[Scpg] Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Permaculture Design Course Syllabus for July thru to Sept 2001

[scpg-admin at arashi.com]

Hello!

An insightful and inspiring Permaculture training series will be taking place
at Cal Poly (SLO)'s Student Experimental Farm this summer.  Hosted by veteran
(and local) Permaculture Designer Larry Santoyo, this workshop series will be
an excellent opportunity for people to become more acquainted with the
incredible design process of Permaculture.


Thank you,
Hunter Francis
Sustainable Ag Resource Center, Cal Poly
(805)756-5086 wfrancis at calpoly.edu

For enrollment and detailed information (including CEU possibilities), please
contact: Cal Poly Extended Education www.extendededucation.calpoly.edu
756-2053

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Receive Training Certification For Permaculture This Summer!

Permaculture and Ecological Design Series
With Larry Santoyo

Cal Poly Extended Education
Summer 2001

Permaculture is a practical design process modeled on balanced ecosystems.
This unique system for appreciating the energetics and interconnections
inherent in one’s surroundings allows one to cultivate a deeper understanding
of the dynamics at work in nature.  Permaculture is a holistic approach to
harmonizing human activity with the natural environment and can be applied to
virtually any area of human endeavor (including agriculture, architecture,
urban planning and community building).  Permaculture principles have been 
used
successfully to enhance air and water quality, increase food production,
minimize waste, promote biodiversity and strengthen community relationships.
Permaculture practices are intended to engender “permanent culture” (viable in
the long-term) based on effective stewardship, efficient resource use and
healthy interactions.

Through both instructor presentations and hands-on projects, students in this
12 session series will learn to interpret “patterns in nature” and to apply
them with insight and creativity at home, at work and in their communities.
This course will benefit all people interested in sustainable living 
practices,
including gardeners, land managers, farmers, architects, planners, community
service volunteers, environmental educators and students of all kinds.  The
course will emphasize strategies appropriate to California’s Central Coast.

Larry Santoyo is an ecological land use planner and resource management
consultant.  He is nationally recognized for his work as a Permaculture
instructor.  Since 1989, he has designed ecological systems for homeowners,
land managers, and corporations in the US and abroad.  Larry's wide range of
expertise includes homestead, farm and ranch operations as well as landscape,
collaborative housing and Eco-village design.  As a veteran instructor of more
than 25 permaculture design courses he is among today's most experienced
Permaculture designers and teachers.

The Student Experimental Farm at Cal Poly is uniquely suited to employing
permaculture practices and has been the chosen site for several Permaculture
workshops.  This thriving organic farm is home to Cal Poly’s Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, a festival circle for community
gatherings, numerous gardens, a strawbale building and several 
ponds.  Students
enrolled in the Permaculture Design Series will help plan and develop
Permaculture “zones” on site using the principles learned in class.
Implementation of an herb “spiral” garden, construction of strawbale seating
areas and re-design of pond areas are but a few of the workshop activities
participants will engage in.  Student Farm staff will facilitate the series 
and
offer insights on gardening and farming, and special guest presenters
knowledgeable in pertinent topics will assist at many of the workshop 
sessions.


Special Weekend Format Allows For Flexibility and Time For Reflection

The Permaculture Design Series will be taught over six weekends with a break
after every second week.  Saturday sessions will begin in a classroom setting
and move to the Student Farm after the lunch break.  Sunday sessions will be
held exclusively at the Student Farm where outdoor instruction and “hands-on”
training will be offered.
Please note: Morning refreshments will be available, but participants are
responsible for arranging for their own lunch.

Schedule of Sessions:

Session A: (7/21)  Orientation and Introduction to Permaculture  Inherent in
Permaculture philosophy is a “Life Ethic” that stresses cooperation, respect
and positive thinking.   This session will provide students with an
introduction to the guiding philosophies of Permaculture and fundamental
methodologies for approaching design challenges.  Key principles and elements
of design “with nature in mind” will be covered.  Students will develop skills
for recognizing the intrinsic characteristics of natural systems.  Issues
pertaining to “holistic” thinking and sustainable resource use will be
discussed.

Session B: (7/22)  Pattern Understanding   Permaculture design emphasizes
the “patterning” of landscape, function and species relationships.  The 
ability
to utilize natural patterns for maximum community benefit is fundamental to
successful Permaculture practice.  The concepts of  “flow
patterns”, “guilds”, “edge effects” and “harmonics” will all be covered in 
this
section with reference to specific site examples.  Students will begin to
formulate their own ideas for site improvement using Permaculture principles
and will be encouraged to keep a design notebook for use in later assignments.

Session C: (7/28)  Hydrologic Cycle/Agroforestry  Water has been called
the “stuff of life”, for without it life is not possible.  Scarce water
resources in dry climates necessitates keen water management strategies.
Unique approaches for water “harvesting”, storage and utilization will be
covered in this session.  Use of trees in permacultured landscapes can aid in
effective water management.  Trees also act as important carbon “reservoirs”
and provide numerous benefits to agricultural zones.  This class will address
the fundamental characteristics of water and trees from a Permaculture
perspective.

Session D: (7/29)  Cultivating Soil Fertility  The soil is “alive”!  When
healthy, soil literally teems with life.  This workshop will cover key
strategies for improving soil health naturally thereby helping to reduce the
classic problems of pests, weeds and pathogens.  The role of soil in nutrient
cycling and plant nutrition will be addressed and soil classifications
covered.  Community food security is important in “permanent” cultures, so 
this
workshop will also provide instruction on important agricultural skills 
such as
plant propagation, cultivation and seed saving.  Hands-on mulching, composting
and vermicomposting skills will be taught.

Session E: (8/11)  Zone and Sector Planning  The Permaculture concepts of 
zones
and sectors helps land stewards and community designers make best use of a
given site.  Landscape profiles, base maps, on-site analysis and design 
layouts
all assist in the logical orientation of design elements, and instruction will
be given on their use.  Climatic and topographic differences among sites can
greatly impact design strategies throughout the world and these differences
will be examined, especially in regard to water.  An in depth look at the
keyline system of water control will be offered.  Students will also implement
a rudimentary irrigation system on the Student Farm site.

Session F: (8/12)  Alternative Building and Energy Systems  This workshop will
provide students with an overview of eco-friendly, renewable and affordable
appropriate technologies, with a Permaculture emphasis on how to assess their
relative “appropriateness” for a given circumstance.  Guest speakers employed
in the alternative energy field will give insights into new energy efficient
technologies.  Hands-on practice in strawbale building techniques will
offered.  Tips for earthen plasters are sure to please, but can get messy;
wear “appropriate” attire!

Session G: (8/18)  Aquaculture  Wetland environments are among the most
productive on the planet.  Utilizing or simulating them makes good sense for
many reasons.  They nourish plant life, provide habitat, help recycle natural
resources and more.  This course section will survey the world’s principal
wetland habitats, both natural and manmade (such as marshes, estuaries,
chinampas and constructed wetlands).  Students will help to design and
construct a pond on the Student Farm site.

Session H: (8/19)  Animals in Permaculture  Animals offer an astonishing array
of “intrinsic factors” that can prove invaluable to a thriving Permaculture
site.  This workshop will give insight into the livestock characteristics of
several species and how they can be used humanely to the benefit of both 
animal
and human.  The importance of “wild” animals (including beneficial insects) to
Permacultural systems will also be addressed.  Experienced operators of
chicken “tractors”, sheep “mowers” and bovine “fertility enhancers” will give
advice on the holistic management of a site using animal allies.

Session I: (9/1)  Eco-Villages  Human beings are a part of biological
communities right along side of animals, plants and microbes.  This is
sometimes forgotten in fast-paced, industrial societies.  Today’s workshop 
will
explore the possibilities for people to make conscious steps towards
harmonizing their relationships to their families, their neighbors, their
livelihoods and the “built” (architectural) environment.  Various strategies
for the design and development of intentional communities and eco-villages 
will
be considered, including legal structures and sociological ramifications.
Students will have the opportunity to share their own ideas for “eco-village”
design during a class discussion.

Session J: (9/2)  Invisible Structures  Invisible structures underlie the
arrangement of human societies and involve psychological, political and
economic “patterns”.  These “hidden” frameworks for human interaction link the
Permaculturist and his or her site to society at large and can exert a 
profound
influence on how decisions are made and how effective they can be over time.
Unique strategies for creating Permaculture community within these existing
structures will be covered in this session.  Models such as cooperatives,
credit unions, trusts and local currencies will be considered.  “Hands-on” 
work
will continue on the pond, strawbale and gardening projects.

Session K: (9/8)  Field trip to Local Permaculture Sites  Today, class
participants will have the opportunity to observe Permaculture in practice at
several area sites, including Larry Santoyo’s Permaculture Learning Center in
Los Osos, California.

Session L: (9/9):  Community Interdependence Skills  One of the principal
challenges to moving off the “grid” and into “rounder”, more holistic 
paradigms
is the need to meet one’s daily, personal needs.  Individually, lifestyle
choices can help ease the way, especially when one learns to find “more”
in “less” (i.e. stuff).  Collectively, much support can be found when people
cooperate to meet their needs locally.  Ideas for establishing community-scale
industry, bioregional associations, and for increasing self-sufficiency 
will be
shared today.  The importance of safe, local food and fiber sources will be
stressed.  Students will learn how to build a solar oven and will discover
ancient traditions that used food for healing purposes.  Site projects will
conclude.  Participants are invited to stay for a farewell celebration in the
festival circle.

A Permaculture Certificate will be awarded to all those completing the series.


Dates:  Six weekend sessions,  Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m.­3 p.m.
         July 21/22 and 28/29,  August 11/12 and 18/19  and  September 1/2 and
8/9

Location:  Student Experimental Farm and a Cal Poly classroom (TBA)

Course fee:  $480 for entire workshop.  $50 per individual class

Text:  In addition to course handouts, students are encouraged to read
Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual by Bill Mollison (Tagari Press).

CEUs:  7.2 CEUs are offered for successful completion of the series (.6 per
class).


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