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Presentations and discussions:

Facing climate change--"What then must we do?"

"Eco-cultural" connections

Ecological lawn maintenance

The Small Farm of the Future: cutting-edge strategies

Improving the international scythe-related services

Practice:

Two full days of instructions in fitting, sharpening and using the scythe (including a short Tai-chi lesson on the one classical movement exemplified during mowing)

Comparative trials between the scythe and its alternatives (horse-drawn mowing machine, string trimmer and lawn mowers) in varied terrain and conditions, including selective cutting of intermixed species of plants

Other activities and live demonstrations:

Haymaking under adverse climatic and economic conditions (traditional systems from Europe and Canada)

How to make an ergonomic snath (scythe handle) using "wild" wood of nearly any species and only two or three hand tools

Various formats of hand mowing competitions (including obstacle course and "marathon")

The "Solidarity Mowing Party" - group mowing of large designs

Entertaining skits featuring the scythe

Practical courses instructed by: Kjell Gustafsson, Sweden; Niels Johansson, Denmark; Henrik Jorgensen, Denmark; Peter Vido, Canada; Gerhard Wagner, Austria.

A specific agenda, along with many other details, can be found here. See also the Registration Form. When contacting us, please include a brief self-profile and indicate which aspect of the event is of special interest; also let us know if you wish to contribute, by a presentation or otherwise, to the listed topics. Our address is:

The Vido Family
1636 Kintore Road, Lower Kintore
New Brunswick, E7H 2L4 Canada
email: scythe@scytheconnection.com

A brief overview of the concept:

Its practicality proven throughout centuries of use, the scythe has remained a tool of importance in many countries and over large areas of the world.

As the issues of energy use, biodiversity, and the health of the environment receive greater attention, the demand for this old example of efficient and--given present circumstances--appropriate technology is on the increase. Somewhat of a "Scythe Renaissance" is now emerging in Europe.

One of the premises of this Symposium is that the scythe has considerable potential in helping us meet recent commitments to the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol and the Biological Diversity Convention. Specifically, thousands of hectares of grass-covered landscape, both urban (lawns, parks, playgrounds) and rural (roadsides, conservation areas, nature trails etc.), can be cut in a far more sustainable and pollution-free manner.

The use of the scythe in areas of ecological significance can make a major contribution to the preservation of biodiversity. In addition, it offers benefits to personal health (at its best, the mowing movement is a special sort of Tai-chi-like aerobics), and the reduction of noise and air pollution levels in urban neighbourhoods and rural recreational areas. The combined effect of the above, besides lower national health-care costs, is a higher Gross National Happiness index.

We are not quite suggesting that every Canadian who owns a grassed area ought to cut it with a scythe. However, through education (and perhaps government incentives!) we can implement creative programmes to collectively take care of the "green commons" as well as private lands. Concrete examples of ecological grassland maintenance from other countries, as well as workable blueprints for Canada, will be presented during our event.

This continent's first symposium on the subject offers an unprecedented opportunity to become acquainted with the potential of the scythe.