Internationally Certified Full 72-Hour

Permaculture Design Course

Saturday 27 Oct - Sunday 25th Nov 2012

5 consecutive weekendsLuxembourg city

9–8:30pm Saturdays (lunch&dinner included)9–5pm Sundays (lunch included)

Course Fee Euro 600.00 (Inc. food + Materials)

Richard Perkins of Integral Permanence and guest speakers

This course requires reasonable fluency and confidence in English, but assistance in technical translations to French/ Luxembourgish is possible throughout.

What is Permaculture and how do we facilitate the course?

Permaculture is the harmonious integration of all life kingdoms into agriculturally productive ecosystems and socially just environments producing sound economic outcomes through systems management. It is a regenerative design intention reflecting patterns in nature that seeks to build functional interconnections allowing for energy efficiency and abundance of yield. It involves an inclusive, simple and universal life ethic of returning surplus into nature’s systems to promote the care of our earth and its inhabitants.

The schedule for this PDC is made up of four main class times during both days each weekend with one evening session to extend the days learning or weave in elements from related but extended ideas each Saturday night. We extend the traditional PDC curriculum by integrating continual community building and self- leadership development to leave participants with tangible skills to support their continued work in their own communities after the course. We have found this to be very effective to support the learning environment during the course, as well as witness the valuable work students go on to do. Many past students are engaged full time in deeper study, research and project development all over the world.

We dynamically weave lecture story- telling with hands on practicums and design exercises designed to leave students tooled up with the skills and techniques to leave the course fully prepared to apply PC design to all aspects of their lives. Action Learning, learning by doing, is core to our courses, and combined with thorough and effective design methodology participants will leave confident and competent in applying these tools in any area of their lives. With experience and deep passion in all aspects of regenerative design, combined with extensive self- study into Anthropology, Cultural History and Sociology our courses offer a rich holistic backdrop to this engaged and far- reaching un/learning.

The primary aspect of courses by Integralpermanence that set them aside is the commitment to returning the DESIGN to Permaculture Design Courses, through engaged participatory design exercises regularly throughout the course. This is a response to observing other courses with 1 or perhaps 2 design exercises that in our minds do not leave students competent or confident in applying this beneficial system throughout their lives and communities. With ample time between each weekend session participants will benefit from being able to deepen their understanding of each set of topics and synthesize it at a slower pace than our traditional 2-week residential intensives.

The course schedule is an ever-evolving entity because we are always re-evaluating to utilize any opportunity to improve our curriculum, and as Permaculturists we apply design process to our work continuously. We also recognize the uniqueness of each site (due to factors such as culture, climate, and resources) and adjust the schedule accordingly. We have functionally interconnected our ongoing learning to our course development and as such can bring participants the latest developments in regenerative agriculture and design. Our global systems research gives windows into living and truly regenerative solutions. We integrate Holistic Management decision- making frameworks as well as Keyline design as an organizing framework for effective and integrated design. Our experience shows this to be very effective in student’s uptake and synthesis of the diverse information covered in the course.

This course has a pre-set curriculum based on the content of Bill Mollison's Permaculture: A Designers Manual. During the course, we will touch on every major topic in the book, combining dynamic lecture- storytelling and hands on practical/ demonstration exercises. A brief outline looks like this;

• Theory and principles of permaculture• Methods of design• Understanding patterns in nature• Water harvesting and management• Drought-proofing• Trees & their energy transactions• Eco-friendly house placement and design• Energy efficient architecture• Energy conservation techniques for cold climates• Earthworks & their use in earth repair• Soils• Soil rehabilitation and erosion control• Organic food production• Livestock• Aquaculture• Ecological pest control• Climatic factors• Strategies for urban and rural settings• Recycling and waste management• Right livelihood• Catastrophe preparedness and prevention• Money and finance• Ethical investment• Bio regional organization• Legal strategies and trusts• Effective working groups• Decision Making• Leadership Development• Community Building

There is a detailed example schedule at the end of the document

About the Instructor

Richard Perkins is a highly regarded Permaculture teacher, designer, consultant and researcher in the UK and abroad, certified by the Permaculture Association of Great Britain. He also mentors Permaculture Diploma students through an intensive and innovative Action Learning based pathway developed from the existing UK Diploma framework.

Having studied up to MSc level (Integrative Eco Social Design- Gaia U), Richard holds a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design, HND Organic Crop Production and Horticulture and has self- studied extensively in the academic fields of Anthropology, Sociology, Ecology and Philosophy. With years of experience in Organic crop production, integrative systems design and community development Richard is currently concentrating on teaching PDCs in the UK and abroad. Integrating Keyline Design and Holistic Management principles into a cohesive and dynamic design framework, Richards PDC trainings bring back the Design to Permaculture Design Courses.

With practical experience in various forms of food and resource production, from small scale community projects through to farm management; natural building with adobe, cob, straw-bale, timber and bamboo, and worked in temperate, semi- arid, Mediterranean, sub- tropical and wet tropical and maritime tropical climates. He has worked on extensive system design and implementation from agroforestry to forest gardens, water cleansing and irrigation systems, business design to soil building, edible landscaping to Keyline design as well as community building and empowerment.

2008-9 was spent managing food production and community governance at the Panya Project (a sustainability and education site) in Northern Thailand whilst working towards a MSc in Integrative and Collaborative Eco Social Design and Communication with Gaia University.

Currently focused on a family overland trip around the globe filming a PC based documentary on living and successful solutions, to be released online www.impermanencefilm.org

Anyone who has taken a PDC with Integralpermanence can go on to teach the course and pass on the knowledge of Permaculture (though it is strongly recommended that you get several years of hands-on experience first). Upon completing the course with Integralpermanence, you will receive a Certificate, which entitles you to use the word permaculture in your endeavors as well as to teach the course, or work as a permaculture consultant if you are so inclined.

For more information, see www.integralpermanence.org.

What can you do to prepare for the course?

This course is intended for 1) the beginner - who may have just heard about Permaculture for the first time, as well as for 2) those with some experience, who may be practicing Permaculture already, but are interested in learning the theoretical framework behind it. You are not expected to have any specific knowledge or skills upon arrival. We do think it is helpful to start thinking about ecological systems, and permaculture design in advance. Read! Find a book about design, organic gardening, integrated systems, ecology, solution- based exploration of our world's problems, etc. Any of these subjects will provide you with some context prior to the lessons of the course.

Or, if you have a specific piece of property or ecological area that you are primarily interested in applying Permaculture principles to, sit and observe it, map it, read about it, and talk to others who are working in similar environments. Then, bring that information with you to the course. We may be able to use it for a design project. Most of all be excited to learn and be ready to soak up the information the PDC has to offer!

What to expect from the Venue?

The venue is situated on the edge of a forest close to the city of Luxembourg and offers comfortable indoor ad outdoor teaching spaces as well as a demonstration garden. It is equipped with all necessary facilities to make this course enjoyable for all. Easily accessible by public transport and with available parking space, this site is ideal in terms of comfort and accessibility.

What should I bring?

The course cost covers lunch and dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday. We aim to provide very nutritious whole foods, mainly vegan/ vegetarian. Please let us know if you have specific dietary requirements before hand, and bring any special treats you might wish.

• Work clothes, which might get dirty!• Comfortable Non-work clothes • High quality chocolate to share (optional but appreciated!) • Books- Bring a few to show to others• Notebook and good pens for taking notes• Beginners Mind - Be open to learning from everyone present• Snacks or personal comfort foods etc. • Maybe your favorite coffee• Laptop if you like to make notes• A story/ myth/ legend from your local area...

Securing your place on the course

A deposit of € 200 is required to reserve a space on the course. Please email one of the addresses below for details of how to secure a spot!

Full payment is requested 2 weeks prior to the course.Attendance to the full course schedule is required in order to receive the Permaculture Design Certificate

Contact Marko for booking: pdclux@cell.lu

Regenerating the planet and its communities starts with you!

Sample Course Schedule

Please note the schedule below is to demonstrate the course content and organization. Courses vary in structure according to the trainer’s discretion in response to participants needs, group size, location, culture, climate and goals of the conveners.

Example Course Outline

Day 1Designer’s Manual Ch.1 - IntroductionIntroductions by participants – brief background and course expectations. Course administration, timetable and scheduling. Using the Design Manual as a text-book for the course & other available references. Definition of permaculture, why do we need such a design system? History and philosophy of permaculture as a taught and applied design system. The Ethics and The Principles. Permaculture in landscape, society and community context. The evidence of why we need to act, key global challenges. The Bill of Human Rights. Principle summary. References.Day2Designer’s Manual Chapter 2&3 - Concepts, Themes and Methods of Design Tradition, culture and belief systems. Life principles and natural laws stated. The methods of design, resources, yields, cycles, food webs, growth. Vegetarianism and dietary ‘isms.Complexity, connections, order and chaos, permitted and forced functions. Inter-active diversity, stability, fertility, sustainable productivity and profitability, time and yield. Functional Design Development – Analysis, Observation and Deductions from nature Sector Planning Slope, Key Points, orientation, aspect, data overlay Zones and their placement. Designing in zones 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Random assembly of element lists and subsets cross referenced. Flow diagrams, options and decisions, incremental design and guilds. Succession, evolution, establishment and maintenance. Principle summary and summary of design methods. The Cultivated ecology, practical procedures of property design. References.Day3Designer’s Manual Ch.4 - Pattern understanding Patterns in nature listed as form, the core model pattern, properties of media. Universal patterns micro to macro, matrices and the strategies of compacting and complexing components. Pattern in design, edge effect, boundary conditions, harmonics and geometries of boundaries.Compatible and incompatible borders and components, timing and shaping events. Flow patterns, open and over landscape and objects, spirals, mnemonics, dimensions and potentials. Accretion and expulsion, branching pattern effects, conduits. Orders of magnitude in branches, scale of size. Orders, dimensions and classification of events, time and relativity model. Tessellation of events in the world we live, pattern application. Events, toroidal phenomena and the five senses. Memory and pattern recognition, companion planting and guilds. Traditional use of cultural patterns in society and in the present world society. Designers checklist. Review Keypoints & questions Video: Fractals – The Colours of Infinity

Day 4Designer’s Manual Ch.5 - Climatic factors The humid, temperate, cold, arid, continental climates plus variations. Global weather patterns, the engines of atmosphere. Humid, arid and minor landscape profiles and orthographic affects. Latitude and altitude. Precipitation, radiation and wind. References. Designers checklist.Day 5Designer’s Manual Ch.6 - Trees and their energy transactions Definition of forest and the biomass of a tree. Temperature, wind, total precipitation, snow and melt water effect. Root,

mineral and rain interactions.Implications for design. The many types of forest. Establishing forest. Maintaining extending and enhancing forest. Establishing a nursery seed collection and in ground plant stock. References. SummaryDay 6Designer’s Manual Ch.7 - Water Chemical & structural properties of water Regional interventions and the water cycle. Water harvesting earthworks for conservation and storage. Rain water harvesting, biological water cleaning systems, irrigation and gravity designs. Water reduction in sewage systems. Water in design. Designers check list.References.Day 7Designer’s Manual Ch.8 - Soils Soils direct link to health. Traditional methods of investigating soils. The pH, organic matter content and primary nutrients. Soil pores and crumb structure importance.Soil structure and its relationship to life elements, water and base rocks. Legumes as nitrogen fixers and the phosphate accumulating plants. Plants and biological elements as deficiency indicators and mineral accumulators. Difficult soils. Composting as an easily understood art form of humus creation. Seed pelleting, soil erosion and rehabilitation. Establishing a worm farm. Soils in house foundations. Designing for catastrophe, fire, flood, drought, earthquake, landslip and tsunami. Designers check list, References.Day 8Designer’s Manual Ch.9 - Earthworks and earth resources. Earthwork design concept planning. Planting after earthworks. Types of earthworks, earth constructions and earth resources. Understanding the surveying of basic levels and slope measurement. Using a farmers level, dumpy level, A-frame and water levels. Technique of building a dam, swales, earth banks, terraces, roads and drains. Using the right machine for the job.References. Design exercise presented to students on a real piece of land with realistic design brief for the local area. Teacher takes on the role as the land owner (if land owner not available) Students are split up into working groups, each with different design briefs. Last session of the day is student group design and after hours in the evening if desired.Day 9Designer’s Manual Ch.10 - The humid tropics Climate types, tropical soils and earthshaping. House design and home garden. Integrated land management, Elements of a village complex in the tropics. Evolving a polyculture, themes on a palm dominant polyculture. Pioneering, animal tractor systems and grassland and rangeland management. Humid tropical coast stabilisation and shelterbelts.Low islands and coral cay strategies. Designers check list. References.Characteristics of a humid cool climate, soils, landform and water conservation. Settlement and house design, the home garden, berry fruits, glasshouse growing. Orchards, farm forestry, free range forage systems, the lawn. Grasslands, rangelands, cold climates, wildfire.Designers check list. References.Day 10Designer’s Manual Ch.11 - Dryland strategies Precipitation, temperature, soils. Landscape features in deserts, harvesting water in arid lands. The desert house, the desert garden, garden irrigation systems. Desert settlement and broad strategies. Plant themes for drylands,

desertification and the salting of soils. Cold montane deserts. Designers checklist. References.Day 11Designer’s Manual Ch.13 - Aquaculture. The case for aquaculture. History and cultural variations. Implementing an aquaculture design, species selection and yield. Aquaculture as part of design and food supply.Aquaculture plant and animal species. Farming invertebrates for fish food. Appropriate techniques, channel, canal and chinampa. Polyculture traditional and new. Designers check list. References.Day 12Designer’s Manual Ch.14 - The strategies of an alternative global nation The invisibles structures. Alternative global nation. Right livelihood. Setting up a local permaculture group and working network.Community gardens, establishing city farms, urban strategies and land access. Lets, alternative money, bioregional organization, village development, ethical investment. Working in different cultures with sensitivity, effective aid. References and resources.Evening: (No) Talent show, sustainable fun!Day 13The permaculture global nation Diploma information.Permaculture academy. Certification and student intention affirmations. Feedback opportunity on course materials/teaching/activities Photographs and goodbyes.