Fall 2011

Basics of Food Preservation

This course focuses on the principles of safe food handling for home food preservation. Students learn how to plan and prepare for canning projects and get hands-on experience with different types of canning (water bath, pressure canning, steam canning) and dehydration techniques while making salsa, canned local fruit, sundried tomatoes, etc. An emphasis is placed on minimizing food waste and reducing resource consumption during the preservation process as well as learning how to source foods locally. Each student can expect to leave class with a whole lot of preserved local produce. 

• Instructors: Beth Coop & Rose Tocke

• 26878, CEU: 1, $90 + $30 materials fee

• Date: 9/08/2011-9/11/2011

• Day: 9/08/2011, 6:00PM-8:00PM; 9/10/2011, 10:00AM-5:00PM; 9/11/2011, Noon-5:00PM 

• Location: 9/08/2011 Kelley 120; 9/10/2011-9/11/2011 Gunnison Community Center Kitchen

• Grading: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Colorado Natural Building Conference

What kinds of homes will people inhabit in the future? The natural building conference is a two-day event sponsored by the Colorado Straw Bale Association that features speakers, panel discussions, hand-on workshops, and field trips in cutting-edge energy efficient and natural building techniques. Students attend and participate in a range of sessions including: building design, energy efficiency, passive solar design, alternative and renewable energy, water efficiency, natural building materials, building codes, and natural landscaping. Participants also have opportunities to meet and interact with local and regional experts in these fields. For academic credit, students are required to write a summary paper synthesizing what they learned and designing the ideal home for the next generation in a sustainable future community.  For more information check out the Colorado Straw Bale website: http://www.coloradostrawbale.org/COSBA_Conference.html

• Instructors: Dusty Szymanski

• 26880, CEU: 1, $50 + $50 conference fee payable to the conference, http://www.coloradostrawbale.org/COSBA_Conference.html

• Date: 9/24/2011-9/25/2011

• Day: Saturday, Sunday

• Location: College Center, Western State College

• Grading: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactor

Introduction to Homestead Meats 

 

This course is designed as an introduction to the processing and preserving of home-raised and local meats.  Hosted on a permaculture homestead in Almont, students will learn the basics of homestead meat production, including learning the history of homestead and heritage breeds of meat animals, a history of meat preservation, and learning to identifying cuts of meat for the sake of  being able to order whole (or half) animals through direct on-farm sales.  Students will have a hands-on experience in curing and cold smoking bacon as well as other meats and an afternoon will be dedicated to processing homegrown meat birds.  Additionally, tips and recipes for cooking grassfed and pastured-raised animals will be shared.   Take eating local to the next level!

• Instructors: Mike McMahon & Meike Meissner

• 26881, CEU: 1, $80

• Date: 10/01/2011-10/02/2011

• Day: Saturday, Sunday

• Time: 9:00AM-5:00PM

• Location: Golden Goose Farm, Almont CO

• Grading: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Sustainable Building Design

Sustainable Building Design is centered on energy- and resource-efficient building, with specific focus on cold climate regions like the Gunnison Valley. This course is geared toward designers, architects, builders, contractors, owner-builders, environmental studies and sustainable architecture students as well as other interested community members.

 Experts and professionals are invited from specific fields of study to teach each of the course sessions. Specific topics include: building health, solar home design, alternative and natural building techniques, energy efficiency, moisture control, infiltration, renewable energy systems, conventional and green mechanical systems, healthy building finishes, building code and financing issues, and how to conduct an energy audit.

 The course also includes a Saturday field trip to tour sustainable homes and witness the topics taught in the course in use. After completing this course, students have a thorough understanding of sustainable and energy-efficient building methodologies.

• Instructor: Andris Zobs

• 26805, ENVS 397, Credit: 2, $200 + $270 course fee

• 26806, CEU: 2, $270

• Date: 9/07/2011-11/09/2011

• Day: Wednesday + one Saturday field trip-date to be determined

• Time: 6:00PM-9:00PM

• Location: Kelley 121

• Grading: A-F

 Sustainable Gardening

What types of sustainable garden designs are the best for western Colorado? The first two classes will meet at Round Mountain, a small-scale organic farm  near CB South. On October 8 we will have both hands-on work on the farm and discussions of seed selection, planting, garden/ greenhouse placement and design, and companion and succession planting. Class on October 9 will include hands-on planting of garlic and more discussion of growing principals such as soil amendments, composting and watering techniques. The final class on October 15 will be a field trip to several small-scale organic farms in the Paonia and Hotchkiss area to see a variety of  sustainable garden set ups such as different types of beds, greenhouses, and high tunnels, and understand how farms market their produce through farmers’ markets, wholesale accounts and community supported agriculture.

• Instructor: Nancy Wicks

• 26879, CEU: 1, $80

• Date: 10/08/2011-10/15/2011

• Day: 10/08/2011-10/09/2011, 10:00AM-5:00PM; 10/15/2011, 8:00AM-8:00PM

• Location: Round Mountain Organic Farm, Crested Butte

• Grading: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory