Permaculture: Permanent Agriculture & Permanent Culture

Come to Bernardsville Library on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 pm to learn inspiring and practical information on how to design and regenerate New Jersey landscapes and communities using permaculture principles. Wanda Knapik, co-founder of the Permaculture Network of New Jersey and owner of My Local Garden, will share her experiences and insights on how first to observe nature; then design agriculturally productive ecosystems; and then create cooperative and economically just social systems that form the resilient foundation for stability in our culture. She will review twelve design principles, bringing them alive with photos and examples from nature. She will also discuss soil stewardship and our role in protecting the "skin" of Mother Earth so that we can continue to grow food and sustain plant and animal life on this planet.

Ms. Knapik is a certified Permaculture Design Consultant, currently working on several local projects including an organic farm in Warren where she is helping to create a permaculture demonstration site. She is the co-founder of the Permaculture Network of New Jersey, and has trained with many experts in the field of edible landscapes, organic vegetable, fruit, and nut production.

Ms. Knapik is also President and Founder of My Local Garden. This Bernardsville-based business creates organic vegetable gardens in backyards, schoolyards, and community gardens in suburban and urban settings across New Jersey. Her goal is to build a sustainable local food system and empower state residents to shift from just being consumers to being producers by growing their own food and composting their food waste. An active member of the Bernardsville Green Team and the Sustainable Jersey program, she also belongs to many environmental organizations including the Leonard J. Buck Garden, Bernardsville Garden Club, CommunityGreen and Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-NJ). She has lived in Bernardsville for the past nine years.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.