The emphasis in this course will be on residential and urban permaculture models. As always, the full-design course curriculum will be covered but the examples used when explaining the principles will focus on suburban and city dwellers.
Key Site Visits During This Course:
The Nowicki's Suburban Permaculture Home & Grounds.
30 Years in the Making
A Full Day in Chicago Visiting Several Permaculture Oriented Sites.
(Pictured: City Hall Green Rooftop)
Features of this Course:
Vicki and Ron Nowicki...
...and their suburban permaculture oriented home and lot.
Even before the word 'permaculture' appeared on the book shelves in the late 70's, Ron was already thinking and designing like a permaculturist. He built his home in Downers Grove with many natural and renewable materials, designed it to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter with relatively little energy inputs, and never even put in a lawn. He knew from the beginning that their yard would consist of a symphony of plants that would blend naturally into the environment and yield an abundance of fruit, vegetables and herbs. It has...!
Today, the front and side yards are like an arboretum, cool and shady in the summer, blocking the winds in the winter. Their back yard has been left open for annual vegetable production tossed in amongst the perennial fruit and vegetables. Take a look at the pictures below that were taken this past May during the tour that Midwest Permaculture hosted of their home. By July the paths were barely visible.
Vicki and Ron have proven that it is possible to create a permaculture design for your yard and gardens while maintaining a real sense of beauty and serenity. They also claim that once the design is completed and plants established, the amount of work they put into their permaculture gardens is no more, or even less, then their neighbors put in to mowing and maintaining their lawns - and the Nowicki's harvest an abundance of food and other useful items. We will spend the better part of an entire day at their home.
All day tour in Chicago
Permaculture designs within a city are not only possible, they are essential for the long term health and well being of the inhabitants. When we cut ourselves off from nature, we cut ourselves off from an important aspect of who we are. There is also an abundance of sun, water and wind in most cities that is often times seen as a liability rather than a beneficial abundance.
We will make several stops where individuals, or the community, have implemented a 'permanent-culture' approach to city living. We will explore food production, energy reduction, efficient water catchments systems and more.
Text:
Bill Mollison's book, "Introduction to Permaculture' is the main text we use for the course and is included in the price of the course. This will be mailed to you immediately after you register for the course so that you can begin reading. If you already own this book and do not wish to own a second copy (one to give away?) we have several other titles you can choose from as a replacement book.
Webinars:
This full design course actually begins on October 7th with the first of six, 2-hour webinars. Click here for full details on how the webinars work. The 6 webinars are held on the three Sundays and Wednesdays immediately preceding the on-site portion of the course. They all start promptly at 6:30 p.m. and run until 8:30. All sessions will be recorded so that registered students who miss a class will be able to follow up anytime. Webinar Dates:
Sundays: Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21
Wednesdays: Oct. 10 Oct. 17 Oct. 24
Schedule:
For the on-site portion of the course we typically start at a 8:00 am and run all the way through 9-10 pm. We do take long breaks for lunch and dinner (you'll want them) and we schedule one evening off in the middle of the week.
Accommodations in Stelle
As part of the price of tuition, free camping space will be made available with toilets and showers nearby in heated spaces. Remember, even though it is late in the year (could get below freezing at night) you will likely only be spending time in your tent to sleep.
There will also be indoor lodging options available here in Stelle that typically run between $125 and $175 for the week. Some of our residents are delighted to rent out their guest rooms for a modest fee. Please email Becky (or call 815-256-2215) if you are interested in this option. Indoor lodging is made available on a first-come, first-served basis.
What to Bring:
5-6 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.
Course Fee & Registration:
The price for this course is $1,250. A discount of $200 is available for your spouse, significant other, or a second (immediate) family member.
Registration 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. Should the two of you decide that you will send in a personal check, click here for aregistration form (which you may print out, fill out, and snail-mail in with your check).
Cancellation and Refund Policy: Should you have to cancel your enrollment in the course there will be a full refund less $50 if you cancel before September 28th. After that date it will be a full refund less $150. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel (due to insufficient enrollment or some other unforeseen circumstance) we will refund everyone’s payment in full. You keep the book. Our gift.
Share the Course:
We know there are many folks out there who would love to know about this permaculture course. The hard part for us is being able to reach them. If you would like to assist us by letting your friends or group associations know about this course, we offer additional discounts to you and your friends. Discounts apply to the early registration discount rates as well. That is a $325 discount, per person, for a group of 8. Think about it.... Hmm....
Group Rates
# of Students Registering at the same time Discount per Student
2 $ 50
3 $ 75
4 $100
5 $125
6 $150
7 $175
8 or more… $200 Reminder: Partner, Spouse or Immediate Family Member Discount
$200 off Full Price
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