The ARK
Who am I?
My name is J. Alexander Murray. Im 37 and have spent the last 9 years practicing permaculture and off-grid living in knowlesville, NB, as a member in a neighbourhood of homesteaders. Parent of an amazing 4-year old, who was birthed in a house i hand built, where i currently live. My favorite color is blue, They say I'm a blue spectral storm, wooden monkey, Leo rising, libra who enjoys getting my hands in soil, planning and making lists, graphic design, eating plums, preserving food, dumpster diving, dancing and learning history.
Currently, and over the past 5 years ive become a cofounder to an annual family friendly permaculture inspired art festival - The Praxis Project which takes alot of my time, as well as co-founded a recently registered non-profit, the Earth Education League. Farming large amounts of annual vegetables in the summer months is substantial to me and my family (we are big on preserving) yes, but allows me to sell some from the over 12,000 sq ft no-till forest garden spaces i have been stewarding and investing in (farmers markets, neighbourhood, family, friends, festivals). After the ball got rolling for me as having a green thumb, designing and planting two orchards in 2016, i started a small nursery, Ditch Rich Nursery, of perennial plants/herbs/trees & companion plants to help start orchards from local grown and propagated sources.
I am living in, and member to, a growing - but currently 10 family strong community of homesteaders, living off-grid & effectively co-owning & stewarding 130 acres at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains called the "South Knowlesville Neighbourhood Coop" (aka - Community Land Trust; CLT). With many homesteads already built and functional residences. -- The South Knowlesville Neighbourhood Coop permanently gives land away (up to a hectare from 130 acres in total atm) to people with 2 stipulations... that you stay in the neighbourhood for 12 months prior to building in/on said newly leased land, and that this gift of land within the community becomes your primary residence. This is how i got my land, and where i live at the moment. The ARK is 10 min walk from here, and will facilitate individuals and families getting to own their own land!
Prior to 2013 i had founded reoccurring monthly events (Tell'n'Show & Community in Action), and annual festivals (the Victoria book fair), as well booked and promoted music tours that brought me across this continent as a member of the beatboxing spoken word duo calling ourselves "The Outspoken Wordsmiths".
I've personally shifted my priorities from pointing out our societies problems, toward living out those answers I see, an trying to empower those living out real examples. This has me closer to my parents, my child and my former partner, as i learn about how to "live in community" via a shared land ownership / stewardship model.
In this world now, in this time, through my perspective, a commitment to land, and how it is used, is of utmost importance; revolutionary. Make a stand; a dedication to protect & invest in the land base that gives us our future food, water, shelter and medicine. That land that gave you a place to play and now does so for our children while we find a place to sit in the sun appreciating time. I, as you probably too, want to make this world a better place for those in it. This project in partnership with the south knowlesville neighbourhood coop (AKA land trust) are removing a barrier toward access to land, life skill lessons, land based resources identification, relationship building activities and more.
This place, and the people in it, have a heart.
My name is J. Alexander Murray. Im 37 and have spent the last 9 years practicing permaculture and off-grid living in knowlesville, NB, as a member in a neighbourhood of homesteaders. Parent of an amazing 4-year old, who was birthed in a house i hand built, where i currently live. My favorite color is blue, They say I'm a blue spectral storm, wooden monkey, Leo rising, libra who enjoys getting my hands in soil, planning and making lists, graphic design, eating plums, preserving food, dumpster diving, dancing and learning history.
Currently, and over the past 5 years ive become a cofounder to an annual family friendly permaculture inspired art festival - The Praxis Project which takes alot of my time, as well as co-founded a recently registered non-profit, the Earth Education League. Farming large amounts of annual vegetables in the summer months is substantial to me and my family (we are big on preserving) yes, but allows me to sell some from the over 12,000 sq ft no-till forest garden spaces i have been stewarding and investing in (farmers markets, neighbourhood, family, friends, festivals). After the ball got rolling for me as having a green thumb, designing and planting two orchards in 2016, i started a small nursery, Ditch Rich Nursery, of perennial plants/herbs/trees & companion plants to help start orchards from local grown and propagated sources.
I am living in, and member to, a growing - but currently 10 family strong community of homesteaders, living off-grid & effectively co-owning & stewarding 130 acres at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains called the "South Knowlesville Neighbourhood Coop" (aka - Community Land Trust; CLT). With many homesteads already built and functional residences. -- The South Knowlesville Neighbourhood Coop permanently gives land away (up to a hectare from 130 acres in total atm) to people with 2 stipulations... that you stay in the neighbourhood for 12 months prior to building in/on said newly leased land, and that this gift of land within the community becomes your primary residence. This is how i got my land, and where i live at the moment. The ARK is 10 min walk from here, and will facilitate individuals and families getting to own their own land!
Prior to 2013 i had founded reoccurring monthly events (Tell'n'Show & Community in Action), and annual festivals (the Victoria book fair), as well booked and promoted music tours that brought me across this continent as a member of the beatboxing spoken word duo calling ourselves "The Outspoken Wordsmiths".
I've personally shifted my priorities from pointing out our societies problems, toward living out those answers I see, an trying to empower those living out real examples. This has me closer to my parents, my child and my former partner, as i learn about how to "live in community" via a shared land ownership / stewardship model.
In this world now, in this time, through my perspective, a commitment to land, and how it is used, is of utmost importance; revolutionary. Make a stand; a dedication to protect & invest in the land base that gives us our future food, water, shelter and medicine. That land that gave you a place to play and now does so for our children while we find a place to sit in the sun appreciating time. I, as you probably too, want to make this world a better place for those in it. This project in partnership with the south knowlesville neighbourhood coop (AKA land trust) are removing a barrier toward access to land, life skill lessons, land based resources identification, relationship building activities and more.
This place, and the people in it, have a heart.