[permaculture] Permaculture Design Certificate course Jordan Oct 10-24 2009

Wesley Roe and Santa Barbara Permaculture Network lakinroe at silcom.com
Thu Apr 16 03:08:02 EDT 2009


Permaculture Design Certificate course (held in the Al Jawfa, Dead 
Sea Valley area in western Jordan)

  http://www.permacultureusa.org/2009/03/12/jordan-pdc-course-announcement/


Starts Oct 10, 2009 and runs for 14 day(s).

The Permaculture Design Certificate course is an 
internationally-recognized, seventy-two hour course resulting in a 
Permaculture Design Certificate. It provides an introduction to 
permaculture design as set forth by movement founder Bill Mollison. 
The course is taught by Geoff and Nadia Lawton, and other 
permaculture educators.

The PDC serves as foundation for further permaculture work and study 
and is a prerequisite for the Diploma in Permaculture Design, offered 
through The Permaculture Institute. Credit for this course is now 
accepted by a growing number of universities around the world. To 
date, thousands of permaculture designers worldwide have been 
certified through this course, and now comprise a global network of 
educators, ecological activists who influence major corporations, 
individuals creating new business alternatives and groups of 
committed people working together to change the way we view and 
design into our landscapes.

The course covers sustainable living systems for a wide variety of 
landscapes and climates. It includes the application of permaculture 
principles to food production, home design, construction, energy 
conservation and generation, and explores alternative economic 
structures and legal strategies supporting permaculture solutions.

Specific topics include:

- Theory and principles of permaculture
- Eco-friendly house placement and design
- Energy conservation techniques for all climates with specific focus 
on arid hot regions
- Recycling and sustainable waste management
- Organic food production
- Water harvesting and management
- Ecological pest control
- Drought-proofing landscapes
- Soil rehabilitation and soil erosion control
- Livestock
- Aquaculture
- Catastrophe preparedness and prevention
- Windbreaks and fire control

The foundation for this course is the Permaculture Designer's Manual 
by Bill Mollison and is distributed to students on the first day. The 
Manual is included in the cost of the course tuition. Students are 
invited to bring details of their own sites or potential sites to 
consider during the course.

Course Instructors

Geoff Lawton is an internationally-renowned permaculture educator, 
consultant and practitioner. He emigrated from England to Australia 
and later studied permaculture with Bill Mollison in Tasmania. He 
established the Permaculture Research Institute at Tagari Farm in New 
South Wales, Australia, a 147-acre farmstead previously developed by 
Mollison. PRI was eventually moved to Zaytuna Farm, in The Channon, 
where it continues today.

Since 1985, Geoff has designed and implemented permaculture projects 
in 30 countries for private individuals and groups, communities, 
governments, aid organizations, and multinational corporations. He 
has taught the Permaculture Design Certificate course and designed 
permaculture projects in 30 countries.

Nadia Lawton was born and raised in the Jordan Valley, in one of the 
lowest and driest places on earth. She completed her PDC with Geoff 
Lawton in Jordan and went on to complete a Permaculture Diploma in 
Education and Site Design. She regularly travels with her husband for 
aid project and permaculture consulting work, and assists in teaching 
permaculture design courses internationally.
<http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&om=1&t=h&msa=0&msid=113452871013424037942.000464e5fb5412e773da2&ll=31.872638,35.632728&spn=0.004656,0.006663&z=17>Map

Important information about this course

About the Site

The site is located in the Al Jawfa area in the western Jordan/Dead 
Sea Valley just 10km north of the Dead Sea and 6 km east of the 
Jordanian-Palestinian border, directly east of the West Bank. The 
local population is made up of traditional Bedouin tribes and 
long-term refugees stemming from displacement of local populations 
from within Palestine.

The project site is typical of the area - a marginal arid land 
low-income settlement. It will demonstrate energy-efficient 
appropriate housing with natural cooling systems and a plant nursery 
attachment, solar electricity, solar hot water, biological waste 
water treatment recycling, dry compost toilets, rain water harvesting 
earthworks and diverse interactive plant, animal and tree systems for 
local food production and processing. The demonstration house will 
function as a classroom and administration office for the project and 
local Permaculture group. Once established, the project will serve as 
a model that can be replicated within the village, throughout Jordan 
and other countries in the region.

The project, started in 2008, has already seen significant progress. 
The first trees were planted and are growing well and the first 
garden is producing some vegetables. Now, the water tank needs to be 
expanded, the fence and gate improved and the rest of the project 
started. The current focus is to set up basic living accommodations 
for volunteers coming to work on the project. PRI has the people 
power in place to move on this project, but is in great need of funds 
to purchase supplies. Any chance of the smallest financial support 
would be greatly appreciated. In this heightened time of great 
tragedy for the Palestinian people, this is something positive we can 
all do to directly affect their survival. Your attendance at this 
course will help subsidise the education of local Jordanians, and 
also go towards the sending of a local representative body to the 
International Permaculture Convergence Summit of 2009 held in 
Southern Africa. Among the goals of this trip will be to lobby for 
the International Permaculture Convergence of 2011 to be held in 
Jordan with the theme of conflict resolution through sustainable 
community solutions.

Accommodation for the Course

Option 1: Bedouin Tent

Full traditional Bedouin tent experience available for students. 
Separate tents for male and female students. The tents will be 
located on the demonstration site with bathroom and shower 
facilities. This includes light breakfast, snacks, and full lunch. 
Dinner is also available upon request for a small price.

Option 2: Full Emersion

Experience life in the home of local residents by staying in a rented 
room not far from the demonstration site and the lecture hall. Rooms 
available for both male and female singles, and accommodations for 
couples. This includes light breakfast, snacks, and full lunch. 
Dinner is also available upon request for a small price to be paid to 
the renter.

Option 3: Shared Apartment

Share a furnished apartment with other PDC student. Separate quarters 
for men and women. This includes light breakfast, snacks, and full 
lunch. Dinner is also available upon request for a small price.

Option 4: Personal Tent

Live on the demonstration site with your own tent. This includes 
light breakfast, snacks, and full lunch. Dinner is also available 
upon request for a small price.

Cultural Sensitivity

The Jordan Valley is home to an ancient and classical civilization 
that has had many cultures, traditions, and peoples cross through its 
land and also settle within. International students are requested to 
be culturally sensitive to the Islamic traditions and Muslim social 
protocol. A full orientation will be provided.

General Guidelines include:

- Open and receptive attitude toward cross cultural communication
- Willingness to ask questions whenever necessary
- Conservative attire is recommended
- Respecting cultural gender relations
- Sobriety at all times during the PDC course
- Respect for elders, religious traditions and practice, and community leaders
- Not photographing locals without permission, with cautionary 
emphasis on photographing local women and children

For men this would include:

- Respecting Muslim gender relation etiquette
- Wearing long shorts at least to the knee
- Wearing shirts at all times
- Not touching or shaking hands of Muslim women without explicit permission
- Not displaying overly intimate affection in public with wife or partner

For ladies this would include:

- Showing respect for oneself
- Respecting Muslim gender relation etiquette
- Long skits or pants (Shorts considered offensive)
- Wearing shirts at all times
- Not displaying overly intimate affection in public with husband or partner

What You Will Need

The climate during the course will be dry and warm although the 
extreme heat of the summer will have passed.

Recommended to bring:

- Sun Hat and sunglasses
- Good walking or working shoes
- Casual and comfortable clothing - natural fabrics recommended for coolness
- Sunscreen
- Water bottle
- Flashlight/headlamp
- Your own bedding (sheets etc.)
- Ample supply of any needed medications
- Tent if needed (depending on accommodation option)
- Sleeping bag and hiking mattress if needed
- Sandals
- Personal toiletries

For further information for this course please contact 
<mailto:education at permaculture.org.au> education at permaculture.org.au.

Course pricing / bookings

Prices in U.S. dollars
$1000(International Student Rate - if paid in full 30 days before the course)
$1100(International Student Rate - Regular Price)
$400(Rate for Jordanians - if paid in full 30 days in advance)
$450(Rate for Jordanians - Regular Price)
$160(Deposit to lock in Booking)

Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
    an educational non-profit since 2000
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie at sbpermaculture.org
  www.sbpermaculture.org

"We are like trees, we must create new leaves, in new directions, in 
order to grow." - Anonymous

First Annual Southern California Permaculture Convergence August 2008
  http://socalifornia.permacultureconvergence.org


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