The Van Buren Conservation District hosted its second Backyard Symposium in February 2022 to help folks further transform yards into a haven with the environment in mind.

Garrett Heator grew up with four generations of family helping his great-grandparents tend and harvest a garden that stocked their pantry through the Michigan winters. As he learned more about the environmental problems people are causing he was compelled to become more of a producer than a consumer, and to do so in a way that stewards the land that provides for us. By day he is a middle school teacher, and on nights and weekends he works on his 1,000 tree orchard, expanding trees and perennials available for nursery sales, and growing and processing dried herbs for teas and hemp for CBD products.

Garrett covers a brief history of permaculture, including why it is critical at this time, the basic framework and philosophy, and practical applications specific to us here in West Michigan. Participants will come away with a better understanding of how to work with ecosystems to meet their own needs and the needs of their community. Garrett shares a range of strategies including approaches for those without land access and ranging all the way up to large scale agroforestry.