"The material we covered encompasses an enormous amount of information, but due to the well-prepared presentation offered by the FLPCI staff, it has always felt easy to grasp... I feel they have prepared me to take what I�ve learned and begin applying it in ways that will make my own life and the land I steward far more rewarding and fruitful."
With the completion of necessary coursework, students earn the legal use of the word "permaculture" for business purposes and for further personal study toward becoming a certified practitioner. As is with most education, the importance is not in the paper, but in the process. PDC graduates walk away with a better understanding of systems and how they can work toward positive change.
Information for August 2007 Intensive
Who:
Permaculture enthusiasts from
all over the region
What:A
75+ hour intensive design course
Where:
Cayuga Nature Center
(www.cayuganaturecenter.org)
When:
August 3 - 19
Why:
It's time to implement a
systematic approach to changing our lives
How:
Lecture, exercises, hands on
demonstration, discussion
GOALS
FOR THE COURSE
We
will develop group goals and expectations early on in the course.
Please spend some time reflecting on your motives for taking the
course and what you hope to receive from it. Our stated goals as
facilitators are the following:
1. Maintain
an equal and positive learning environment
2. Define
coursework by the concerns and desires of the participants
3. Make
the environment revolve around experiential and action learning
4. Create systems for feedback so we can evolve the course as necessar
OUR
LEARNING COMMUNITY
Our
aim for the course is to cultivate a learning community where we
recognize the inherent and learned skills and gifts each of us has to
share. The instructors are present as facilitators and do not intend
to provide authoritative answers. We are viewing this experience as a
forum for the development of permaculture as a localized response to
a myriad of current cultural issues. Everyone is considered
knowledgeable and valuable to the community as a whole. We hope to
tailor the course to reflect the interests of both the local
landscape and of all participants.
INSTRUCTORS
Steve Gabriel grew up in the Finger Lakes Region and has been studying and practicing permaculture intensively for nearly four years. He received his PDC from Earthaven in North Carolina and completed the Advanced PDC two years ago in Oregon. He lives at Cayuga Nature Center as a caretaker. This will be his fourth PDC.
Karryn Olson-Ramanujan loves exploring the world and its cultures--a passion that has taken her from her home state of South Dakota to live in Germany, Ghana, and India. She began studying permaculture in 1997 and has completed certificate courses in both Northern California and India. Karryn and her family moved in 2003 to Ecovillage at Ithaca, where they are learning how to live in community and transforming their back yard into a food forest. Karryn sees her lifework as assisting faith communities to connect their spiritual teachings about nature with permaculture and sustainability.
Kay McGrenaghan Cafasso has immersed herself in the path of understanding what is sustainable since her permaculture design certification in 2000. Over the last five years she has documented and studied with permaculture practitioners in the temperate northeastern US, in the rainy UK and Ireland, and in the dry land climates of the southwestern US. She has fallen in love with natural structures ~ especially earthen plaster for straw bale buildings. This is Kay's second PDC with us.
PERMACULTURE
CURRICULUM:
The
curriculum includes all elements in the keystone text: Permaculture:
A Designers Manual by Bill Mollison. Each organization that
teaches the course alters the format but the pieces are all there.
The structure varies slightly for
FLPCI between the summer and winter course, not in scope but in
depth. Our version is as follows:
Certificate = Fundamentals + Core + Design + 2 Electives
F01 Background,
Principles, Ethics, Attitudes, Ecology
F02 Pattern,
Whole Systems, Design
C01 Reading
the Landscape
C02 Earthworks
C03 The
Built Environment
C04 Global
Perspectives
C05
Invisible Structures I:
Economic Systems
C06 Invisible
Structures II: Governance,
Community, and Legal Systems
C07 Waste
Treatment and Recycling
C08 Water
C09 Soil
Ecology
C10 Forests
and Trees
C11 The
Cultivated Ecology I: The Home System
C12 The
Cultivated Ecology II: Gardening
D01 Introduction
to Design: Theory and Methods - 2 days
D02
DESIGN PRACTICUM - 3 days
Electives
E01 Village
and Urban Design
E02 Cultural and Spiritual Applications of Permaculture
E03 Advanced
Principles: David Holmgren�s Model
E04 Holistic
Education
E05 Mushroom
E06 Natural Paints and Plasters
SCHEDULE FOR THE COURSE (subject to change but gives you an idea)
|
Date |
AM (9 -12) |
PM (2-5) |
EVE (7 - 9) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Friday, August 3 |
Arrive& Setup |
Arrive & Setup Registration |
Circle of Introductions Goals and Agreements |
|
Saturday, August 4 |
What is Permaculture? What is Sustainability? Ethics |
Attitudes |
Sense of Place/Writing |
|
Sunday, August 5 |
Principles |
Ropes Course |
|
|
Monday, August 6 |
Reading the Landscape
|
Pattern Whole Systems |
Global Gardener Video |
|
Tuesday, August 7 |
Global Perspectives |
Ecology |
|
|
Wednesday, August 8 |
Built Environment |
Earthworks
|
|
|
Thursday, August 9 |
Water |
Aquaculture |
Aquaculture Video |
|
Friday, August 10 |
Waste Treatment |
Soil |
TALENT SHOW |
|
Saturday, August 11 |
OFF |
OFF |
OFF |
|
Sunday, August 12 |
Forests and Trees |
Agroforestry Food Forests |
Corporation Video |
|
Monday, August 13 |
IS I: Economics |
IS II: Governance |
Co Counseling |
|
Tuesday, August 14 |
CE 1: Home System |
CE II: Gardening |
|
|
Wednesday, August 15 |
Design Fundamentals |
Design Fundamentals |
Sepp Holtzer Video |
|
Thursday, August 16 |
PRACTICUM |
PRACTICUM |
Group Work |
|
Friday, August 17 |
PRACTICUM |
PRACTICUM |
Group Work |
|
Saturday, August, 18 |
PRACTICUM |
PRACTICUM |
Group Work |
|
Sunday, August 19 |
Presentations |
Where to Next? |
PARTY! Gifting Circle |
|
|
Pack up and home! |
|
|
Breakfast will be served from 7
- 8:30
Lunch will be served from 12 - 1
Dinner
will be served from 5:30 - 6:30
Evening
sessions are mostly optional,
to qualify for certificate you must attend at least 3
of them.
The Talent Show is a long time tradition of most Permaculture courses. There are a few reasons behind this. One is to have the challenge/experience of getting up in front of your peers and perform. Another is to discover the mutual support we can give each other during difficult times. And, of course, its a lot of fun!! Plan to present something for a bout 10 - 15 minutes; sing a song, do a dance, play a game, read a poem. Consider a talent that is not only a reflection of who you are but also pushes your comfort zone.
A Gifting Circle will occur during the final party on Aug 19. Please bring an item that you wish to hand off to a classmate. Consider an object significant to you that others would find meaningful or useful.
COURSEWORK
Students
will be asked to do a number of things during the course. We will be
doing individual and group work, having many question and discussion
sessions, and working on mini assignments outside of class. The
amount of energy you invest will directly determine the benefits you
get from attending the course.
Please dedicate a journal to the course; you will use it for any notes you wish to take as well as for assignments, reflections, etc. A binder or folder for handouts and your own set of pens/pencils are also helpful.
At this time we don't require the purchase of a specific book, but we do recommend Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison to get you started. You can order it through the Permaculture Activist: www.permacultureactivist.net
LOCATION
The
entire course will take place on the grounds of the Cayuga Nature
Center, our new home. Check out www.cayuganaturecenter.org for more
information. We are in the process of creating a land use plan for
the long term, regenerative development of the landscape, roughly 160
acres on the West side of Cayuga Lake.
DIRECTIONS
Please
consider carpooling to the modules. Contact us if you are willing to
pick up/drop off participants that live along your travel route.
From the North:
Take Route 13 South into downtown Ithaca. Turn right onto Buffalo St and then make a right onto Route 89 (Taughannock Blvd). Travel six miles and we are on the left.
From the South:
Take Route 17 to Route 13 North. Turn left onto Buffalo St and then make a right onto Route 89 (Taughannock Blvd). Travel six miles and we are on the left.
From the East:
Take Route 79 W to Ithaca. Turn left onto Cayuga St. Turn left onto Buffalo and make a right onto Route 89 (Taughannock Blvd). Travel six miles and we are on the left.
From the West:
Take 17 E; same as South directions.
Ithaca is serviced by an airport and bus station. Trains can be taken to Syracuse, about 45 mi away.
If you need help finding your way, please let us know.
MEALS
Meals
will be provided at the course for an extra fee. ($225) At three
meals a day for sixteen days, thats less than $5 per meal. We aim
to serve food that is mainly seasonal, local, and organic. Let us
know if you have any dietary restrictions.
We will provide coffee, tea, and light snacks for you throughout the day.
ACCOMODATIONS
Outdoor
Camping is available on site in a designated area in the woods.
Indoor
accommodations are a mattress on the floor of a shared bunk room with
other PDC students.
Please let us know ahead of time if you are planning to stay on the grounds.
RULES
*NO
Alcohol or Drugs
*NO
Glass containers
*NO
Campfires (except as facilitated by CNC staff - we will have these!!)
*NO
Dogs
LIST
OF ITEMS TO BRING
notebook/binder, pens, pencils, ruler, markers, colored pencils, etc.
travel mug
boots, shoes, sandals
layers, outdoor weather gear, rain gear
camping/sleeping materials (bring a flashlight!)
course materials and handouts
(we may add more as time approaches)
PAYMENT
The
fees for the course break down as follows:
Tuition:
$800
Meals:
$225
Lodging:
Donation
Total: $1025
Couples who sign up together will be charged $1400 for tuition. Sorry, we cannot discount food.
Full payment will be due on August 3, prior to dinner.
Please mail a $200 deposit to reserve your spot.
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: CAYUGA NATURE CENTER
Mail to:
Finger Lakes Permaculture
Institute
Cayuga Nature Center
1420 Taughannock Blvd
Ithaca, NY 14850
We can also take credit cards: please contact Steve at the CNC 607-273-6260
QUESTIONS
& CONCERNS
Please
be in touch with any of these. Remember, this is your course, and the
more active you are in providing information and feedback, the better
we can respond and plan for the most beneficial course presentation
Steve
(Program Coordinator, Instructor)
[email protected],
303-815-3535
Karryn
(Instructor) [email protected]