2012 Permaculture Design Certificate Course at Sirius EcoVillage, Gain College Credit!

Sowing Solutions 2012 Permaculture Design Certification Course

at Sirius EcoVillage in Western Massachusetts

with Kay Cafasso, Mark Krawczyk, Keith Zaltzberg, Llani Davidson, Ryan Harb and Special Guests

January-April 2012 ~ Four Inspiring Weekends

Become certified in permaculture design and gather sustainable living skills during 4 weekends at Sirius EcoVillage in 2012!

· Gain an internationally recognized permaculture design certificate

· Gain 3 college credits for this course through UMass Amherst (College credit is optional and fulfills a Core Requirement Ecosystem Course for the Sustainable Food and Farming Concentration at UMass Amherst; Credit can be transferred to other schools)

Four weekends in 2012:

· January 20-22

· February 18-20 (President’s Day Weekend)

· March 24-25

· April 14-16 (Patriot’s Day Weekend)

· Plus reading and design assignments

Course Content: Learn the tools for permaculture design; Practice site assessment & site planning with your own guided onsite design project for a parcel of land at the EcoVillage; Explore wildlife tracking, natural building, turning lawns to gardens, edible forest gardens, and the following list of permaculture topics and skills:

Permaculture Topics: Vision and Principles of Permaculture; Global Case Studies of Permaculture Systems; Ecological Design Process; Natural System Observation; Agroforestry; Patterns in Nature; Water in the Landscape; Edible Forest Gardening; Perennial Vegetables & Perennial Agriculture; Carbon Farming; Coppicing & Green Woodworking; Soils; Urban Permaculture; EcoVillages; Financial Permaculture; Appropriate Technologies; Waste Treatment; Natural Buildings

Permaculture Skills: Mapping Skills; Wildlife Tracking; Recognizing Patterns in Nature; Pruning; Elevation Tools; Solar Angle Tools; Compost; Garden Establishment; Sheet Mulching

Permaculture Design Practice: Client Interview, Goals Articulation, Site Analysis & Assessment, Site Planning, Design Generation & Presentation

Optional Evenings/ ‘Life Skills Electives’ include: Bread baking, cheese making, fermenting, growing sprouts, herbal medicine, seed saving, etc

Location: Sirius EcoVillage Retreat Center has the following~ permaculture design installations; wood fired sauna; trails for hiking, cross country and snowshoeing; a hand built cob house and straw bale art studio; ceremonial sweat lodge; standing stone circle; goats & chickens; root cellar and garden veggies; numerous gardens; 4 season greenhouses; intentional community

Sirius EcoVillage is 10 minutes from Amherst, MA; 2 hours from Boston; 3 hours from NYC; 3 hours from Burlington; 2 hours from Albany; 2 hours from Providence

Costs:

· Tuition: $900- $1200 (sliding scale)

· Accommodations are available in the retreat center for an additional fee

· Meals: Potluck Lunches will be coordinated; EcoVillage dinners will be prepared for $10 each

For more info and to register: contact Kay Cafasso at Sowing Solutions, http://www.sowingsolutions.net Email:
ecologicalgardens@gmail.com