Seminars
Long-term Sustainability
Water Security
This is one of our more popular seminars where we take an in-depth look at water catchment, filtration and treatment that you can implement in a relatively easy (non-technical) way to ensure sustainable water resources for you and your family as we look at the practical aspects of planning, constructing and maintaining a safe water supply.
East Texas Foraging
The seminar is facilitated by an East Texas forager who covers both a nutritional and medicinal orientation to East Texas surroundings. There is also a companion workshop where the class goes to the field for hands-on orientation.
Creating Community
One of (if not the) most important aspects of long-term preparation is ‘the value of community’. So much of what we’ve learned over the past several years (and especially these past few months) has been the absolute importance of community – first at the sustainability group level, but also at the greater ‘sustainability network’ level. This seminar addresses the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’ of creating healthy, resilient and effective community.
Solar Energy
This seminar walks us through some of the long-term considerations with solar energy production and sustainability. What are the pros and cons of investing in solar energy? How do you practically prepare? No prerequisite is required.
Bug Out vs. Get Home Bags
There are many ‘types of bags’ in the preparation arena. This seminar explores the differences and purposes of the different bags with a particular focus on the “Bug Out” or GO bag and the even more important “Get Home Bag” and its purpose, make up and potential deployment.
Long-term Food Storage
This seminar presents and demonstrates multiple methods for preparing food that can last for years. It focuses on canning and dehydration as the primary preservation techniques, followed by the use of Mylar bags, jars, vacuum sealing, and bulk buckets as preferred storage methods. To date, this has been our most popular seminar.
Altrernative Cooking Methods
Any emergency can require the need for ‘alternate methods’ of cooking, especially a grid-down situation where electricity is not a reasonable option. This seminar explores several options to the traditional ‘kitchen stove’ with oven.
Bartering
The exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money is a practice as old as society itself. This seminar explores the varied aspects of this means of economic practice and its potential for future economic survival.
Off Grid Living
This 'solar centric' seminar unpacks the electricity needs of the individualized situation, the design considerations, the construction and operational costs, and the overall pros—and challenges—of going completely solar. Some options to solar and associated challenges are also discussed.
Communications
Creating An Effective Communications Plan
Communication is our top priority in preparing for emergencies and disasters and an effective Communications Plan is a cornerstone to preparedness planning. This seminar presents the elements of an effective Communications Plan. A properly executed Communications Plan will not only define how to ‘stay connected’ prior to an emergency, but also how to maintain contact and gather useful information during an emergency.
Developing Effective Evacuation Plans
Although leaving your primary residence in times of disaster is normally not desired, there are a number of realistic scenarios that may require doing so and a prepared evacuation plan is a critical tool to have in your prepping toolbox. This workshop presents the elements of an effective Evacuation Plan. We look at the rationale behind the decision to evacuate as well as how to make the process as efficient as possible.
Radio Communications
Although this workshop touches on the need for the ability to communicate during an emergency and the importance of having an effective communications plan, the presentation is about the different types of radios that may be applicable and therefore used in an emergency. The seminar covers some basics of walkie-talkies, CB and HAM radios but focuses most of the time on the GMRS radio platform, which is what most of us in the PREP community will be gearing up for in the event of an emergency where ‘inter-group’ communications will be vital.
first aid & Health
Basic 1st Aid
This is a basic 1st Aid course that does not include trauma (which is covered in Beyond Basic 1st Aid). The very practical aspects of first aid will be covered, taught with personal ‘home health’ needs in mind and is a prerequisite to the Beyond 1st Aid seminar.
Advanced 1st Aid
This seminar requires the completion of Beyond Basic 1st Aid and mirrors the pre-requisite seminar except that the assumption during this training is that ‘there is no EMS coming’. This scenario becomes the overall guide to 1st aid treatment decisions and actions of the responder/care giver.
Going Paperless
As an adjunct seminar to the Grid-down Health and Sanitation seminar, this seminar takes a deep dive into what it truly means to live without the availability and use of paper products. It is facilitated by someone who has completely eliminated paper products from their family’s lifestyle.
Beyond Basic 1st Aid
This a trauma-focused seminar that picks up where the Basic 1st Aid leaves off – starting with trauma site safety and progressing through triage to treatment. Bleeding, broken bones, breathing and shock are the primary topics of discussion. The main objective of this workshop is appropriately treating the patient until EMS arrives. This seminar has an ‘optional’ practicum workshop where students practice all of the principles of the Beyond Basic seminar. Completion of the Basic 1st Aid Seminar is required.
Grid Down Health and Sanitation
With the absence of private or municipality-provided health and sanitation services, even the most common of personal and community needs become a significant health consideration and concern in an extended grid-down situation. This seminar explores the various aspects of illness and disease management when public services are not available.
Personal defense
Introduction to Firearms
This seminar was developed for anyone completely unfamiliar with firearms which introduces the participant to the broad topic of guns. It explores the differences between the types of firearms, varieties of ammunitions, calibers and principal purposes for each. All instruction is based on the foundational safety practices (rules) for firearm operation. This is a ‘non-firing, away from the range’ seminar and is intended to provide those interested in pursuing any of our other Personal Defense Workshops but lack even the basic understanding of guns and gun ownership..
general
Top 10 Prepping Priorities
The prepping arena is full of articles and opinions presenting and discussing “priorities” to focus on when you are getting you, your family or your sustainability group prepared for an uncertain future. In this seminar, Mark presents his ‘Top 10’ prepping activities in order of priority. Keeping in mind that we’re all about ‘being practical’ and ‘responsible’ his prioritized list may surprise you.