With the Seasons: A Winter Solstice Sustainability Day
Description
June 21st is winter solstice in Australia. It's the shortest day of the year and a turning point that people have marked for thousands of years by gathering, reflecting, and re-committing to the rhythms of the earth. We think that's worth continuing.
Join us at Shepherd's Ground Eco Farm and Village in Butterwick NSW, for "With the Seasons" - a full day event built around the seasonal turning point. Shepherd's Ground is an eco community based around the principles of off-grid, low-impact living. This is your chance to see what that looks like in reality - in the homes, on the land, and around the table. You don't need to be living off-grid to find something useful here. We encourage you to take whatever resonates back into your own everyday life.
Every session has been designed around what this moment in the year means. There's no better time to ask how we want to live, and to find some honest, practical answers.
Who is this Day For?
You don't need to be living off-grid, or even thinking about it, to get something real from this day.
You might be a home gardener curious about the bigger systems, a family reconsidering how you want to live, or someone who's been reading about regenerative farming and wants to finally see it in practice. Maybe you've thought about living differently but aren't sure where to start, what it costs, or whether it's even realistic.
This is the day to find out — from people who've done it, in the homes and on the land where they're doing it. No greenwash, no sales pitch. Just honest conversation and hands-on learning you can take something from.
"With the Seasons" is an event organised by ReNewy Living as part of the Love Local series, and is hosted at Shepherd's Ground Eco Farm and Village, Butterwick NSW.
Agenda
- 10:00 am - 10:45 am
Welcome!
Settle in to Shepherd's Ground with a cuppa and a casual chat before we start the day's events. - BYO hot drinks or purchase one from Shepherd's Ground barista-worthy coffee machine - BYO morning tea or try some home made Shepherd's Ground deliciousness (gold coin donation)
- 10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Brian's House Tour
Take a walking tour of Brian's hempcrete home - a house designed using the principles of sacred geometry. See how orientation, thermal mass, and natural ventilation work together to keep the people who live in the house warm through winter and cool through summer. Brian's surrounding native garden is as considered as the house itself and is chosen to complement the building's design, support local ecology, and thrive through the seasons with minimal input. This is a practical example of what building and living sustainably can actually look like.
- 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Shared Lunch
The Shepherd's Ground community will be cooking something warm and seasonal on the day and we'd strongly recommend taking them up on it. Available by donation on the day. Or you can BYO lunch. Either way, it's a good time to sit down, keep the conversation going, and enjoy being somewhere a little different.
- 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
"Off Grid On Purpose" Panel Discussion
From day one, Shepherd's Ground residents have lived entirely off grid. This panel discussion, ""Off Grid On Purpose"", brings together four community members at different stages of life and with different daily demands, to talk honestly about how they manage daily life through the seasons: power generation, water collection and use, sanitation, and yes, the internet — whilst being 100% off grid. This is an informative conversation about what it actually takes, what the seasons demand, and how working with the rhythms of the year turns out to provide more than enough. The floor is open for questions throughout - bring the ones you've never had the right person to ask."
- 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Regenerative Chicken Raising with Seja
The winter solstice marks a natural pause in the farming year — the moment to rest the pasture, read the land, and plan the season ahead. At Shepherd's Ground, that rhythm is how the whole system runs. Walk the paddock and learn how Shepherd's Ground raises chickens for eggs and meat in alignment with the animals' natural behaviour, with no cages and no shortcuts. This tour covers flock management, pasture rotation, breed selection, and what genuinely ""free range"" practice looks like when it's done well. Note: The final session is yours to choose on the day. Both options are hands-on, both are grounded in the principles of regenerative, seasonal land care, and both will leave you with something practical to take home.
- 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Close the Loop: Biodynamic Composting with Margie & Tiany
The solstice is the year's great turning point — the moment the light begins its slow return. Composting is the same cycle made visible: organic matter breaking down so that new growth can begin. There is no more fitting day to build one. In this hands-on session, we'll construct a circular biodynamic compost system together from scratch. Learn the principles behind biodynamic composting, how to layer a system, what inoculants do, and how the whole cycle feeds back into the land's growing season. You'll leave with the knowledge and resources to build your own at home. Note: The final session is yours to choose on the day. Both options are hands-on, both are grounded in the principles of regenerative, seasonal land care, and both will leave you with something practical to take home.
FAQs
- What do I need to bring?
Come prepared for a day outdoors in winter:
Water bottle. There'll be opportunities to refill through the day
Sturdy, enclosed shoes suitable for walking on uneven ground and loose gravel. Please be prepared to take your shoes off when visiting inside the homes
Warm layers of clothing suitable for wind, rain, air temperature. We'll be moving between indoors and outdoors
For food, lunch is available from the Shepherd's Ground community by donation and we'd highly recommend it — but if you have dietary requirements or personal preferences, please bring your own. There are no shops at or near the property, so come prepared.
- Will the day still go ahead if it's raining?
Yes - rain or shine, the day goes ahead! Shepherd's Ground has a mix of sheltered and open-air spaces, so you'll be well covered. Wear sturdy enclosed shoes and bring a raincoat or umbrella just in case. One small thing: as the day includes tours inside community members' homes, we ask that everyone be ready to remove their shoes at the door.
In the rare case that weather conditions are deemed dangerous by the Bureau of Meteorology, ReNewy Living may cancel the event. Should this occur, full refunds will be given. You'll be notified by email only.
- What's the best way to get to Shepherd's Ground?
Shepherd's Ground is best accessed by car. Parking on site is limited, so we encourage carpooling where you can. Please note - there is no public transport to the property.
- Where do I park my car?
Here's a map of the community with the preferred parking spaces.
- Where do I meet you on the day?
We will start the day at the Shepherd's Ground hub. This will be signposted on the day as well as seen here on the map.
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