[Cob] Permaculture Design Course at Quail Springs May 2007

[Quail Springs]

Here it is, the opportunity you've been waiting for!

 

Spring 2007 Permaculture Design Certificate Course 

 

At

 

Quail Springs Permaculture Farm and Learning Oasis in the Cuyama Valley
of Southern California (dry land agricultural setting)

 

DATES:  May 14-27th, 2007

 

LOCATION: Upper Cuyama Valley in the Southern California Mountains

 

COST:  $1200 for registration paid in full by September 30, 2006; $1350
for full payment received by January 31, 2007, and $1450 for payment
after February 1, 2007. (camping and meals included)  

 

To register or for more info, contact::  Quail Springs, P.O. Box 417,
New Cuyama, California 95254, (805) 886-7239, info at quailsprings.org

 

"All the world's problems can be solved in the garden."

 

 

 

 


What is Permaculture?


Permaculture is a holistic approach to land use design, based on
ecological principles and patterns. It aims to create stable, productive
systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land
with people. Permaculture principles can be applied to any environment,
at any scale - from dense urban settlements to individual homes, from
farms to entire regions.

 

This world-recognized, 72-hour course provides an introduction to
Permaculture as set forth by movement founder Bill Mollison. Students
are invited to bring details of their own sites or potential sites and
explore site-specific Permaculture solutions. The course serves as the
foundation for further study and is a prerequisite for a Diploma in
Permaculture Design, awarded by the Permaculture Research Institute. To
date, hundreds of Permaculture designers worldwide have been certified
through the course, creating a global network of ecological activists
influencing major corporations and creating new soft-energy business
alternatives. The course covers sustainable living systems for a wide
variety of landscapes and climates, with special emphasis on arid zones.


 

Course Content

The course includes the application of Permaculture principles to food
production, home design, construction, energy conservation and
generation, and explores alternative economic structures and legal
strategies supporting Permaculture solutions. Specific topics include: 

 

*         Theory and principles of Permaculture 

*         Nature-friendly house placement and design 

*         Energy conservation techniques for cold climates 

*         Recycling and waste management 

*         Soil rehabilitation

*         Organic food production 

*         Water harvesting and management, including earthworks 

*         Ecological pest control 

*         Drought-proofing 

*         Soil rehabilitation and erosion control 

*         Animal husbandry

*         Aquaculture 

*         Catastrophe preparedness and prevention 

*         Windbreaks and fire control

*         Aspects of eco-village design 

*         Community

*         Invisible structures

 

About the Instructors

Geoff Lawton is the Director of the Permaculture Research Institute in
Australia, assuming the position from Permaculture founder Bill
Mollison. Lawton has worked for clients that include communities,
governments, aid organizations, non-government organizations and
multi-national companies. Lawton has served clients in 17 different
countries, including Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, USA, Mexico, Macedonia,
Vietnam, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, England, Denmark, Australia
and the South Pacific. A recent project in Jordan is documented on a
video called Greening the Desert available for viewing on his website
(www.permaculture.org.au).

 

Nadia Abu Yahia (Lawton) was born in the Dead Sea Valley in Jordan. She
learned traditional ways of land use from her father, an expert farmer
and herbal healer of Palestinian, Bedouin descent. She later went on to
complete her Permaculture diploma in design, education and site
development and has recently become a registered Permaculture teacher.

 

Possible guest lectures by other relevant professionals

 


About the Farm


Quail Springs is a land-based project of True Nature, a non profit
organization, dedicated to the learning and sharing of essential living
skills which support personal, community, and ecological health and
balance. We accomplish our mission through the offerings of family camps
and life skills workshops, vocational and mentoring programs for teens,
and internships and service learning at our Permaculture designed farm
setting and learning oasis in the Cuyama Valley of California where
life-long learning is nurtured in an atmosphere of community support.

We live on a 450-acre farm at 3600 feet (approx. 1100m) elevation and
are shaping the land and our lives towards a model of self-sufficiency.
This property is in its third year of development with community-built
structures, a spring-fed gravity flow water system, a dam, swales, food
gardens, tree plantings, food forest, animal systems, and a great
community spirit. 


What to expect


Learn and live Permaculture design and development while camping onsite.
In addition to primitive camping facilities and compost toilets,
participants should also be prepared for some cold evenings and
mornings. 

 

This 72-hour certificate program is a 13-day, residential design course
with a one-day break in the middle and a celebration at the end.

 

There is an a special offer for those who would like to learn specific
Bedouin culture artesan food preservation, presented by Nadia Abu Yahia
on the 20th (day off).  Additionally there is an option of immersing
yourself in Permaculture work after the course by staying on at Quail
Springs, for $50 a day.

 

 

Quote about the course

"I thought I was coming to learn about gardens, and instead I learned
about life, and the importance of community and interdependence."

 

 

Kolmi Majumdar

Resident Caretaker 
Quail Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm 
 <mailto:info at quailsprings.org> info at quailsprings.org