Permaculture for Beginners DVD in the Works
Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books, Developments, News — by Ecofilms December 16, 2008
Editor’s Note: Our creative video genius, Frank Gapinski, gives us an update on the work of Flashtoonz
Coming in 2009 is the DVD we’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Permaculture for Beginners is the fundamental introduction to the Permaculture Design Certificate Course. Its the 72 hour Course boiled down to just over 90 minutes with all the essential points covered. If you are interested in doing the full PDC and want to know more about it – then this DVD introduces the course in a nutshell.
More than just a classroom lecture – each point is covered in practical detail with on the field examples. If you’re new to Permaculture and don’t know where to begin – then this DVD reveals the PDC in all its glory by one of the best, most experienced teachers on the planet – Geoff Lawton. Geoff has taught the course in over 27 different countries.
He’s currently in Iran before travelling to Morocco and then back to Australia in January. Geoff is pretty excited about this title as its a way to introduce a whole new generation of people to Permaculture. The project was scheduled to begin in November but we had another DVD on the boil that needed completion. 2009 should be an interesting year for Permaculture people around the globe.
Harvesting Water has been translated for the Chinese market and other language translations are in the works. We got some big plans and some very exciting fresh films to reveal before the 2009 is done.
More details to come in the following weeks.
Comments (9)
Hawaiian Homeland Security
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, News — by Nichole Ross November 23, 2008
Homeland Security. To the native people of the Hawaiian Islands, it’s more than just a buzzword thrown around by the Bush Administration to justify the creation of another branch of government. For Native Hawaiians, like many indigenous people around the world, the story is the same – foreign occupation resulting in loss of homelands and culture.
Traditional Hawaiian Gardening at Kapahu Farm on Maui (www.kipahulu.org)
In 1921, in an effort, led by Prince Kuhio Kalanianaole, to right these wrongs and help native Hawaiians reclaim their ties to the ‘aina (land), the United States Congress passed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. The Act set aside 203,500 acres of public lands for those with at least 50 percent Hawaiian blood.
Comments (0)Course Schedule for 2009 Finalised
Courses/Workshops, News — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor October 17, 2008
 Study at Zaytuna Farm, NSW |
We’ve just posted all the courses for 2009 – and we’ve added several new courses to the mix. Aside from the very popular Permaculture Design Certificate course (PDC), we’ve added the following new courses:
- Introduction to Permaculture Course (A two-day weekend course to get you started on the Permaculture path – an ultra concise version of the 72 hour PDC)
- Permaculture Food Gardening Course (Another weekend course: More and more people realise that growing their own food is more than just a lifestyle choice now, but a necessity – this course will give you the knowhow and confidence to work efficiently and productively)
- Permaculture Design Certificate Teacher Training Course (Already a Permaculturist, and want to teach PDCs? This course will help get you started!)
- Permaculture Earthworks Course (Learn from the best! Learn how to drought-proof your land and optimise productivity with that most essential of elements – water!)
- Permaculture Project Aid Worker Course (This course is intended to prepare you for project aid work worldwide, where you can help people whilst gaining valuable Permaculture experience)
Click here for course dates, descriptions and for registration.
Comments (0)Food Forest DVDs Being Shipped
DVDs/Books, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, News, Plant Systems, Trees — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor September 26, 2008
Profuse apologies to all the eager Food Forest customers. We had a slight delay on their arrival. But, they’re here now! We are presently shipping them out to all who have ordered. It’s great to see the interest. There’s never been a better time to establish a Food Forest!
Order here.
Comments (1)PRI Update – September 12, 2008
Aid Projects, Courses/Workshops, Developments, Education Centres, News — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor September 12, 2008
Every now and again we’ll try to keep you all in the loop as to progress and activity with our work here in the little village of PRI. As always, there is a lot going on, and a lot more in the pipeline. Some of you may well wish to get involved yourself!
Here goes:
Comments (3)Convergence of Issues Leads to Southern California Permaculture Convergence, August 29-31, 2008
Conservation, News, Presentations/Demonstrations, Social Gatherings, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Storm Water, Water Contaminaton & Loss, Water Harvesting, peak oil — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor August 31, 2008
Cooling off after the first day of the Southern California Permaculture Convergence,
hosted by the Quail Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm
Yesterday the Southern California Permaculture Convergence got underway. The word ‘convergence’ is the operative word here, and, ironically, to me at least, has a double meaning. Over the last couple of weeks, being here at Quail Springs just reminds me of the convergence of issues we face as a race, just as we ‘converge’ to network, share instruction and ideas, and find new ways to work together to face those same issues.
Let me explain, using an example very close to where we are today.
Comments (4)Geoff Lawton – “All the World’s Problems Can Be Solved in a Garden”
News, Presentations/Demonstrations — by Linda Buzzell August 30, 2008
Linda Buzzell, M.A., M. Journalism, M.F.T. is a member of the Santa Barbara Permaculture Guild. She took her Permaculture Design Course in 2006. She is the founder of the International Association for Ecotherapy
Photo credit: Craig Mackintosh
On Thursday August 28, 2008 one of the world’s top permaculture designers, Australian Geoff Lawton, spoke to a standing-room-only audience at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara. The presentation was sponsored by the Santa Barbara Permaculture Network and the SBCC Center for Sustainability, led by biology professor Dr. Adam Green.
Comments (1)The Santa Barbara City College Hears ‘The Plan’
News, Presentations/Demonstrations — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor
The Quail Springs Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course (for 2008) closed Wednesday – and with a bang. Six groups of students put forth impressive design proposals for the design brief they were given, resulting in 47 new PDC graduates joining the worldwide permaculture community – a community that we are inspired can become a powerful ‘peace army’ to bring hope and real solutions to a beleaguered world. We look forward to hearing from these new friends as they build on their knowledge and carve out avenues for practical application. It was a privilege and inspiration to meet them all.
No sooner was the course ended, and Geoff and Nadia were off to Santa Barbara to answer an invitation to speak to an attentive crowd at the Santa Barbara City College. Thanks to Wes Roe & Margie Bushman for the invite and organising.
Comments (0)Permaculture Design Course In Liberia – a Resounding Success
Aid Projects, Courses/Workshops, News — by Warren Brush June 21, 2008
by Warren Brush, Co-Founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis
The first graduates of a Permaculture Design |
Back in March we celebrated the first graduating class of a Permaculture Design Course in Liberia’s history. Liberia had been in the throws of a brutal civil war since the late 80’s when the Permaculture movement was making its way around the world and was unable to get into Liberia until now, four years after the cease fire and peace building ensued.
We had 19 official graduates of the course which took nearly a month to complete as we had to translate into the local Lorma language. There were six other attendees who completed 3/4 of the course and who will complete it at a later date which will bring the graduating class to a total of 25. Many of the graduates shared how this was a historical moment for Liberia as Permaculture is seeding new ways of agriculture and living into their part of the world and deeply into their world-views.
Comments (5)PermacultureJordan.org Coming Soon
News — by Geoff Lawton April 11, 2008
A new website for The Permaculture Research Institute Jordan will be launching soon.
Comments (0)Permaculture Cairns takes off
News — by Nick Ritar December 4, 2007
Permaculture Cairns is a recently formed permaculture group, located in the wet tropics region of Far North Queensland, Australia. Cairns has a Tropical climate, with generally hot and humid summers and milder drier winters. The cyclone season is normally confined to between December and April and the average annual rainfall is 1992mm. Nowhere else on earth do two World Heritage listed sites sit side by side –With the education of Permaculture at its core, the aim of the group is to spread permaculture throughout Cairns and the Far North, and give demonstrative examples of permaculture at work in such a unique and challenging environment. The Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s Tropical Rainforests. Both are in severe danger of being lost forever, in part due to the unconscious urban design for an ever-increasing populous and destructive agricultural practice.
Since being formed in July, a great deal of interest has been shown and the number of members (all ages) on our forum site has rapidly grown to its current level of 42. The group has been successful in attracting new members, particularly through its participation in two notable local festivals: the annual “Empower Energy Festival” and “Envirofiesta”, a community event, this year attended by more than 5000 people, that showcases the natural and cultural diversity of the region.
Comments (1)IDEP emergency response to flash floods in Aceh & North Sumatra
Aid Projects, News — by Geoff Lawton January 3, 2007
Dear Friends of IDEP, Two years after the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the province, Aceh is struggling with a new disaster. Torrential rains over the past week have triggered flash floods and landslides which have forced around 300,000 to flee their homes on the island of Sumatra, with Aceh and North Sumatra provinces the worst hit.
As of yesterday reports showed that about 100,000 people were stranded by floods which have claimed at least 110 lives. Water levels, which rose to as high as five meters in some places, have been receding, but today the sky was dark again with clouds. We pray that the rains will not start again.
Officials say a combination of heavy rains and widespread unregulated deforestation are to blame for the flash flooding. By removing dense vegetation the ground is less able to absorb heavy rainfall, creating torrents of water that quickly overwhelm river systems.
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More on the PRI: Vietnam
News — by Murray Gray April 20, 2006
The Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) – Australia and The Centre for Human Ecology Studies of Highlands (CHESH), Vietnam agree to set up a Memoradum of Understanding as follows…
Responsibilities of The Permaculture Research Institute
- Provide qualified teachers to organise education, demonstration and research sites based on permaculture design principles
- Select, promote and support local permaculture teachers
- Organise and arrange in conjunction with CHESH the exchange and internship of Australian and international students to Vietnam and other countries involved in the permaculture network with the aim of allowing students to gain experience in the following areas:
- On the ground – implementation, establishment and maintenance of project
- Administration – office procedure, media and communication
- Education – curriculum and course teaching
- Organise and arrange in conjunction with CHESH the exchange and internship of Vietnamese students to Australia and other countries involved in the permaculture network with the aim of allowing students to gain experience in the areas described above
- Ensure all students are holders of the accredited permaculture design certificate as recognised by Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Institute of Australia
- Ensure all teachers are accredited with Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Institute of Australia
- Facilitate the exchange of relevant research information to and from both institutes
- Facilitate translation of relevant permaculture text and curricula
It’s official! PRI Vietnam is alive!
News — by Murray Gray April 19, 2006
It’s official! The Permaculture Research Institute Vietnam is form signed and sealed a full working exchange agreement. It’s going to be a great two way arrangement!
See the rest of the article for more pics!
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Greetings from New Orleans
Aid Projects, News — by Andrew Jones April 1, 2006
I’m beginning this en route to work, in the traffic jam that now characterises New Orleans morning traffic flows between 7-9am, seems that half the daily population is currently living outside the city limits and commuting by pickup….
The city is a busy hive of worker bees, or a disrupted ant colony, with a lot of energy going into the process of reconstructing what was, at least in more prosperous parts of the city. Other areas such as the lower 9th ward remain largely unrepaired, with spraypainted messages from rescuers still on the houses (‘dangerous pit bull’, ‘no pets’, etc) and questions still remaining for residents regarding levels of compensation for the uninsured.
For a good overview of the issues and a grass roots response, see the Common Ground website. Kevin mentioned this group to me before I left and they are doing great work here on a broad range of social, political, economic, and environmental fronts, including the use of effective microorganisms (EM) in dealing with mold affected houses, and bioremediation of soils affected by lead and arsenic and some persistant organic pollutants (POPs).
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