Permaculture Certification Course 72-Hr. Design Certification Course at the MREA May 3-10, 2008
6 Pre-course Webinars + 8 Very Full Days on Site
Midwest Permaculture and theMidwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) of Custer, Wisconsin, are jointly offering two comprehensive design courses in 2008. The fundamental objective of these courses is to create a complete, all-encompassing permaculture design for the MREA grounds which is in alliance with the organizations mission and goals. Both courses will be held on the MREA property.
This first course being hosted in May, is the full, 72-hour Design Certification Course as originally created by Australian, Bill Mollison, the founder of permaculture.
Advanced Training Course - August 2-9, 2008
A second, Advanced Training Course, will be held in August. The students and instructors (Mark and Wayne) will be challenged with creating a final permaculture design for the MREA which will then be implemented over time as resources become available.
Students who wish to be involved in this second course must have already completed a 72-hour permaculture design certification course (from either Midwest Permaculture or any such course from around the world) or have the life skills/experience commensurate with this type of training. There is an application process for this advanced training course.
Unique to the May Course In addition to the full-design-course curriculum, students will be challenged with examining the elements that could be included in a permaculture design for the MREA property.
This work will then be passed on to the permaculturists attending the advanced training course in August who have the responsibility to create the final MREA design. (see description at right).
Key Features of the May-MREA Course
Permaculturists Wayne Weiseman and Mark Shepard
Our lead Instructors, Mark Shepard of Viola, WI, and Wayne Weiseman of Carbondale, IL, have been certified by Bill Mollison to deliver this world renowned training and then to grant PIA (Permaculture Institute of Australia) Course Certification to their students upon completion.
Wayne and Mark
will bring their years of design and teaching experience to this course.
Guest Speaker: Larry Korn of San Francisco
Translator of The One-Straw Revolution
by Masanobu Fukuoka of Japan More on Larry & Mr. Fukuoka
Following a two year working residence on Mr. Fukuoka's farm, Larry returned to the States where he spent several years editing the manuscript of The One-Straw Revolution with the assistance of Wendell Berry. The book was published in 1978 by Rodale Press (of Organic Gardening Magazine fame).
Larry shares his insights and many stories from touring with Mr. Fukuoka around the United States, introducing him to Wes Jackson, Wendell Berry, Bill Mollison, Robert Rodale, Gary Snyder and many local farmers and students interested in his philosophy and natural farming techniques.
Larry is a soil biologist and brings a permaculturist's perspective to the subject that few others can.
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Evening Site Tours & Permaculture Videos Although our days will be very full, those with more energy and a prolonged interest will be invited to partake in a couple of evening site tours. Students can see first hand how a permaculture approach to design and living has been applied. We will also have available on other evenings, some excellent permaculture videos.
About the MREA
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) has done an excellent job over the last 18 years of promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living, through a variety of educational programming. More importantly, members have done it by demonstration, by walking the talk.
Starting as a handful of friends with a simple desire to share their love and knowledge of renewable energy, the MREA was born and has grown to over 3,200 active members (some from other countries) with 20,000 visitors attending their Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair in 2007.
MREA Renewable Energy Fairgrounds
Fair Exhibitor
Creating a Long Term Vision
As it has grown over the years, the MREA has acquired approximately 60 acres of land and built an educational-demonstration center called the ‘ReNew the Earth Institute’ that hosts a myriad of workshops throughout the year. Now that the organization is moving away from its start-up years and is maturing, the MREA board of directors (all volunteers) want to create a long-term design for the property that will model environmental sustainability while maximizing productive and educational capabilities for generations to come.
Not surprisingly, the idea of creating a substantive and long-term permaculture design for the property began to surface. During conversations at the 2007 MREA fair between Mark Shepard and a few MREA members and its staff, the idea of Midwest Permaculture and the MREA collaborating to accomplish this design was embraced.
After a bit of discussion, Mark and Wayne suggested that Midwest Permaculture could co-host two design courses on the property. The first, a 72-hour design certification course being hosted in May of 2008, could be attended by any interested persons and they would research some of the components for an MREA permaculture design.
A second course made up of trained permaculturists, would compile this work in August of 2008, add their own insights and research, and create a final design.
This would create an educational experience allowing the public and MREA personnel to assist in the creation of an actual permaculture design. The MREA board accepted the proposal thus, the birth of these two courses.
Hands-on Workshop at MREA
Course objective:
Assess the resources available to the MREA (including, but not limited to, the land, soil, wildlife, sun, rain, wind, water, topography, plants, buildings, people, financial resources, governmental programs, etc.) and create a permaculture design that will:
Harvest the available and abundant resources in a sustainable manner, to
Improve the quality of the soil and the natural environment, while
Producing a myriad of products and services, that
Require a minimum amount of work and effort, that will
Support the MREA's vision, to
Drive the transition of renewables to mainstream use, acceptance, and understanding in the Midwest, while
Demonstrating how we can all live honorably and sustainably, while
Creating an authentic-living environment for students, visitors and members of the MREA to work within, for generations to come.
Students enrolled in this first course will explore each of these areas while learning about the fundamentals of permaculture.
Owning or having access to a copy of Mollison's manual is a required text of the course. Students can purchase the manual at our regularly discounted price of $97.00 (includes shipping) when registering. You may also borrow a copy from a friend or the library if need be, but Mark and Wayne have asked that each student bring a copy with them to the course. Couples or family members participating in the course may share a single copy.
The Designers' Manual is a book that is continually referred to by committed permaculturists as 'the' definitive text on the subject. Both Mark and Wayne's manuals are worn out from use.
Webinars:
This full design course actually begins a month or so before May 3rd with the first of six, 2-hour webinars. Click here for full details on how the webinars work. The 6 webinars are held on three consecutive Sundays and Wednesdays preceding the on-site portion of the course. They all start promptly at 6:30 p.m.(Central Time Zone) and run until 8:30. All webinars will be recorded so that registered students who miss a class will be able to follow up at anytime. Here are the actual dates: March 30th, April 2, 6, 9, 13, and 16. Some reading and homework will be assigned between classes. The webinars provide 12 hours of instruction before the on-site portion of a course even begins. The remaining 60 hours is covered within the eight, very-full days.
Schedule
The on-site portion of this course begins on Saturday afternoon, May 3, 2008, at 1:00p.m. and runs through Saturday noon, May 10th. Since 12 hours of instruction will be accomplished during the webinar portion of the course, the remaining 60 hours will be delivered during the eight days on site. To accomplish this, the classroom time runs from 8 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. with 1 to 1.5 hours off for lunch. During most evenings there will be optional site tours and instructional-permaculture movies available. Students should come ready and focused to learn and to work.
Meals
Students are responsible for arranging their own breakfast and dinner. Lunch will be provided from Sunday, May 4th, through Friday, May 9th, as well as coffee, tea, water and light snacks (for morning and afternoon breaks). Most of the lunch food will be organic, and as often as possible, locally grown. There will be a meat and vegetarian option at each meal. Those with other food requirements may be asked to supply some of their own needs.
Camping & Local accommodations
Students will be responsible for their own accommodations during the course. The MREA does have plenty of camping space available at a modest fee ($10/night)either near the educational center or at the 'Back 40' just a mile or so away.
Camping arrangements are made directly with the MREA upon arrival to the course and students choose their space on a first come - first served basis. Students may arrive Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.
For more on camping and cooking options ...click here.
For motel options in the Custer/Stevens Point area click here.
(Pictured - Camping on the 'Back 40')
What to Bring - Welcome Packet
4-6 weeks before the on-site portion of the course begins, every student receives a welcome packet (by email) which includes a list of things to bring as well as more details about your course, your webinar classes, and your fellow students.
Transportation
During the webinar portion of the course we encourage students to network and coordinate transportation requirements with one another. For those using mass transit, make your best deal to arrive at a major hub and be prepared to rent a car if need be. However, many of the students who are driving in have traditionally gone out of their way to pick up air, rail or bus travelers.
Description of our Full, Permaculture-Design-Certification Courses If you landed on this page and happened to have missed the full course description, you might still be wondering what is actually covered in a certification course. If so, Click Here.
Certification
Students who take one of our 72-hour design courses will receive a Certification of Completion with the Permaculture Institute of Australia and have their names registered with this institution.. This is Bill Mollison’s (founder of permaculture) accrediting organization. Click here for more on certification.
Continuing Support Following Graduation
Students who have completed a Midwest Permaculture design course are then invited to become part of our growing network of graduates. There are three ways we attempt to support our students:
We have a separate website where all graduates can connect, share ideas and look for some assistance.
Graduates may audit any future 72-hour certification courses at half price (provided space is available).
Our objective is to support our students for as long as they need it or want it, and to encourage them to support each other.
Already A Permaculture Design Course Graduate?
We offer a 33% discount to students who have already graduated from another recognized course (from anywhere in the world) who wish to take a Midwest Permaculture course as a refresher. Please email for details.
Course Fee & Registration:
The price for this course with Mark and Wayne as full-time instructors is $1,200. A discount of $200 is available for your spouse, significant other, or a second (immediate) family member. A second copy of the text is not required.
Registration Process
Option 1 Click here to register on-line. We take MasterCard and Visa. Option 2
Call Becky at 815-256-2215 to registers with your credit card over the phone. Option 3
Click below for a registration form which you may print out, fill out, and snail-mail in with your check. Word Document (.doc) - or - .PDF File Form
Down-Payment / Course Reservation
Our simple e-commerce page is not set-up to handle partial or down-payments. If making a partial payment will assist your ability to participate, please call Becky at 815-256-2215 to work out an arrangement.
Cancellation and Refund Policy Should a student have to cancel their enrollment in the course before the webinars begin, there will be a full refund less $50 as a processing fee (less $150 if they received the free Designer's Manual as an early registration discount).
After the webinars begin, there will be a full refund less $200 -- the students still has access to all remaining webinars and receives a $165 credit towards any future design course. If a student also received the free Designer's Manual there will be a full refund less $300.
