Courses and Education

Upcoming Course: Introduction to Permaculture:  Sustainability Strategies for the Blue Ridge  
 
This 3 day Introduction to Permaculture workshop will focus on basic principles and strategies to live more sustainably in your home, neighborhood or community.  The course will be held on October 31 - November 2 at Split Rock Farm near Charlottesville Virginia.  Workshop topics will include permaculture ethics and principles, observation and patterns in nature, and permaculture strategies to improve soil, grow food, harvest water, utilize renewable energy and regenerative building techniques, and build sustainable communities.
 
The course is offered through the Blue Ridge Permaculture Institute, and will be a hands-on, intensive weekend training workshop.  The cost for the course is a sliding scale, $195-$250, and limited work-trade positions are available. For more information, contact Terry Lilley at tygerlilley@gmail.com or visit the website www.blueridgepermaculture.net.  

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Two Permaculture Design Courses have been offered near Charlottesville in recent years. An Introduction to Permaculture class will be offered on November 7 - 9, and the next full Permaculture Design Course (PDC) will be offered in the spring of 2009. A description of the PDC may be found below.

The Permaculture Design Course: Sustainability Strategies for the Blue Ridge

This Permaculture Design Course lays the foundation for understanding the workings of natural systems and for designing human environments that produce food, shelter, and energy. It also provides participants with models of community development and extension by which they can create networks of support for themselves and empower others to do the same. The course provides tools to help design and develop an individual's urban or rural property in a sustainable manner, revitalize local communities, and help restore ecological balance.

Permaculture promotes land use systems that work with natural rhythms and patterns to create sustainable cultivated ecosystems. Participants will learn how to design and build gardens, homes, and neighborhoods that model living ecosystems. By understanding patterns in nature students will learn how to grow food, manage water catchment and storage, utilize renewable energy and build community.

The 72 hour certificate course covers themes such as: ecological systems understanding, organic food production, natural soil improvement, watershed restoration, water conservation and management, edible forest gardening, native medicinal plants, natural habitat restoration, healthy buildings and human settlements, community and consensus building strategies, renewable energy systems, sustainable community development, local economics, reducing our ecological footprint, and ecological planning and design methods.