Dates: 8th September - 22nd September 2012
Location: Infiesto, Asturias, Spain.
Place: This course takes place in 10 acres of mountain land in an exquisite area of Spain, renowned for its natural beauty and protected biodiversity. The majority of the land is sloping: half of it is currently used for grazing and the other half is mixed deciduous woodland. A stream runs through the valley, and there are at least 3 springs serving the land. The land varies in soil type and has many different types of trees; sweet chestnut, walnut, hazel, beech, birch, ash, hawthorn, oak, cherry, etc. There are 2 ruins on the land. The space is still wild and the services are comfortable but basic. There are showers and compost toilets, space for tents, a bush kitchen, a classroom in one of the ruins, and of course a central meeting space created around the campfire!
The course provides a chance to learn about Permaculture whilst living a truly ‘back to nature’ lifestyle, in community. It is an ideal course for anyone who is thinking of starting from scratch on a plot of land, or for those wanting to begin a community, or enter into one at its early stages. It is ideal also for those who just want to learn about nature and their relationship with the earth, in an idyllic and unspoiled location. As well as taking your interest in Permaculture to a new level you will experience the satisfaction of working and learning alongside a variety of people, in a beautiful environment, returning home feeling refreshed and inspired.
For more details on the surrounding area please see the host’s website
https://sites.google.com/site/elroblerojospain/
Course details:
Running over 2 weeks this full residential course will immerse you in a comprehensive training in the ethics and principles of Permaculture. Set at the founding stages of a new Permaculture farm, it will take you through all the stages of observation, contemplation, design, and planning. The course will include the assessment of regional resources and relationships and how to design in harmony with the wider landscape. Living and learning close to the earth in simple conditions we will realise the demands of a body of people on a body of land and measure our inputs and outputs. We will compare current conditions with those we aspire to create.
The cost of the course is £675 inclusive of 3 meals per day, and a spot to pitch your tent. Transport not included. For those who do not require on-site accommodation the cost is £480 inclusive of lunch.
Teachers:
Matt Morton (BSc) takes a strategic approach to fostering sustainable practices, recognising the power of connected practitioners and collective solution visioning. Matt has a background in ecology and sustainable habitats which he studied at Auckland University and Oxford Brookes University. He completed his PDC with Bill Mollison in 1996.
Benjamin Broustey
http://www.permaculturedesign.fr
Darren Smith has been involved in Permaculture since 1992 where, in Australia, he met many great permaculturists, including Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Darren has a great deal of hands on experience of Permaculture and setting up projects and land: in 1995 he initiated a ground breaking community project, the Island Quarry in Byron Bay; regenerating an abandoned quarry through a unique restoration (www.iq.org.au). Darren has been informally teaching Permaculture for many years, through the IQ project and also on his own land back in New Zealand, where he transformed an abandoned sheep farm into a productive and beautiful Permaculture. Here the constant presence of WWOOFers allowed him to share practical knowledge and experience with hundreds of keen, interested and open minded people from all over the world.
Anna Morton (LLB) is convening the course and will lead sessions relating to re-establishing our connection to nature through external and internal observation.
Please visit www.gaiaveda.co.uk for more details & booking or
morton@gaiaveda.co.uk
