Lydia Silva, a local expert on Permaculture, met with Mass in Motion Coordinator Julie Kelly, Healthy City Fall River Coordinator David Weed, SCI Intern Brian Moses and UMass-D intern Zach Richard on February 26, 2014 to discuss possibilities for developing a project in Fall River. Permaculture is a branch of ecological design that seeks to meet human needs by creating regenerative social, economic and agricultural systems. The group discussed possible locations throughout the City that be suitable locations for one or more demonstration projects. Through plantings of berries and fruit-bearing trees, these projects could show how fruit and nuts could be made available to the public with little or none of the work that community gardens require. Ms. Silva will visit some of the possible sites and make recommendations for projects that could be developed using existing resources and volunteer labor. "This is an exciting way of creating healthy, nurturing settings that renew themselves indefinitely," remarked Ms. Kelly. For further information, contact Julie Kelly at 508-324-2405. 

(Top row) UMass-D intern Zach Richard, Mass in Motion Coordinator Julie Kelly and SCI intern Brian Moses listen as Lydia Silva describes the benefits of Permaculture installations. (Middle row) Healthy City Fall River Coordinator David Weed joins the discussion with Ms. Kelly. (Bottom row, center) An example of what a permaculture planting shows how a fruit trees can be planted with berries, herbs and vegetables in a self-propagating planting that could be located on a street or in a public park.