Subject: Summer Course Offering

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 19:00:30 -0400 (EDT)

SUMMER COURSES FOR INTERESTS IN:
* PERMACULTURE
* SUSTAINABLE LIVING
* COMMUNITY DESIGN

Gaia Education Outreach Institute Announces Two Concurrent Programs in
Sustainable Living at Derbyshire Farm, Temple, NH, USA.

The Game of Eco-Village
A Permaculture Design Course, June 5-20, 1997
Successful completion leads to Permaculture Design Trainee certification.

and

1997 Summer Institute in Sustainable Living, June 5-28, 1997
A University of New Hampshire Summer Session, 4 credits available for the 3
week institute.

ECO-VILLAGE DESIGN. As a human-designed ecosystem, the village is a
fascinating study in whole culture design. The way our lives and communities
are currently organized creates massive ecological damage, economic stress
and social injustice. How can we pattern resources, technologies, and people
in such a way as to form the basis for regenerative, sustainable and healthy
communities, human and natural?

THE PERMACULTURE APPROACH. As an ecological design approach and philosophy,
permaculture has many tools to offer. The goal is to apply the principles,
patterns and relationships inherent in natural systems to consciously
designing sustainable human cultures and repairing damaged ecosystems. The
permaculture approach is applicable at any scale, in any climate of the world
-- for farms, homes and communities, urban and rural.

THE GAME OF ECO-VILLAGE. PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE: JUNE 5-20. The Game of
Eco-Village is played on at least two levels. The first level is the engaging
and fun learning community we create together. The second is the role play at
the course's core: the participants are eco-village members engaged in
designing their eco-village on the course site, and have hired the teaching
staff as design process facilitators and consultants. Both levels of play are
intended to model the community and design processes the course intends to
teach, with an emphasis on resilient, functional systems design, and the
honing of people's community and design skills.  Student design teams will
define and refine vision and goals, undertake site analysis and schematically
design social, legal and physical infrastructure, land use patterns, etc.
Those interested in homestead or farm design can focus on these areas. All
students successfully completing the course will be certified as Permaculture
Design Trainees and may use the term "permaculture" in the pursuit of
livelihood and for educational purposes.

THE SUMMER INSTITUTE IN SUSTAINABLE LIVING: JUNE 5-28. Following the Game of
Eco-Village course, a smaller group of students and faculty will have an
additional week to extend, develop, reflect  on and summarize the course's
ideas and experiences, visit local innovative projects, write project papers,
and enjoy the beautiful natural environment and community. Four undergraduate
credits are available for this three week program through the GeoCommons
College Year affiliation with the University of New Hampshire (UNH Summer
Session Course #687).

COURSE CURRICULUM. These two offerings are special opportunities for up to 30
students to be guided by five outstanding faculty in ecological design.
Through observation, lecture, demonstration, discussion, and hands-on
learning, students will develop their practical skills and knowledge for
living sustainably and in harmony with the natural world and will
cooperatively explore ways to make to make one's own home, community, and
campus more sustainable. The daily schedule aims for a balance of physical,
intellectual, emotional, and spiritual elements as a conscious experiment in
sustainable group living. Topics will include: *Permaculture principles and
ethics *Biosystem mapping and site evaluation *Appropriate energy systems and
shelter *Cooperative community processes and forms *Animals and integrated
pest management *Design patterns, skills and processes *Integrated home scale
systems *Alternative economic system design *Edible landscaping and forest
gardens *Design for soil fertility improvement *Mindfulness practice, shared
inspiration, celebrations.

INSTRUCTORS
David Jacke - Nationally recognized master permaculturist, with 12 years of
professional design and 8 years of permaculture teaching experience.
Cynthia Edwards - Professional landscaper for 20 years, 10 year permaculture
activist and educator, and international permaculture development worker.
Dan Earle - Professor of Landscape Architecture, Louisiana State University;
registered landscape architect; permaculture designer; PhD, Marine Sciences.
Bruce Kantner - Founder/director of GEO, UNH faculty in sustainable living,
organic farmer, builder, founding member Monadnock GeoCommons Village.
Daniel Greenberg - GEO faculty, PhD in psychology and intentional
communities.

COST: $1200 for the 3-week Summer Institute; $750 for 2-week permaculture
course only. Both include tuition, food and tent space.

MONADNOCK ECO-VILLAGE. This educational eco-village will be the base of
operations for Gaia Education Outreach Institute, the GEOCommons programs,
and a number of housing clusters. Current plans are for 12-15 households in
the first cluster, residences and classrooms for 20 students, a
theater-movement-celebration space, green businesses, farm, and nature
sanctuary on 75 or more acres of fields and forest.

Contact GEO Institute Admissions for an application:
GEO, Derbyshire Farm, Temple NH 03084, (603) 654-6705, [email-masked]
A $25 deposit is necessary to reserve a space.