This is just a reminder thread that Paul still needs 3 Ants to fill the remaining plots in his Ant village. You can find the original thread on this topic here, and a thread on the Ant Village Challenge here.
For those that are unfamiliar, here's a bullet point synopsis of what it means to be an Ant. This is a program Paul started to give folks the chance to create their ideal
permaculture abode on a blank canvas.
Here are the basics:
- $1200 covers your rent from now through December 31, 2017
- that breaks down to about $50 per month
- you get 1
acre of completely undeveloped
land, located at
Wheaton Labs in the Missoula, MT area
- 16 hours of excavator use is included, along with the fuel for the machine
- access to bathroom facilities, aka "The Willow Feeders"
Since this is undeveloped land, there are some factors to consider. For one thing, access to
water as of right now is fairly conditional - it's within a mile of those plots. There are efforts underway to get a well drilled, but plan on having to figure out a way to get water to your site.
The idea behind this program is to create a space for
permaculture enthusiasts to showcase and build their skills, to give them a space without a heavy handed landlord telling them they can't put in a junkpole
fence or a
hugelkultur garden. Use this space to create a home, a self-contained system that thrives off the land, rather than takes away from it.
That being said, there are some conditions as to who can be an Ant.
Here are the requirements:
- you have to have listened to at least 200 of
Paul's podcasts
- limit trips to and from the Lab, no more than two trips to town a week
- do not plan to work in town and live at the Lab, find a way to earn an income and support yourself on site
- the Lab is not kid safe, but children are permitted. Just be prepared for a rugged landscape, and take the necessary precautions
- dogs are permitted, provided they are not a nuisance to neighbors
- absolutely no tobacco or illegal drugs, including marijuana, are permitted
- reasonable amounts of alcohol are acceptable
If you can live with the rules, it's a pretty sweet deal! You'll get a solid chunk of land to really start putting some of your favorite
permaculture principles into practice, and can even enlist the help of GAPPers,
should you choose to do so. It's an exercise in learning and community building, and is a great way to test the waters on your own
plans and future endeavors.
If you'd like to participate, there are only 3 spots left - comment on this thread, or email me at destinyATrichsoilDOTcom, and we'll work out the details.
If you'd like a bigger picture on what it's like to be an Ant, be sure to check out
Evan's Ant Village Log!
The Ant Village Challenge is a whole other level of awesome - depending on the success of your plot and how well you document and share your progress,
you could win either a Deep Roots package, or $10,000 cash. See
the thread for details.
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