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December 20, 2012 at 3:25 PM

Community and regional planning involves guiding land use change over time. These types of changes ultimately redesign our ecosystems, and yet very few of us have a background in ecology or ecosystem design. Permaculture Design Courses have been developed to provide that very skillset by teaching a framework for decision making that considers the goals of the designer and the specific attributes of the community or development site.

Permaculture is a holistic, integrated system of design and implementation for a sustainable future. The internationally recognized design certification course was initiated by Bill Mollison, who co-coined the term Permaculture. At D Acres we are pleased to be offering this course for the fourth year.

This curriculum-based course introduces the ethics, principles and practices of permaculture. This course is designed to maximize practical learning by following the annual flow of the seasons. Participants will gain exposure to the rhythm of the seasons and activities at the farm from planting to harvest & preservation. The course culminates with a permaculture design presented by each student for a location of their choice.

This course is especially useful for homeowners, planners, design professionals, community organizers, farmers, and gardeners. It is adapted to a wide variety of learning styles and is presented via lecture, images, video, group discussion, hands-on experiences, exercises, and design projects. The course will meet on Saturday and Sunday of the identified weekends, and tuition includes 4 nourishing organic meals and simple accommodations for one night each weekend.

While the course is based on permaculture ethics and principle, there are also practical examples for providing sustainable food and energy security. By incorporating natural systems and biodiversity with renewable energy, natural building and sustainable agriculture techniques participants are empowered to imagine village design and local economic emancipation. Through the process of site analysis and assessment, participants will be guided through the concepts of design to implementation.

The two primary instructors of the course are Steve Whitman and Josh Trought. Steve is a community and environmental planner and adjunct professor at Plymouth State University. He has taught permaculture on five continents plus Central America. Josh Trought is a founder and current director at D Acres of New Hampshire. D Acres is a farm based service and education organization that is based on Permaculture principles. Josh will also be supported by residential instructors onsite who will share their gardening and food preservation knowledge.

In addition this year we are fortunate to be joined by a guest presenter, Michael Phillips. Michael is an acclaimed author, herbalist and orchardist from northern New Hampshire. His award winning books, The Apple Grower and The Holistic Orchard are the preeminent sources of information for organic growers in New England. Michael will be joining the course in May for a public presentation as well as a daylong seminar on orchard management.

More information can be found at:

http://www.dacres.org/events/Permaculture%20Class/Permaculture%20Design%20Class.html

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