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  • From: McFarlandAIA@aol.com
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Permaculture in Houston
  • Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 13:52:31 EDT

Permaculture in Houston:
The class taught in Houston covers everything taught as I see listed in other
in-residence classes, though we, of course, have less hands-on application.
The entire series is 75 hours and we issue a Designer's Certificate for
anyone
with near-perfect attendance and the completion of a design project. I am
mentoring 2 students who will graduate this Sunday. By and large, most of our
student population comes from the activist arena, such as belonging to Sierra
Club. Houston has a lot going on with urban issues, parks, flooding,
wildlife,
quality of life, air pollution, organic food, organic gardening, and such. As
an
active member of the Guild, I stay in touch with many graduates. And many
stay
connected with the group. For myself, I completed the Designer's Series and
looked for more information about natural building. I enrolled in a graduate
program of ecological design that has distance learning and I attend many
seminars. I now teach a 2-1/2 hour class in our Designer's Series on how to
design
and build a natural and healthy house. Others have also gone on to teach and
we
now have 6 graduates teaching within our series. We have 17 teachers in all
who teach over the 9-month course, 2 come in from the Austin area.
Permaculture
changed my life. It turned me into an activist. I think that is what the
other students get out of it also. Most people who take the class are blown
away
at the content and we have a rural farm Learning Center where we have field
trips during the class. It is a working market garden and the house and
learning
center are off-the-grid. The family who owns the farm has additional
workshops
in straw bale building and solar energy application. As I see it, the primary
goal of Permaculture is to influence others about sustainable living. It's
like a giant pyramid scheme in the best sense. The graduates, as best I can
see,
tell others and live their own lives more sustainably and apply PC principles
to their work and activism as best they can.

Shawn McFarland, AIA, LEED
Permaculture Guild of Houston




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