permaculture

[McFarlandAIA@aol.com]

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