Six weekend Permaculture Design course to be offered in Nelson
By Contributor
This year, Kootenay Permaculture, in cooperation with Selkirk College, is offering a 72 hour Permaculture Design Course in a six weekend (12 day) format. The course will start on April 3 and run for three weekends in April and three weekends in May. It will be offered at the Silver King Campus in Nelson.
The goal of the course is to help initiate more permaculture projects in Nelson and the region. During the six weekend course the participants will work on a permaculture design for a property in Nelson. Some other hands-on activities are also planned during the course.
This intensive course combines theory with practical hands-on learning. Through lectures, discussions, slide shows, field trips, design exercises and hands-on projects, participants will learn permaculture design principles and techniques that are adapted to the climate and ecosystems of the Kootenay and can also be used in other parts of the country.
Permaculture is the conscious use of ecological principles in designing self-sustaining food, fibre and energy producing ecosystems. The idea is to set up sustainable systems that work with nature—using a diverse number of species and activities, interdependence, recycling and conservation— with perennial plants to produce a stable and self-reliant dynamic system.
Permaculture is a holistic approach to land use planning. Permaculture design evolved through the observation of natural ecosystems that are usually abundant, resilient and often very diverse in species and in the relationship between species. You can create an abundance and diversity of food in your own backyard by using permaculture design principles and techniques while using only a small amount of energy, resources and time to implement and maintain the design.
Permaculture systems can be developed in any climate and on any scale. Some permaculture designs have been implemented across Canada & around the world for balconies, urban backyard, small farm, and for entire village or urban communities.
The instructor Gregoire Lamoureux has been living in the West Kootenay for 20 years and is one of the most experienced permaculture teachers in Canada. He has taught permaculture courses and has done some consulting for permaculture projects in many parts of the country. His work experience also includes market gardening, greenhouse production, orcharding, ecological land restoration, small-scale nursery management, landscaping, aquaculture and forestry work. Guest speakers with a diversity of experience in ecological and sustainable living will assist him during the permaculture courses.
Some of the topics covered during the course will include: permaculture principles and techniques, site analysis, soil fertility, organic gardening, edible landscaping, fruit and nut trees, agroforestry, microclimate, water uses, forest ecosystems, land restoration, ecological building and urban permaculture.
Selkirk College and Kootenay Permaculture will also be offering the 9th annual Permaculture Design Course in Winlaw, May 30-June 12 (13 day program).
The summer course has been scheduled for August 15-28.
To register call Selkirk College, in Nelson at 250.352.6601
For more information, please call Kootenay Permaculture at 250.226.7302
or email spiralfarm@yahoo.com
Website: http://www3.telus.net/permaculture
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