permaculture

[wlande@rodaleinst.org (William Landesman)]

For Immediate Release                                           August 30, 
1996

Contact:  Karle Maurer, 610-683-1424





Rodale Institute to Hold Permaculture Swale and 
Pond Building Workshop

Instructors From Arizona and Austrailia Will Lead Three-Day Seminar


KUTZTOWN, PA:  Rodale Institute will hold a three-day workshop on swale and 
pond building at its 333-acre Experimental Farm October 17 - 19.  The course 
will be taught by permaculture instructors Scott Pittman of Arizona and Doug 
Dorrough of Austrailia.

Permaculture means "permanence in agriculture," and succeeds in all climates 
by capturing and managing water that is otherwise lost.  Recently, 
permaculture concepts have been successfully applied to residential 
landscapes as well.

Farmers, landscape designers and contractors, architects, municipal and civic 
engineers, and homeowners are invited to learn how to conserve and use water, 
in a hands-on workshop that will include direct experience recontouring the 
Rodale Institute Experimental Farm for better water use.  New holding ponds 
and swales (trenches that route rainwater to where it is needed) will be laid 
out and constructed during the session.

"Most swales today are designed to take water away," explains Anthony Rodale, 
Vice Chair of the non-profit Rodale Institute and the force behind the 
workshop.  "But eventually, the farmer or homeowner is going to want that 
water back in a dry time.  Permaculture designs hold and use water as many 
times as possible before it passes out of the property."

The October workshop is a follow-on to the 14-day comprehensive permaculture 
design workshop which Rodale Institute hosted last April.  Water management 
is the first and most important step to permaculture.  Other aspects of 
permaculture, such as soil improvement, plant selection, aquaculture, and 
reforesting, are among the plans for future workshops in the series.

"If this is your first exposure to permaculture, it's a great way to start," 
offers Rodale.  "If you get really excited about it, there will be many more 
opportunities to get involved."  

Permaculture workshops are offered throughout the world by certified 
instructors from the Permaculture Institute, such as Pittman and Dorrough.

The Rodale Institute works with people worldwide to achieve regenerative food 
systems that renew environmental and human health.

Everyone is invited to enroll in the pond and swale building workshop October 
17 - 19.  All meals are included in the three-day admission charge of $300.  
Lodging is available close by.   Enrollment is limited.  Please call Rodale 
Institute at 610-683-1424 for information and reservations.


Rodale Institute is an independent, non-profit public charity,
under sections 501(c)3 and 509(a)2 of the IRS code.

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