in translating global climate … More What Does Climate Change Mean for Your City? Check Out this Useful Tool for Visualizing Your “New Normal”
The main driver of gardening success seems to be sunlight and matching plants to the place in your garden where they can thrive by getting enough rays each day. One way to analyze your space is to watch where the snow melts first — these are likely your “hot spots.” You could spend a midsummer … More Garden Sunlight: Auditing Your Space
