Matthew Bibeau
Tryon Life Community Farm
gardenlearning@gmail.com
www.growyourown.us
Bio: Matt is a resident of the intentional community at Tryon Life Community Farm, a 7-acre sustainability demonstration & education center in Portland. In addition to co-coordinating the farm’s education program, he also offers workshops and trainings such as Creating School Gardens and Permaculture Design and installs edible and educational gardens for homes and schools in Portland. Matt recently graduated from Portland State University with a Master’s Degree in Leadership in Ecology, Culture & Learning. He is the founder and community advisor for PSU’s Permaculture Guild and has volunteered extensively with students at PSU in creating models of social sustainability, supporting student-led projects and presenting these for classes and conferences.
***
Vision/Plan for Tryon Life Community Farm....(detail)....architectural rendering created by Mark Lakeman
Permaculture...(detail) ....watercolor illustration of techniques used and taught at the farm....created by" Bonsai" Matt James
The above and below watercolor pieces were created by ”Bonsai“ Matt James for use as land signs explaining various aspects of the demonstration farm. You’ll find them placed by the features that they are explaining. Tryon Life Community Farm is open for self-guided tours Tuesday-Friday. Most Fridays are garden work-party days and Saturdays are natural building work-party days (usually from 11-3). visit www.tryonfarm.org for more info!
“Bonsai“ Matt James is a resident of the intentional community at Tryon Life Community Farm. Bonsai is the farm’s expert gardener, but he’ll tell you that we all have so much to learn. He maintains an extensive nursery of native plants and will schedule visits by appointment by emailing bonsai@mysticgardens.org. Visit mysticgardens.org for more info.
Natural Building ....watercolor illustration of techniques used and taught at the farm....created by "Bonsai" Matt James
Bamboo....watercolor illustration of techniques used and taught at the farm....created by "Bonsai" Matt James
PSU Sustainability Model
PSU Sustainability Model
This permaculture-inspired model represents several months’ work on behalf of a group of highly dedicated students at PSU. We begin with the Nested-Systems Model, identifying PSU’s resources for sustainability, breaking down sustainability into themes, listing where PSU can focus on each theme on campus and recognizing what efforts are broader and less directly accessible.
Within the theme of food, we then focus upon areas where this is demonstrated and experienced both on campus and locally by students. We go deeper yet to explore PSU’s Food For Thought Café, where the creation of a sustainable food systems research platform will engage students of many academic disciplines to study a food system at an accessible scale, informing not just the physical practice but also the model from which it represents a part of. This completes the theory-feedback loop that holds much promise for both sound research and local, tangible progress.
PSU Sustainability Model....(detail)
