This process of transition will necessitate that we drastically reduce our consumption of Earth’s resources, as well as recycle our waste products back into natural systems.  This work is especially critical in urban environments, where currently more than 50% of the world’s population lives.  To those not familiar with the fundamentals of sustainable living, the task of working towards it can seem daunting and confusing.

In this class, Scott Kellogg and other sustainability experts give attendees a “toolbox” of techniques and knowledge usable by anyone wanting to create sustainable systems in their own communities. Through a combination of group hands-on activities and lectures, participants will learn how to build infrastructure for self-reliance that is simple, affordable, and replicable.  These systems can be applied in either urban or rural environments.

Typical topics & hands-on demonstrations

• Aquaponics: fish &plant integration
• Microlivestock: chickens and rabbits 
• Waste to soil: composting food wastes with worms and microbes
• Rainwater harvesting, greywater filtration, and urban hydrology
• Low-intensity bioremediation: cleaning contaminated soils using plants, fungi and bacteria for brownfield restoration 
• Edible mushroom cultivation
• Beekeeping and silkworms
• Microgreens production, raised bed gardening, and perennial food systems
• Bioshelters, greenhouses, and season extension techniques
• Kitchen culture: apartment-scale sustainability
• Reconciliation ecology: promoting biodiversity in the city
• Vertical and rooftop farming
• Autonomous energy: veggie oil vehicles, methane digesters, and bicycle electric generators
• Ecological micro-economies

Location

Cost

$150 to $350, sliding scale (pay what you can within this range). The cost includes meals for both days.

Limited worktrade positions are available for those who would not be able to attend the class otherwise.  The worktrade costs $90 and involves 6 hours of work the Friday before the class. You are welcome to volunteer with the worktrade participants if you would like the experience or have free time.  Please only apply for one of the worktrade slots if it is really needed, as they fill quick and then we are forced to turn people away.

We also offer scholarships for people of color.  Please contact us if you are interested in applying for a scholarship.

Lodging

Floor space at the Free School is available for Friday and Saturday for $5/night.

Food

Meals with non-dairy vegetarian options will be provided for lunch on both Saturday and Sunday, attendees will be reponsible for their breakfast and dinner.

Registration

Space is limited – we encourage early registration for all classes. Past classes have filled well in advance.

You can either register online

or send a non-refundable deposit of $90 to:

RUST

199 Circular St.

Saratoga Springs, NY

12866

**Please make checks and money orders payable to Radix Ecological Sustainability Center.

Canadian registrations – please send a money order in USD.

With your registration, please include the following information:

your name

email address

a paragraph about yourself – what are your interests and how did you come to hear about RUST?

any special needs

Recommended Reading

The book “Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A Do-it-Ourselves Guide” (South End Press, 2008), by Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew, was written as a companion to the RUST workshop. It is highly recommended that course attendees read the book so that they may be more familiar with the systems described within it. Doing so will allow you the opportunity to ask questions, have diagrams to refer to, and will contribute to you having a more rewarding experience at RUST overall.

Teacher Bios

Below are the bios of the primary teachers of the course.  Guest presenters will be brought in as well.

Scott Kellogg

Scott Kellogg is the co-author of the book “Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A Do-it-Ourselves Guide” (South End Press) and the primary teacher of R.U.S.T. – The Regenerative Urban Sustainability Training, an intensive weekend workshop in urban ecological living skills that has been attended by over 550 people since it was first taught in 2006.

Currently, Scott is the educational director of the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center.  Scott is also a co-founder of Austin, Texas’ Rhizome Collective, an urban sustainability education project, and worked as the director of its sustainability program from 2000-2009.  In 2004, the Rhizome Collective was donated a 10 acre brownfield property in Austin, as well as a $200,000 brownfield cleanup award form the EPA.  Scott worked as the site coordinator for the cleanup, and oversaw the removal and recycling of over 15 tons of debris from the site.

In 2005-2006, Scott worked with a team of environmental engineers to establish a community based bioremediation program in post-Katrina New Orleans.

He has extensive experience designing and building numerous sustainable systems and  has taught numerous workshops and multi-part sustainability courses in locations as diverse as Mexico, East Timor, Canada, the Bahamas and Norway.

He has been interviewed in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television programs and is regarded as an expert in the field of community based sustainability.

Scott has taught at numerous universities in the US, including Virginia Tech, Wesleyan, Evergreen, Washington College, University of New Orleans, Concordia University, and Michigan State University.  He holds a Masters in Environmental Science from Johns Hopkins University.

Stacy Pettigrew

Stacy Pettigrew is the Executive Director of the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center and was a co-founder of the Rhizome Collective. She has participated in the construction of sustainable systems and organizational infrastructure. Stacy is also a journalist and producer with WINGS: The Women’s International News Gathering Service.  She is currently earning her Masters of Science in Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University at Albany.