Having never farmed or tended a garden in his life, Weston Lombard decided to turn his life upside down by leaving his job filled with neckties and conference calls for a life of torn denim and digging holes.
Five years ago, Lombard, an Ohio University alumnus and Athens resident, slowly left his job as a business marketer to teach himself the principles of permaculture by starting his own farm, Solid Ground Farms.
Permaculture, defined as the practice of producing food and energy using methods that do not deplete the earth’s natural resources, attracted Lombard because it was self-sufficient and eco-friendly.
“I have learned a lot in only a short period of time,” Lombard said. “But there is still more out there that I want and need to know. So one way for me to learn about permaculture and make money while doing it is to organize learning opportunities.”
Using Solid Ground Farms as a demonstration site, Lombard began Rising Appalachian Warriors, a program designed to teach people the principles of permaculture, with Lawrence Greene and Molly Jo Stanley.
The Millfield farm also serves the site for other educational programs for people ranging from youths to adults.
Permaculture has many different definitions, Lombard said, but he and his team view it as, “imagining you are part of an ecosystem where you design your landscape, home and activities as if you are an interrelated part of a natural system, with the idea that everything contributes toward the workings of the whole system.”
Lombard, Greene and Stanley will start the business’ first Permaculture Design Certificate Course this year, which will be offered during OU’s spring break, March 18–25.
This program will cover all of the “necessary techniques and skills to effectively use permaculture in Athens and other areas of the Midwest,” Lombard said.
The weeklong program will cover topics ranging from plants, trees and their energy interactions; planning a sustainable homestead; water, soils and earth resources.
To enroll in the spring-break excursion, the tuition ranges from $800–$1000, including full tuition with on-site camping and weeklong meals, but there is a $700 price for students.
Those who complete the course will receive a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Permaculture Project.
Greene, an accredited naturalist, looks forward to what the future holds for Solid Ground Farm and Rising Appalachian Warriors and believes participants will gain from engaging in the permaculture course.
“This Permaculture Design Certificate Program will essentially help us to become better teachers and will, hopefully, help the community as a whole,” Greene said. “We are trying to create more curriculum and knowledge about permaculture and sustainable ways of living to help start an educational and environmental movement in this area.”
sl642509@ohiou.edu
