Only Two Weeks to Go Before Ethiopia PDC Begins!
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor May 17, 2011
| "We are an oasis of green sitting amongst the dusty hills of Konso, Ethiopia. A land of proud and simple, solid folk, with hoary palms and wooden arms, who hoist and toil through their days to push that rolling rock, the wheel of life, ever on and up around, amongst those rocky rugged slopes, on the edge of the Great Rift Valley." |
Regular readers will have appreciated the great work that Alex McCausland is doing at Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge, in an amazing location in Konso, Ethiopia. His updates have been of great interest to me personally. I’m looking forward to visiting his project myself at some point to do what I can to shine a spotlight on this excellent developing example of a self-replicating permaculture demonstration site. (See also this great series by Alex Metcalfe to get even more of a sense of the flavour of the people and place.)
Anyway, in less than two weeks time their latest Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course will be held, lead by the competent hands of the PRI’s Rhamis Kent and Strawberry Fields’ Tichafa Makovere. The course runs from May 30 to June 11.
This is a fantastic opportunity to gain an experience of a lifetime, whilst supporting a valuable permaculture aid endeavour — the type of which we’d like to see replicated across the developing world.
Comments (0)The International Permaculture Conference and Convergence (IPC10) is Getting Closer!
Conferences, Courses/Workshops, Social Gatherings — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor May 16, 2011
Bookings for the International Permaculture Conference & Convergence (IPC10) that is running through September 2011 are coming in thick and fast. I’m personally looking forward to putting faces to all the names of people I’m in constant communication with, but who I’ve never met yet. It’ll be great to hear first hand the accounts of work and progress happening all over the world, and to feel and share not only knowledge but also the sense of enthusiasm we all need to keep moving forward on paths appropriate for these precipitous times!
If you haven’t done so already, you can find out more about the upcoming IPC10 here, and you can book and pay for your attendance also. Keep in mind that while the 1-day Conference is open to all, the 4-day Convergence is only open to PDC holders. If you haven’t taken a PDC, and you want to attend the Convergence, then the pre-IPC PDC might just be for you! (With the amazing line-up of teachers for this PDC, many existing PDC graduates may well want to attend this one as well.)
Some of you with websites might want to embed the clip below on your sites so that we can spread the message further and make this event all it can be.
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July 10th Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course, and other Courses
Courses/Workshops — by Bonnie Freibergs
It might be only the middle of May but our July 10th Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course is almost booked to capacity. A PDC from The Permaculture Research Institute will provide you with an excellent foundation in permaculture design and theory. This PDC is situated at the ever-expanding and inspirational Zaytuna Farm. Graduates will leave ready to design permaculture systems and apply permaculture principles into a wide range of scenarios.
The early bird special, which generates a 10% discount when the course fees are paid in full, will expire in two weeks time. People keen to attend this particular course are welcome to email education (at) permaculture.org.au to register your interest.
Alternatively there are four other PDC courses coming up:
Comments (0)Earthworks Course – Zaytuna Farm, The Channon, May 2011
Conservation, Courses/Workshops, Dams, Earth Banks, Gabions, Irrigation, Land, Limonia, Rehabilitation, Roads, Storm Water, Surveying, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Steve Grace May 12, 2011
The sun works on an 11 year cycle over which it radiates heat at varying levels upon the earth. The cycle is observed by counting the frequency and placement of sunspots visible on the sun. Currently we are at a peak of the cycle whereby the sun is radiating a maximum amount of heat and energy. This means increased evaporation off the oceans’ waters and therefore increased precipitation over our lands. When the sun moves towards its less generative stage of the cycle, less evaporation occurs, which means less precipitation and impending dry conditions.
And so the rains have come down upon Zaytuna farm — 111mm in 5 days. The dams are full to the freeboard, the swales are soaking in the sediment, the spillways are spilling, the swivel pipes are swivelling, the soil is having a regeneration party, and the plants are just hangin’ out doing their thing.
And the earthworks have been stopped in their tracks….
Comments (2)To PDC, or Not To PDC
Consumerism, Courses/Workshops, Society — by Steve Grace May 9, 2011
I had some reservations about attending the recent April PDC course held by Geoff Lawton at Zaytuna Farm in Northern NSW. Doubt flared its fiery nostrils at me — doubt about the authenticity of the course and doubt about my own direction. The two weeks that followed was an experience I could have never expected, and is one that I will never forget.
Take a PDC at Nature’s Gift Permaculture, in Lilongwe, Malawi with Alex Kruger
Courses/Workshops — by Hope Thornton May 6, 2011
What: Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course
When: June 13-25, 2011
Where: Lilongwe, Malawi
Lead facilitator, Alex Kruger, has 15 years of experience in practicing and teaching permaculture which began with training at Fambidzanai of Zimbabwe in 1993. Her experience base ranges from small scale community based work to large scale systems in a number of diverse bioregions and climates. Training and materials development are her passion, as well as creating beautiful systems with groups of people. Alex lives in an intentional community, Berg en Dal, in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she currently spends her time teaching permaculture and building her home from natural materials found on the farm.
Nature’s Gift Permaculture will draw upon its qualified staff to assist with this training. Together, Nature’s Gift Permaculture staff have decades of experience working in permaculture, are able to speak over seven languages, and at any given time represent at least three continents!
For more info and to register, please download this PDF.
Comments (1)ABC’s Bush Telegraph Helps Push National Permaculture Day
Community Projects, Conferences, Courses/Workshops, Podcasts, Social Gatherings, Society — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor
This little promo interview by ABC’s Michael Mackenzie with Geoff Lawton, Kat Lavers and Liz Silvolli was for Australia’s National Permaculture Day — which saw a flurry of permaculture activity across Australia just a few days ago, on May 1. I post the talk for your interest. I’d welcome reports from the day from organisers and observers of some of the various events. It would be a great way to get people to start thinking about May 1, 2012! Just email me on editor (at) permaculture.org.au
Click play below to hear the interview.
ABC's Michael Mackenzie talks with Geoff Lawton, Kat Lavers and Liz Silvolli Comments (1)Online Non-GMO Speaker Training (Webinar) with Jeffrey Smith begins in June
Consumerism, Courses/Workshops, GMOs, Health & Disease — by Jeffrey M. Smith
Dear Friends,
We invite to join us for our next Online Non-GMO Speaker Training Webinar with Jeffrey Smith.
When: June 14, 21, 28, & July 12th
Time: 8:00pm-10:00pm EST
Cost: $80 Individual / $140 Couple Early Discount Before May 20th $70/$120
Partial scholarships are available — please contact scholarships (at) responsibletechnology.org
Speaker Training Course Description:
Join international bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith to learn how to speak about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and to organize effective activism on the issue. Whether you want to give complete presentations or simply add a GMO section to your current lecture, whether you’re planning to discuss GMOs in a professional setting with clients or just with friends in a casual way, or whether you want to be a leading anti-GMO campaigner or simply want to help out where you can, don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from the leading spokesperson on GMO health dangers.
You will learn:
Comments (2)Permaculture Professional Development Courses
Courses/Workshops, Economics — by Nick Huggins April 29, 2011
Professional development for permaculture consultants is one of the biggest opportunities moving forward — expanding permaculture into a business/energy transfer system. (Most permies I run into get scared when money is mentioned, so lets call it energy transfer.)
Geoff and Nadia Lawton have given me a monumental opportunity to integrate professional development into PRI’s education line up and for that I’m very grateful. Since most of the world’s population live in an urban setting, there is thus the most demand for retrofitting human habitats. As such, I will be running a 5-day Permaculture Urban Landscape Design Course.
I ran a 2-day intensive course with the PRI’s January 2011 Interns to gauge their thoughts and their personal responses. The course, while short, gave them a new lease on permaculture life and a direction for building a career in professional permaculture and business.
In the 5-day course starting, 13th June 2011, is going to be intense! You’re going to become part of a permaculture design firm — a member of a team that will function as a professional design firm. We will be engaged by a real life client with an urban garden, with real life outcomes of producing an urban permaculture design presentation in a professional manner. The design created will be used by students of the next course.
Comments (12)Australia’s Permaculture Day, May 1st – Only Two Days to Go!
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Social Gatherings — by Penny Pyett
Dear permaculture people — if you haven’t seen the National Permaculture Day website recently you should see it now!
With over 70 events showcasing permaculture happening around Australia this Sunday, it’s going to be a fantastic day with our co-operative efforts gaining maximum public and media attention. Local and national newspapers and radio are certainly picking up on this. Various permies have already done several interviews about the day — I’ve done a few and expect to do many more over the next few days. Be prepared just in case you are also contacted as I have been referring media to local people running specific events. There is a permaculture event in every state except the Northern Territory.
Media releases have gone out to all metropolitan and regional TV, radio and newspapers, plus news agencies and talkback radio. In total, 1136 emails to date!
Comments (1)The International Permaculture Conference and Convergence (IPC10) – Only Three Weeks Left for Early Bird Discount!
Conferences, Courses/Workshops, Social Gatherings — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor April 25, 2011
The world’s premier permaculture gathering begins in September this year. The International Permaculture Conference and Convergence is held every two years on a different continent. This time around, it’s Jordan’s turn. Jordan is home of the original, and sequel, ‘Greening the Desert‘ sites.
I thought I’d better remind you that the May 15 deadline for the early bird discount is only a few short weeks away. Book and pay for your attendance on or before this date, and you get 10% off the cost of attendance. You can book and pay here. If you want to check out prices before booking, you can do that here. The form will auto-calculate the cost as you choose options (see the ‘Total’ section near bottom of form after making your selections).
For your perusal — a great lineup of speakers and workshops!:
Comments (0)Superadobe Earthbag Building Workshop with Bill Mollison, Mystee Unwin and Jose Dib
Building, Courses/Workshops — by Tagari April 20, 2011
2011 Southern California Permaculture Convergence
Conferences, Courses/Workshops, Social Gatherings — by Joey Soto April 18, 2011
Download this as a PDF for distribution
What: 2011 Southern California Permaculture Convergence
When: April 29 to May 1, 2011
Where: Camp Hess Kramer, in
Malibu, CA
The Los Angeles Permaculture Guild is excited to be hosting this year’s convergence at Camp Hess Kramer, located in the Santa Monica Mountains along the ocean near the LA/Ventura border. The theme of this gathering is: Reconnect, Reskill, Regenerate. The mission of this gathering is to provide concrete tools for revitalizing our global culture, and to inspire new leaders to proactively revitalize and elevate their communities.
Comments (2)Gold Coast Permaculture Group Hosts Permaculture Skill Fair Day on May 1st 2011
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Presentations/Demonstrations, Social Gatherings — by Leah Galvin April 8, 2011
Click for larger, printable version
Coinciding with Australia’s National Permaculture Day, the Gold Coast Permaculture Group will host a Permaculture Skill Fair Day on May 1st, 2011. This event will incorporate fun, interactive and educational talks, workshops and stalls relating to permaculture, organic vegetable gardening and self-reliance. The goal for the day is to inspire, create connections and increase awareness for the people of the Gold Coast community.
Where: Three Worlds Community Garden
When: 10am-3pm, May 1st, 2011
The Gold Coast Permaculture Group is a non profit association, focused on building community capacity, education and sustainability. We have worked with the community garden groups, schools, workplaces and general public for the past 4 years. Our focus this year is to develop supportive partnerships with the schools of the Gold Coast.
Everyone is welcome!
We are also looking for people who would be interested in doing a talk, workshop or have a stall on the day…. Just let us know!
Contact:
Leah Galvin
Gold Coast Permaculture Group
Phone: 0406 897 195
Email: leg30 (at) hotmaill.com
Strawberry Fields Eco Lodge – Update: Cob Oven
Aid Projects, Building, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Energy Systems — by Alex McCausland April 4, 2011
Editor’s Note: As many of you will have noticed, Alex has been making some great practical updates on the work going on at the Strawberry Fields Eco-Lodge. Below is yet another little update on the practical application of permaculture in southern Ethiopia. In addition to the Steve Cran Training of Trainers course, the PRI’s Rhamis Kent will be making a May 30 – June 11, 2011 Permaculture Design Certificate course at Strawberry Fields in Ethiopia. Both of these courses are worth some serious consideration.
Another structure we built in the last couple of weeks was a small cob-oven. This is a great thing for our project to save on fuel wood consumption and allow us to make more kinds of food, like pizzas as well as baking loaf-bread rather than only flat bread which we currently make.
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