Welcome Larry Korn! Free ticket to the sahale PDC!

I am giving away a ticket for the 14 day permaculture design course at sahale ($800 value!).  This is the course taught by Larry Korn, the guy that studied for two years under Masanobu Fukuoka and then did the translation for "One Straw Revolution"!  Exceptionally advanced permaculture!

This is the PDC that I took five years ago!  And this is the same campus where the Washington State Permaculture Convergence is done!

I'm gonna be there as a guest instructor on animal husbandry and eco building.  Plus, there is gonna be an alumni reunion at the end.  So the folks from all of the past years of the sahale PDC will be invited. 

You can see my happy, smiling face with the sahale PDC class of 2005 here:

    https://permies.com/permaculture-forums/280_0

More info on the course is at

    https://permies.com/permaculture-forums/2423_0

Larry is gonna be hanging out in this forum answering questions and the like for the next few days. 

Here's the particulars about getting this ticket:

      I have a little program that will collect all of the posts to this forum for a date range (I'll set that to today through Jan 31).  It will then mix them all up and show me five posts at random.  From those five, I'll pick out the best post!  I'll then pass the winner's email address to Laura and Larry so they can arrange the particulars.

      I'll run this little program on Jan 31st - or really close to Jan 31st.

      The more you post in this forum, the better your chances of getting the ticket!

      A "good post" is a post that asks a great question, an answer to a question or even just an offering of some interesting information.  Posts that just say "thanks" or "hi" don't count as good posts.

Good luck!

LOL. ok we are in. Erica and I would love it. it would be nice to do it as students instead of instructors.

Will you be counting posts from the whole forum or just this thread?  I think it would be great seeing another PDC from another's perspective but I wouldn't be able to travel the 3000 miles to get there.  I will be watching continued information on it, just the same.

Posts in this thread don't count.

And the program will be reading posts just from this forum. 

And the posts that people wrote this morning, before I made the announcement, also count - but that's because the program doesn't sift through posts based on time.

And the program will be reading posts just from this forum.

you mean just the "permaculture" forum of the "Permaculture Forums"?

Well, I am putting my hat in the ring for this Sahale PDC ticket for sure.  I have been wanting to go, but wasn't sure I'd be able to come up with the money. In the spirit of bartering, I make jewelry and sew, so if these skills are needed, or if others are interested in learning, I could certainly share them with the PDC participants.

great offer paul, good on ya'

personally it'd be challenging to swing  this now.work has been,wanting.  even with a free pass. $300 on airfare,350 on lodging,i guess a rental car to get there etc. sigh...
sure looks to be a wonderful place, it must be beautiful out in that part of the country.

i hope whoever does make it will take plenty of pics and video for us 

tel wrote:
you mean just the "permaculture" forum of the "Permaculture Forums"?

yes.

lisbivens wrote:
I think that 'Ernie' is a taker for the ticket, but if someone cancels and the Sahale PDC ticket becomes available again, I would be very, very happy to receive it. I make jewelry and could even offer a trade of some sort. Thanks! Lisa

Ernie doesn't have it yet.  You might get it!

And, they still have openings in the class, and $800 is, IMO, damn cheap for a PDC this good.

tribalwind wrote:
great offer paul, good on ya'

personally it'd be challenging to swing  this now.work has been,wanting.  even with a free pass. $300 on airfare,350 on lodging,i guess a rental car to get there etc. sigh...
sure looks to be a wonderful place, it must be beautiful out in that part of the country.

i hope whoever does make it will take plenty of pics and video for us 

When I took it I had to pay for airfare.  The coordinator arranged a ride to/from the airport as part of a carpool for the class.  So I didn't have to rent a car.  And the housing is there at the course. 

thank you, paul, for your response! yes $800 is a great price, just not what I currently have.. if i can come up with the money before the event, though, i'm in! maybe i'll pedal enough jewelry between now and then, so i can go even if someone else wins... or perhaps i'll think of some riveting question or answer about permaculture so thought-provoking, so remarkable, that my name will have to be chosen! (i'm researching the finer points of reiki for improving the mental health of chickens at this very moment )

Hi, everyone,  We are working hard to be sure that this will be a fine course.  The Sahale Learning Center in Western Washington is a beautiful venue.  Hope to see you there.
www.sahalepermaculture.com

Larry Korn

I'm confused about the free ticket to the Sahale PDC. To let it be known that I'm interested, was I doing so by responding to the topic 'Re: Welcome Larry Korn! Free ticket to the Sahale PDC,' or did I need to submit a remark to the more general forum, 'permaculture,'? also,did I need to put some particular wording in the subject line? (not sure how 'forums' work.) Again, I'd be glad to trade work, classes in fimo bead-making or wire-working to the group while I'm there, or just any kind of hands-on work with the group. I'm short on money right now but long on helpfulness, enthusiasm and energy.

Thank You,
Lisa

Post to this forum (but not this thread).  The more you post, the better chances you will end up in the top 5. And then it is a matter of quality of post.

Thanks, Paul

Thank you, Paul. I appreciate it.

paul wheaton wrote:
The coordinator arranged a ride to/from the airport as part of a carpool for the class.  So I didn't have to rent a car.   

Hi, everyone - Laura here, and I am "the coordinator" for this course.  Yes, we would arrange for a carpool if folks were coming from the airport (I live just 10 minutes from SeaTac airport).  And remember, we even have a camping option if folks are hardy enough - only $195 for the entire course!  I'm just sayin'...

So what if you do have a question to ask Larry?  I'd really like to talk with him about the bon fils method of wheat growing.  Make a new thread?  The fukuoka one got side tracked, kinda. 

Hi, Marina,  Let's meet at the Fukuoka forum, sidetracked or not.  I'll be busy until about 1:00 or 2:00 this afternoon.
Larry

I think there is already a thread about the bonfils method.  If there isn't, start a new thread. 

I it turns out that you start a thread and there was already a thread, sometimes I get the time and I'll merge the two threads. 

lauraflora wrote:
we even have a camping option if folks are hardy enough - only $195 for the entire course!  I'm just sayin'...

i've never been in that part of the country, but i imagine it must be awful nipply this time of year , how cold does it get at night ?

Paul Wheaton (and Larry Korn) -

(Please excuse me while I shamelessly make my plug for the free ticket...)

Hi, I am very interested in getting the free ticket to the PDC, I am a Fukuoka farmer - he has been my most influential source of inspiration since I read One Straw Revolution.  I am almost finished reading The Natural Way of Farming.  I am devoting my garden this year to various trials and adaptations of Natural Farming in the Pacific Northwest.  In fact I wrote to Larry Korn a few days ago requesting more information on this topic...and am patiently awaiting a response. Theres no way in hell I can afford to pay $800 for a PDC, but Free sounds absolutely great to me...but I doubt I will be spending all my days posting in this forum when there is work to be done outside - so If I can somehow get my name into that grab bag list without spending all my time coming up with posts then put me in!  This will likely be my only post.

I live in Bellingham WA so I can easily make it to the course and I'll camp in the damn snow if need be , the education is worth a bit of roughing it.

Dave

tribalwind wrote:
i've never been in that part of the country, but i imagine it must be awful nipply this time of year , how cold does it get at night ?

It might frost.  But it rarely gets much colder than that.

tranquilidy wrote:
Paul Wheaton (and Larry Korn) -

(Please excuse me while I shamelessly make my plug for the free ticket...)

Hi, I am very interested in getting the free ticket to the PDC, I am a Fukuoka farmer - he has been my most influential source of inspiration since I read One Straw Revolution.  I am almost finished reading The Natural Way of Farming.  I am devoting my garden this year to various trials and adaptations of Natural Farming in the Pacific Northwest.  In fact I wrote to Larry Korn a few days ago requesting more information on this topic...and am patiently awaiting a response. Theres no way in hell I can afford to pay $800 for a PDC, but Free sounds absolutely great to me...but I doubt I will be spending all my days posting in this forum when there is work to be done outside - so If I can somehow get my name into that grab bag list without spending all my time coming up with posts then put me in!  This will likely be my only post.

I live in Bellingham WA so I can easily make it to the course and I'll camp in the damn snow if need be , the education is worth a bit of roughing it.

Dave

Dave, and the one post you made does not qualify for the ticket. 

Here is an important aspect to all this:

My understanding is that a lot of permaculture courses set their price at something like $1600 per person for the two week course and then they will cancel the course if they don't get a minimum of six people.  The folks that put together this course desperately wanted to make larry's word available to a wider audience, so they whittled and whittled and figured that if they could get 18 people, they could drop the price down to $800 per person. 

My understanding is that they are currently a few shy of 18 at this point.  And the cutoff date is something like the third or fourth of february:  just a few days after we announce the winner of the free ticket. 

So!  There is a possibility that the class will be cancelled - just as the possibility exists for any class. 

I would really like to think that when the prices is so low, for such a super celebrity like larry, that folks will spread the word far and wide so that folks that organize this sort of thing will get the message that setting the price low does work. 

Otherwise, this sort of thing might be left to only the folks that can afford it at $1600 per ticket.

Paul,

My point is that your lottery game is flawed to give the ticket to the person who spends the most time with their head in cyberspace coming up with permaculture posts instead of being outside working in the garden and living a life outside of this forum.  I guess I won't be eligible for your ticket because I work everyday as a landscaper and am also busy preparing my garden and starting seeds for the growing season.  I'd love to attend that course, as I am a Fukuoka nut, but I don't see myself posting online all day just to up my odds in your lottery.  I was simply taking a crack at getting you to see that reasoning, that there may be people such as myself who would greatly benefit from the course, who don't want to spend all their time online coming up with a bunch of random posts just to qualify themselves.  Since your making up the rules for this game I'm sure you also have the power to bend them if you see my reasoning, but if not then it is what it is.  I thought your reply was condescending, and if you see yourself in a position of authority because you have something to give that others want then you are completely missing the point of giving. 

Gotta go, the outside world awaits -


Dave

paul wheaton wrote:
My understanding is that they are currently a few shy of 18 at this point.  And the cutoff date is something like the third or fourth of february:  just a few days after we announce the winner of the free ticket.  

yowza, so its less than 2 weeks away and minimum quota isnt reached.
bad news for anyone who has to fly and already bought their plane ticket 2 weeks in advance to get the best airfare.
if there is a possibility it may still get canceled that info should be right up top ! all i see there is "slots still available" but nothing about "still a chance we'll cancel altogether".
well, itd be a shame if it doesnt go through    best of luck !!!

doing quick math on that, 800 + 350 lodging = 1,150 x18 = $20,700
so roughly ,it  costs a minimum of 20 grand to run a PDC huh? wowie

paul wheaton wrote:
It might frost.  But it rarely gets much colder than that.

Ah! ok not bad at all.i guess camping out IS very doable then.
we're experiencing 0°F today with the windchill, not really my kinda campin weather
I'm so done with NY winters

Dave,

Let me see if I understand this correctly.  You have posted two posts to be clear that you cannot take the time to post any posts.  You prefer to talk about this process and not get a ticket rather than talk about permaculture and have a chance of getting a ticket. 

With your being THAT busy, I'm thinking you really don't have the time to even attend this event, so I think this selection process has turned out to be pretty good. 

Dave, here is what I think you should do:  put on a two week PDC and charge nothing to 40 people.  That would be super awesome!  And you can pick the 40 people that you think would be the best recipients!  It sounds like you have an idea of what sort of person should receive free tickets and I think that is really cool.  I think you are a true permaculture hero for offering a PDC at no charge to 40 people.  I have never heard of anybody doing that before.  That is so cool!  Or .... it will be cool ... when you do it .... of course you will do it, because that is what you are advocating ....  or am I just really confused?

Paul,

Well I'd like to apologize for getting a little worked up yesterday, sorry for the vented frustration and I hope I haven't burned any bridges too badly yet.

As for some explanation, yes I am busy - landscaping and gardening occupy most of my time, and I do want that ticket but am always highly discouraged when I see the odds are stacked up like a lottery, in favor of those who spend a lot of time here...

Since I now have 3 posts, under the wrong thread, I'm sure my time would have been better spent posting where it would count, but I fail to see the point in coming up with random posts in a desperated attempt to win a ticket.  Wouldn't it make more sense to collect a list of names of people who want the ticket and then randomnly choose one?

As for hosting a free PDC, that sounds awesome! If only our culture were not so money oriented...It could work.  What if everyone did work trade on the land in exchange for the knowledge being shared?  What could 40 people accomplish on a piece of land over a course of 3 weeks?

At any rate, thanks for giving away such a valuable gift.  I'm sure whoever gets it will appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Dave

Dave, you obviously had time to post not one, or two, but three complaints about how the ticket is being given away.  If you had spent your time posting to the myriad of topics on the rest of the board, sharing your knowledge about landscaping and other things you feel confident that you know well, you'd have three times the chance of getting the ticket. 

Paul never said anything about the ticket going to the person who asks for it the most persistently, or who claims they deserve it the most.  THAT would not be fair at all.  Jess sayin. 

Marina,

Can't I even submit an apology without getting flamed?

My point with the posts is, what IS the point in posting to this forum, to share knowledge, and to ask pertinent questions, or to try to win a ticket?  I will post outside this thread on other topics when I have a good reason to, but NOT just in order to win a ticket...

Sorry I rocked the boat around here. Evidently my viewpoints are not very popular.

off to the garden...less stressful!

Let's make clear the whole PDC cost issue since it seems to be a hurdle, mentally, for most to get over.

The average PDC tuition costs $1200, as where Larry Korn's PDC costs only $800.

Lodging costs are approximately $25 a night, with full laundry, interent, kitchen, hot tub, shower facilities, etc.  And that's the expensive option.  You will not beat that EVER with any conventional option and most PDC lodging is pretty convential.

Oh yeah.  Then all the food. Organic, cooked and catered, tailored to diet concerns be them medical or philosophical.  That's runs about $10 a day per person, with full pantry access.  Thats all your meals and snacks covered for the entire day for less than dinner at a cheap resturant. 

But where does all the rest of the money go after the instructors, the chef, the food, and the facility?  Well advertising, so you can know that this impossibly cheap deal is available, doesn't come free either.  Someone has to make it, print it, publicize it, work the network, travel to post flyer, run a website, make connections, get Paul Wheaton's support, etc.

And someone has to do the accounting, and the regisration, and then logistics, and the menu planning.  Oh, and the fees for guest instructors, plants, materials, demonstrations... Am I making myself clear?

And then there is the work trade discounts, and the scholarships so that genuinely intersted, and yet poor, people can come learn it too.  There are no institutional grants and government subsidies for permaculture education. 

So if you have thought to yourself, "Wow, that's a lot of money, this should be a community supported effort." Well it is.  It's more of a community supported effort than most PDCs you will find out there and yet it's still having a hard time meeting quota.

Someone has to make it, print it, publicize it, work the network, travel to post flyer, run a website, make connections, get Paul Wheaton's support, etc.

FEEL THE POWER!  BWA HA HA HA HA HA!

I thought it was really cool being me and all, but when you spell it out like that, it seems even cooler. 

I wanna take a moment to step aside a lot of this and point out two REALLY important things:

1)  I think $800 is freaky cheap for any 14 day PDC and I have to applaud the folks for working their butts off to try and get this to work at $800.  I know that I am so impressed that I emailed all of the users of this site, plus six mailing lists I'm on and then I sent out over a hundred personal emails.  I think that if anybody else appreciates a PDC being offered for such a low price, they would also forward this a lot.

2)  Hello, we're talking about 14 days of Larry Korn conveying the works of Fukuoka.  What an excellent and rare opportunity. 

Passing the word on this is just the right thing to do.

Dave,  you said "What if everyone did work trade on the land in exchange for the knowledge being shared?"  Or, what if they didn't have to do any work and they could just freely exchange information?  Like what people do here on permies.com every day?

I think the moral of the story for the ticket is:  make the best of it.  I picked a way to do this, announced it, and I plan on being good on my word. 

Now I hope you all get horribly bored with this thread and then we all have some great information exchange about permaculture in the rest of this forum.  Even after I've given away the ticket!

So I run the little program and it comes back with five posts.  All five were good posts.  The funny this is that the program came back with just four people.  The program picked two different posts from one person.  I decided that that was a sort of sign.

The ticket goes to:

[size=20pt]marina phillips[/size]

Congratulations Marina!

I need to take this moment to remind folks that the sahale class is not full yet.  Not only are there tickets still available, but if they don't get enough paid attendees by (I think) Feb 4, then the class might still be cancelled. 

It is my obnoxious opinion that if the class ends up being cancelled, it is living proof that if a PDC is offered, a low price is not wise.  It is better to have a higher price and have your minimum student count lower.

*APPLAUSE*

Congratulations, Marina! I've enjoyed your posts here on permies so it's great to see that you won! 

Oh cool!  haha.  We're willing to buy my partner a ticket for the full price to show support for the course.  I also think it's an amazing opportunity!  Larry Korn!  $800! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH! 

Wow!  Looking forward to meeting you both in Western Washington.  Bring a raincoat and mud boots.

No problemo.  We're calling Laura tomorrow!

Just to let everyone know, it was Marina's choice to pay for an additional ticket that finally put us over the top and guaranteed that we will meet our minimum student level to break even.  Thank you ever so much, Marina and Robert!  There is still room for more students at the upcoming Sahale PDC with Larry Korn - check us out at www.sahalepermaculture.com

Another big shout of thanks goes to Paul Wheaton, who really pulled out all the stops to promote our course.  We sure do appreciate your support, Paul!  You're a doll!!