An opportunity to become certified in Permaculture Design being offered by the Blue Ridge Permaculture Institute. This 12 day class will be take place Jan 15-18, Feb 12-15, March 13-14, and April 10-11 in Harrisonburg, VA.

The Blue Ridge Permaculture Institute is very excited to welcome back Dave Jacke, author of the two volume set Edible Forest Gardens, Dave O'Neill, farmer and owner of Radical Roots Farm, and Christine Gyovai, environmental planner and mediator along with other guest teachers.

This Permaculture Design Course lays the foundation for understanding and working with natural systems to design sustainable environments that produce food, shelter, and energy. It also provides participants with models of community development and extension by which they can create networks of support for themselves and empower others to do the same. The course provides tools to help design and develop urban or rural properties or neighborhoods in a sustainable manner, revitalize local communities, and restore ecological balance.
Permaculture promotes land use systems that work with natural rhythms and patterns to create regenerative cultivated ecosystems. Participants will learn how to design and build gardens, homes, and communities that model living ecosystems. By understanding patterns in nature, students will learn how to grow food, manage water catchment and storage, utilize renewable energy and build community.
The ecological design course covers themes such as: ecological systems understanding, organic food production, natural soil improvement, watershed restoration, water conservation and management, edible forest gardening, native medicinal plants, natural habitat restoration, healthy buildings and human settlements, community and consensus building strategies, renewable energy systems, sustainable community development, local economics, and ecological planning and design methods.
The cost for this course will be a sliding scale, including a discount for early registration. If you register by November 15 the sliding scale is $895-$1200. After November 15 the sliding scale is $995-$1200. A few work trade positions are available for partial tuition; inquire soon about work trade guidelines and availability. The work-trade application deadline ends on December 1st, 2010, and limited scholarships may be available, inquire for details. To register or for more information visit www.blueridgepermaculture.net or contact Terry Lilley at tygerlilley@gmail.com.