Food, Ecosystems and Community: Lessons from Nature Speaker Series

Join us for a winter workshop series exploring the living systems at the heart of a community food forest. Together, we’ll learn how to create regenerative, resilient landscapes-where soil, plants, and people work together in mutually supportive relationships.

The series features nationally recognized speakers Didi Pershouse, Dave Jacke, Ricky Baruch and Deb Habib.

Didi Pershouse is an author, educator, and policy strategist, whose work focuses on living soils, carbon cycles, and the role of soil health in resilient ecosystems and communities.

Dave Jacke is co-author of Edible Forest Gardens and a leading voice in permaculture and ecological design. Jacke will present two talks exploring forest gardening as a model for home and community landscapes, and how ecosystem principles-such as diversity, cooperation, and interdependence-can inform resilient social structures.

Ricky Baruch and Deb Habib are the founders of Seeds of Solidarity, an organic farm and education center. Their book, Making Love While Farming: Field Guide to a Life of Passion & Purpose, chronicles their work to heal our relationships to land and each other is the tangible manifestation of their love.

Together, these speakers bring deep ecological insight and practical wisdom rooted in nature based systems. Whether you’re cultivating a backyard, tending a shared green space, or simply interested in how ecosystems sustain life, this series offers insight, inspiration, and actionable ideas for nurturing landscapes that grow, adapt, and nourish for generations.

*Speaker Schedule*

Tuesday, January 13 | 7:00 PM

Didi Pershouse — Author • Educator • Policy Strategist

Soil as a Living System: How Healthy Soil Supports Ecosystems and Communities

An exploration of soil biology and the critical role living soils play in climate resilience, food systems, and community health.

Tuesday, February 10 | 7:00 PM

Dave Jacke — Co-author of Edible Forest Gardens

Gardening Like a Forest: Ecosystem Mimicry for Homes and Communities

Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. Wouldn’t you like to grow an abundant food-producing ecosystem like this in your back yard or neighborhood? You can! Edible forest gardens mimic the structure and function of natural forests while growing food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and fun. We can meet our own needs and regenerate healthy landscapes, communities, and ecosystems at the same time. We will dive into the vision of forest gardening, a little history, some science, a few living examples, and a sampling of some useful perennial edibles you can use in your own gardens.

Tuesday, March 10 | 7:00 PM

Dave Jacke — Co-author of Edible Forest Gardens

Ecosystem Social Structures

Functional social interactions between species lie at the core of healthy ecosystems. Understanding species and community niches, interspecies relationships, food webs, guilds, polycultures, and the principles that undergird these structures greatly improves our ability to design and manage healthy forest gardens—and healthy human societies!

Tuesday, March 24th | 7:00 PM

Ricky Baruch and Deb Habib — Founders of Seeds of Solidarity in Orange MA, with over three decades of experience gardening, farming and teaching widely.

Grow Food Everywhere!

Celebrate spring with this engaging presentation and inspiration for abundant gardens to come. Appropriate for both beginning and experienced gardeners, you will gain ideas for building rich, living soil with local resources and regenerative no-till methods. Learn from presenter experience and interactive conversation as you gather practical ideas for low maintenance and climate resilient methods that grow healthy soil and nourishing food for home or community, and in all settings.

Recordings of prior events will be available. Contact [email protected] if interested.

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