[Scpg] Permaculture Design Course Certificate Program in Los Oso CA Fall 2002

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

The Permaculture Design Course Experience
by Kathryn and Larry Santoyo

"What Permaculturalists are doing is the most important activity that any 
group is doing on the planet " David Suzuki"

What do you call 12 days spent learning to use ecological principles and 
contemplating how the world works? And during those 12 days, something else 
happensŠ  You begin to remember how you once saw the world as a child, and 
you see again how beautifully every part of life fits together, every part 
playing a role.

What would you call this? Some people call it just plain common sense, 
others call it clear-seeing and visionary. Some call it Permaculture. 
People practiced Permaculture long before the term was invented, and many 
people practice it today without ever having heard of it. But if you 
haven't experienced that sense of recognition yet,  that sense of seeing 
how the pieces fit together in the world, then a permaculture design course 
experience may be  the thing for you.

The word "Permaculture" was coined by Australian ecologists Bill Mollison 
and David Holmgren. It is a contraction of the words "permanence and 
culture." A  Permaculture Design Certificate Course is a 72 hour long 
curriculum that introduces the student to using patterns and principles, 
found in nature, for improving their life and the lives around them.
The course has transformed the lives of thousands of people around the 
world: architects, teachers, farmers, gardeners, homeowners, business owners...

Patterns, Patterns Everywhere
The training starts with an ethic of earthcare and an in-depth look at the 
natural world.  You will gain an understanding of ecological factors and 
natural patterns and learn to recognize indicators of sustainability. Some 
of these indicators in natural systems are that all things multi-task , 
cooperate and work in relationship with each other- nothing ever exists or 
functions on its own.  Patterning and observation skills  through space and 
time are perhaps the most important aspects of a permaculture designer's 
training.  The choice of techniques, practice and elements used in a design 
is a direct result of you understanding where you are and "when" you are in 
the landscape and the entire watershed .

 From its foundation of natural patterns , the course moves on to their 
application to practical solutions. You learn to solve food production, 
water, housing, energy and waste issues using the most ecologically 
practical and socially responsible methods.  "Low-tech and No-tech" become 
the priority.

The course culminates with those same principals applied to personal 
empowerment and community development.  Seeking right livelihood? Look 
around you- what is missing in your community? That is your 
opportunity-provide those goods or services. No money? Link up with others 
and form your own money system, your own trade economy. Permaculture 
strategies include barter, simple hours banks and more sophisticated 
alternative currency systems.  Even a federally insured credit union was 
formed last year to provide loans for earth-friendly projects and 
investment opportunity for its members.
Permaculture designers learn to re-think how to participate in the world. 
To turn problems into solutions. Permaculture Design Consultants evaluate 
property and land practices and design renewable energy and biological 
systems for residential, agricultural and industrial land use.

On a visit to the central coast, Bill Mollison said "though the problems of 
the world are increasingly complex the solutions remain embarrassingly 
simple..."

Central and South Coast Permaculture
The issues of the Central and South Coast are increasingly complex (sewer 
systems in South SLO county and Los Osos, water quality along the entire 
coast, traffic and transportation problems) but can all be addressed and 
solved by Permaculture Design methods. The Permaculture Design Course 
curriculum also provides solutions to wilderness and open space 
preservation,  fisheries and watershed management, affordable housing, 
population pressures, waste and landfill issues, potable water supply and 
meaningful and profitable enterprise.

Practical Solutions
Permaculture Design is simple. It is common sense, yet profound in its 
application.  It has  helped thousands of people and hundreds of villages 
around the world and is also starting to influence planning and building 
department around the US.  Permaculture is about fulfilling our basic human 
needs, as well as our cultural needs, through the use of a protocol that 
holds at its highest, Do No Harm to the Earth, Do No Harm to Each Other.

What would you call agreeing to  that protocol? What would you call being 
awakened to all of this?  Some call it Permaculture.  What matters is, are 
you willing to experience it....


Kathryn and Larry Santoyo manage Temenos Teaching Gardens in Los Osos, 
California and host Permaculture Training Programs throughout the year. 
Contact them at info at earthflow.com  or  800.469.5857. Check out 
www.earthflow.com


In cooperation with Earthflow Design Works and the Terra Foundation
The Permaculture Design Course Certificate Program
community - ecology - education
-Fall 2002-
"Permaculture is the art and science that applies patterns found in nature 
to the design and construction of human and natural environments... 
Permaculture Design is now being adapted to all systems and disciplines 
that human settlement requires... Architects, planners, farmers, 
economists, social scientists, as well as students, homeowners and 
gardeners can all utilize the principles of Permaculture Design."
6 Weekend Sessions:
Los Osos, California, Saturdays & Sundays, 9am to 5pm
PART 1
Introduction to Permaculture, Natural Pattern Understanding & More...
September 14 & 15
September 21 & 22
PART 2
Sustainable Resource Management, Building the Home Ecosystem & More...
October 5 & 6
October 12 & 13
PART 3
EcoVillage Design, Community Celebration & More...
October 26 & 27
November 2 & 3
Instructors
Teaching Team led by Larry Santoyo and includes Local Experts and Special 
Guests
Student Teachers (design course graduates) can also contact us to schedule 
a session
Curriculum Includes Inspiring Examples of Sustainability from Around the World
-Lecture, Videos, Field Trip and Hands-on Learning Opportunities.
-Successful completion of all six weekend includes Permaculture Certification.
Tuition Costs
-$550.00 for all 6 Weekend Sessions -includes, materials, field trip, 12 
lunches and certification
( * $50.00 discount before September 1st)
-$100.00 per weekend -includes materials and lunch.
-$55.00 per day -includes materials and lunch.
-SLO HOURS accepted
Discounts Available
-Work Trade- Labor at $10 per hr. credited for up to half of tuition.
( All work trades must be completed before first day of class )
-Trade Goods- Contact us with trade proposals
-Groups of 5 or more receive 25% discount
-Payment Plans Available
-email for more information
Marketing Representative Positions Also Available
-Recruit other students to earn cash or credit
-Contact us for details
Recommended Reading:
-Permaculture: a Designers Manual by Bill Mollison
-Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemmenway
-Course Syllabus available upon request.
To Register Contact
santoyo at earthflow.com
800.469.5857
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