Growhio is a non-profit Sustainable Cleveland 2019 initiative designed to strengthen and support all aspects of Northeast Ohio's local food economy through branding, marketing and collaboration.

7.15.2012

Cleveland Permaculture Design Certification Course

6 Weekends: September 8 - November 4, 2012 (84 Hours of Instruction)
With instructors Peter Bane, Josh Beniston, Mark Cohen and local guests. 


WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?
Permaculture is an ethical belief system and practical philosophy dedicated to caring for the earth's systems and all its species, inlcuding humanity. With a set of principles and basic patterns found in nature, we relearn how to participate in our natural environment and eventually to act as designers. We draw our inspiration from nature's systems and patterns and our goal is to create harmony between the needs of the ecosystem and the needs of humanity.

For 30 years, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, two Australians who originated the concept of Permaculture, have been teaching the core principles and practical techniques of restoring some of the most damaged ecosystems and creating economic stability amongst some of the most impoverished people of our planet. They designed a curriculum, still taught all over the world, which prepares the student to participate in this important work at home or abroad.

PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION COURSE OUTLINE
Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) courses intensively introduce students to the various fields of knowledge important for the aspiring designer. PDC students will also be introduced to an intermediate and advanced set of systems and practices used in Permaculture around the world. Major topics that will be covered include:
- Ecological Literacy and Natural Systems
- Permaculture Ethics and Principles
- Energy and Creative Descent
- Site Assessment and Design Methods
- Designing for Homes, Gardens and Communities
- Food Forestry and an Introduction to Broadscale Permaculture
- Natural Building, Natural Resources, and Landforming
- Soil Biology and Restoration, Soil Building, and Biochar
- Water Health, Living Machines, and Aquaculture Techniques
- Social Systems and Local Economies
As part of the certification program, students will develop and present their design for an existing land management project based in Cleveland. Successful review by the instructors leads to the Certificate in Permaculture Design--the internationally recognized standard for the use of the term Permaculture in professional environments.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
This course will be held over six weekends, beginning September 8th and finishing November 4th, 2012.  Additional supplemental events and learning opportunities will be available on off weekends and evenings.

Classes will be held at Family Ministry Center at Blessed Sacrament 3381 Fulton Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44109.  Overnight lodging is available on-site for a limited number of out-of-town students.

The course will also include one weekend trip to Athens, Ohio (October 27-28) to explore its well-developed local food system and visit the farmsite and intentional community of instructor Mark Cohen. Carpooling will be arranged.
Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
September 8-9
September 22-23
September 29-30
October 13-14
October 27-28 (Athens)
November 3-4

INSTRUCTOR BACKGROUNDS:
Peter Bane is a permaculture teacher and site designer who has published and editedPermaculture Activist magazine for over 20 years. He helped create Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina, and is now pioneering suburban farming in Bloomington, Indiana. The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country, Bane's step-by-step guide to creating resilient  households and neighborhoods, came out this June.
Mark Cohen is a permaculture designer, organic farmer, apiculturalist, mycologist, philosopher, business consultant, and co-founder of Far Valley Farm, an intentional community began in the 1980's. Mark is the Executive Director of the Belize Agroforestry Research Center, a permaculture research and teaching facility based in Southern Belize. He has been practicing permaculture and sustainable agriculture since 1977 and has taught ethnobotany, cultural ecology, systems analysis, and agricultural design both in the US and internationally.
Josh Beniston is a passionate long time student and practitioner of ecology, landscape design, and botany.  Josh has a B.S. degree in Plant Biology and a M.Sc. in Soil Science.  He has worked on ecological landscaping and agriculture projects throughout Ohio, California, and in Belize.  Josh is currently pursuing a PhD with a research program aimed at understanding and managing soil health for urban agriculture. He is a research fellow at the internationally recognized Carbon Management and Sequestration Center at Ohio State.  He and his wife Kat have operated Habitats Ecological Design for eight years.
REGISTRATION:
Tuition is $950. The fee covers over 80 hours of instruction, healthy lunch each course day, all educational materials including Peter Bane's newly published The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country, and access to all supplemental workshops to be offerred in non-course-weekends during the months of the PDC. Students completing the course will receive professional certification in Permaculture Design.
To register, please email or mail a printed copy of the REGISTRATION FORM to Nick Swetye atnick@greentri.org, or mail to:
The Green Triangle
1828 West 45th Street
Cleveland, OH 44102
A $200 deposit is due at the time of registration unless financial aid arrangements have been made.
Checks should be written to the Green Triangle.
The deadline for registration is Monday, August 20, 2012.

FINANCIAL AID:
To apply for financial aid for the PDC, please email or mail in your registration form and your financial aid request, by July 31, 2012.  The amount of aid we can offer will depend on overall enrollment.  We will contact students interested in financial aid about what we can offer in August.
FOR QUESTIONS
Please contact Nick Swetye at 330.221.4027 or Jonathan Hull at 330.559.4628 with questions about the course or to discuss financial aid availability.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS
if you know someone who would benefit from this course and would like to share this information with them or with others, please download our brochure PDF here [PDF - 641KB].
PDC SCHOLARSHIP FUND:
Donations to the PDC Scholarship Fund are a much-appreciated way to ensure a wide community of people can take part in this course.  100% of donations made will be dedicated to scholarships for the PDC.  To make a donation, send a check payable to The Green Triangle, with "PDC Scholarship Fund" written in the Memo, to:
The Green Triangle
1828 West 45th Street
Cleveland, OH 44102

All donations are 100% tax deductible and donors will receive a tax letter and receipt for any donation over $50 US
Organized by the Green Triangle and the Center for Ecological Culture 
www.greentri.org
www.ecologicalculture.org

No comments:

Post a Comment