Fundamentals of Permaculture Design

Presented by the Conscious Design Collective and Innermost Community Gardens.  

With support from Sustainability Trust and Otago Polytechnic.

Feb 23rd - June 1st, 2013 | $1300 - $1600

Event Summary:

Permaculture is a holistic method of design leading to establishing a “permanent culture” guided by grounded ethics, principles and design practises.  It considers the whole system at multiple levels of scale through the intelligent integration of social, economic, land, water, plants, and shelter sub-systems.  Using Permaculture can lead to the design and implementation of self-sustaining, regenerative human systems that “do good” for both human kind AND the Earth. 

Please join us for a dynamic, internationally recognized certificate course on the principles and practice of Permaculture Design.  We will guide you to finding practical applications of sustainable design in urban and rural contexts though presentations, interactive design activities, and applied hands-on sessions.

Learning topics:

-         Permaculture philosophy and design methodology

-         Observational and analysis skills to read the needs and opportunities of a landscape

-         Water systems including ponds, swales, keyline systems, and water catchment

-         Soil building, amendments, erosion control, and planning for a productive harvest

-         Animals in urban and rural environments

-         Food-scaping – perennial and annual edible landscaping

-         Integrated pest management

-         Perennial food forests, guilds & agroforestry

-         Appropriate technologies, natural building (cob, earthen plaster)

-         Designing for energy efficient and sufficient homes and communities

-         Small and large scale site design (room, home, village, region)

-         The environment and economics

-         Drafting and communicating design with hand and computer assisted design

-         Community consultation and charette design processes

-         Horticultural techniques (propagation, grafting, efficient weeding and planting)

-         Personal and community sufficiency 

-         Planning for resilience  

-         Design of sacred space 

-         And much more… 

Learning Environment:

We teach using Experiential Education, or learning by doing and active reflection. The intergenerational nature of the course enables an exceptional learning experience that can be structured around YOUR learning goals.  The course will also be supported by a series of media rich presentations, online dialogue, and readings to dig deeper into the art, science and culture of sustainability and resilience.  

Tentative Outline:

 * Tuition includes three days camping and meals at Hanawera Permaculture Farmstay in Otaki.  Indoor Farmstay accomodation is available at an extra cost.  Students also have access to community supported agriculture at Innermost Community Gardens for the following growing year to practise the good work.

Certification Process:

Students are required to complete a group design project and actively participate in 90% of the course to obtain an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification.  We're also pleased to offer academic credit through Otago Polytechnic.  

Registration Process:

1) General ticket ($1300 NZD):  Deposit and balance due by Feb 23rd.

2) Academic ticket:  ($1400 - 1600 NZD for domestic students):  Registered students at Otago Polytechnic can use our PDC towards undergraduate or graduate degrees in Sustainable Practise.  A deposit of $300 online AND $356 via bank transfer to the account listed below AND registration at Otago Polytechnic in one of the following courses by February 23rd, 2013:

Level 5     How to achieve sustainable practice. (approx $744 for domestic students)

OR graduate students in:

Level 6    A systems approach to sustainable practise (approx $896 for domestic students)

The registration process at Otago Polytechnic is available here:  

http://www.sustainable-practice.org/2013-courses.  For this option, students should register directly with Barbara Emmitt at:  0800 765 9276 or Email barbara.emmitt@op.ac.nz

Students would be eligible for student loans for the tuition fees paid to Otago Polytechnic (approx. $744 - $896 for domestic students).  Student loan processes are available here: http://www.studylink.govt.nz/

The total course is limited to 20 students.  Register early to avoid dissappointment.

Funds must be transferred to the Innermost Community Gardens secure account: 38-9005-0915382-02.  Please include your name in the money transfer bank form.  

Refund policy:

Life sometimes gets in the way.  If you contact us by January 23rd, we will refund 50% of your deposit. Unfortunately no refunds are available after the course begins.

Discovery Guides:

James Richardson, Victoria University of Wellington, School of Architecture and Design   

James Richardson is currently engaged in a PhD at Victoria University of Wellington in Ecological Footprinting.  This follows a Masters of Advance Studies of Landscape Architecture at UBC exploring urban form and sustainable food systems.  He has co-taught Permaculture workshops at OUR Ecovillage, B.C., Lost Valley Education Centre, OR, University of Northern British Columbia and University of Victoria.  James brings an experiential flare to his teachings, following a teaching career in Canada, New  Zealand, and the United States, and teacher training at Queen’s University in Outdoor and Experiential Education.  James has studied Permaculture, natural building, biodynamic farming and community and brings to the team a deep understanding of the art and science of sustainability.  

Sarah Adams, Innermost Community Gardens

Sarah runs Innermost Community Gardens based in Mt Victoria and several other community groups. She is passionate about people and what they achieve when they come together – ‘Social Permaculture’. Sarah is a keen gardener with a design background and loves the way Permaculture brings these together and provides a platform to keep on deepening her understanding of natural systems, how to work with them and how to apply these principles to any design situation.

Special Guests:

Gary and Emily Williams, Waterscape NZ

Matt King, GreenEarth Developments

Kath Irving, Permaculture in Practise

Charles Barrie, Catchments Communities and Enviroschools NZ

Richard Self, Ecoforestry 

Tim Packer, Sustainable Orchard Systems

Diedre Kent, New Economics and Alternative Currencies

We look forward to drawing, creating, building, consulting, dancing, weeding, growing, planting, eating and living, laughing and learning with you all soon!

Sincerely,

James Richardson and Sarah Adams.