Welcome!

The photo is me as the rabbit, and Zoe, a participant in the CHI. We found this photo op at the Holden Arboretum. We will have a field trip or two in this course, so let's see what we find!

First stop is learning how to navigate the online part of the CHI...

Live Online Sessions

The Community Herbal Intensive officially starts in March. The schedule and outline will be sent via email.

To allow for different learning styles and options for interacting with me and other participants the online classes are presented in two parts: a webinar and a live Q&A session.

A pre-recorded webinar will be released at the beginning of each month that you watch on your own time. Then a live Q&A session will be held on the second Wednesdays of March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November. Send questions to me in advance or "raise your hand" during the session.

Two groups will be accessing the online materials, a group in Gahanna, Ohio near Columbus and a group in Lakewood, Ohio near Cleveland, plus at least one virtual student outside of Ohio. You will be able to see each other's questions and comments, plus there are comments from previous students. Sharing this way will enrich the experience and build community.

Getting Started with Online Resources

Be sure that you mark each section completed!

Study Guides and Downloads

Most of the materials for this course are PDF files that can be downloaded and printed. To stay organized, consider a three-ring binder or other organizing system to create your own herbal book with my lessons, the study guides, and your notes.

Herbal Project Development

Each month you are given activities to guide development of your herbal project. You won't do the project until after the course is over. To get a certificate for this course, you must submit a project proposal to me that includes all of the requirements that you will find in the herbal project activities each month. The proposal can be written or submitted as a video, as long as covers all of the required topics. Each month the activity will help you put together a piece of the project.

E-Books

Read through "Responsible Radical Herbalism," and "Ethical Foraging." The first is a guide to herbal safety based on my lessons learned working in many communities and clinics. The second is a short guide on how to responsibly and sustainably gather plants. Opinions on ethics vary considerably depending on culture and conditioning, so take it as a starting point for developing your own sense of ethics. The first quiz is mostly about these two documents.

Quizzes

Each section ends with an optional quiz. Quizzes are NOT required unless you want a certificate. You can take the quiz as many times as you want, or you can skip them all together.

Comment and Discussion Participation

Questions and discussion create opportunities to deepen your understanding of herbalism. Please use the Comments section for QUESTIONS ONLY. Asking questions will demonstrate to me that you are reading and thinking about the material. This is a required part of the class.

Participation by posting in the DISCUSSION is important for building community. I need to see that you are grasping the information and asking questions of each other. That said, keep it short so that we aren't overwhelming each other comments and questions. Don't forget to set your notification settings in your profile.

You can post questions, observations, photos of mushrooms, and photos of your experiments. To post a photo, insert a link or video, or change the formatting of your Questions/Comments or in the Discussion, just click the slash key / and a menu will pop up.

IF YOU WANT A CERTIFICATE, you must participate in the in-person sessions, mark all sections complete, ask questions in the Comments section, pass the quizzes a B average, participate in the online discussion, and turn in a proposal for a community project at the end of the course. If you are planning on developing an herbal resume, certificates provide a visual way to convey your accomplishments. Printed certificates will either be awarded at the last in-person class or mailed to you depending on when you finish. You will have access to this course for two years. So stay in touch, post photos of your finds, and use that time to learn more by asking questions.

If you have personal or sensitive questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

I look forward to meeting you all!

Leah Wolfe