2005
PERMACULTURE COURSES AT CSC
During the summer of 2005, CSC is bringing three permaculure workshops to the Midwest. These weekend workshops will explore the fundamentals of permaculture, then dig more deeply into specific areas. They are tailored to increase the student's ability to bring production, profitability and preservation to the land, to animals, and to others as well as themselves.
A variety of instructors will provide a level of experiential detail one can only acquiret from seasoned permaculturists. Each of these three workshops is unique to a specific area of permaculture and each is intended as a stand alone event so students can attend one, two or all three weekends. Some of the same fundamentals will be covered over all three weekends but since the instructors are different for each, the flavor and emphasis will be unique to each presentation.
The time spent participating in these permaculture weekends should prove to be exciting, fun, informative and beneficial. CSC offers workshops within the context of the sustainably oriented community of Stelle.
Price for the Workshops
The price of the workshops is $275 each if you register 10 days before the start date of each weekend. Late registration is $325. Want to take two, or all three workshops? There is a $50 discount for your second and third registration which puts the price at $225 each. There is a 50% discount for a second family member ($137.50) or $412.50 for the two of you (there are no further discounts for subsequent workshops).
Please Note: The maximum number of students we can accommodate for each weekend is 30. Thanks. WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?
There are many ways to define permaculture. Bill Mollison calls it “a design system for creating sustainable human environments”.
A more descriptive definition might be: “A consciously designed landscape which mimics the patterns and relationships found in nature while yielding an abundance of food, fiber and energy for provision of local needs.”
People, their buildings and the ways they organize themselves are central to permaculture. Thus the permaculture vision of ‘permanent agriculture' has evolved to one of ‘permanent culture'.
Permaculture has an ethical foundation
1 - Care for the Earth
2 - Care for People
3 - Share the surplus
Permaculture is much more than just food production. Energy efficient buildings, wastewater treatment, recycling, and land stewardship in general are other important components.
The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.
Permaculture is not a “one plan fits all” approach. It is very site specific and includes the uniqueness of the land, the vegetation, the climate and the people indigenous to the location.
The Swale
Swales dug into even the gentlest of slopes will fill with water after every good rain and allow the moisture to percolate deep into the soil over a day or more. This charges the subsoil over several years allowing the trees planted into the mound to thrive even during the driest of times 
The Herb Spiral
Herb spirals apply a pattern evolved in 1970 by Bill Mollison. The 6-8 foot diameter spiral at the heart of the herb spiral creates a diverse mini-ecosystem intended for planting commonly used herbs just outside one's back door. Its three-dimensional nature creates drainage, sunny dry spots for oil-rich herbs such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, and moist partially-shaded spots for green foliage such as parsley, chives and coriander. In permaculture, the spiral bed is a favorite method to combine beauty, productivity, and variety
in a small space.
Permaculture draws together the diverse ideas, skills and ways of living which need to be rediscovered and developed in order to empower us to move from being dependent consumers to becoming responsible and productive citizens.
Bill Mollison
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Permaculture Design Flower
The flower shows the key domains that require transformation to create a sustainable culture. The spiral evolutionary path beginning with ethics and principles suggests a knitting together of these domains, initially at the personal and the local level, proceeding to the collective and global level. The spidery nature of that spiral suggests the uncertain and variable nature of that process of integration. |
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David Holmgren.
Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, both Australian ecologists, together developed the concepts of “Permaculture” in the mid-1970’s.
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