Building a permaculture church retreat

Here's the blog of a homeschooling family from our church parish in which they write about their efforts to develop their rural land here in north Texas for an Orthodox church worship and retreat center. They're committed to doing it using principles of Christian permaculture. This is fascinating stuff. From a New Zealand blogger who has incorporated permaculture into her Christian vision:

The very beginnings and base of Permaculture started by observation, observation of nature and its amazing ability to work together to take care of all its basic needs. For a Christian the base of Permaculture has its foundation on what God already created. Understanding and getting to know everything about nature and all its plant life and ways is only just beginning. We have lost so much to extinction and are still losing this diversity without even knowing its reason or uses. ...

Permaculture is about being fair to the next generation, our children, our grand children. Are we all so worried about making money to get them the latest toys and brand clothes that we have forgotten they need clean air, water, soil and food first and foremost. There is hope, there is a way, but not without your help and prayers.

I would like to leave you with this scripture among the many that gives me hope.

I will make rivers flow among barren hills and springs of water run in the valley. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the dry land into flowing springs. I will make cedars grow in the desert, and acacias and myrtles and olive trees. Forests will grow in barren land, forests of pine and juniper and cypress.
Isaiah 41:18

Anyway, check out the site to see what this Texas Christian family is doing to build up the church using ecologically sensitive methods. They're Orthodox, but there's no reason why this couldn't be done by Catholics, Protestants and others. Is it something that interests you?