Many of us want to live more sustainably, but with so many 'green' options and such busy lives it can be really hard to know where to start. Permaculture offers us an approach that helps us to identify the best tools and techniques for each of our own unique circumstances. This course covers the key principles of Permaculture and how we can apply them in redesigning our homes and gardens to be both more sustainable and abundant. You'll learn about green building, energy efficiency, Permaculture gardening and much more.

This is course is designed to introduce Permaculture principles but with an emphasis on supporting participants with designing their own homes and gardens.

We use group work, discussions, video, slide shows, observation and practical activities as learning methods. These are supportive of different learning styles and for people with learning difficulties. We will also be visiting other projects where permaculture theory is being put into action. Design courses are not just about imparting information to the students, there is plenty of knowledge out there, the important thing is knowing how to use this and feeling confident to do so.

Empowerment is the essence of the course. We will be using practical and theoretical teaching methods to create a fun, lively and inclusive experience. As a group we will benefit from collaborative learning and from having fun together. We don't expect any previous permaculture knowledge and recognise that everyone has their own unique skills, knowledge and areas of interest to bring.

Day One - Permaculture Basics:

• Permaculture ethics
• Principles of attitude
• Principles of ecology
• Energy efficient planning tools

Day Two - The Permaculture Garden:

• Soil basics
• The Soil food web
• Permaculture gardening factors & techniques
• Building soil and fertility
• Fruit tress and forest gardens

Day Three- The Permaculture Home:

• Buildings & structures: materials, energy efficiency
• Retrofitting homes
• Water harvesting and conservation
• Real wealth and wiser money

Day Four - The Permaculture Design Process*:

• The permaculture design process
• Site observations & client needs
• Tools & methods for data analysis
• Getting ideas down on paper
• Sharing initial design ideas to develop later at home

* Day four is focused upon supporting participants in developing designs for their own homes and gardens.

The Sustainability Centre, three miles from the picturesque village of East Meon, is situated on the South Downs Way and surrounded by a network of footpaths and lanes. It sits in 55 acres of woodland and natural chalk downland and has a wide range of habitats: rough grassland, chalk grassland, native woodland, coniferous woodland, ponds and hedges. All of which they are actively restoring, maintaining and researching to increase biodiversity.

The Centre teaches the public that economic development can be achieved without degrading the rural environment. It also has office space, seminar rooms, catering facilities and a cafe area. Wetherdown Lodge (the on-site accommodation) has been retrofitted using sustainable building materials and boasts an integrated solar photovoltaic roof and a wood chip biomass boiler. We will also have some use of the beautiful outdoor classroom, designed and built by Ben Law using roundwood timber construction. The site also boasts a Wetland Ecosystem Treatment system, installed by Biologic Design.

For those who are especially interested, the Sustainability Centre offers an extra emphasis on permaculture enterprise (it is home to Permaculture Magazine), eco-renovation and woodland management.

For more details about the venue and catering contact the Courses Team - email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01730 823166

This 4 day course will run from 9.30am (please arrive by 9.00am for a prompt start) on Friday 16th October to around 5.30pm on Monday 19th. We will have an hour for lunch, plus tea breaks during the mornings and afternoons.