We are happy to announce that we are accepting applications for 2-6 week internships for March-August 2012 season. This is your chance to get your hands dirty implementing permaculture principles in paradise!

We are going into our third season of growing food and building, and are looking for eager and hardworking interns to help us implement more permaculture techniques, test theories and explore new intergraded systems. Essentially we want WWOOFers who want to dig in to permaculture hands on! We have 1/3 of an acre of  organic primary gardens, which employ many interesting techniques; guilds, sheet mulch, companion planting, swales, herb spiral, etc… along with a newly guilded fruit system, the foundation of a food forest, many established fruit trees and vineyards. 2+ year round creeks, and over 6 acres of mossy diverse mushroomy forest.

Our projects this season include: adding to our animal systems, building and planting food terraces, establishing a living fence for rotational grazing, and planting a willow basket field, meanwhile we plan to be building our cargotecture timberframe upcycled home! We currently have 26 laying heritage hens, and are breeding a couple varieties, as well as 2 working dogs who keep the beasties away (bears, coyotes & cougars to name a few). We are welcoming worms to our farm next month, who will soon be snacking on rabbit droppings as we expand our animal systems.

Interns will have humble but private accommodations, and be provided organic homegrown meals; you host is passionate about food and blogs regularly at eatingwithSOLE . Interns will enjoys vegetarian or ethical omnivore, as well as allergy friendly foods, all of which are focused on eating seasonal organic and local whole foods. You’ll drink and wash in living mountain fresh creek water from the source, and enjoy a magical forest full of wildlife, wild edibles and medicinal plants, right in the heart of the Kootenays most diverse and wonderful community, with it’s ample art, music, learning living events. Rivers and lakes, beaches and mountains to explore.

Your hosts have a wealth of knowledge to share: Permaculture design, master carpentry, fabrication, cooking, allergy baking, canning and food preservation, & gardening to mention a few. Along with many alternative building experiences including: undertaking an earthship internship, building with strawbale, composting toilets, waddle and daub, yurt building, log building, and of course our favorite building material… GARBAGE! We are a young small family eager and open to constant learning and exploring of new ideas. We also have an extensive permaculture / building / growing / cooking / primitive skills library which can be accessed. And we have an extra canoe and bicycle interns can use on hot and sunny days off.

Applicants should have reasonable amount of permaculture knowledge, and should be physically able to dig, shovel, lift and haul heavy piles of materials (largely organic inputs). Applicants should also be prepared for near off grid living; no TV, limited and painfully slow internet, limited access to power, use composting toilet outhouse, outdoor showers, and not create or bring unnecessary wastes onto our site. We expect any intern to follow the permaculture ethics, and understand that those are our guiding principles. Interns would work 5 days a week, aprox 5 hours a day weather and project permitting. For more info or to apply please email shauna ( at ) rbrand ( dot ) ca your interests and experiences along with availability  and any other relative information. Couples are welcome to apply and work together. Interviews will begin Feb 15, so spread the word and drop us a line!