What is a Sustainability Retreat?

Sustainability Retreats are an opportunity to learn more about the natural world that we live in and a chance to consider how we can live more harmoniously with this world. Unlike a class, sustainability retreats are hands on and immersive weekends spent on a South-Eastern Kansas Homestead. Camping out, fireside chats, delicious food from garden produce, and a fabulous instructor (England Porter) are all part of the experience. Get ready to get your hands dirty and dive into a world of permaculture while being surrounded by the peace and beauty of nature all weekend long.

In addition, upon retreat attendees are provided the opportunity to use what they learned and share sustainability concepts with the Manhattan community. This takes the form of a project that you will plan and revise over the course of the retreat. The retreat will provide time to discuss what this might look like and provides each attendee with a small grant to fund their project. 

What Topics and Activities will Be Included?

We are currently planning on including activities focused on native pollinators and the plants they rely on. This will likely include activities such as planting a pollinator garden, building bee houses, and more, but nothing is set in stone at this point. A more detailed itenerary will be available closer to the retreat. 

What's this About a Project?

After the sustainability retreat participants will share sustainability with others through their own community project. The main requirement for the project portion of the retreat is simply that it must be relevant to the idea of sustainability and be executed in the general Manhattan area. If you already have an idea of what you might want to do, that's great! If you don't know what you would want to do, that's cool too. On the application you can list things you are broadly considering and during the retreat you will have an opportunity to hone in on the specifics.

How do I Sign Up / Application

1.  Fill out an Application to reserve your spot on the trip. Please keep in mind that we are limited in the number of people we can take and that slots are filled in a first-come first-served manner. Applications are due March, 6th.
2. Watch for updates about trip schedule and packing list in the week or so before departure. 
3. Show up and enjoy the adventure!

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Logistics

Who: The Sustainability Retreat is open to students and recent graduates.
When: We will leave the afternoon of Friday, April 17th and return in the Evening of Sunday, April 19th.
​Where: The Sustainability Retreat takes place on a homestead outside of Independence, KS.
Transportation: We will drive down as a group Friday afternoon (April 17th) after everyone is done with classes.
Cost: Free
Time Commitment: ​Participants will need to be available to attend the entirety of the retreat as well as be available for ~2 hrs on an earlier date after the retreat to discuss the planning of their project