Presentations:
We have presented on various topics for numerous colleges and universities, festivals like Mother Earth News Fair, Okanogan Family Faire, and Village Building Convergence, and world-class informal education institutions like the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).
As presenters we are authentic, engaging, sometimes spontaneous, and enjoy bringing audience members into the presentation with straw polls, stage demonstrations, and "volunteers".
Our most commonly requested presentations include
- Rocket Mass Heaters: Site Specific Design.
Non-suicidal, superefficient wood heat, using non-combustible and "dirt cheap" earthen masonry.
A campfire walk-through of combustion science, with reach-out-and-feel-the-heat examples relevant to everyone. (Can be tailored to fit NFPA, NWCG, college physics/chemistry, or builder-oriented fire science prerequisites.)
- Ancient Comforts: Saving Energy is Not Rocket Science. Blends personal narratives, global imperatives, and an encouraging sampling of sophisticated yet simple solutions to human comfort across many eras and climates.
(Formerly "The Nature of Power;" could also be titled "Beyond Passive Solar" for audiences in the building industry.)
- Dirty Secrets: Earthen Art for All Ages (aka Natural Paints and Plaster):
Make your own art materials, sandbox sculpture, and charming decorator finishes with non-toxic natural materials. Our favorite versions of this topic are hands-on; we also do slide shows and teacher trainings on request.
- Natural Building: Overview of traditional architecture in stone, earth, straw, and timber; always with attention to climate-specific design features. Longer versions (over 1.5 hours) can include a fair amount of need-to-know detail for builders in specific methods such as cob, straw-bale, field stone, and refractory materials.
Pairs well with a hands-on class such as Fairy Houses (building scale models of historic or fantasy structures) or Builder Courses.
- Nautical topics: (water-tracking and navigation; boatbuilding; sustainable seafood; history of working and racing boats). These courses are generally customized to suit a particular audience.
- Science topics (Fire Science; Snow Crystals; Humans and Our Planet; Carbon and Climate.). One of Erica's most memorable presentations was as the keynote speaker (opening act) for a group of 600 middle-school girls at an all-day science conference. In her work for OMSI and subsequently, she has given science trainings for audiences from a few dozen to a few hundred on Chemistry of Art; Outdoor Education skills; Snow Crystals; Medicinal and Edible Plants of the Cascades; Simple Machines; Crumple-Your-Own Watershed; and numerous other science topics.
Most topics are geared to introductory / general public audiences. (Erica especially likes audiences that include everyone from kindergarteners to PhD grandparents).
Fire Science and Chemistry of Art can be more advanced / practitioner-level to suit the audience.
Most topics can include a hands-on component, train-the-teacher classroom demos, or tailoring to standards like Common Core or NSF standards, on request.
Certified Trainer Courses:
- EVIP: Erica Wisner is a certified EVIP (Emergency Vehicle Incident Prevention) under the WA State Fire Marshalls' curriculum. Full courses (8 hours classroom + 4-6 hours driving practice) and partial courses / refreshers are available.
- PDC (Permaculture Design Course): Erica Wisner is a certified Permaculture Design Course graduate and able to teach a full PDC if needed. Ernie has managed to study directly with Bill Mollison, Toby Hemenway, Ianto Evans, and several other "bigs," without accepting a piece of paper. (Maybe these piecemeal courses never quite measured up to what he learned in his other work, as a seventh-generation sailor, high-risk intervention team leader for wildfire fighting and toxic waste disposal, and Arctic explorer). We enjoy serving as guest instructors for our particular strengths in the topics of energy, natural building, fire, and Pacific NW / inland NW climates.
- Fire Service Trainings: Ernie Wisner is a former HazMat and wildland Engine Boss, quals lapsed since his 2006 injury. Erica is working on wildland fire and other fire fighting quals. We are both happy to lead "guided self study" or special guest sessions for fire crews, or hire us to tutor folks looking for wild fire careers who may learn better in person than online.
Custom Topics: We may be able to put together a custom presentation in as little as 2 weeks if not booked elsewhere. If you are selling tickets, we recommend allowing at least 2 months to plan & promote the event. Longer planning times (and recurring events) boost attendance.
When contacting us about any of the above topics, please specify whether you would like a 45-minute, 1-hour, 2-hour, or other time format. Rates may vary due to prep needed for hands-on or custom presentations. Please see Wisner Resources page for current rates.
We are open to counter-offers from established educational institutions or event organizers.
Go back to Arrange a Workshop page | Go back to Wisner Resources page | Go back to www.ErnieAndErica.info home page
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