CERES Fair Wood – that’s right “wood”
Two years ago while dropping off some fruit at the Fair Food warehouse, feijoa grower and award-winning architect Paul Haar cannily planted an idea. He asked if CERES could do something like Fair Food but with small scale agroforesters and timber – i.e. CERES Fair Wood?
My first reaction was, “Wood? What? We don’t know anything about wood?” But Paul persisted and over the next 18 months he began telling me about the construction timber flooding into Australia from the world’s last great boreal forest in Russia. An area larger than the Amazon, where stands of slow growing 600 year old baltic pine were being logged, often illegally, to be sold off cheaply onto the international market .
Paul brought in forest ecologists, local agroforesters and saw-millers (like Rob Horner from Lismore above) to talk about the LandCare movement and the Agroforestry Networks that got farmers replanting cleared land trees thirty years ago. About the ins and outs of milling and drying timber, about getting the most out of a tree to provide a return that would encourage a farmer to put in another agroforestry plantation.
Cautiously CERES has been dipping its toes into the timber business conducting a trial selling locally milled landscaping timber to a small eco-development. The trial and feedback from local green builders and architects has given us enough confidence to put out the call for a Fair Wood project manager.
This is a start-up role; a job where you have to turn your hand to a bit of everything. We’re looking for someone with an appreciation of trees, wood and construction who is deeply commited to environmental and socially responsible forestry and has high level communication and business management skills. And you’ll also need to be able to drive a truck (I said there was a bit of everything).
If you think the Fair Wood project manager sounds like you send me an email here.
This Saturday is CERES Harvest Festival
This Saturday is Harvest Festival,my favourite CERES day of the year. It’s the time when there’s a playful buzz around CERES as we get together to celebrate and give thanks to the good earth, our farmers and the cycle of the seasons.
Here’s what’s on the menu this year:
Giant Vegetable Growing Competition
This competition is for those who think that bigger is better, so if your veggie patch is in full swing, why not see if they weigh up.
There are 3 categories:
1. Longest Gourd
2. Biggest Pumpkin (circumference & weight)
3. Biggest Zucchini
Bring in your vegetables between 10:00 -10:30 am, judging will be from 12 noon. $5.00 entry fee is required on the day to enter. There will be some great prizes available
Live music
2018’s Harvest Festival will showcase a diverse selection of local cultural talents in celebration of this seasons harvest. Featuring traditional folk instrumental pieces including the Celtic Harp, Japanese Taiko Drums, Xylophone, Accordion and much more.
Feature speaker: Ego Lemos
Ego Lemos is a permaculturist, ecological & human right activist and singer-songwriter from East Timor.
Food Stalls
Tamil Feast Sri Lankan Food, The Merri Table Cafe, Vegan food of all kinds, crepes, coffee and more.
Craft and Artisan Stalls
Hand knitting, ceramics, organic cotton active wear, native flowers, beeswax wraps, local produce and more. There are still a few more stalls available,
CERES Harvest Festival is on this Saturday 24th March 2018, 10am to 3pm. Entry is $5 and kids are free – all proceeds go towards keeping CERES awesome.
And don’t forget March 24th is also Put a Zucchini on Your Neighbour’s Doorstep Day a.k.a.PAZOYND Day and no, I didn’t just make it up and yes, it’s a real thing and no, it’s not limited just to zucchinis.
PAZOYND Day is about sharing the things you’ve grown or preserved with your neighbours, who you may or may not know but soon will. And as always – place your PAZOYND gifts with care – zucchinis, produce and preserves can be trip hazards which could contribute to injury and unnecessary food waste. Share and be safe.
Have a great week
Chris
