From finn@MACC.WISC.EDU Fri May 20 21:56:56 1994 Date: Fri, 20 May 94 14:38:42 CST From: Paul Kaarakka To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu Subject: ANNOUNCEMENT: Permaculture Design Course Fundamentals of Permaculture Design Course August 5 - 12 Acorn Farms Belleville Wisconsin What is Permaculture ? Permaculture is the design of agriculturally productive ecosystems. It is the har-monious (and beautiful!) integration of landscape and people, providing food, energy, shelter, and recreation in a sustainable way. Permaculture design is a system of assembling information, energy, plants, animals, and building materials into an evolving ecology patterned after the systems of nature. It is the best of the old and the new, traditional wisdom and computer networking. It is based on observing and working with nature, it is different for each site and each client. The Permaculture Design Course. Permaculture education itself has evolved since the early 70's; over 300 design courses and many more weekend workshops have been held all over the world. We will be using the 8 day format; this allows enough time to present the basic principles of permaculture, as well as practical, hands on exercises. A second 8 day course will be offered later and will emphasize design methodology, broad-scale applications, farming, regional planning, village development, and will be aimed at design and teaching professionals. What are the topics ? Subjects include fundamentals of ecology, site development, plants, animals, structures, zone and sector analysis, energy, water, and appropriate use of tools. Emphasis will be placed on practical solutions! Part of each day will be classroom discussion, held in shady pine grove, part will be in small groups to focus on individual interests, including mapping and drawing, basic construction techniques, solar design and assembly, garden ecology, plant propagation, wildcrafting herbs and food preservation, etc. Who are the instructors ? Peter Bane publishes the "Permaculture Activist," the permaculture journal for North America. He has documented permaculture projects all over the world. He now makes his home in the green hills of middle Tennessee, where he is developing a forest farm and permaculutre settlement on 145 wooded acres. Chuck Marsh is a landscape horticulturist, permaculture designer, and teacher in North Carolina. His interest is in developing regionally adapted, agro-ecosystems. He has years of experience in site analysis, design, and development. Why Acorn Farms ? Acorn Farms is located 20 miles southwest of Madison Wisconsin, in the Driftless Bioregion. Located "on the edge" in many ways - the edge of the great glaciers, providing a mix of steep topography, rolling hills and fertile bottomlands, the edge of prairies, the edge of the great north woods, and the edge of urban sprawl as Madison pushes outward. The challenge is to provide sustainable solutions.how to produce the food, fuel, and fiber our exploding population will require without compromising the natural beauty and non-renewable resources this make this area so attractive. Acorn Farms is on the edge of its own development.orchard and asparagus plantings began in 1986, small fruit and nuts have been added each year since. Hundreds of varieties are on trial, searching for those best adapted to this site. The home is a blend of passive solar, radiant slab, and super-insulated technologies.80% of construction materials are recycled. Recommended readings: Permaculture by Bill Mollison Tree Crops by J.R.Smith Your Edible Landscape by R. Kourik. All books are available through the Permaculture Activist (615) 583-2294 How much & where do I sign up ? The 8 day course is $525.00. This fee includes tuition, superb vegetarian meals, camping space, a subscription to the "Permaculture Activist," and lots of fun. There will be four bedrooms available at additional cost. There is a $50.00 discount for full payment by June 15. Some work-study opportunites and barter are negotiable. Preregistration is $150.00, non-refundable. If interested please contact: Martin Jelenc c/o Acorn Farms 760 Hwy 92, Belleville WI 53508 (608) 832 - 6277, early morning is best What should I bring ? - A commitment to implementing sustainable living practices - Information on your bioregion and areas of interest - Notebooks and pens - Slides, photographs or videos of projects or ideas related to permaculture - Field guides and reference materials - Lightweight comfortable work clothes - Your own coffee cup - Camping equipment - Sun protection and mosquito repellant - If you like, your bike, canoe, musical instruments or toys - Please leave all pets at home!