Urban Permaculture Introduction Course, Win/Win Permaculture Resource Center, July 12-13 2014, Detroit, MI, USA

 

Permaculture Ethics + Principles * Urban Gardening * Design Methodology * Appropriate Technology

Join us for win/win reactor's very first Introduction to Permaculture Course! Perfect for anyone with little experience of Permaculture & a great opportunity for those of you with some prior experience to brush-up. It’s short, sweet, & jam-packed: during this single weekend in July, you will gain a solid understanding of the principles & ethics of Permaculture, and you will dip toes into the soil food web, forest gardening, & water use. You will leave our course excited with ideas & projects, and the confidence to apply them to your home, garden, apartment building, or farm. Come experience Permaculture in the city, learn some useful stuff, have fun, and be a part of our community!

Composting * Soil Remediation * Greywater and Waste Recycling * Fun * Rainwater harvesting

 

Teachers

This course will be facilitated by the founding members of Surplus Design, an international, cooperatively owned Permaculture Design Firm.

Nick Tittle – Nick grew up in Washington DC before heading to South East Asia where he ended up running the Panya Project Permaculture Education Center. Nick spends extensive time hiking and camping in the backcountry, and studying natural forest patterns, which he can apply to holistically designed systems. Nick specializes in teaching about the permaculture principles, organic gardening, forest gardening, soils, animal husbandry and alternative economic systems.

Brecht Deriemaeker – Brecht holds Master Degrees in both Electromechanical Engineering and Industrial Product Design, and brings his knowledge of design methodology and engineering to Permaculture Design. He teaches with passion and dedication about a variety of topics including earthworks, design, climate, patterns, biogas, solar energy, natural building and much more. Brecht strongly believes in teaching people to be designers, not just in teaching designs.

 

 

Food

During the day delicious local snacks and tea will be provided as well as a healthy vegetarian meal at midday and dinner. All meals and snacks will be shared communally and participants are encouraged to bring gifts to share.

 

Lodging

We are hoping to draw locals who live in the Detroit Metro area who can return home for the night’s sleep. In the event that you are coming from farther afield (or you just prefer to stay more nearby) you have a few options:

• The Paris Hotel is right down the street from our site on E Bethune. They charge [$30 ] per night. Please let us know, and we will reserve a room for you. If you are looking for something more high-brow, there are finer establishments located in Midtown & Downtown, at a drive of mere minutes.
• You are welcome to stay with us, on site, for $10/night. You are most heartily welcome, but, please read & understand the following information.

Win/Win: Please be aware that Win/Win is still in its growing-phase and therefore often resembles a construction site, rather than a home. We will do our best to provide everyone with modern amenities like hot-water showers, but we are not able to promise anything at this time. We have a compost toilet available and limited access to electricity due to solar system. Consider your overnight experience with us a rustic one, rich in the wonders of contemporary urban homesteading.

Cost

The payment for this course is sliding-scale, allowing those with more to support those with less. It is not our goal to make wads of cash on these courses — it is to offer Permaculture learning opportunities & enjoy ourselves while doing it. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds, as this knowledge is vital to all of us. Please consider applying between $75-300 for this healthy & rejuvenating, practical learning experience (for perspective, a typical 2-day intro course typically runs around $200).

 

Schedule

Because we cannot keep surprises and we are so excited, here is the schedule!

Day I

8:30am                                             Arrival, tea and coffee

9:00 – 9:30am                                  Introduction teachers + students

9:30am – 11:00am                            History, ethics and principles of Permaculture

11:15am – 12:30pm                         The art of Composting

12:30 – 2:00pm                                Lunch

2:00 – 3:30pm                                  Creating food independence: growing food applied to detroit and urban landscapes

3:45 – 5:45pm                                  Permaculture Design including: integrated design, micro-climate strategies, zone and sector analysis

5:45 – 7:00pm                                  Dinner

7:00 – 9:00pm                                  Evening activity

Day II

8:30am                                            Arrival, tea and coffee

9:00 – 10:30am                               Greywater, rainwater and waste cycling

10:45am – 12:30pm                       Trees and Food Forestry

12:30 – 2:00pm                               Lunch

2:00 – 3:15pm                                 Urban Permaculture

3:30 – 5:00pm                                 Urban Permaculture Design Exercise

5:15 – 6:00pm                                  Relocalization strategies and your next best steps

 

Click here to register or to ask any questions you have!