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Current Projects
Eco Village Development
207permaculture is assessing feasibility of a high-density co-housing development project targeting community-defined needs. The development will feature customary farmhouse aesthetics, energy efficacy, agroforestry land management, niche social amenities.
Next steps are fundraising for predevelopment and seeking land acquisition agreements for our application with Maine Housing Authority's Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program. We will be between 6 and 18 units in the rural Gray-New Gloucester area, in designated high-density housing zones, depending on parcel conditions. When the development is complete, we will work with the local community to discuss Community Land Trust transition
Gray Village Farmers Market
The mission of the Gray Village Farmers’ Market Association is to build relationships of trust and trade in the local food system. We do this by creating, promoting, and operating a producer and maker farmers’ market in the town of Gray, Maine that will provide residents access to fresh food, and locally made artisanal products, encourage community activity in the town of Gray, Maine and stimulate public interest in and awareness of local farm products, thereby supporting local agricultural producers and development of community resilience.
The social innovation embodied in the market structure is an intentional departure from colonial leadership structure of President, Vice, Treasurer and Secretary to one that is inspired by functional patterns of social behavior of the business of an co-marketing association.
"Agency of the leadership of the Association is derived from the land and the community. The leadership group of the Association consists of four leaders derived from the general membership. At annual meetings of the general membership, the leadership group is assembled from the general membership of the association for an annual term. , the general membership will elect from within the membership a
1) Cultivator , 2) Weaver, 3) Tracker and 4) a Purse. "
Rachel Lyn's Handpies
A small-batch bakery featuring scratch-made puff pastry, Rachel Lyn's sweet and savory hand pies inspired by local seasonal bounty have been sold at local farmer's markets since 2020. Rachel Lyn is looking for collaborators to create a food and fiber makers space where she can grow this business and more while building community resilience and fun. Some of her most popular flavors are Blueberry Ginger, Salted Peach, Lemon, Bacon Turnip, Crabapple Rosemary, Thai Beef, Jalapeno Popper and Charcuterie.
Past Projects
Permaculture Designs
Rachel Lyn has created dozens of permaculture designs for residential, commercial and municipal clients. Her process is creative, intuitive and produces a hand drawn map, several perspectives or blown-up renderings, a full assessment with analysis, a design narrative and implementation plan and occasionally a curriculum linkage plan and other implementation resources.
Permaculture Principles Deck
A learning tool and design aid for design, this deck of permaculture cards features Rachel Lyn's artwork and writing on the principles of permaculture.
Gray Local Food Rules
In 2019, Rachel Lyn worried with Town officials to draft a local food sovereignty ordinance and pass it. Rachel Lyn ran public relations with all the local food producers and convened meetings in her home, then argued for the language in the final draft, that was adopted in 2020.
Gray Blueberry Festival
Rachel Lyn was instrumental in the launch of The Gray Blueberry Festival, now the Gray Wild Blueberry Festival in 2016, and served on its organizing committee for 3 years. She was the initiator the festival's pie eating contest in support of the Gray Food Pantry and she serves as the contest MC annually. She produced the event program in the first years, organized a skill-share tent one year, partnered with Garbage to Gardens to make the event zero-waste, constructed a giant paper mache blueberry and made an aerial shade sculpture one year. She also implemented surveys in support of event improvement .
Cooperative Design Lab
Rachel Lyn collaborated with other program developers to create an innovative cooperative development program that would help leaders to get organized and steer a cooperative organization. The program was sponsored by dozens of cooperatives and this lead her to co-coordinate the first annual Principle 6 Conference in Maine. Leaders brought their ideas for community enterprise and left with a toll box and a plan for their organizational development. Rachel Lyn was lead facilitator in training design for the retreat style series. She also coordinated guest speakers, developed course materials, handled registration and arranged for field trips to local cooperatives.
Community Resilience Partnership
207permaculture, L3C is a service provider for Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership, a state-wide program helping towns and tribes reduce their carbon emissions, transition to clean energy, and become more resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather, rising sea levels, and flooding. The Community Resilience Partnership is administered by the Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.. As a service provider, we worked with municipal representatives in Gray, New Gloucester and Durham to better understand the local impacts of climate change and what they can do to prepare and adapt. We guided the communities through the enrollment process, including adopting a municipal resolution, completing self assessments, and holding a community workshop to prioritize climate mitigation and adaptation projects for implementation. Then we helped them apply for Community Action Grants. Gray and New Gloucester received grant awards in 2024.
Youth Leadership Resilience Co-Lab:
A resident extracurricular program at Gray-New Gloucester High School, Youth Leadership Resilience Co-Lab engaged students in learning activities for building resilience in their community. In this programming youth took a field trip to the Maine Historical Society's exhibit Code Red: Climate Justice and Natural History Collections, exploring Indigenous Science, Western scientific methods, Maine's pivotal role in the modern environmental movement, and actions visitors can take to be part of this positive legacy. They also participated in Serious Play, our game of social vulnerably and identified the critical areas of need in their community as: food, fashion, housing and energy. Students also joined advisory flex-time discussions on climate change and leadership based on Doughnut Economics.
