Elizabeth's Secret Garden

  Part of my preparation to continue a sustainable project in Haiti, is the study of Herbal Medicine. Herbs can be useful in developing countries when prescription medicines are unattainable. It is my desire to become certified as a Family Herbalist and later a Community Herbalist so I can teach those who are in need of other options for natural healing. The Holistic Living School is a 501c3 nonprofit educational organization with the mission to “Cultivate the sustainable community by empowering individuals through philosophy-in-practice education that promotes holistic living.” This summer, I am an intern at the Florida School of Holistic Living and will be attending a week long intensive course to be certified as a Family Herbalist. This blog entry is on the Roots of Herbalism course which I took as a preparation for the Family Herbalist Certification. Roots of Herbalism class:  http://tinyurl.com/7w5jave The Roots of Herbalism course was May 12 – 13, 2012. Emily Ruff ...

To begin this blog entry, I wanted to share this video containing the different projects and activities my dad and I were part of during our trip to Haiti. I thought it would be a nice introduction by showing you an overview of our trip before displaying our individual projects. My trip to Haiti with my dad, John Mann, was an incredible experience where I was able to share knowledge, but also learn much while spending time with the people of Haiti. Our trip was April 28 – May 4. One of the activities I worked on during our trip was an agriculture project. I worked on the project for 3 days with pastor Josue Jean and some of the men who assist him. They have already established a productive garden, so I was able to share with them sustainable gardening techniques and new ideas they can apply in their existing garden. Recycling is a important tool when applying permaculture techniques. The definition of permaculture is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be s...

My father, John Mann, and I went on a mission trip to Haiti on April 28 – May 4. It was the first time for me and my father’s 4th time. It was such an incredible experience and it has truly changed my life. I was able to see God open so many doors as my father and I developed relationships with the people and taught at the Eben-Ezer Mission of  Gonaïves.  http://www.ebenezermission.com/ministryhaiti.htm To reach Haiti, we first took a plane to Miami from Orlando, FL and then arrived in Port-au-Prince. I was able to get a good photo of Port-au-Prince from the plane. Our driver had to make his way through some traffic jams to get us to Gonaïves safely. There are no stop lights so drivers had to maneuver their vehicles and stay alert. Flooding along the streets slowed us down. It took about 3 1/2  hours instead of 2 1/2 hours. We passed by several markets along the way. “Tap Taps” are a popular form of transportation. The name is derived from passeng...

  The Winter Park Urban Farm is an urban farming experiment in the heart of Winter Park, FL. The Urban Farm’s mission is “to take a vacant residential lot in Winter Park and convert its fallow land into a productive garden.” Tia Meer is the owner of her own property called the Econ Farm and also one of the main leaders behind this project. She has taken her love of organic farming and sustainability as she works to turn this piece of land into a productive garden. Volunteers are welcome to help sustain this project. Visit the Winter Park Urban Farm website to learn more. http://winterparkharvestfestival.com/ Welcome to the Urban Farm! Various plants are grown on the property. Young seedlings quickly turn into productive vegetables when given care. On the left is Dinosaur Kale and Asian Cucumber is on the right. This netting hanging from wire makes a nice trellis for beans and other climbing plants. It is both useful and portable. My sister and I worked togethe...

Lake Eola is a nice place to visit in downtown Orlando because of its attractive surroundings and natural feel. The park provides recreation for families and is a fun area to experience seeing swans. Lake Eola is known for its swans and even has swan-shaped paddle boats that are available for rent. The park hosts different festivals yearly such as Fiesta in the Park. This year the Spring Fiesta was April 14-15 and there will be another one November 3-4. Below are pictures that I took while we walked the .9 path that makes a circle around the lake. The festival attracts various venders such as artists, crafters, and food vendors. There is so much to choose from since there are up to 200 venders that participate!   Sam Knowles is a chainsaw artist with an eye for transforming logs and tree stumps into works of art. The eagle above is just one of his many creations. You can view his portfolio on his website.  http://samknowleschainsawart.com/Portfolio.html Ancestral...