Minutes:20120411

From EcoReality

1. Meeting starts 09:02
   • Present:
     • Members: Rudy Siegers, Jan Steinman, Carol Wagner.
     • Guests Charles Leferriere, Anna Huang.
     • Facilitator: Jan Steinman
     • Recorder: Carol Wagner
2. Check-in
3. Agenda approved.
4. Minutes of previous meeting, 2012-03-28 & 2012-04-04 approved unanimously.
5. Old business:
   • Matters arising from old minutes:
     • Goat trailer and Vanagon still ongoing.
   • To do list - reviewed.
     • ACTION: Jan will complete new lease for Gavin by the next meeting.
     • ACTION: Rudy will work on east field strawberries, taking the babies off.
   • Calendar not reviewed - broken.
   • Project updates:
     • Necessary changes in involvement in EcoReality - ongoing, two new candidates for White House reviewed.
     • Goat shed II - needs door and floor repaired.
     • Commercial propagation greenhouse - Working on dividers, tables and roll-ups.
       • Rudy to chase highway wood chip trucks and ask them for the chips.
       • Jan to pursue sawdust from local mills.
     • Emergency power - no change - on hold until next fall.
     • Yellow house suite - no change
     • Water system maintenance - stable, but leaking.
6. Health & Safety - no new concerns.
7. Review 2012-03 harvest and 2012-03 sales records.
8. New business:
   • Greenhouse celebration party planning - possibly May 25th, to correspond with Salvidor Dali Lama.
     • agreed that Brad & Jennifer availability a must.
     • ACTION: Jan will coordinate greenhouse celebration planning with SDL and Brad & Jennifer. (Jan Steinman)
       
   • Query from five Sri Lankians (Bioestate Tea) to come for one year, beginning June. Many details to work out. Initial plan is to see if Jason (and family) want the house first, then if not, pursue Bioestate Tea proposal.
     • ACTION: Jan will prepare a budget and proposal for Bioestate Tea involvement. (Jan Steinman)
       
   • Review new wwoof applications.
   • Review of WWOOFers:
     • Shannon coming on the 15th of April.
     • Matthew coming on the 1st of May.
     • Carrie coming 12 or 13 May for one month.
     • Others in process:
       • Erica: mid-June through mid-August
       • Charna: mid-May for "several months"
       • Bioestate Tea team of five: June
9. Arrivals/Departures:
   • Charles departure date - April 25th
10. Farm meeting:
    • Small greenhouse - on hold until there is room in the large greenhouse.
    • Get peas in ground.
    • Remove some compost for West garden beds.
    • Charles expressed a desire to use plastic plug trays for transplants, instead of soil blocks, due to the time-conusming nature of the manual potting blocks and what he perceives as an inconsistency between not using plastic plug trays and building a plastic greenhouse, or consuming food packed in plastic; discussion ensued. Major points: plastic trays are in close contact with food, and we don't want that; greenhouse has a much longer lifetime than plug trays; greenhouse has many more, full-season uses than plug trays, which will be stored empty for much of the year; soil blocks are better for the transplants, with no transplant shock and better root mass. Charles pointed out that soil blocks depend on free labour.
      • AGREED: Members are unanimous in choosing soil blocks over plastic plug trays, and acknowledge that we depend on volunteer labour, for which we are deeply grateful.
11. Plans for next week:
    • Continue work on commercial greenhouse and tables. (Jan/Charles)
    • Jan continuing to building more greenhouse tables and work on building the doors.
    • Stake out swales and ponds in east field.
12. Confirm next meeting:
    • Next residents' meeting: Wednesday, 18 April 2012, 09:00, Jan facilitating and Carol taking minutes.

• Meeting adjourned, 10:17
• Respectfully submitted, Carol Wagner 10:18, 11 April 2012 (PST)