What things do Permies want to learn?

I was chasing my tail round and round in my head trying to figure out what work shops to offer and thought "hey I know where a bunch of permies hang out that are actually doing stuff instead of talking about it".

Well then, i thought i would just ask you folks; what kinds of work shops and stuff you would like to see?

I put this in the Nat build thread because it is our skill set but many things fall under the building heading. Thanks for the replies.

Hands on.  Give me the stuff, let me work it.  Best way to learn is to do.

Let me break it.  Whatever it is, I want to learn the limits.

Can I eat it?

Do I need to or May I bring my own tools?

Rather than sit in an uncomfortable chair and be lulled to sleep by a monotone speaker in an unventilated room I would prefer to be mobile, interact with the people taking the course, and be able to lift/move/bend/break/tweak/electrify/explode/burn/eat whatever it is I'm working with. 

And don't give me donuts, just REALLY STRONG coffee.  I'll bring my own lunch.

Nothing I hate more than some guy in a white shirt and tie telling me "Please put down and extinguish the display."

The first part of workshop is WORK.  I want to work with the thing.  Let me get involved, take the thing apart, look at it from whatever perspective I'm coming from.  Remove any and all limits, and be sure to have a backup available after I destroy your prototype, in case I want to try doing something else to it.

If you are having a workshop on scythes, do it in an overgrown field not a classroom.  The setting needs to fit the operation of the device/tool/project/concept.  Classrooms are cages. 

LOL from us the last thing you need to worry about is sitting to long  the only bit we have folks sit for is the fire science and if we have the space we have fire and let folks play  with breaks so we can guide it along and show the science part of it.

please do break the demo's do it wrong and all that; no one ever had an ah ha moment on a perfectly working system.

so any suggestions on exactly what you would like to learn. scyths are out cause i frankly dont have a clue how to teach a class in it. and i use a scyth that most folks would hate at first sight. not a planes men me  forest is more my speed.

How about something that uses full logs/poles in the structures?  So, building using the wood that is thinned from the forests - that would otherwise be burned.

Maybe a green wood working workshop.

some of the things that i find i'm interested in learning more about here in Michigan is more affordable ways to get off the grid with things that make sense for us.

we don't have the thousands of $ for the fancy solar and wind..but would love to be able to find out how to do it more inexpensively .

solar isn't a real logical choice in our area because of the lack of sunlight in the winter..however..it might be usable for some things.

wind would be our most likely choice..but it is so expensive to hook up to your home..so anyting that can save us bucke here and be workable..would be helpful.

i've also found some of the threads on foragable food interesting..i have foraged my entire life, but there is always something i haven't tried or a way to use it i haven't thought of.
like the videos on stinging nettles.

i've also found the warnings on things like monsanto products very helpful..education in these areas and others that we might not be aware of out there

I'm not up to attend this year, but the part of permaculture I feel weakest on is the human aspect: co-op development, LLC paperwork, consensus building, etc.

I saw a great book a while back from AK Press about consensus techniques, basically a troubleshooting manual for groups of people (maybe this?). But the book I really want to read is a guide to handling anomie...in the spirit of "Where There is No Doctor," I think it should be titled "Where There is No Master." It feels wonderful to do new things, push boundaries, and find freedom, but as much as I hate to admit it, there are some aspects of being constrained and bossed around that I'm having trouble replacing. Maybe a workshop on the emotional side of leaving the mainstream?

Those are great ideas. the affordable perma is certainly A focus of ours. kinda hard at times to teach.  cause we have to charge for the classes so we too can eat.

DIY solar is defiantly do able.

the human end of community is a great idea as well.

Erica and I also have some troubles with the lack of structure in some communities. We have already; it seems. started to identify much of these places so not much work left to do for a curriculum.

thanks for all of this so far more more!!!

I can't go to a workshop (unless you have a place to camp that I could bring my goats, LOL!).  But if I could go to one, some things I'd like to work on:  rocket stoves (I know you guys already do these); yes, scything, although I'm getting the hang of that, I think; Mike Oehler's PSP construction; medicinal herbs (identifying, growing, using).  Probably more, but that's a good start right off the top of my head!

Kathleen

permaculture, duh?