Description

Learn permaculture design in beautiful southern Poland!

This Permaculture Design Course (PDC) covers the standard 72-hour curriculum developed by Bill Mollison which is commonly taught all over the world, but will include extra information tailored to colder climates, as well as practical, hands-on components to spur active learning about permaculture processes and design. The PDC will run 12 full days, starting on the morning of Monday, August 6, 2012 and ending in the afternoon of Saturday, August 18, 2012. The course is taught in English. Come learn how to apply permaculture to your home, farm, and life whilst enjoying beautiful southern Poland!

Topics will include:

* History, Principles and Ethics of Permaculture
* Permaculture Design
* Whole farm design and planning
* Climate and Weather
* Patterns in Nature and in Design
* Trees, forests, and windbreaks
* Water harvesting, storage, recycling
* Ecosystems, landscapes and soils
* Earthworking
* Permaculture in Differing Climates
* Aquaculture
* Social Permaculture
* Orchards and forest gardens
* Animals in permaculture design
* Sustainable building design
And much more&.

Highlights

The Course Venue

This PDC is offered in collaboration with the Ecocentre ICPPC at Sunflower Farm, the first fully-integrated small-scale ecological demonstration site in Poland. The site includes working examples of clay and straw buildings, organic food gardens, home-scale renewable energy, grey-water recycling systems, rainwater catchment systems, and a developing permaculture food forest. The ecocentre is located in Stryszów, MaBopolska province, Poland, a village of 2,000 people, nestled in the foothills of the picturesque Carpathian Mountains.

The ecocentre, part of theInternational Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC) is run by Jadwiga Aopata, an award-winning environmentalist, activist, and social entrepreneur; the ecocentre itself was founded in the late 1990s by her son, Krzsztof (Chris). Jadwiga became an Ashoka Fellow in 1996, and in 2002 won the Goldman Prize for the Environment for all of Europe for her work in rural Poland with small family farmers and efforts to preserve the Polish small farm way of life. She was founder and first president of ECEAT-Poland, an organization established to assist small farms in Poland to become host locations for eco- and agri-tourism. Today, with her partner, Julian Rose, a well-known British organic farmer, writer, and activist, they continue their work to support and protect small farms and farmers in Poland.

Class sessions will be held on-site in the ecocentres clay and straw building classroom which is powered by the sun. Hands-on course sessions will give participants a chance to work on projects relevant to the ecocentre as a developing permaculture farm and demonstration site.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

• Design
• Ecology
• Sustainable Development

Cost in US$:

1500

Program Fees Include:

The full Permaculture Design Course fee is USD1500 and includes instruction, local site visits, shared-room housing on-site (2-4 people per room), and meals (breakfast and dinner, plus tea/coffee and bread/cheese at lunch; local and healthy foodboth ovo-lacto vegetarians and omnivores can easily be accommodated). A maximum of 16 students can be accommodated indoors. Two camping places are available on-site (four participants total). Students opting to camp can deduct 10% off the full course fee. Additional accommodation is available nearby. Up to 20 students can be accommodated in this course.

Special Price for Students from Eastern Europe!

Citizens of the following countries will receive a special discounted price of USD800 for this PDC. This price applies only to citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of 4-5

Scholarships are Available

need-based scholarships are available in the amount of USD400 to students showing verifiable financial need.

Application Process Involves

• Disciplinary Clearance Form
• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

2 Weeks

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Year Founded

2009