Vashon Permaculture Design - Course Details

Vashon Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) Course


Dates
6 Weekends: April 3/4, 10/11, 24/25, May 15/16, 22/23 & June 5/6
Daily hours: 10am-5pm

Instructors:
Emet Degirmenci, Kelda Miller

Guest speakers:
Michael Pilarski, Larry Korn, Jenny Pell, Deston Denniston, Mark Musick, Marisha Auerbach & Dan Bentler + some Vashon experts.

Permaculture is an ecological design system which integrates elements of a sustainable human habitat. The design system is based on three core ethics: Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. Permaculture uses principles learned from nature and applies them to sustainable agriculture, habitat restoration, water stewardship, energy use, local economics, food systems, community building and more...

This Permaculture Design Course (PDC) will help you redesign your own life as well as help communities create a world grounded in sustainable practices. Through re-localizing we invent a vibrant earth culture with meaningful philosophy and practices. We find a way forward that is inspired by our collective ancient roots.

The course uses a variety of educational venues and formats- including lectures, discussions, demonstrations, team design work, hands-on activities, presentations by permaculture experts, and tours of local gardens/farms.

The curriculum demonstrates how human beings integrate ethically, holistically, and dynamically into natural ecosystems which are continuously evolving. Some of these topics include:

*permaculture philosophy, ethics, principles
*reading the landscape & recognizing patterns
*catching, storing, and using rainwater & graywater
*bioremediation & soil building
*healthy home, natural building & retrofitting
*disaster preparedness
*how to integrate small and big animals
*renewable energy & appropriate technologies
*climate justice, transportation and sustainability
*local food production & food sovereignty
*sustainable local economics
*inclusiveness, social sustainability, community building & dealing with conflicts
*rural & urban applications of permaculture

Also, we encourage you to join us for a trip to Portland’s Village Building Convergence at the end of May. This date is not included in the course but is optional. The Convergence has many hands-on projects that will help you to apply the concepts that you are learning.


Venue:
Vashon Cohousing (http://www.vashoncohousing.org/) which is located next to an organic collective farm. At this venue we have an opportunity to implement projects in a community environment.


Tuition/Participants:
$650 covers tuition for the full course. This 12-day program includes organic farm and garden tour, lunch and afternoon teas, and course manual. Vashon lodging info is available.

Discounts:
10% discount when registering 3+ people from a group or organization for one 2-day weekend.

Although we are giving first priority to people who will complete the whole course, we are open to arrangements for families members/partners/friends to attend when the primary participant can not. We will ask that they review previous subjects prior to coming to class. But these people can not gain a certificate at this time. However when we offer the course next year, they may complete the requirements. Or just enjoy implementing what they have leaned at their own project.

In order to get a Permaculture Design Certificate, we expect students to arrive on time and participate in class, make up any class time that they miss (perhaps by being tutored by a friend who attends), do readings and homework, and complete a final permaculture design project.

Cancellations up to 2 weeks before the course begins will be refunded, excluding a $100 processing fee. No refunds are given after that date.



Registration ends March 20, 2010.


More info:
Resources such as preparation tips, lodging info, teacher bios, curriculum outline, and refund policy are available on request.

Registration/Contact: (206)463-0729 or email: koru.ora (@) gmail.com

To get more out of this course please visit a few of these websites or check out one of these books:

What Is Permaculture: http://www.seedinternational.com.au/pc.html

Interview with Bill Mollison when he was passing through Seattle : http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC28/Mollison.htm


Permaculture Design Principles by David Holmgren: http://permacultureprinciples.com/principles.php

Movies:
Greening the Desert by Geoff Lawton - http://permaculture.org.au/2007/03/01/greening-the-desert-now-on-youtube/

Retrofitting the suburbs by David Holmgreen - http://www.youtube.com/murrnong#p/f/4/iTYe8WloF1U

Suburbian Farming in LA- http://www.youtube.com/murrnong#p/f/2/HJjWcOyGVrw

Carbon farming- http://www.youtube.com/murrnong#p/f/0/E-lqgBxcNes


Books:

Permaculture: A Designer's Manual by Bill Mollison

Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability By David Holmgren

Gaia's Garden: A guie to home-scale permaculture by Toby Hemenway

earth user's guide to permaculture by Rosemary Morrow