Live off the grid with help from SongCroft

Published 11:29 am Monday, December 29, 2008

Do you yearn to get back to older, simpler ways of living?

Then check out the SongCroft School’s Self-Sufficiency Program, a 10-month apprenticeship-style course.

The SongCroft School is the brainchild of Marilene Richardson, a longtime simple- and green-living advocate who lives with her two kids and husband in a sustainably built home in the middle of the woods outside Snohomish, along with chickens, an extensive garden and forest trails.

In her self-sufficiency program, which begins Jan. 17, Richardson will teach a variety of techniques for growing your own food and maintaining your land, including seed starting and saving, amending soil and composting, plus small livestock rearing, knot tying, water saving and how to start a cottage industry, among other topics.

Tuition is $975 per person for 14 classes, which includes more than 78 hours of training including theory and hands-on opportunities.

Classes meet on weekends once a month, alternating between one and two-day weekends.

See www.songcroft.com for details or call 360-863-1820.

Applications are due Jan. 9.