Heathcote Community, in Freeland Maryland, is offering a 7-day course in “Permaculture Design” with an additional 2-weekend Design Certificate option. Beginning February 14th, the course meets every other weekend through June 2010.
Ecologists and authors, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, from the University of Tasmania, created the concept of Permaculture to infer permanent culture, and permanent agriculture. The term implies a way a life that insures the survival of all earth’s species and natural resources. Mollison’s theories evolved from childhood observations of traditional stewardship behavior of the neighboring aboriginal community.
Using both ancient and modern knowledge, Permaculture Design mimics universal survival patterns found in nature. As both a theory and practice, it is a system of designing human-initiated ecosystems that relate food production to other human needs (such as shelter, water, and community), bioregional resource flow and conservation. Permaculture is a frame of reference for analyzing specific human habitats and finding sustainable solutions to their inherent problems or needs. A small-scale backyard, or large-scale farm, village or city, can be transformed into a healthy ecological human habitat. Permaculture principles provide basic criteria for ecologically informed decision-making, suggesting limits to land development, and individual independence.
This course will appeal to anyone interested in living a more community-reliant, environmentally responsible life-style. Class time will involve hands-on outdoor demonstrations, lecture and scale drawing (no experience necessary). Students will apply sustainable concepts of biological diversity, water harvesting, food production, renewable energy, natural building, ecological waste management, and wilderness conservation in a design exercise for a familiar property of their own choice.
Heathcote Community, a School of Living land trust, provides a focus for interdisciplinary study and research, illustrating practical applications of sustainable living. To register see http://www.heathcote.org/cms/content/home-scale-permaculture-design-course-2010
For more information call 410-357-9523 or email education@heathcote.org.
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