DANBURY, CONN. — Western Connecticut State University and The Jane Goodall Center’s Garden Design Team will host a Permaculture Planting Day from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2015, at the Western Garden behind the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.

During the event, students and volunteers will begin planting the university’s first permaculture garden, and a great deal of compost also will need to be moved into the planting beds. Those involved will get first-hand experience with permaculture gardening and are encouraged to bring friends and other volunteers to help with all the work.

Ryan Harb, whose pioneering work in promoting sustainable food supply has earned recognition from the Obama administration, said permaculture gardening promotes a “complex web-like ecosystem that has its own health and vitality.” Harb created he Permaculture Initiative at UMass-Amherst, and has mobilized more than 2,000 volunteers to develop and maintain three community gardens on the UMass Amherst campus that have yielded fresh produce to supply university dining halls and a farmers market. He is serving as a consultant to WCSU’s garden.

“Permaculture is a type of gardening where people come together to design ecosystems that are beyond sustainable,” Harb said. “Permaculture gardens mimic nature and are incredibly diverse; they have vegetables, flowers, berry bushes, fruit trees and even nut bushes and perennials. These gardens are not a monoculture, but a lot of different plants growing side by side. We try to observe nature and not think that we can do better. Nature has been doing this for millions of years, let’s try to mimic it.”

This event will be open to the public; all volunteers are welcome. Parking will be available on the street near the Science Building.

For more information contact Harb at harb.ryan@gmail.com.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.