A circle ‘celebration’ at 2012 PDC
This course is full-time (and “full-on”) from Friday evening until the following Sunday at lunch time | Find presentations, links and other resources on Our Permaculture Blog Albert Bates, one of the world’s foremost permaculturalists, is joining us from The Farm to lead this course in person accompanied by gardening, farming perma-facture, social permaculture and green building experts resident in the ecovillage.
Permaculture is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive systems that can be used by anyone, anywhere. This is a fully-accredited (by U.K. Permaculture Association) seventy-two hour Permaculture Design Certificate Course.
Why do the course? The permaculture design course has become one of the benchmark accredited courses in sustainability and, as such, is an essential part of the toolkit of real and practical ways to face the difficult challenges of our times. Whether your area is community or business development, horticulture or engineering the principles of permaculture are equally relevant and will bring new direction to your work.
Cultivate’s Davie Philip at 2012 PDC
No prior knowledge is necessary to take the course, although, as permaculture is such a wide ranging discipline, it is recommended that participants do some basic research.
Course Highlights: The permaculture course in Cloughjordan aims to be as fully comprehensive and up to date as possible. Through a balanced mix of theory and practice participants will learn how to apply the principles of permaculture to many aspects of their own life and that of their community. The Cloughjordan course includes focused sessions on natural building, local economics, forest gardening, renewable energy, ponds and aquaculture, ecovillage and bioregional design along with new areas such as whole systems thinking, local permafacture, and open source distributed production.
2012 PDC participants at work designing
Accreditation: Graduates of the course will be fully accredited by the UK Permaculture Association with a Permaculture Design Certificate.
Venue: The Ecovillage is a unique and innovative project that is striving to create a fresh blueprint for modern sustainable living. Created on beautiful land in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, the ecovillage will include 130 homes, renewable energy for heating, land for growing food and trees, an enterprise centre and community buildings.
2012 PDC participants in an outdoor session in the village marketplace
Costs: €TBD
Accommodation: There are a range of good value options to choose from including €2/day camping, inexpensive hostel rooms at Django’s – Cloughjordan’s EcoHostel and finer digs at Cloughjordan House B&B.
Materials: Participants should bring their own stationery. We will supply course notes and all equipment needed for practical work. All students will receive a copy of Cultivate’s ‘Powerdown Show’ DVD to take home.
Food: A simple breakfast and a gorgeous vegetarian lunch will be served every day and is included. Dinners, still to be confirmed, are usually organised in groups or shared with other villagers.
Chef Goska and on-site organic veg supplier Bruce preparing spuds
Transport: The website getthere.ie will help you get there. Situated 143km from Dublin (Cork 156km, Limerick 57km) Cloughjordan is easily accessible from all parts of Ireland by train, bus or car. Cloughjordan has its own train station and is just off the M7 motorway where Bus Eireann and J.J. Kavanagh’s buses serve the nearby town of Moneygall where we can collect you from. For those coming via Dublin Airport, there are 14 buses direct from the airport to Moneygall on the Friday. Search from Dublin Airport to Moneygall on getthere.ie for details.
Permaculture is about creating sustainable human habitats by following nature’s patterns. It uses the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems to provide a framework and guidance for people to develop their own sustainable solutions to the problems facing their world, on a local, national or global scale. It is based on the philosophy of co-operation with nature and caring for the earth and its people. Permaculture is not a set of rules; it is a process of design based around principles found in the natural world, of co-operation and mutually beneficial relationships, and translating these principles into actions.
“As a permaculture novice I had little idea of what to expect at Cultivate’s Permaculture Course in Cloughjordan. I was thoroughly engaged from the outset as the course carefully blended theory and practice to give me a rich overview of the principles of permaculture design.”
– Niamh Brannigan, Communications Manager, Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative
