"A thoroughly educational and inspiring introduction to the world of permaculture from a fantastically knowledgeable teacher."
ABOUT THE COURSE
This course is designed to introduce Permaculture principles but with an emphasis on supporting participants with designing their own homes and gardens. It is no ordinary 'Permaculture intro' course, and not quite a full Permaculture Design course either. Rather, through the course, Aranya will cover the key principles of Permaculture design theory and how we can apply them in redesigning our homes and gardens to be both more sustainable and abundant.
Permaculture is about working with nature to make a better world for us all. It offers us an approach that helps us to identify the best tools and techniques for each of our own unique circumstances. You'll learn about green building, energy efficiency, permaculture design, soil, water conservation, forest gardens and much more.
You will use group work, discussions, video, slide shows, observation and practical activities as learning methods. These are supportive of different learning styles and for people with learning difficulties. Permaculture Design courses are not just about imparting information to the students - there is plenty of knowledge out there - the important thing is knowing how to use this and feeling confident to do so.
Empowerment is the essence of the course. You will be using practical and theoretical teaching methods to create a fun, lively and inclusive experience. As a group you will benefit from collaborative learning and from having fun together.
Permaculture is about working with nature to make a better world for us all. It offers us an approach that helps us to identify the best tools and techniques for each of our own unique circumstances. You'll learn about green building, energy efficiency, permaculture design, soil, water conservation, forest gardens and much more.
You will use group work, discussions, video, slide shows, observation and practical activities as learning methods. These are supportive of different learning styles and for people with learning difficulties. Permaculture Design courses are not just about imparting information to the students - there is plenty of knowledge out there - the important thing is knowing how to use this and feeling confident to do so.
Empowerment is the essence of the course. You will be using practical and theoretical teaching methods to create a fun, lively and inclusive experience. As a group you will benefit from collaborative learning and from having fun together.
TIMETABLE
Day One - Permaculture Basics:
Day Two - The Permaculture Garden:
Day Three- The Permaculture Home:
Day Four - The Permaculture Design Process*:
* Day four is focused upon supporting participants in developing designs for their own homes and gardens
- Permaculture ethics
- Principles of attitude
- Principles of ecology
- Energy efficient planning tools
Day Two - The Permaculture Garden:
- Soil basics
- The Soil food web
- Permaculture gardening factors & techniques
- Building soil and fertility
- Fruit tress and forest gardens
Day Three- The Permaculture Home:
- Buildings & structures: materials, energy efficiency
- Retrofitting homes
- Water harvesting and conservation
- Real wealth and wiser money
Day Four - The Permaculture Design Process*:
- The permaculture design process
- Site observations & client needs
- Tools & methods for data analysis
- Getting ideas down on paper
- Sharing initial design ideas to develop later at home
* Day four is focused upon supporting participants in developing designs for their own homes and gardens
THE COURSE WILL GIVE YOU
- Grasp of permaculture ethics and principles
- Understanding of the permaculture design process
- Inspiration to apply permaculture design in their lives.
THE COURSE IS SUITABLE FOR
We don't expect any previous permaculture knowledge and recognise that everyone has their own unique skills, knowledge and areas of interest to bring.
WHAT TO BRING & WEAR
- Clothing suitable for indoors and outdoors (coat and stout shoes)
- Notebook and pen
- A4 Folder for handouts
- Digital storage e.g. memory stick or laptop
- A packed lunch or lunch is also available from our onsite vegetarian cafe
ABOUT THE TUTOR
Aranya has been hooked on permaculture since 1996. Completing his Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design in 2003, Aranya started teaching the following year. He discovered this made his heart sing, so he made it his main focus. Since then he has taught almost 80 two-week design courses, something he has no intention of stopping. He feels that it's a privilege to have the opportunity to teach "something that can make a real difference in all our lives".
An active member of the Permaculture Association for fifteen years, he served first as a trustee and subsequently as a member of several working groups. He regularly writes articles and produces short videos for his You Tube channel. In the spring of 2012 Permanent Publications published his first book 'Permaculture Design - a Step-by-Step Guide', which evolved from a set of design course worksheets. He also writes occasionally for magazines and from time to time shares interesting items on his blog. Aranya is currently writing a second book, about a subject he’s especially fascinated by, about the use of natural patterns in permaculture design.
Aranya's website: www.learnpermaculture.com
An active member of the Permaculture Association for fifteen years, he served first as a trustee and subsequently as a member of several working groups. He regularly writes articles and produces short videos for his You Tube channel. In the spring of 2012 Permanent Publications published his first book 'Permaculture Design - a Step-by-Step Guide', which evolved from a set of design course worksheets. He also writes occasionally for magazines and from time to time shares interesting items on his blog. Aranya is currently writing a second book, about a subject he’s especially fascinated by, about the use of natural patterns in permaculture design.
Aranya's website: www.learnpermaculture.com
ABOUT THE COURSE VENUE
The Sustainability Centre in the South Downs National Park, near Petersfield, sits in 55 acres of woodland and natural chalk downland and has a wide range of habitats: rough grassland, chalk grassland, native woodland, coniferous woodland, ponds and hedges. We are actively restoring, maintaining and researching all the natural habitats on site to increase biodiversity. We teach the public that economic development can be achieved without degrading the rural environment.
The centre also has office space, seminar rooms, catering facilities and a vegetarian cafe, which provides delicious lunches for the course. There is accommodation on site in the form of an ecolodge, camping, tipis and yurts. The ecolodge has been refitted using sustainable building materials and boasts an integrated solar photovoltaic roof and a wood chip biomass boiler. Parts of the course will take place in our beautiful outdoor classroom, designed and built by Ben Law using roundwood timber construction. The site also boasts a Wetland Ecosystem Treatment system for processing waste water, compost toilets, a kitchen garden and a small Forest Garden.
The centre also has office space, seminar rooms, catering facilities and a vegetarian cafe, which provides delicious lunches for the course. There is accommodation on site in the form of an ecolodge, camping, tipis and yurts. The ecolodge has been refitted using sustainable building materials and boasts an integrated solar photovoltaic roof and a wood chip biomass boiler. Parts of the course will take place in our beautiful outdoor classroom, designed and built by Ben Law using roundwood timber construction. The site also boasts a Wetland Ecosystem Treatment system for processing waste water, compost toilets, a kitchen garden and a small Forest Garden.
Bill MOllison Permculture bursary
In memory of Bill Mollison, the "father of permaculture", we offer an annual bursary funded by our Charity – the Earthworks Trust, to enable at least one student place to be offered, at no cost to the student, on our Introduction to Permaculture Design Course every year.
