Learn more: http://urbanadamah.org/events/permaculture-design-course/

This intensive Permaculture Design Course, lead by permaculture experts Dave Boehnlein and John Valenzuela, will inspire you to participate in nothing less than the transformation of our world.

We live in a critical moment: our biosphere is straining to support seven billion+ people; communal structures are failing to meet the basic needs of millions; the divide between those who have and those who don’t grows ever larger. This is a course about the tools to create a world grounded in sustainability, justice and love. It is a course about building regenerative communities on all levels.

Permaculture has been defined as “a holistic approach to landscape design and human culture, integrating several disciplines including biology, ecology, geography, agriculture, architecture, appropriate technology, and community building.” Our course will integrate each of these fields, and include lectures, discussions, hands-on projects, field trips to local East Bay permaculture sites, and a final group design project. Participants will be taken through 72 hours of core curriculum and will receive a Certificate of Permaculture Design upon completion of the course.

The course will draw upon the expertise of an amazing team of permaculture educators who bring with them decades of experience in the areas of Food Production and Propagation, Rainwater Harvesting, Compost and Soil Building, Earthworks, Natural Building, Community Organizing, and a diversity of other components that can make healthy human and ecological living possible.

Curriculum

You can view the full curriculum here.

The Urban Adamah PDC will explore:

• Permaculture Ethics and Principles
• Reading the Landscape; Site Assessment and Analysis
• Design Methods, Strategies, and Mapping
• Annual & Perennial Production
• Food Forests and Agroforestry
• Soil Building and Fertility Management
• Climate and MicroClimate strategies
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Water Management Strategies & Grey Water Systems
• Livestock & Animal Systems
• Aquaculture
• Plant Propagation
• Structures and Natural Building
• Urban Permaculture
• Community Building & Collaborative Group Dynamics
• Financial Strategies & Alternative Economies
• Earthworks
• Bioremediation
• Land Access
• Soil Carbon Sequestration

Course Site, Schedule and Details

Course Schedule

The course begins at 3:00 pm on Sunday, May 1 and ends on Sunday, May 15 at 6:30 pm. May 7 and May 14 are full days off. Classes start at 8:30 am on most days and end at 6:00 pm, with a few additional classes from 7:30 – 9:00 pm on some evenings. There is a lunch break from 12:30 – 2:00 each day. (Times subject to slight changes)

About the Site

The Urban Adamah Farm is located on a one-acre lot in the heart of Berkeley, and includes raised beds for vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruit, greenhouses, an aquaponics system, outdoor kitchen, teaching tents, meditation spaces, chickens, bees and milking goats. The farm produces a diverse yield of organic food which is donated to the local community through both food banks and a weekly free farm stand. The farm is in the midst of transitioning to its new permanent site in West Berkeley and through the PDC, participants will gain tangible design experience helping to envision exciting possibilities for the new site.

Course Meals

Urban Adamah will provide mostly organic lunches each day of the course, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Please let us know if you have any specific food allergies. We will also be offering three catered dinners on nights when we are having evening sessions. Otherwise participants are encouraged to bring their own dinners or grab a bite at one of many food establishments in the neighborhood. There is a kitchen on site which you are welcome to use to prepare vegetarian meals during the course. We will have hot water, tea, and fruit set out each morning and throughout the day.

For all info on course registration and teachers’ bios, visit http://urbanadamah.org/events/permaculture-design-course/