Why This Training?
Our world cities and suburbs are drivers. Not only are they the major consumer of the worlds goods, thus driving our current world economies, they are also the collecting place of genius, creativity, science, the arts, education and more.
Our cities and suburbs have value and advantages, but they are also incredibly dependent upon support from the outside. Except for the air and sun, possibly water, almost every other need is generated and collected elsewhere and brought into the cities and suburbs, everything from food, to clothing, to building materials, to power, to transportation... everything.
Within the coming generation (coming years possibly) the imbalances we have created in the world economies, the supply systems and the natural world will become even more apparent, more immediate. There are stresses everywhere in our culture with peak oil, peak water, peak soil and climate change pushing us even more.
Bottom Line
The time has arrived for us as urban dwellers to build some resiliency back into our communities. As a culture we have become de-skilled on a monumental basis. 100 years ago everyone knew how to grow food - today it is likely less than 10% of us.
What we must have, to live securely, is good food, clean water and enough energy for heating and cooling (for ourselves, our homes, our food).
And whether we know it or not, we need each other too. We need community...
authentic community.
How Permaculture Fits In
The reader probably already knows that permaculture is a design approach to creating living systems that mimic the patterns found in nature. The idea is to integrate the surrounding natural areas with our homes, apartments and other buildings, to produce an abundance of food, shelter, energy and other services with a minimum of work.
Once a permaculturally designed system is set up and functioning, the effort involved to maintain it should feel more like recreation then work.
Who is this Training For?
This intensive was designed to make available to the everyday suburban or urban dweller a solid understanding of permaculture design and techniques so that they can implement this life enhancing knowledge to their immediate and local surroundings.
Vision
Even Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are taught to leave a campsite in better condition than how they found it. As a culture, Imagine if every generation left their part of the world in better condition then when they found it.
Is it Possible?
This is not hard to do. This training will make that perfectly clear. We can create a culture and a way of living on this planet that is bountiful rather than consumptive, that creates healthy soil, water and air instead of pollution, that creates beauty everywhere instead of just a few places.
We can live in abundance while still improving the planet for future generations. That is what this training is all about. How do we learn to observe what is truly going on? How do we use the natural abundance that surround us to provide our needs? How do we do it in such a way as to create no pollution or waste.
We can create abundance, beauty and healthfulness everywhere on the planet and for everyone. It all comes down to desire and design.
Think of the amazing things we as humans have created with our science and technology in the last few generations. We can use the same creativity and passion to redesign the way we supply or food, water, clothing, buildings, education, healthcare, and more.
And even better, permaculture is relatively simple and based on common sense...it's not rocket science.
It is time for us as individuals to do this work..
to be the change
.
I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you.
Best... Bill Wilson Co-Founder of
Midwest Permaculture
o
4-Day Suburban-Urban
Permaculture Training Intensive
Turning suburban backyards from grass...
into beautiful, bountiful food production.
This new training is a
foundational course in permaculture design with a practical bent.
It is for renters, apartment dwellers, home-owners and lot-owners alike.
For the suburban or city resident who wants to transform their immediate environment into something beautiful, productive, energy lean and functional.
2 More Trainings in the
works for 2010
We will post dates and locations as they are scheduled. Please Check Back
or receive our monthly emails and be notified that way.
Transforming our front lawns
with the use of
permaculture rain gardens.
Growing pumpkins on a
city rooftop
Converting traditional houses into carbon-free, off the grid, homes.
Growing sweet potato and
12 other vegetables
right on the concrete
Growing tomatoes from a
hanging bucket
Growing 25 pounds of potatoes from a single vertical box,
on an abandoned lot,
in the city of Chicago!
Growing spinach all winter long against the house in an insulated cold frame
Turning school parking lots into life supporting, educational,
child-friendly gardens.
Subjects Covered: - Foundations of permaculture design
- Harvesting the surrounding abundance
- Raising & preserving much of one's food
- Gardening on concrete, on roofs & in apartments
- Techniques for dramatically reducing energy use
- Generating income from one's home or lot
- Various & effective rainwater harvesting methods
- Beautiful, functional and edible landscape design
- Garden designs that increase production while reducing labor
- Simple neighborhood re-works that promote community
- What is at the heart of creating a
'permanent-culture'
- More..
<--- Read Here for More on the Training
Basic Training Outline
Although there will be plenty of overlap between all days, here is good idea of how the 4-days are divided up.
Basic Training Outline
Day 1: Foundations of Permaculture
Day 2: Our Permaculture Gardens
Day 3: Our Permaculture Homes
Day 4: Moving Ourselves & Our Communities
Toward 'Permanent-Cultures'
Training Features
Unless otherwise noted, these training run from a Thursday – Sunday (a long weekend) and will be filled with nuts, bolts, how-to's, insight, inspiration and know-how.
This is a educational intensive not a 'hands-on' training. About 65% of the time will be spent in the classroom covering the permaculture design principles and sharing example after example of how these are applied. There will be some time spent outside exploring patterns and features of the landscape as well as some actual permaculture design work. Each student will be involved in the brainstorming of several permaculture designs as well as working on a project of their own.
The goal of this intensive training is for students to come away with a new pair of permaculture eyes. A pair of eyes that can see an abundance of opportunities in any urban or suburban landscape or setting.
Training Schedule
Our first training was hosted at Purdue in early June of this year (2009) with subsequent trainings being scheduled throughout the remainder of the year and into 2010. Please check back regularly for dates, or feel free to register for our monthly permaculture email where all updates in the schedule will be posted.
Interested in Hosting a
Training in Your Own Town or City?
This 4-day intensive has been designed so that it can be taken to any city or suburb and at any time of year. We invite you to send us an email requesting more details and information.
Additional Training Information
Training Textbook (Included with Registration)
Gaia's Garden The
New Edition by Toby Hemenway
The text is mailed directly to students shortly after registering..
Gaia's Garden - The New Edition (2nd Edition)
When people ask us what book they should buy to get a good understanding of permaculture, we recommend this book by Toby Hemenway. Even though this 4-day permaculture intensive is not just about gardening, Toby does a great job on explaining the basics of permaculture, and in this new addition he has added more information about the urban landscape.
Gaia's Garden goes into great detail on specific permaculture techniques, such as: organizing your garden in to "zones", creating and maintaining your fertile soil, and explanations about companion planting and permaculture plant guilds. The book also contains many helpful charts and illustrations.
All students are asked to read the full text before the 4-day training begins. This will ensure a greater learning experience.
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Instructors
Lead Instructor
Bill Wilson
Bill holds two PDC Certifications as well as completing Advanced Permaculture Training.
He is Co-Founder of Midwest Permaculture with his wife Rebecca. They have lived the last 31 years in a sustainably oriented community, being intimately involved in it's daily life and various transitions.
Additional Trainers
Joining Bill will be at least 6 other, very experienced permaculturists and teachers. Two or more of the teachers will be in the classroom in person sharing of their experience and knowledge. But with the use of the internet, several other teachers will join in live from other parts of the country. It is important to Bill and Midwest Permaculture that you speak directly to the people who have done the work and who are walking the talk.
Training Preparation
Shortly after registering for a training, students receive a welcome email while they are awaiting their textbook. Included in the email are some pre-training study materials and further details about the specific training and site.
Student's Internet Networking Site
Each training will also be provided a free networking site where you can connect with your fellow students. Share reading and homework thoughts, arrange transportation, look for discounted lodging and if you like, share a bit about yourself. Following the training, fellow students may also use this site to stay connected with one another if they so chose. Use of this networking site is totally optional. It's just a bonus of the training. To check out the public forums of the Midwest Permaculture Networking Site, goto: www.MidwestPermaculture.ning.com.
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Credit Towards PDC Certification
To be clear, this is nota Permaculture Design Certification Course (PDC). If you are set on the full PDC training and on receiving certification now, this link will take you to our PDC Course information and upcoming trainings.
However, since much of the material in this training is also covered in a PDC, we do have plans to create a complementary course for students of this training that would enable someone to apply this learning experience towards their PDC Certification in the future. This continuation of one's training will not be available until 2010 at the earliest. Regardless, every student of this training receives a $200 credit toward any future Midwest Permaculture PDC.
$200 Credit to all Graduates
This $200 credit also applies to all of our PDC graduates. They may take this 4-day intensive for a $200 discount off the full retail price. This $200 credit for both our 4-Day students and our PDC graduates is good for up to 3-years following either training.
Daily Schedule (9-6) & Lunch
Most intensives will run from a Thursday - Sunday, starting promptly at 9:00 a.m. and ending each day at 6:00 p.m. Lunch is provided each day as part of your tuition and will be supplied from the local community, mostly organic, and whenever possible, prepared with locally raised foods. Coffee, tea and water are available throughout the day as well.
Lodging, Accommodations and/or Camping
Each student will make their own arrangements for lodging. Some training sites might offer low cost lodging or camping options. See each individual training information for more details.
Training Fee & Registration 4-Day Intensive:
$575
Early registration $495 (if registered 30-days before start of training)
Group Registrations 2 or more may register together and receive a $50 discount each. Invite additional family, friends or club members and everyone receives the same $50 discount up to the start of the course. Call Becky for either more information or to set up a group (815-256-2215).
Registration
Option 1 Students may register on-line by using their MasterCard, Discover or Visa. See individual course for registration link (bottom of this page).
Option 2
Call Becky to register over the phone at 815-256-2215 with credit card or personal check.
Down-Payment / Training Reservation
Our simple e-commerce page is not set-up to handle partial or down-payments. If making a partial payment is an important factor in your ability to participate, please call Becky at 815-256-2215 to work out these arrangements.
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Cancellation and Refund Policy
Should a student have to cancel their enrollment in a training up to 30-days before it begins, there is a full refund less $75 to cover our book costs and processing fees.
If a student cancels in the 30-day period before the training there will be a full refund less $150.
In both cases, the student keeps the book and access to all handouts.
There are no refunds for cancellations for withdrawals once the training begins. However, in certain circumstances we may extend partial credit towards a future training.
a
Continuing Support Following Training
Following this training, students are invited to become part of our growing network of graduates. On our Midwest Permaculture Networking site
there will be a separate and private section
for graduates of this
Suburban/Urban Permaculture Training.
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.
Still Have Questions?
You are welcome to email us here or call Becky at 815-256-2215.
Location
The exact address of the classroom will be selected shortly. Even though we will be spending a good amount of time in the classroom, we will be heading outdoors everyday. Bring appropriate clothing.
Lodging
For students traveling from out of town, there are dozens of motels, regional camping areas, and possibly some local students might have a spare room to rent . Networking and information on lodging options could become available should there be a demand.
Greening's Mission The Greening of Detroit was founded in 1989 to “Guide and inspire the growth of a ‘greener’ Detroit through planting and educational programs, environmental leadership, advocacy, and by building community capacity.”
Location
Located nine miles south of Hastings, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute encompasses a diverse 661 acres. There are numerous opportunities for hiking and observing wildlife on the seven plus miles throughout the natural areas.
Meals & Lodging
3 breakfasts (Fri.-Sun.) and 4 lunches are included with registration. Students will have evenings free to make their own arrangements for dinner. The full registration price also includes lodging (double occupancy). There is no camping available on site.
Price & Registration: (includes book and meals)
Non-Members $495 - (Lodging - Double occupancy)
$425 - (No lodging - commuters)
Members $465- (Lodging - Double occupancy)
$395 - (No lodging - commuters)
Questions:
Michelle Skedgell, Executive Director skedgellm@cedarcreekinstitute.org
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
701 W. Cloverdale Road
Hastings, Mi 49058
Ph: 269-721-4470
Fax: 269-721-4474
Pierce Cedar Creek Outdoor deck area at the visitors center and classroom.
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Pierce Cedar Creek