Superadobe & Permaculture Design Certification

Cal-Earth Institute and Midwest Permaculture are combining their recognized and established certificate trainings for a rare and powerful learning opportunity.
November 8-19, 2011
November 8-11: Cal-Earth Four Day Workshop  www.calearth.org
The first four days of this combined training will be a full Cal-Earth workshop, as described in detail on the workshops page.

November 12-19: Midwest Permaculture's Design Certificate Course
Having delivered over 25 PDC courses, Midwest Permaculture has emerged as a prominent provider of quality permaculture trainings. Their full PDC curriculum will be delivered to students at this combined training so that students can earn their Permaculture Design Certificate.
Topics Covered by Cal-Earth
  • The principle of the arch
  • Superadobe basics
  • Soils practicum and discussion
  • Super-adobe with stabilized earth
  • Plaster workshop with stabilized earth
  • Learning to read blueprints, elements of design, placing windows and doors
  • Contrasting domes with vaults, vaulted roofing system, dome geometry
  • Site planning, orientation, simple solar passive strategies
  • Compass theory and application
  • Waterproofing, foundations
  • Ceramics discussion and Introduction
  • Properties of clay, ceramics as art and aesthetics & ceramic architecture
  • Building with brick & firing a ceramic dome- demonstration and discussion
Topics Covered by Midwest Permaculture
  • Observations and Patterns
  • Principles and Ethics of Permaculture
  • Designing for Different Climatic Zones
  • Soils, Plants, and Trees
  • Guilds and Polycultures
  • Water and Earthworks
  • Utilizing Micro-climates
  • Designing with Succession in Mind
  • Eco-Building
  • Zone and Sector Analysis
  • Aquaculture
  • Planning the Homestead
  • Bio-Fuels
  • Economics
  • Niche Marketing
  • Urban and Suburban Permaculture
  • Garden Management
  • Small-Farm Strategies
  • Large-Farm Possibilities
  • International Implications
  • Starting your own Permaculture Business
A Combined Training: Nader Khalili and the team at Cal-Earth have focused for many years on studying the simplest of forms and elements and crafting a way to take the earth beneath our feet and turn it into beautiful, lasting and inexpensive homes. Permaculture takes this same kind of contemplative focus to study the area surrounding a building. We are looking for ways to design a system that not only further supports the inhabitants of these beautiful and functional structures, but also cares for the total environment.
Through permaculture design we will discover how we can extract food, fiber, fuel, beauty and community from the very same elements that created the Cal-Earth buildings
Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
Benefits of a Permaculture Design Course Certificate: Students who complete this design course will receive a 'Certification of Completion' from Midwest Permaculture which allows them to use the copyrighted word 'permaculture' in the promotion of their work or business. Graduates may also do teaching, offering workshops, lectures and seminars. Click here for more on certification.
Tuition Cost: $2500
This includes:
  • 12 day combined training program
  • Camping accomodation at Cal-Earth
  • Breakfast each morning of the workshop
  • Cal-Earth Workshop Certificate of Completion
  • Full set of Cal-Earth Books and DVDs
  • Access to Cal-Earth Forum
  • Permaculture Design Course Certificate
  • Permaculture Design Book
  • Access to Midwest Permaculture Webinars
  • Access to Midwest Permaculture Forum
As with all Cal-Earth workshops, some partial scholarships are available. Please indicate your need for a scholarship in your essay and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Registration Process:
  1. Fill out the official Cal-Earth application. In your essay, be sure to discuss your background and interest in both Superadobe building as well as Permaculture Design.

  2. Pay the required $400 deposit
    (Note — due to the unique nature of this combined workshop, this deposit is nonrefundable. If for some reason you cannot attend, $200 of your deposit can be transferred to a future Cal-Earth building workshop.)
  • NOTE: Due to the prerequesite study hours required, deadline for application submission and acceptance is October 25, 2011.

  • Space is limited for this unique workshop, early registration is recommended. 



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