THE SUSTAINABILITY CENTRE
  • Home
    • Covid Announcement
    • What Is Sustainability
    • All About Us >
      • History
    • Awards
    • Bursary
    • Beech Cafe
    • Staff Team & Trustees
    • Job Opportunities
    • Partnerships >
      • Onsite Partners
    • Site Map >
      • Map
    • Find Us
    • Opening Hours
    • Contact Us >
      • Join Mailing List
      • Leave Mailing List
  • What's On
    • Evening Talks
    • South Downs Green Fair
    • Talk & Tour
    • Art Exhibitions >
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Pete Levy
    • Room & Space Hire
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Courses
    • Adult Courses >
      • Craft and Upcycling Courses >
        • Festive Fabric Crafts Course
        • Fabric Baskets Course
        • Felted Robin Workshop
        • Natural Cleaning Workshop
        • Natural Cosmetics Workshop
      • Wood Craft Courses >
        • Advanced Knife Skills
        • Gate Hurdle Making Course
        • Pendant Carving Course
        • Spoon Carving Course
        • Stool Carving Course
        • Trug Making Course
      • Willow Craft Courses >
        • Living Willow Tree Course
        • Willow Festive Decorations Course
        • Willow Frame Basket Course
        • Willow Garden Sculpture
        • Willow Garden Craft Course
        • Willow Weaving Weekend
      • Home and Garden Courses >
        • Clay Oven Building Course
        • Compost Toilets Course
        • Kitchen Gardening Course
      • Forest School Training >
        • Climbing Frames, Ropes & Ladders with Jon Cree
        • Forest School Leader Training
        • Forest School Taster Day
        • Supporting Children through Anxiety and Trauma with Jon Cree
      • Health & Wellbeing Courses >
        • Medicinal Herb Workshops
        • Mental Health First Aid Course
        • Youth Mental Health First Aid Course
      • Nature Connection and Folklore Courses >
        • Art, Sound and Meditation Course
        • Foraging, Fire and Folklore
        • Nature Led Meditation
        • Unwind in the Woods
      • Permaculture Courses >
        • Intro to Permaculture Design Course
      • Sustainable Land Management Courses >
        • Coppicing Course
        • Hedgelaying Course
        • Wildflower Meadows Course
        • Woodland Management
    • Online Experiences
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Discounts and Benefits
    • Courses Waiting List
    • Contact the Courses Team
    • Courses Terms and Conditions
  • Accommodation
    • Bed & Breakfast
    • Eco Hostel
    • Yurts
    • Camping
    • Large Groups
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Things to Do >
      • Walking and Cycling Breaks
    • Booking Enquiries
    • Accommodation Terms and Conditions
    • Accommodation COVID Information
  • Children's Activities
    • Wood Mouse Forest School
    • Family Holiday Activities >
      • Family Day Time Activities
      • Family Overnight Adventures
      • Advanced Wilderness Skills
  • Schools
    • Our Education Ethos
    • Earth Protectors Conference
    • Day Trips
    • Residentials
    • Farm Tours
    • Saxon Experience
    • Forest School
    • Alternative Education >
      • Young Natural Ambassadors
    • We Can Come to Your School
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Training for Teachers
    • Meet the Team
    • Useful Information & Booking Forms
    • Contact the Education Team
  • Burial Site
    • South Downs Natural Burial Site
    • Funeral Charges
    • Information Pack
    • Flowers and Planting
    • Attending A Funeral
    • Legacies and Gifts
    • Donations
  • Our Future
    • Ready Steady Grow
    • New Learning Centre
    • South Downs Eco Lodge
  • Support Us
    • Cast Off
    • Friends >
      • Become a Friend
      • Friends Field
    • Business >
      • Business Friends
    • Leaves For Learning Appeal >
      • Fundraise for us
      • Hedgehog Eco Challenge
    • Gifts & Donations
    • Donation Form
    • Become a Volunteer
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
  • Projects
    • Beekeepers
    • Chalk Grassland
    • Compost Toilet
    • Forest Gardening
    • Herb Garden
    • Permaculture
    • Straw Bale Solar Powered Showers
    • Solar Projects
    • South Downs Eco Lodge
    • Woodland Hall
    • Tree Bog
    • Wetherdown Lodge
    • Yurts
  • Eco Blog
    • Art & Craft
    • Grow Now
    • Health
    • On The Wild Side
    • Meditation
    • Painting as Meditation
    • Weave From The Hedges
    • Young People
  • Shop and Bookings
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Online T Shirt Shop
    • Online Eco Shop
    • Shop At The Centre

Introduction to Permaculture Design

£320 total
​£75 deposit to reserve a place, with remaining balance of £245 due in mid-August 2022

​09:30 - 17:30 Thur - Sat, 09:30 - 16:30 - Sun
Tutor: Aranya
Refreshments included
reserve a place for £75
Thur 29th September - Sunday 2nd October 2022
join the waiting list
"A thoroughly educational and inspiring introduction to the world of permaculture from a fantastically knowledgeable teacher."

stay with us 

We give a special 10% discount to course attendees in our new South Downs Eco Lodge B&B, yurts and campsite for stays of 2 nights or more.  ​Use the discount code: stay-with-us

For our 2022 permaculture course, all participants staying 4 nights in our South Downs Eco Lodge B&B, will receive a 25% discount. Please call us to book with the discounted rate (​01730 823549). 
check availability & Book


​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.  ​

TIMETABLE 

Day One - Permaculture Basics:
  • 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

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. 
​
Picture

Earthworks Trust & Earthworks Foundation

​The Sustainability Centre is owned and operated by ​The Earthworks Trust (Charity No.1079866).
Our trading company is Earthworks Foundation. All profits go to support our charity The Earthworks Trust.

SITE VISITORS

Please be aware that our 55 acre site is privately owned. Customers and clients are welcomed at their own risk. All visitors are reminded that this is a countryside site and all tracks, paths and car parks are informal, uneven and may not all be suitable for people with mobility issues.
As we are located in the South Downs National Park dark skies zone, there is no lighting on site after dark.
We advise sturdy, appropriate footwear at all times and use of a torch at night.


​Charity Number ​​ 1079866

Picture

Main Address

The Sustainability Centre 
​Droxford Road,
East Meon, Hants
​GU32 1HR
01730 823166

Reception

01730 823166
​info@sustainability-centre.org

South Downs Eco Lodge & Camp Site

South Downs Eco Lodge
​The Sustainability Centre 
​Droxford Road,
East Meon, Hants
​GU32 1HR
01730 823549
​​accommodation@sustainability-centre.org

Cafe

01730 823755
infobeechcafe@gmail.com  

Burials

​01730 823425
​burials@sustainability-centre.org

Education

​01730 823166
​education@sustainability-centre.org

Courses

01730 823166
​courses@sustainability-centre.org

Contact Us

Join Mailing List

Leave Mailing List

Opening Hours

Whats On

Cafe

Events

Stay With Us

Vacancies

Support Us

Find Us

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
  • Home
    • Covid Announcement
    • What Is Sustainability
    • All About Us >
      • History
    • Awards
    • Bursary
    • Beech Cafe
    • Staff Team & Trustees
    • Job Opportunities
    • Partnerships >
      • Onsite Partners
    • Site Map >
      • Map
    • Find Us
    • Opening Hours
    • Contact Us >
      • Join Mailing List
      • Leave Mailing List
  • What's On
    • Evening Talks
    • South Downs Green Fair
    • Talk & Tour
    • Art Exhibitions >
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Pete Levy
    • Room & Space Hire
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Courses
    • Adult Courses >
      • Craft and Upcycling Courses >
        • Festive Fabric Crafts Course
        • Fabric Baskets Course
        • Felted Robin Workshop
        • Natural Cleaning Workshop
        • Natural Cosmetics Workshop
      • Wood Craft Courses >
        • Advanced Knife Skills
        • Gate Hurdle Making Course
        • Pendant Carving Course
        • Spoon Carving Course
        • Stool Carving Course
        • Trug Making Course
      • Willow Craft Courses >
        • Living Willow Tree Course
        • Willow Festive Decorations Course
        • Willow Frame Basket Course
        • Willow Garden Sculpture
        • Willow Garden Craft Course
        • Willow Weaving Weekend
      • Home and Garden Courses >
        • Clay Oven Building Course
        • Compost Toilets Course
        • Kitchen Gardening Course
      • Forest School Training >
        • Climbing Frames, Ropes & Ladders with Jon Cree
        • Forest School Leader Training
        • Forest School Taster Day
        • Supporting Children through Anxiety and Trauma with Jon Cree
      • Health & Wellbeing Courses >
        • Medicinal Herb Workshops
        • Mental Health First Aid Course
        • Youth Mental Health First Aid Course
      • Nature Connection and Folklore Courses >
        • Art, Sound and Meditation Course
        • Foraging, Fire and Folklore
        • Nature Led Meditation
        • Unwind in the Woods
      • Permaculture Courses >
        • Intro to Permaculture Design Course
      • Sustainable Land Management Courses >
        • Coppicing Course
        • Hedgelaying Course
        • Wildflower Meadows Course
        • Woodland Management
    • Online Experiences
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Discounts and Benefits
    • Courses Waiting List
    • Contact the Courses Team
    • Courses Terms and Conditions
  • Accommodation
    • Bed & Breakfast
    • Eco Hostel
    • Yurts
    • Camping
    • Large Groups
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Things to Do >
      • Walking and Cycling Breaks
    • Booking Enquiries
    • Accommodation Terms and Conditions
    • Accommodation COVID Information
  • Children's Activities
    • Wood Mouse Forest School
    • Family Holiday Activities >
      • Family Day Time Activities
      • Family Overnight Adventures
      • Advanced Wilderness Skills
  • Schools
    • Our Education Ethos
    • Earth Protectors Conference
    • Day Trips
    • Residentials
    • Farm Tours
    • Saxon Experience
    • Forest School
    • Alternative Education >
      • Young Natural Ambassadors
    • We Can Come to Your School
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Training for Teachers
    • Meet the Team
    • Useful Information & Booking Forms
    • Contact the Education Team
  • Burial Site
    • South Downs Natural Burial Site
    • Funeral Charges
    • Information Pack
    • Flowers and Planting
    • Attending A Funeral
    • Legacies and Gifts
    • Donations
  • Our Future
    • Ready Steady Grow
    • New Learning Centre
    • South Downs Eco Lodge
  • Support Us
    • Cast Off
    • Friends >
      • Become a Friend
      • Friends Field
    • Business >
      • Business Friends
    • Leaves For Learning Appeal >
      • Fundraise for us
      • Hedgehog Eco Challenge
    • Gifts & Donations
    • Donation Form
    • Become a Volunteer
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
  • Projects
    • Beekeepers
    • Chalk Grassland
    • Compost Toilet
    • Forest Gardening
    • Herb Garden
    • Permaculture
    • Straw Bale Solar Powered Showers
    • Solar Projects
    • South Downs Eco Lodge
    • Woodland Hall
    • Tree Bog
    • Wetherdown Lodge
    • Yurts
  • Eco Blog
    • Art & Craft
    • Grow Now
    • Health
    • On The Wild Side
    • Meditation
    • Painting as Meditation
    • Weave From The Hedges
    • Young People
  • Shop and Bookings
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Online T Shirt Shop
    • Online Eco Shop
    • Shop At The Centre