Another Internship Comes to a Close
Courses/Workshops — by Steve Grace July 5, 2011
It’s project time and all the interns at Zaytuna are busy working away at their individual endeavors. The past two months has been a real roller coaster ride – a wild dive into a vast new world of information and knowledge and everyone is enjoying the practical opportunity now given to delve into their own area of specific interest. Students have chosen their own projects involving Aquaponics, Aquaculture, Food Forests, Compost, Kitchen Gardening, Solar Energy, Cobb Building and a human powered Water Pump!
Working with the specialist Zaytuna crew led by Geoff Lawton, Interns have taken the solid theoretical base that has formed the Internship core and applied it to work in the field.
Comments (8)Soil Biology with Paul Taylor
Compost, Courses/Workshops, Fungi, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Soil Composition, Soil Conservation, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Structure — by Steve Grace June 25, 2011
One of the major global concerns we face today is the heavily depleted state and continued degeneration of our soil. Without healthy soil, we cannot produce healthy food and however obvious it might seem, the food that we eat directly affects the nature of our being. It’s funny how the most common sense is no longer at all common.
In 1907, Theodore Roosevelt said: "the nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself". Since that time we have had a salivating appetite for destruction. At present 90% of Australian soil is considered to be of poor quality….
In order to appreciate the significance of this statistic, it is important that we understand the society of microorganisms that exist beneath our feet. In one tablespoon of healthy soil there lives a population of microbes that is greater than the population of human beings on earth – over 6.9 billion microorganisms, working together to make available nutrients to the soil in which we produce the food that enables us to survive. If only the human population of the world was as resourceful and harmonious as our micro acquaintances.
Comments (13)In Two Months One of the Most Amazing Courses Will Begin – Don’t Miss the Pre-IPC PDC!!
Courses/Workshops — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor June 24, 2011
When: 3rd – 15th September 2011
Where: Amman, Jordan
What: One of the Most Dynamic Permaculture Design Certificate Courses You’ll Ever Have the Chance to Attend!
Photo copyright © Craig Mackintosh
In two short months, one of the most dynamic PDCs you will likely ever have the opportunity to attend will begin, in the lead-up to the Tenth International Permaculture Conference & Convergence (IPC10).
Presenters of the course include Bill Mollison, Geoff & Nadia Lawton, Brad Lancaster and Warren Brush. Between them they have a wealth of people- and planet-saving knowledge to share.
I’m looking forward to it myself!
Please see more details on the teachers below, and I hope to see you there!!
Comments (1)Mulloon Creek Internship Program
Commercial Farm Projects, Courses/Workshops — by Campbell Wilson June 22, 2011
Here at Mulloon Creek, our intern program is centred around learning by doing. We have a lot of development happening over the coming years within our ecological agricultural practices and, as we see it, an essential part of that work is the rehydration of the landscape and the planting of various productive agro-forestry systems to complement the farming practices. If you’re interested in the large-scale design and implementation side of landscape health within a productive farm environment, be sure to visit our website to find out more.
Comments (4)National Permaculture Day at Three Worlds on the Gold Coast, Australia
Courses/Workshops, Social Gatherings, Village Development — by Permaculture Gold Coast June 14, 2011
National Permaculture Day Workshop Presentation at
Three Worlds Community Garden, Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast
National Permaculture Day, on May 1, saw an amazing turnout of over 230 people, a restaurant serving organic food and non-stop presentations on everything from food creation to soil creation at the Three Worlds Community Garden at Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast. It was a hugely successful community event.
Comments (1)Planetary Permaculture Pilgrimage
Courses/Workshops — by Tamara Griffiths June 11, 2011
A once in a lifetime opportunity to do advanced study with many of the greatest teachers of permaculture.
Join a group of advanced students and teachers to pilgrimage to Australia to learn from the grandmothers and grandfathers of permaculture. Whether you are a new permaculture designer or already have a seasoned practice, here is the opportunity of a lifetime to study with the masters and maestras of the movement. The range of the teachers’ experiences, techniques and philosophies bring an amazing diversity to the courses.
Comments (4)Milkwood Farm: Spring 2011 Internships Applications are Open!
Courses/Workshops — by Milkwood Permaculture June 9, 2011
Want to come and get your hands dirty while skilling-up for a future in permaculture and regenerative agriculture? A Milkwood Farm internship might be just the ticket!
Comments (2)My Smart Garden
Courses/Workshops, Networking Sites, News, Social Gatherings, Village Development — by Sarah Lamshed June 2, 2011
Do you live in Melbourne’s Hobsons Bay or Moonee Valley City Council areas and like gardening but don’t know what more you can do… or are you a budding gardener and don’t know where to start?
Comments (0)PDC Teacher Training Course
Courses/Workshops — by Steve Grace June 1, 2011
Ninety nine percent of the people who come to take a PDC do so because they are concerned — concerned about the state of their environment, concerned about the state of themselves, concerned about the state of the planet. They want to change something, to take action in response to the growing sense of dysfunctional instability and uncertainty that is defining our age. Permaculture provides a directive to act. What’s more, there is an inherent financial and psychological commitment that accompanies this decision to act. For most it is a moment of hesitation, a time of transition between two worlds — the centralised consumer-driven monoculture of mainstream society and the alternative community-based polyculture on the fringe — an evolution of which the importance can be difficult to truly appreciate, let alone put into effectual practice.
Comments (2)Permaculture Pyromania – 2-Day Rocket Stove Course with Tim Barker
Courses/Workshops, Energy Systems — by Bonnie Freibergs May 31, 2011
Here at the PRI we love our Rocket Stoves and foremost with this love is our in-house pyromaniac, Tim Barker.
During this fun 2-day course at Zaytuna Farm we will explore the fascinating world of super efficient, super cheap, super simple Rocket Stoves.
We will look at the history of heating and cooking with wood from the three stone fire, through to the ornate Kachel Offen and finally the Rocket Stove and the Rocket Mass Heater with some interesting diversions along the way.
Participants will learn the principles of efficient combustion, material selection and most importantly how to design and build their very own Rocket Stove.
Best of all you will get to build your own Rocket Stove with recycled materials and participate in the building of a large Rocket Mass Heater, and yes, we will get to burn stuff!
So if you are the type that loves to stare into the camp fire at night and can’t help but poke and prod it with a stick then come and join us on what is sure to be a fascinating fun-filled and informative weekend.
Comments (9)Permaculture Comes to Aruba
Community Projects, Conferences, Courses/Workshops, News — by Amber Bacca May 28, 2011
Editor’s Note: A former PRI Australia intern shares exciting news of efforts she has been successfully engaged in since her stay at Zaytuna Farm. Well done Amber!
A U.S.-based non-profit, Resilient Futures International, recently travelled to the beautiful island of Aruba to participate in the country’s first Permaculture Fair, which took place between April 10-20, 2011. Over the course of a week, RFI presented the permaculture concept and methods to around 700 participants from various sectors of Aruban society, including but not limited to businesses, the tourism industry, and local NGOs.
Observations on Permaculture Aid and the PRI’s Project Aid Worker Training Course
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Consumerism, Courses/Workshops, Ethical Investment, Food Shortages, People Systems, Project Positions, Society, Village Development — by Steve Grace May 27, 2011
Interns at PRI’s Zaytuna Farm
There are few things in this life as disturbing as the suffering of another human being. Perhaps one might be the fact that we the privileged have become so desensitised to it, so selfishly removed into our own little worlds of such great importance. Is it not the responsibility of the privileged to ensure the basic elements of survival are provided for those less fortunate than ourselves? How can we continue to spoil ourselves with riches, when the knowledge of another’s pain is so obviously clear?
Comments (6)Joel Salatin Returns to Australia
Courses/Workshops, Livestock — by Milkwood Permaculture May 25, 2011
We were rather impressed with Joel Salatin when he came to Australia last year. So were one or two other people. Aside from being the most entertaining farmer that we’ve ever met, he’s really onto something. Multiple somethings, even.
Comments (8)The IPC10 Draws Near – Advert Resources to Help Spread the Word
Conferences, Courses/Workshops, Social Gatherings — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor May 23, 2011
The 10th International Permaculture Conference & Convergence (IPC10) is drawing near! It promises to be an amazing event. Check out the Conference speaker timetable, and the Convergence speaker/workshop timetable to see what I mean.
Below are adverts that webmasters and anyone who wants to help promote the IPC can utilise to help spread the word. Nadia du Toit kindly created the advert for us — some of you may wish to utilise Nadia for your design needs — and was kindly sponsored by Permaculture magazine.
Download: Screen Resolution (111kb) or Print Resolution (1.7mb)
Building Systems for the Developing World – Perspective and Opportunity
Aid Projects, Building, Courses/Workshops, Energy Systems, Land, Retrofitting, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Doug Weatherbee May 21, 2011
Note by Owen Hablutzel: This article from Doug Weatherbee speaks to why the skills and approach of Permaculture are becoming increasingly recognized among international development communities as being necessary and often more useful on-the-ground than conventional ‘development’ approaches for achieving often complex and practical goals in the difficult circumstances often encountered where people, livelihoods, basic needs, and struggling economies intersect. The Permaculture approach can broaden the scope and greatly increase the ‘toolbox’ available, while keeping these elements related and connected through attention to the context and larger whole. Now, more than ever, the world is ready for more Permaculture! What can you do to further prepare to meet this expanding need?
by Doug Weatherbee, Center for Appropriate Technology and Indigenous Sustainability
To a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.
In many development aid projects around the world, not-for-profits (NFPs) are doing valuable work solving problems for communities and regions. Many of us who have done some sort of development aid work come to these communities with the NFP’s focus area (for example, clean drinking water, sanitation, or agricultural projects) and a set of NFP aid workers who are trained in the NFP focus area. However, when we land on the ground, in real communities and regions, the problems don’t necessarily stay contained within the narrow box of the NFP’s focus or the expertise of its workers. "The real world of people living, eating and growing food, having shelters, dealing with sanitation, having clean drinking water, staying warm or cool, creating families and communities, all of this is a rich mixture, and its problems and solutions don’t often fit into tiny neat boxes," says Jim Hallock, of Tierra Y Cal, who has experience building sustainable shelters in Haiti, South and Central America, and Africa. "When I show up in Haiti to help build a school or a clinic I’m asked about how to grow a food garden or deal with drinking water contamination."
The conundrum so often experienced is that NFP workers are unprepared to deal with aspects of the larger community or regional problems outside the scope of their skills or the not-for-profit’s focus. Sometimes aid workers need a screwdriver, and all they have is a hammer.
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