PDC in Northern Thailand, March 18 – April 2, 2014

Hosted half time at The Panya Project (near Chiang Mai) and Half time at the Mindfulness Project Monastery in Khon Kaen

Stop complaining about the darkness – Light a candle! – Chinese proverbIf everybody makes a difference the world will be different! – Owen Geiger

March 18 – Feb 2, 2014

This Certified 72-hour Permaculture Design course gives you the powerful answers that everybody is searching for in order to solve today’s problems! Join a movement which is growing tremendously every day and start to immerse yourself into a lifestyle that will make a real difference for yourself and this planet.

The course is being taught by Panya Project’s founder Christian Shearer, as well as the head of WWOOF Thailand’s Howard Story. The course is an incredible opportunity to learn in two sites in Northern Thailand: Panya, Thailand’s best know permaculture site, which has been in development for almost 10 years now, and the Mindfulness Project, which is just getting started with permaculture and working with the local community to spread effective technique for organic farming. Spending time at both sites will eb extremely valuable as you soak of the knowledge presented.

Permaculture is a proven organic gardening system that is based on old traditional methods combined with the newest technology. This includes water harvesting methods, compost and soil management, natural building methods, alternative energy ideas and alternative solutions for trade and markets. The special feature of Permaculture is that all these elements will be integrated into a system where they support each other in a unique way. Permaculture is based on observing nature, these observations teach us how to design ways of living that have the stability and resiliency of natural ecosystems — they show us positive solutions for creating and managing systems for food, medicine, and building materials, as well as relationships with ourselves, animals, and our communities.

You can apply these design principles to small scale or urban gardens as well as on large scale farms in any kind of climate or landscape.

You will learn:

how to design your own land
how to grow food just about anywhere

repair environmentally damaged lands
design incredible and long lasting green-buildings
produce your own power
run successful people-oriented businesses
how to do the work you love and live meaningful and authentic lives all while building genuine community.

All by using the same fundamental Permaculture principles and applying the Permaculture ethics of:

Care of People – Care of the Earth – Sharing of the Surplus

“All the worlds problems can be solved in a garden” – Geoff Lawton

3 leading projects, 2 incredible teachers, one course! It is a rare opportunity to have two experienced and world class teachers from the US and Canada in one course. Both live or lived in Thailand so they have a broad and direct knowledge of many different climate zones and landscapes. They will tailor the course to the needs of the participating students and you can benefit tremendously from their incredible knowledge.

The first part of the course takes place in the Panya Project, the oldest Permaculture site in Thailand. Here you will see and learn about long existing systems of applied Permaculture designs, and get to know and see how everything works. The second part of the course will take place in the monastery where the Mindfulness Project is located. This is a brand new project, you will make the design and it will actually be implemented! You will see long existing systems and plan a new site in one single course!

The course will cover all major topics of Bill Mollison’s Permaculture a Designer’s Manual:

Philosophies and Ethics underlying permaculture
Basic permaculture principles
Patterns in Nature and how to use that in permaculture design
Methods of design. How to apply permaculture design tools and strategies to your design problems. How to increase your chance on a successful design by following a well defined design methodology.
Climactic factors and strategies. We will cover all the major climates and how to work with them.
Trees, forests and Forest gardening. How to mimic natural forest systems to create an abundance of food, fiber and fodder.
Water:catchment, usage, importance, and conservation.
Soil structure, minerals, microorganisms, building new soil and preventing erosion. Learn to work withthe soil food webto create a healthy ecosystem and regenerate degraded land.
Earthworks.How to shape the land to help it achieve the goals we are aiming for.
Aquaculture
Natural Building. How to build structures with materials available on-site.
Alternative systems.Community living and other ways of living differently that works well for people and the planet. Bio-regional organization, community development, alternative economic systems, permaculture as aid.

On top of that the course will take place in a forest monastery where you can have a deep insight into rural Thai life and Buddhist Meditation culminating into many unique experiences. You will also have the option to blend into ongoing meditation and yoga classes.

Albert Einstein said, that you can never solve a problem with the same mind state which caused the problem. In this course you will receive an incredibly broad set of knowledge about inner and outer resources that can actually make a difference in the world.

So if you’re passionately curious about how to start making a difference in your community and designing an abundant place to live, please join us! No previous experience in farming, growing or building is necessary. Don´t miss it!

Course Fees:

590 Euros for double rooms
560 Dorms
540 own tent

This includes yummy vegetarian meals, accommodation and teaching materials

We ask every student for a deposit of 150 Euro to reserve your space. This reservation fee is non refundable.

Early bird discount of 100 Euro for full payment prior 01.01.2014.

Read more here: http://www.m-pro.asia/pdc2.html