Tag Archives: Green Gulch

Arbor Day success!

Ten years ago, Sukey Parmelee initiated the Watershed Stewardship program at Green Gulch. Early projects focused on removing invasive plant species such as poison hemlock and cape ivy, planting native shrubs and grasses, trail improvement, and general upkeep. Green Sangha joined the project, working the earth, breathing the fresh air, and diving into silence in the Zendo at the end of the afternoon. Every February, we celebrated Arbor Day with tree planting and the other ongoing tasks of land stewardship.

By 2013, with grants and visions in hand, the Watershed Stewards began to chart out the largest project yet: restoring the meander to the stream flowing through the property to the sea. Here’s what Sukey’s wrote shortly before Arbor Day:

“Our new beautifully sculpted meander — complete with large woody debris, willow mattresses, gravels, rock work and inviting pools — is the centerpiece for this year’s Arbor Day/Restoration Day.

“We are so excited to be able to plant hundreds of perennials, shrubs, and trees along this 720-foot stretch of creek. These plantings will provide habitat for many creatures of water, air and land to come and settle into this jewel in our lower fields.”

Sixty volunteers attended Arbor Day. Twenty of them came through Green Sangha. We were honored to be acknowledged at the opening ceremony, and exhilarated to be part of this great day of planting.

As Sukey wrote after this radiant work party: “You made it happen! All of the work you put into the restoration site over the past year and a half helped make the space ready for the machines and heavy work of last summer. You came to work party days. You came to work week. You came and helped dig up alder trees last April, came and planted them in December and came back last Sunday for the big planting. What a blessing!

“A group of third graders came out yesterday and enjoyed racoon tracks, newts, crossing the creek in a variety of ways, and planting and weeding. Everyone is involved!”

Come to our next day of Inner & Outer Restoration at Green Gulch: Sunday, May 10, 12-6 pm. RSVP for lunch reservations and carpooling: info@greensangha.org or (510) 532-6574

Arbor Day – Sun Feb 15, 2015

Trees give shade, give fruit, give beauty, give life. National Arbor Day is a traditional way to celebrate the many gifts of trees – shelter, beauty, clean air, soil conservation, habitat for wild animals, and the great cooling effects of shade and consumption of CO₂.

Signs of climate change – melting ice caps, rising sea levels, the increasing number of severe weather events – only make our love of trees more intense. Across the country, tree-lovers celebrate Arbor Day according to the local climate. Nebraska, home of the National Arbor Day Foundation, celebrates on the last Friday of April. On the Pacific Coast, though, we are preparing beds for summer vegetables as early as February.

Join us at Green Gulch Zen Center and Organic Farm for a gathering of earth stewards to plant native woody shrubs and grasses on Sunday, February 15, 2015.

SCHEDULE
12:00 Lunch (organic, largely farm-grown, vegetarian, and delicious)
1:00   Green Sangha conversation
2:00   Ceremony and Tree planting
4:30   Refreshments
5:00   Meditation in the Zendo
6:00   Homeward

Bring layers for changeable weather, hat and other sun protection, long pants and boots or other strong shoes, gardening gloves if you have (extras on hand), water bottle if you wish (no throw-away plastic bottles!). To reserve your spot, call (510) 532-6574 or write info@greensangha.org

Special retreat: Green Gulch, Sun 10-13-13

Refresh yourself, inside and out!

Come to Green Gulch Farm on Sun, Oct 13, for an afternoon of fresh air, fellowship, and fun. This day will take the place of our regular East Bay & Marin County monthly retreats.

Schedule
12:15 Lunch in the dining hall – vegetarian, organic, delicious
1:10 Gather at the stop sign for orientation. To the fields!
3:30 Clean up. Muffins & tea.
4:00 Green Sangha meeting, led by Maeve Murphy.
5:00 Meditation in the Zendo.
5:45 Return home.

You can choose work that suits your interest and energy. Sample tasks:

Removing the fence next to the old farm road in the 6th field
Taking out cape ivy
Splitting wood

What to wear: layers for changeable weather; sturdy, close-toed shoes; hat and other sun protection
What to bring: bottle for your water; gloves if you have them; favorite gardening tool if you like.

Site manager Sukey says: “There is now a new farm road that swings out into the field in a slight meander . . . to allow the creek to swing out next summer in a more elaborate meander. Come see it!”

Reservations required for lunch. RSVP: info@greensangha.org or (510) 532-6574.

AWAKENED ACTION TEA!
Saturday, November 16, 4-6 pm
Lake Merritt United Methodist Church
1330 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland 94606

Enjoy the company of mindful activists at our 6th Annual Fund-raiser, with meditation, music, vegan treats and tea, and a keynote address by Joanna Macy (photo credit: Adam Shemper).

For more information, go to Awakened Action Tea. Tickets are $20. Send your check to Green Sangha, PO Box 20261, Oakland, 94620, or buy online here.

POSITION OPENING: Board of Directors
Do you have a deep desire to restore the earth? Are you inspired by the mission of integrating mindful practice and awakened action? Do you enjoy cooperative planning, leading by listening, and the art of governance? Green Sangha is accepting applications for our board of directors, a close-knit team of dedicated, creative, collaborative professionals with a love of mother earth. Details here.

Working meditation

What better way to restore oneself and the earth than enhancing the beauty of the land that we love? Last Sunday, Sept 2, Green Sangha’s East Bay members took an afternoon for inner and outer restoration at Green Gulch Farm, and David Nelson took these photos.

Weed collecting

Wood splitting

Eating some muffins, too, made by our hostess and Site Manager, Sukey Parmelee.

Embraced by some sunshine, dirt, and dharma fog, we left in our natural state.

Next date at Green Gulch: Sunday, November 11. Watershed Stewardship in the land of sun and water.

Photos 1,2, & 4 by David Nelson: http://smilecalm.wordpress.com/

Photo of Sukey Parmelee: Stuart Moody

Arbor Day at Green Gulch – Sun, Feb 17, 2013

Of all the actions we can take to calm the climate, one of the most satisfying is to plant a tree. Arbor Day is a perfect time, and Green Gulch a perfect place to do it.

National Arbor Day is a traditional way to celebrate the many gifts of trees – shelter, beauty, clean air, soil conservation, habitat for wild animals, and the great cooling effect of shade and CO₂ consumption. Signs of climate change – melting ice caps, rising sea levels, the increasing number of severe weather events – only make our love of trees more intense.

Across the country, tree-lovers celebrate Arbor Day according to the local climate. Nebraska, home of the National Arbor Day Foundation, celebrates on the last Friday of April. On the Pacific Coast, though, we are preparing beds for summer vegetables as early as February.

So, join us at Green Gulch Zen Center and Organic Farm for a gathering of earth stewards to plant native trees on Sunday, February 17, 2013.

SCHEDULE
2:00   Ceremony and Tree planting
4:30   Refreshments
5:00   Meditation in the Zendo
6:00   Homeward

To reserve your spot, call (510) 532-6574 or write info@greensangha.org

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Come to Green Gulch Farm for Inner and Outer Restoration

Join us once a season at Green Gulch Farm near Muir Beach for an afternoon of Watershed Stewardship and Inner Refreshment. After a delicious organic lunch, we gather for an overview and selectioni of jobs according to our heart’s desires. Tasks can include: removal of invasive weeds, trail improvement, planting of natives shrubs, wood gathering, and sheet mulching. After a couple of hours’ work, we reconvene for tea and scrumptious muffins.

We then hold a short Green Sangha meeting, whose content varies according to the season and our collective inclination – from sharing news and plans, to a letter-writing action, to a walk down to the beach.

We end with deep silence, meditating with the larger community in the Zendo. Bring comfortable layers for changeable weather, sturdy shoes, a hat, and gloves if you have them.

Fall-winter schedule
November 11, 2012; February 17, 2013 (Arbor Day)

Program
12:15 Lunch in the dining room – organic, farm-grown, vegetarian
1:00 Orientation
3:30 Refreshments
4:00 Green Sangha meeting or walk in Garden
5:00 Meditation in Zendo
6:00 Homeward
Arbor Day schedule is slightly different; click here to view.

Reservations for lunch required. RSVP to info@greensangha.org or (510) 532-6574. We organize carpools from the East Bay and San Rafael.

Special Training Day in 2013. Join the Teen Environmental Leadership Academy for farm work, lunch, and mindfulness instruction on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, 10 am to 2:30 pm (tent.)