Our Introduction to Permaculture course gives you a good grounding in permaculture. Because it covers the basic principles, strategies and techniques used for good permaculture design. So, If you’re curious about permaculture this is a great place to start. Later you can upgrade to the remaining modules of the full permaculture design course with full credit of initial investment in the introductory course.
Core topics:
Permaculture Ethics
First up, we invite you to explore your ethics and goals. How do you relate to the care of people, care of earth and a sense of fair share?
“Care of People” promotes self-reliance and community responsibility. Self reliance is distinct from self sufficiency.
“Care of the Earth” includes all living and non-living things, such as animals, plants, land, water and air. Permaculture is an ethical system, stressing positive approaches to problems and cooperation. Then, we show you strategies and techniques to build a less wasteful and more productive lifestyle.
Recycling and Waste disposal
First up, this module covers Re-design, Reduce, Re-use, Re-use by Modifying, Repair then Recycle. It includes strategies that turn waste into produce. This includes making no-dig gardens, biological cleansers, filters, bioremediation, bacteria as cleansers, blue-green algae. and dealing with waste.
We help you build an awareness of different types of waste to determine suitability and uses. Because these issues can be vital. We examine heavy metals, use of waste water, greywater systems, as well as social and physical energy management (housework and co-living strategies).
Natural System And Design Principles
Permaculture is different to many other sustainability goals because it focuses on design. This chapter awakens our understanding and appreciation of nature. This develops skills in biomimicry and begins the process of design thinking.
Following this, we examine system stabilisers, enhancers, and strategies for flow. Then the design becomes stronger because each function is supported by a variety of components. And each component provides varies valuable functions.
Smart thinking replaces effort when information and observation replaces energy. And we harness energy flows from nature. Also, we design with zoning and sectors planning. Also, we build energy efficiency, use of edge effect, and make valuable connections and use of patterns. This chapter also introduces the value of context, stacking, biological resources, and natural succession. Together, these ideas work for a stress-free yield and energy recycling. We study both Bill Mollison as well as David Holmgren’s Design Principles.
What are the design elements?
We help you examine your home and set targets for increasing diversity. Often designs start simple and grow to develop better microclimates, more efficient energy use and healthier living.
Functional and aesthetic designs are explored. Given that work results from a deficiency of efficiency, we aim to reduce your work load. Any system will become chaotic if it receives more resources than it can use. For example, too much fertilizer can result in pollution, or too much cultivation can result in erosion.) So, a resource is an energy storage which assists yield. So, we aim to maximise useful energy stores in any system (home, urban property, rural lands, workplace or forest). Through understanding our web of life, we can appreciate diversity builds stability. Then we design more functional connections of the components in our designs.
Methodologies of design includes appreciation of patterns, functions and species assemblies. Techniques, Strategies and Design in Permaculture. Then our approaches to design, maps, reading then landscape is enriched.
Finally, we develop the skills for the analysis of components. This leads to questioning “How do things connect?” Then, we look at how things connect to nature through sector planning. We ask “Where do we put things?” All this builds observation and experimentation in the design.
Cultivated Ecology
In this chapter we get to apply the design techniques of Zones , Sectors and Integration. Concepts such as Zoning, helps the user to manage the design. So, everything is placed within easy reach of its needs and waste-use.
Permaculture also uses guilds. Componenets of the design are grouped together so the functions of each is matched to the needs of another. This enables natural, and stress-free energy flow.
We shall also investigate companion planting, insect attractants, deterrent plantings, disguised plants. Comparative nutritional value of different vegetable and fruit species and varieties, animals, (native and domestic) in the system and integrated pest control.
You can study the Introductory module with us online or through our hybrid training sessions. The introductory module is the first module of 3 modules of our full permaculture design course [PDC] approved by Bill Mollison.