Your Cup Of Tea

August 22 | 4:00 PM | Sweet Hollow Farm

(North-East corner of Mountainside Village, across from the cemetery)

We will meet at Sweet Hollow Farm and head out on the hillside trail to marvel at the bounty of edible plants. We will learn about sustainable wildcrafting practices and basic botany. We will head back to the farm for some herb gathering and learn hands-on how to process and dry them for later use and how to concoct and brew them into tea. We will taste 3 different teas from raspberry leaf, goldenrod, and mallow leaf.

Instructor:

Jenna Barnes is a creative plant-based chef. Her passion for growing food, wildcrafting and supporting honest artisans has been fueled from working on various organic farms and guiding active travel trips all over the world. Inspired by these journeys, she has gleaned a wealth of traditional knowledge from these cultures, their recipes + flavors, and connection to nature. 
Jenna studies herbal medicine and loves concocting plant-powered formulas to share with others: tea blends, tinctures, shrubs, elixirs and herbal salts are her favorites. Her apothecary is located on the beautiful land of Sweet Hollow Farm- come visit anytime!
To learn more visit her website: www.parakaloprovisions.com or follow her on Instagram @parakaloprovisions

All About That Shrub

September 5 | 4:00 PM | Sweet Hollow Farm

(North-East corner of Mountainside Village, across from the cemetery)

This workshop is all about creating an amazing base for a refreshing beverage. Shrub is the Arabic word for “drink”, and this concentrated and fermented drinking vinegar dates back to the 17th century when it was used to make fruit last during the long voyage across the sea. Today, it’s another delicious and healthy way to reap the benefits of our plant allies that grow around us. We will begin by gathering herbs from Sweet Hollow Farm and the hillside to then infuse into apple cider vinegar, honey, and farm fresh raspberries. Each participant will create their own combination to take home and enjoy.

Instructor:

Jenna Barnes is a creative plant-based chef. Her passion for growing food, wildcrafting and supporting honest artisans has been fueled from working on various organic farms and guiding active travel trips all over the world. Inspired by these journeys, she has gleaned a wealth of traditional knowledge from these cultures, their recipes + flavors, and connection to nature. 
Jenna studies herbal medicine and loves concocting plant-powered formulas to share with others: tea blends, tinctures, shrubs, elixirs and herbal salts are her favorites. Her apothecary is located on the beautiful land of Sweet Hollow Farm- come visit anytime!
To learn more visit her website: www.parakaloprovisions.com or follow her on Instagram @parakaloprovisions

Preserve and Prepare

September 19 | 4:00 PM | Sweet Hollow Farm

(North-East corner of Mountainside Village, across from the cemetery)

As we begin to see the first signs of autumn, it is time to preserve the summer bounty. Using the seasonal produce from Sweet Hollow Farm, we will make sauerkraut and pickled vegetables to enjoy in the depths of winter when we crave sun kissed fresh vegetables. We’ll also infuse these with local herbs to add in an extra boost of flavor and benefits. Each participant will take home a jar of a pickled or preserved veggie.

Instructor:

Jenna Barnes is a creative plant-based chef. Her passion for growing food, wildcrafting and supporting honest artisans has been fueled from working on various organic farms and guiding active travel trips all over the world. Inspired by these journeys, she has gleaned a wealth of traditional knowledge from these cultures, their recipes + flavors, and connection to nature. 
Jenna studies herbal medicine and loves concocting plant-powered formulas to share with others: tea blends, tinctures, shrubs, elixirs and herbal salts are her favorites. Her apothecary is located on the beautiful land of Sweet Hollow Farm- come visit anytime!
To learn more visit her website: www.parakaloprovisions.com or follow her on Instagram @parakaloprovisions

Green Retrofitting

May 11 | 5:30 PM | Mountainside Village Pavilion

What are the opportunities to improve an existing home?

Retrofitting will be presented using a retrofit of a house at Mountainside Village as an example. The discussion will take a holistic approach to minimizing environmental impacts while also considering aesthetic and economic factors.  Starting with a home energy audit, the discussion of options begins from the roof down. Government incentives, tax breaks, and rebates will be reviewed. Examples include solar panels, improved insulation, replacing siding and windows, energy efficient appliances, and heating and cooling systems.  Additionally, materials, local contractors, transportation, and waste management will be discussed.

Instructor:

Forrest McCarthy is a full time resident of Mountainside Village, and has completed a deep retrofit of his home with the ultimate goal of becoming carbon neutral. A veteran mountain guide and conservationist, Forrest leads climate research projects in the Arctic and Antarctic and strives to minimize his planetary impact while at home in Teton Valley. 

Recycling in Teton Valley

May 17 | 6:00 PM | Mountainside Village Pavilion

Join Dave Hudascko of RAD Curbside, and Iris Saxer of Teton Valley Community Recycling, to learn what is recyclable in Teton Valley, and get the inside scoop on new opportunities coming down the pike.

We’ll share important tips on how to reduce your waste stream and save a lot of money whether it be on a construction site, at your workplace, or at your home.  We’ll share the top misconceptions about recycling and introduce you to a wide array of options to reduce, reuse, and recycle things you might not even know are recyclable. Join us for this interactive presentation where we want you to ask questions!

Instructors:

Iris Saxer is the executive director of Teton Valley Community Recycling, the local non-profit that promotes waste reduction and recycling solutions. Her passion for education and zero waste living have left her buried in community plastic and other “hard to recycle” items as she strives to increase opportunities and engagement in waste reduction initiatives throughout Teton Valley.

David Hudacsko is the co-founder/owner and operator of RAD Curbside, the local curbside recycling and trash hauler with the goal to “Leverage the Value of Waste to Improve Our Community. Live, breath, swims in the life of recycling, waste-diversion and waste.

Minimizing Heat Loss

May 26 | 5:30 PM | Mountainside Village Pavilion

In this workshop, there will be discussion of the set up in typical construction that allows a loss of heat, and what innovations can remedy this.

High performance details such as orientation of windows, the size of window frames, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, amount of glazing needed, air tightness, and insulation techniques discussed in passive house standards will be presented. There will be discussion of the possible financial limitations, if remodeling is an option, and where you can see the most “bang for your buck” if you have limited monetary funds.

Instructor:

Scott Paulson has been involved in the construction field for over 20 years with the past 10 years being solely focused on consulting and testing of high performance energy efficient buildings. He specializes in the incorporation of proper building science principles to help projects achieve their goals while focusing on energy efficiency, comfort and indoor air quality. He has held many certifications such as HERS rater (Energy Star), Certified Passive House Consultant, Level 1 Thermographer, and Building Performance Institute certifications.

Sustainability in the Backyard Garden

June 8 | 5:30 PM | Sweet Hollow Farm

(North-East corner of Mountainside Village, across from the cemetery)

Discover ways to grow food more efficiently and learn how you can close the loop on food production and food waste at a home scale.

This workshop will cover garden planning/design, growing techniques to maximize yield in a cold climate, growing for nutrient density and plant health, as well as multiple composting / waste cycling techniques. Bring your questions on gardening & composting as there will be a large Q&A portion as well.

Instructors:

Jonah Sloven graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in environmental science and business. Following his formal education he travelled the word learning practices from other sustainably minded famers. He returned stateside where he found his sense of community in Teton Valley where agriculture was a hobby until the opportunity at SHF presented itself.

Josh Arthur grew up in a commercial nursery, He is an expert when it comes to starting seeds and plant sales. He was drawn to farming by the health benefits of eating sustainably grown food. Prior to joining the Sweet Hollow team he was an avid gardener and professional athlete.

Benjamin Hawkins has been a river guide all over the American west. He became involved in farming primarily as a way to protect the landscapes he loves and is concerned with sustainability and protecting the natural resources of our valley. He is a social media marketing expert and talented designer leading the charge for SHF’s marketing program.

Andrea Swedberg is proud to be the compost/food waste reduction program manager with Teton Valley Community Recycling, where reaching out to others through education and free-and-fun compost programs can help to reduce our carbon footprint, and to do our part to keep the valley healthy and beautiful.

Passive Solar & Climate Responsive Design

June 22 | 5:30 PM | Mountainside Village Pavilion

This workshop will focus on design responses to our specific geographical location (Mountain west).

By utilizing statistical analysis of the region’s weather patterns, we can design buildings, communities and landscapes to make the most of our climatic conditions. Topics discussed will cover – Passive Solar Basic & Advanced Practices, Site Planning for Solar Access & Energy Conservation, Integrated Problem Solving & how to be shrewd about making the most of the $ spent in pursuit of healthy living & energy conservation.   

Instructor:

Larry Thal has lived and practiced architecture, and community design and development, from his Wilson Wyoming studio for over 30 years. He has a strong background designing efficient, sensible, attractive homes and small commercial buildings that are well integrated with their site and take advantage of the latest in high performance building strategies.

Larry serves as the lead architect of Mountainside Village; this community in Victor Idaho won the 2006 Idaho Smart Growth award for residential communities based on the strong Traditional Neighborhood Design, and innovative ideas such as protected solar envelopes and high performance building standards.

Sustainable Building Materials

June 29 | 5:30 PM | Mountainside Village Pavilion

Building materials matter a great deal. We spend 90% of our lifetime indoors. The materials we are surrounded by impact our health just as the food we eat impacts our health. Building products are a major part of our industry and have social impacts just as farming or other types of manufacturing. And, because buildings account for 30-40% of all greenhouse gas emissions, we cannot ignore the materials we use in construction if we are hoping to stop or slow climate change.

The good news is: we have materials and methods around us that are tried and proven to have positive impacts in all aspects: health of builders and occupants, human connection, and long-term carbon storage. There are materials around us that can be ecologically and psychologically restorative, beautiful, non-toxic, socially equitable, responsibly sourced and result in little or no waste.

This workshop will examine data and indicators to understand why this is important, review recent successful local projects, and discuss ways in which you can source responsible materials in our region and community.

Instructor:

Lindsey Love is committed to incorporating natural and raw materials wherever possible in any project. She specializes in determining when, where, and how these materials can be the most appropriate and beautiful solution. She has balanced her 20-year architectural and building career with many seasons of construction work doing everything from framing to fine plastering, electrical work and management.

Also an educator, Lindsey has led natural building workshops in North Carolina and was a visiting lecturer at Universidad de Valle de Mexico and continues to teach natural materials workshops in her free time. She has a fierce belief that design enhances our experience through creating connection.

Lindsey is a Certified Passive House Tradesperson and holds a Certificate in Healthy Materials from Parsons New School of Design, is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, a member of the American Institute of Architects and the International Living Future Institute. She holds her architectural license in Idaho.