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Permaculture Education

Education at Heathcote

What is Permaculture?

Permaculture is the conscious design of sustainable human habitats. The design process of permaculture offers practical ways to increase the abundance of natural systems and improve the efficiency of human activities. Rooted in the careful observation of the natural patterns characteristic of a particular site, permaculture applies techniques and principles from ecology, cooperative economics, appropriate technology, and sustainable agriculture with the wisdom of indigenous people to heal the earth and our selves. Permaculture is a powerful tool for redesigning our lives as well as our landscapes!

Why Permaculture?

We are living on a planet in crisis. The political and economic systems that have given rise to our modern lifestyles have created societies that consume more than they produce. The products and by-products of this consumer culture are polluting the Earth’s biosphere and destroying our fragile life support systems. To make the transition toward a sustainable society, it is imperative that we take responsibility for our own lives and meet our basic needs for soil, food, water, shelter, energy, waste recycling, right livelihood, and supportive community. Permaculture is an ethical and holistic design system for building a sustainable culture. Prepare to activate!

What is the Permaculture Design Course?

The Permaculture Design Course is a curriculum covering the basics of Permaculture design that was developed by Permaculture founders Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Heathcote’s design courses focus on design applications for the Chesapeake bioregion, offering extra modules on best management practices for protecting local watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay. Students who complete the Permaculture Design Course will receive a permaculture design apprentice certificate. In 2010 we are offering the course in two formats:

1) A 12-day course on weekends starting February 13, 2010.  For more information see:  www.heathcote.org/cms/content/home-scale-permaculture-design-course-2010

2) A 17-day residential immersive August 13-29, 2010.  For more information see: 

www.livingmandala.com/Living_Mandala/Heathcote_Permaculture_Design_Course_10.html

Do you offer any shorter Permaculture Workshops?

Yes.  See descriptions below.  Stay tuned for more details.

MID ATLANTIC CO-HOUSING CONFERENCE FEATURING WORKSHOPS ON PERMACULTURE BY PATTY CEGLIA AND KAREN STUPSKI (March 20)

"Cohousing: Growing Smart Communities" 1-day Mid Atlantic Cohousing Regional Spring Conference, Saturday, March 20, 8:30-6:30 p.m. at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. The event is being hosted by UMD's School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
 
For details see the MAC website:  www.midatlanticcohousing.org/.

GARDENING LIKE THE FOREST:  HOME-SCALE ECOLOGICAL FOOD PRODUCTION WITH DAVE JACKE, AUTHOR OF EDIBLE FOREST GARDENS (April 7, 7:00 - 9:00 PM) Suggested donation $10

Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. Wouldn’t
you like to grow an abundant food-producing ecosystem like this in your back yard?
You can! Edible forest gardens mimic the structure and function of natural forests
through all their stages of development and grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers,
farmaceuticals, and fun. We can meet our own needs and regenerate healthy
ecosystems at the same time! This talk introduces the vision of forest gardening with
some scientific background, a few living examples, and a sampling of some useful
perennial edibles you can use in your own garden.
 
 
FOREST GARDEN WORKSHOP (May 21 - 23) - $325
 
Understand how to create perennial, multifunctional bits of paradise where everything gardens. From porches and lawns to fields and forests, learn how to use edges to plant guilds that nourish each other, meet real needs, and save human labor. Plant a guild with us using this Edge Patterning technology!  Our special guest instructor will be Dawn Shiner of Da ncing Green.  Patty Ceglia and Karen Stupski will assist.
 
 
SOCIAL PERMACULTURE WORKSHOP (June 4 - 6)  - $325
What would a sustainable culture look like? This workshop explores the social, economic, and personal aspects of sustainability. We will examine the problems with the existing social and economic systems and explore how the permaculture principles can be applied to create a culture that is not only in harmony with the nature, but also more peaceful and equitable.  The workshop will also provide an introduction to the Transition Town movement, which applies permculture to help whole towns and cities become more resilient while decreasing their dependence on fossil fuels.   Patty Ceglia, Karen Stupski, and Dawn Shiner of Dancing Green will co-facilitate this workshop.
 
Details forthcoming.
 
PERMACULTURE DESIGN PRESENTATIONS (June 19) - Free
Come see the Home-Scale Permaculture course students present the designs they have created for their sites.  See examples of permaculture designs for many different sites and clients!
Details forthcoming.