International Permaculture Design Course

Tutors: Bob Corker, Kay Baxter, Nathan Foote, Koanga Institute Staff
Location: To be confirmed
Price includes Food and Accomodation (in tents)

This is an intensive twelve day course covering the curriculum recognized by the International Permaculture Institute.  It is focused on giving you a clear understanding about how you can apply ecological design principles to your  life, land use, business and community development.  

We believe that Permaculture Design is one of the best tools available for those who wish to take responsibility for the need to become more ‘self reliant’  as our globalized economy faces peak oil (and lots of other ‘peaks’).  Not just for individual or family self-reliance, but more particularly for communities.  The context within which we teach this course will be our belief that in the coming years we urgently need to develop ‘parallel economies’ that will have the resilience to cope with the likely  ‘power-down’  (www.richardheinberg.com/Powerdown.html) that our mainstream economy is faced with.

Over the last 30 years Kay and Bob have developed a comprehensive understanding and range of skills associated with family self-reliance, particularly food growing.  They are increasingly focusing on the bigger picture as to how do we address self-reliance within communities and bio-regions.  Thus design theory and examples  will cover  all aspects from Bio-region through to Individual.  We are serious about creating futures without being ‘plugged into’ the globalized economy.

The course starts with a thorough understanding of the Permaculture model of design, (the first two days).   From day three you will begin developing and practicing; observation, analysis and design within a ‘permaculture’ framework (in the real world), and getting feedback  and support from our team of experienced tutors and practicing designers.  The structure of most days will be theory in the morning, followed by practical demonstrations, and design practice in the afternoon, followed by more design practice or research after dinner then discussions or DVD’s later. In addition those who are serious about completing a diploma, and/or engaging in design as a vocation (both in NZ or overseas), and/or creating self-employment, using their new design skills, will be supported to set in place a mentor program for supporting their future work.

If you  feel like you need more information about the course, please contact us, and we will be happy to discuss it further.

As on our last PDC we will be providing you with food prepared following the principles of the Weston A Price Foundation. Mostly they will be recipes out of Kay and Bob's new book "Change of Heart". All aspects of the food will illustrate core issues of "sustainability".

Our food will be locallyl sourced, organic, unrefined, nutrient dense, traditional and delicious.

Part of each day will include lessons on how these principles and recipes can be included in your life (growing, preparing and cooking) For more information on our  philosophy on foods, check out the website of the Weston A Price Foundation .

"The world is as we dream it, as we create it. We need to change the dream, to dream an earth-honouring dream." Shuar Indians - Equador . 

The Permaculture Design Course gives us the tools to design this dream, and the inspiration to bring it into your life, and others lives, in a practical way.