Gardening and farming are part of this class
Cooking with freshly harvested food
Center for Ecological and Cultural Living Arts hosts Permaculture Design Course at its farm in Maine.
Protection of biodiversity and work towards increasing ecological resiliency is focus of working with CECLA's food forest.
Beginnings of abundance
Plant Guilds to observe: peaches, grapes and roses
Permaculture Design Course Maine 2013
Course Syllabus is found here...
WHAT MAKES THIS CLASS UNIQUE?
Permaculture instruction is offered in combination with active involvement at a working organic vegetable, medicinal herb, and diverse livestock farm (Dancing Cricket Farm). Students participate in permaculture-based management of forests, fields, and wetlands. There is seasonal harvest, work with expansion and management of the existing food forest and work in habitat management projects.
This class is particularly recommended for educators, homesteaders, small scale farmers, design professionals, and people involved with small scale diverse agricultural settings as well as anyone wishing to apply permaculture principles to their own lifestyle. Participants receive an internationally recognized certificate in Permaculture Design.
DATES:
Saturday, August 10 - Friday August 23 (arrive to site Friday August 9 - leave site Saturday August 24), 2013
LOCATION:
This course is offered at the Center for Ecological & Cultural Living Arts (CECLA). CECLA is located about 30 miles north of Portland, Maine, on 75 acres in the Merrymeeting Bay region of coastal Maine. CECLA offers a wonderfully tranquil and spiritual respite while immersing oneself in permaculture. Site is within 10 minutes of Merrymeeting Bay, 3 minutes to the Kennebec River, and about 30 minutes from the ocean.
This is a wonderful experience for all participants working in a complex and rich setting. CECLA features a several rotated organic vegetable fields, permaculture gardens, newly planted fruit tree guilds and food forest, and a wonderfully diverse array of natural areas to walk and reflect in. Additional optional programs are offered outside of the class time, including morning Yoga sessions, and evening and weekend sessions on traditional arts. These may include blacksmithing, soap making, wine making and nightly campfire circles.
CLASS LOGISTICS:
Maine is a wonderful place to be in late August, as the days are typically warm with highs in the 70’s, and nights start to cool down into the 50’s. The spring bug season is long past. Expect a combination of indoor (yurt) and outdoor settings for learning, so be sure to bring appropriate gear for the elements.
Permaculture classes are held 9:00am to 5:00pm every day. Please expect reading and homework assignments. Meals are prepared communally by rotating groups of participants. Nutrition concepts and permaculture approach to food preparation are explored during the class. There are evening circles, permaculture movies and conversation time. In the spirit of community, student teams cook and clean and work on farm assignments with the assistance from a kitchen manager/ farm manager.
There are no indoor toilets. Participants use outhouses and humanure systems.
Showers will primarily be outside, solar powered, with one indoor shower with running hot water available dependent on daily weather. Towels and biodegradable soaps and shampoos are supplied. Participants may use only biodegradable soap, shampoo or hair conditioner because the grey water from the washroom sinks feeds trees on the land.
There are stores within biking distance to obtain various supplies and comfort food. A flashlight is essential at night. There are hiking trails on the property, and good biking on both paved and dirt roads directly accessible from CECLA. Canoes will be available for use on nearby rivers and lakes.
For exceptional circumstances, such as a disability, medical condition, or special dietary needs please contact us to determine if special accommodations can be arranged. We do our best to accommodate any reasonable request.
INSTRUCTORS
The workshop is led by Scott Pittman with assistance of Dave Santillo of CECLA and guests. Participants work with local sustainability practitioners and community members on particular hands-on projects.
Scott Pittmanhas been teaching permaculture courses since 1985 in over 18 countries on four continents, working with indigenous peoples in South and Central Americas. Scott is known for his foundational work in establishing permaculture in the US Southwest, for which he received a Community Achievement Award from the Permaculture Institute of Australia. Dave Santillo holds a Ph.D. in Environmental and Forest Biology from Syracuse, and an M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Univ. of Maine. He’s worked extensively on resource management issues, including conservation planning, erosion control, wetlands and stream ecology and planning, and habitat restoration.
ACCOMMODATIONS
All participants camp on the land, and participate in food preparation and care of the place. Limited space is available in cabins (at additional fee) to be reserved in advance. Come prepared to work on the land and participate in class room activities.
LAST DAY TO ENROLL one week before the class start date. This class tends to fill up quickly. If enrolling late, please call AND email us to register.
CANCELLATION REFUNDS: We don’t issue program refunds unless the program is canceled by us. Please plan your attendance accordingly!
CONTACT US For additional questions about this program, please contact , Registrar
