permaculture

[andrew phillips <greenman124@yahoo.com>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: August 30, 2005

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: 
Wilton Duckworth
Green Phoenix Sustainable Communities 
212-996-1830
archiduck@verizon.net


Geoff Lawton To Conduct Permaculture Course in New
York

World-renowned permaculture teacher and practitioner
Geoff Lawton of 
the 
Permaculture Research Institute in Australia, 
(www.permaculture.org.au), 
will conduct the popular Permaculture Design
Certificate Course in High 
Falls, New York, October 31 through November 12, 2005.


The 2-week course is a cooperative effort of the
Epworth United 
Methodist 
Camp and Retreat Center in High Falls 
(www.epworthcenter.com), site of 
the course; the Hancock Permaculture Center of
Hancock, New York  
(www.hancockpermaculture.org); and Green Phoenix
Sustainable 
Communities  
(www.green-phoenix.org) based in New York City.

Geoff will arrive in High Falls right after
co-teaching the same course 
in October in Melbourne, Australia with permaculture
founder Bill 
Mollison.

The 72-hour Permaculture Design Certificate Course is
the highly 
acclaimed introduction to permaculture as set forth by
Mollison. 
Students 
are invited to bring details of their own sites or
potential sites and 
explore site-specific permaculture solutions in a
hands-on workshop.

Geoff has been asked to apply permaculture solutions
to the Epworth 
Camp 
site as part of the course, in line with the camp's
vision and mission 
to 
create a fully sustainable facility.

The 160-acre camping and retreat site is located 90
miles north of New 
York City, just off the NYS Thruway and overlooking
the Rondout Creek.

The PDC course serves as the foundation for further
study and is a 
prerequisite for a Diploma in Permaculture Design,
awarded by the 
Permaculture Research Institute. Course credit is
accepted by a growing 
number of universities here and abroad.

Tuition for the course is $1,000, plus $300 for
accommodations, and 
approximately $360 for meals for the 12 days.

Onsite accommodations include an all-season dormitory
that sleeps 28, 
with separate baths and sleeping quarters for men and
women. The course 
will be taught in the camp's conference center, with
meals served in 
the 
adjacent dining area. Insofar as possible, all food
will be in season 
and 
organic.

Camping accommodations, including electric, toilet and
shower 
facilities, 
are available for $120 for 12 nights. A number of
motels and B&B's can 
also be found in the High Falls area.

The course is being organized by the Hancock
Permaculture Center, 
located 
in Delaware County, New York, and dedicated to the
philosophy and 
practice of permaculture in the upper Delaware and
western Catskills 
bioregion. Founded in 2004, the center actively
promotes permaculture-
based businesses and lifestyles through its support of
permaculture 
education and outreach. This is its first major event.
 

The course is co-sponsored by Green Phoenix
Sustainable Communities, 
which works to help individuals and communities
residing in the Hudson 
Valley bioregion to live and work in a more
sustainable manner. The 
group 
defines the bioregion as the Hudson River watershed
and all areas 
within 
a 100-mile of midtown Manhattan.

Based in New York City, Green Phoenix uses the
multi-pronged approach 
of 
education, land use, and economic activity to
contribute to the 
long-term 
well-being of society and the environment. The group
has conducted 
classes, seminars, and community outreach on
permaculture, organic 
farming, ecologically friendly housing, nonviolent
communication and 
decision-making skills and other topics related to
sustainable living.

For more information, or to register for the course,
visit 
www.hancockpermaculture.org. Or contact Wilton
Duckworth of Green 
Phoenix 
at 212-996-1830. Email: archiduck@verizon.net.