2-Week Intensive Permaculture Design Course

2-Week Intensive Permaculture Design Certification Course
Tunitas Creek Ranch, Half Moon Bay, CA
Monday, July 13 - Saturday, July 25, 2009

Join us for our second annual Permaculture Design Course on California’s San Mateo Coastside. Participants in this exciting event will play a critical role in creating a center for Permaculture as well as strengthening the Permaculture community in the larger bioregion. Your efforts will help build a legacy of sustainability that will carry on for generations to come.

Permaculture is a holistic approach to land use design based on ecological principles and patterns.

In this 72-hour intensive design course, you’ll acquire the tools you need to create a sustainable future in your backyard and beyond! These tools can be applied to any scale, from dense urban settlements to vast rangeland.

Permaculture is a solutions-based method that will give participants the inspiration and skills to apply the tools learned to any situation.

Topics Covered
● Permaculture Principles & Ethics ● Animal Husbandry & Aquaculture
● Reading the Landscape ● Ponds
● Pattern & Pattern Application ● Earthworks and Natural Building
● Zone & Sector Analysis ● Grey-Water Systems
● Water Harvesting ● Bioremediation
● Climate and Micro Climate ● Renewable Energy Systems
● Mapping ● Forestry
● Urban Permaculture ● Watershed Management
● EcoVillages ● Soil Rehabilitation & Erosion Control
● Plant Guilds ● Food Forests
● Creating effective designs, drafting strategies and techniques ● Bird Language, Nature Awareness and Tracking

Participants will complete a conceptual permaculture design project and participate in a variety of meaningful hands-on activities.

The course takes place at Tunitas Creek Ranch, a 250-acre farm and retreat center in northern California’s coastal range outside of Half Moon Bay. The ranch is nestled along the East Fork of Tunitas Creek, 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The landscape of beautiful Tunitas Creek Ranch is made up of riparian corridors, steep slopes, pastures, high ridges, small orchards, and an abundance of native vegetation.
We encourage all participants to stay on-site and to prepare to be out of e-mail and cell phone contact for the duration of the class except for any field trips or off-site excursions on the day off.

Graduates of the course receive the Permaculture Design Certificate.

Course Fees include camping accommodations and delicious meals prepared with locally grown and organic ingredients

* $1250 Early Bird Special, paid in full by June 12
* $1350 Full Tuition, paid in full by July 1
* $1100 Family/Partner Discount - Families or partners who take the course together get the second tuition for a reduced price
* Conexions members receive an additional $25 off

Registration is now open and ends July 9, 2009

Scholarship and work-trade opportunities are available. Apply online.

Cancellations up to 2 weeks before the course begins (June 29) are fully refundable, excluding a $100 processing fee. No refunds can be given after June 29.

Register online and pay via credit card or register by downloading a registration form and sending it to this address:

Peninsula Permaculture
c/o Conexions: Partnerships for a Sustainable Future
1023 Corporation Way
Palo Alto, CA 94303

For more information, check out our course webpage: http://www.conexions.org/wordpress/?page_id=247
or contact Susan Osofsky: 650.938.9300 x18 or permaculture [at] conexions.org.

Instructors include Doniga Markegard, Benjamin Fahrer, and Susan Osofsky, with special guest instructors
Penny Livingston-Stark, James Stark, Paul Giacomantonio, Jim Howard, Pliny Keep, Rene Keep, Aaron Dinwoody, Sky Snyder, Lydia Puhak, Drew Harwell, Andy Langford and Liora Adler

Course begins at 10am on July 13th and ends at 6pm July 25th. Advance arrangements can be made to arrive on the evening of July 12th and/or depart on the morning of July 26th. Sunday, July 19th will be a day off for relaxation, revitalization and self-guided activities.