Wednesday, July 11, 2012

PERMACULTURE


According to Bill Mollison:
"Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscientious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive eco-systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.  It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility of a stable social order.

Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, amterial, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all it's forms.
The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions."  -Permaculture:  A Designers' Manual, 1988

According to David Holmgren:

Monday, September 26, 2011

CERES PDC 2014



We  have two Permaculture Design Courses commencing in August 2014

Tuesday 5th August to Sunday 7th December 2014

Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm to 9.30pm (17 sessions in total), plus 8 Sundays from 9:30am to 5pm

Wednesday 13th August to Sunday 14th December 2014

Wednesday evenings from 6.30pm to 9.30pm (17 sessions in total) plus 8 Sundays from 9.30am to 5pm


Cost: Full fee $1700 | CERES member/concession $1500
Payment in full is required upon enrolment to secure a place on the course
Spaces are limited to 20 participants in each course

Bookings are now open and are made online here for the Tuesday course

Bookings are now open and are made online here for the Wednesday course
                                    

Please contact the Training Coordinator below if you do not have access to a credit card for the online booking process.


Phone: (03) 9389 0124
Email: luisa@ceres.org.au

Thanks, we look forward to meeting our new PDC students!

Friday, November 12, 2010

The essential info

                     Course:     Permaculture Design Course
                                
                         Date:     Commencing Tuesday 5th August - Sunday 7th December 2014

                                         OR

 Commencing Wednesday 13th August - Sunday 14th December 2014
                                
                        Time:    17 Tuesday/Wednesday evenings 6.30 – 9.30pm plus 8 selected Sundays 9.30am –  5pm

                    Contact:     (03) 9389 0124

                      Venue: Classroom sessions will be held in the newly built Van Raay centre.  On excursion days students will meet at the classroom in the morning unless otherwise advised. *Rooms subject to change

           What to bring:  A note pad and pen. Comfortable warm/cool clothing suitable                                                        for outdoor site visits (don’t forget a raincoat, hat, sunscreen and       sturdy footwear)                                          

         What to expect: The course, over 25 sessions covers the full permaculture design process and follows Permaculture Melbourne’s A Syllabus for Permaculture Design in Cool Temperate South-eastern Australia.

The course is more theoretical than practical and includes a mix of classroom presentations, workshops, design exercises, practical exercises and visits to different properties to see Permaculture in action.

The course explores the creation of productive and sustainable ways of living by integrating ecology, organic gardening, architecture, land use, and social systems. Participants will cover the whole PDC curriculum with extra time for urban issues and reading the landscapes of cool temperate south-eastern Australia.

                                    
Earth Users Guide to Permaculture by Rosemary Morrow and Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison are recommended reading.

Attendance:              Participants are required to complete the whole course in order to gain a                                      PDC and qualify as a permaculturist.     
Qualification:           Participants who complete the full course earn a Permaculture Design                                     Course and the right to practise as a professional permaculturist. PDC holders may
                                    be able to claim some credits towards Certificates III and IV in Accredited
                                    Permaculture TrainingTM.
*There are no pre-requisites for the course but some prior reading is highly recommended.

Meal and break times: There will be a meal break for each session and short tea breaks. Students are asked to self cater. A celebration lunch will be provided on the final day.
                    
Bad weather:  The site visits will take place regardless of the weather conditions.


Cancellation policy: If CERES cancels the course you will be entitled to a 100% refund. Minimum course numbers apply.
If you decide to withdraw 10 days prior to the course date CERES will retain a 10% administration fee.
If you decide to withdraw less than 10 days prior to the course date CERES may retain 100% of your course fee.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Pre-requisites and recommended reading

There are no pre-requisites for the course but some prior reading is highly recommended.


Recommended reading list -  all books available at CERES nursery at 10% discount to enrolled PDC students:

CERES permaculture and bushfood nursery - books
  

Recommended (But optional) introductory reading prior to the PDC:
    • Earth Users Guide to Permaculture - Rosemary Morrow ($40)
    • Introduction to Permaculture -            Bill Mollison ($42)
    *prices subject to change


    Other permaculture related texts:
    • Permaculture: A Designer's Manual - Bill Mollison
    • Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability - David Holmgren
    • Permaculture One - Bill Mollison and David Holmgren
    • Permaculture Two - Bill Mollison
    • Earth Users Guide to Permaculture - Rosemary Morrow
    • Basics of Permaculture Design - Ross Mars
    • Getting started in permaculture - Ross and Jenny Mars
    • The permaculture home garden - Linda Woodrow
    • Smart Permaculture Design - Jenny Allen
    • Gaia's garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture.  2nd Ed - Toby Hemenway
    • City Permaculture: Sustainable living in small spaces. Vol. 1 - Earth Garden Publication

    Inspirational or related reading:
    (Also available at CERES nursery at 10% off for PDC students)
    • The humanure handbook: A guide to composting human manure.  Joseph Jenkins
    • The compost book - David and Yvonne Taylor
    •  Edible Weeds and Garden Plants of Melbourne - Doris Pozzi
    • Fabulous Food from Every Small Garden.  CSIRO - Mary Horsfall
    • The transition handbook.  Aust and Nz edition - Rob Hopkins 
    • The Earth Gardener's companion - Jackie French
    • Easy aquaponics: Backyard fish and food - Earth Garden Books 
    • Gardening Down Under: A guide to healthier soils and plants - Graeme Handreck
    • The Earth Garden Water Book - Earth Garden Publication
    • Botany for gardeners - Brian Capon

    Further reading: 
    (Not currently available at the nursery but books we would like to stock in future or that our PDC tutors recommend as further reading)
    • Rainwater harvesting for drylands vol. 1 and 2 - Brad Lancaster
    • Mycelium running - How Mushrooms can help save the world - Paul Stamets
    • Liquid Gold - The lore and logic of using urine to grow plants - Carol Steinfeld
    • Farmers of Forty Centuries - FH King
    • A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopald
    • Confessions of a Beach Comber - EJ Banfield
    • Pasture Doctor - Jo Millar
    • Permaculture Plants - Jeff Nugent
    • Create an Oasis with Greywater - Art Ludwig
    • The Use of Trees and Shrubs in the Dry Country of Australia - Norman, Hall Chippendale.
    • The Complete Australian Bushfire Book - Joan Webster
    • Small Earth Dams - Katie Nelson
    • Windbreaks - Steve Burke
    • Forest Trees of Australia - Hall, Johnston, Chippendale.
    • Weeds and what they Tell - Ehrenfried E Pfeiffer
    • The New Complete book of Self sufficiency - John Seymour
    • Energy From Nature - Peter Pedals
    • Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable - Juliette de Bairacli Levy


    Qualification

    Participants who complete the full course earn a Permaculture Design Course and the right to practise as a professional Permaculturist.                                                 

    PDC holders may be able to claim some credits towards Certificates III and IV in Accredited Permaculture Training.

    Attendance

    Participants are required to complete the whole course in order to gain a PDC and qualify as a Permaculturist. 


             

    Topics covered...


    COURSE CONTENT

    DEVELOPMENT OF THE PERMACULTURE CONCEPT
    DEFINITIONS & HISTORY           
    PERMACULTURE ETHICS

    PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL SYSTEMS
    ENERGY LAWS & PROCESSES           
    GAIA & ECOSYSTEMS           
    TREES & FOREST ECOLOGY           
    CLIMATES
    SOIL ECOLOGY

    PRINCIPLES OF PERMACULTURE DESIGN
    HOLMGREN’S REVISED PRINCIPLES

    DESIGN METHODS
    PATTERN RECOGNITION           
    READING THE LANDSCAPE – LANDFORMS & WATERCYCLES
    GEOLOGY & SOIL PATTERNS           
    VEGETATION PATTERNS           
    DESIGN PROCESS           
    SPATIAL DESIGN TOOLS/ FUNCTIONAL DESIGN TOOLS

    DESIGNING LANDSCAPES
    DESIGN FEATURES OF LANDSCAPES            
    DESIGN OF FIRE-PRONE LANDSCAPES
    DESIGNING KITCHEN GARDENS FOR ZONE 1           
    DESIGNING ZONE 2 SYSTEMS
    GENETIC DIVERSITY IN FOOD CROPS           
    TREES IN PERMACULTURE           
    ANIMALS IN PERMACULTURE
    HARVESTING & STORING WATER           
    WATER CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING           
    AQUACULTURE
    AGRICULTURAL STRATEGIES FOR ZONE 3           
    STRATEGIES FOR ZONE 4 & 5

    DESIGNING SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS
    COMMUNITY STRATEGIES
    ECONOMIC SYSTEMS & COMMUNITIES
    STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC REFORM

    DESIGNING BUILT ENVIRONMENTS
    URBAN SETTLEMENT PATTERNS           
    BIO REGIONAL ORGANISATION
    INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES & RURAL SETTLEMENTS           
    PATTERNS IN HOUSING DESIGN
    BUILDING MATERIALS           
    DESIGN OF FUNCTIONAL BUILDINGS           
    APPROPRIATE DOMESTIC TECHNOLOGY
    POWER GENERATION & TRANSPORT

    IMPLEMENTING PERMACULTURE
    WORKING AS A DESIGN CONSULTANT           
    BUSINESS STRATEGIES                       
    STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE
    BEYOND THE DESIGN COURSE