- A two-week comprehensive introduction to permaculture principles, design practices and their application, with a particular focus on permaculture in community.
- Permaculture is about living lightly on the planet and making sure that we can sustain human activities for many generations to come, in harmony with nature.
- Certified by The Permaculture Association ( British ), the course is a one-of-a-kind wonderful opportunity to learn about permaculture design theory and apply it to a relevant design project at Findhorn.
The Findhorn PDC is guided by Bill Mollison’s curriculum and delivered in collaboration with a registered ScotLAND Centre. It exceeds the minimum 72 hour programme through the inclusion of occasional evening slots with guest speakers. The training includes varied methods which will engage the heart, head and hands through theory, practicals, designing, group work, site visits, games, reflection and group sharing. The Permaculture Design Course encourages participants to observe permaculture principles in action, and experience how these processes influence systems and site development in an experimental living environment.
Participants on the course will have the unique opportunity to base their design projects on actual developments taking place within the Findhorn community. The course gives participants ample time to digest the theory, get hands-on experience and become part of the daily rhythms of the Findhorn community.
Key themes:
- Permaculture Ethics: Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share ( aka Future Care)
- Permaculture Principles: Attitudinal and ecological
- The Permaculture Design Process: Skills, tools and methods
- Design Practice: Group work on design projects
- Design Presentation: Demonstrating and evaluating coursework
Topics include:
- Soil: Food web, macro/microorganisms, mulching, composting, tilling, soil sampling, erosion, mycorrhizal and bacterial associations
- Water: Hydrology cycle, rainwater harvesting, wastewater systems ( including tour of the Living Machine), drainage, water as energy store and water use
- Plants and Trees: Tree species and their gifts, energy transactions, forest gardening, windbreaks and shelter belts, riparian buffers, indicator plants and orchards
- Growing and sourcing your food: Polycultures, organic farming/ horticulture, bed creation, food preservation, ethical choices, ecological footprints, input-output cycles of food.
- Built Environment: Ecological buildings, retrofitting, transport, renewable energy, and urban permaculture
- Resource Use: Ecological and carbon footprints, asset assessments
- Social Systems: Personal and community resilience, communication skills, economics, land tenure, governance, and decision-making.
Additional topics unique to Findhorn:
- Community Building: attunements, team building, morning meditation, and group singing
- Community Service: kitchen cleanup and duty rotas
- Local site visits and invited guest presenters
Permaculture is about stability, about deepening soils and cleaner water, thriving communities in self-reliant regions, biodiverse agriculture, and social justice, peace and abundance.
Bill Mollison , Father of Permaculture
A very enriching, filling, nourishing experience from the topics, the speakers, the activities, but most especially from the energy of the group and the staff team involved. I would not have experienced this diversity in a PDC back home.
Rosemary , PDC July 2016
Trainers
Lusi Alderslowe
Lusi is a permaculture teacher from Scotland. With 13 years of experience designing, coordinating and teaching permaculture courses of different durations in many locations in various countries including Scotland, England, Ireland, Turkey, and online. The theoretical basis of her permaculture work comes from studying Development Management and Human Ecology for which she received a MSc with Distinction. Having studied her Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design whilst living in the City of Glasgow for 7 years, and for the last 9 years living in rural Galloway she is experienced in both rural and urban permaculture. As the Children in Permaculture Coordinator for the Permaculture Association (Britain), she is an author of the book ‘Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: The Children in Permaculture Manual’. Lusi loves sharing permaculture with children and adults using fun, creative and inspiring methods. 
Craig Gibsone
Craig is a long term Ecovillage member and an influential community elder. As an active life long learner Craig’s everyday life is infused with creativity, productivity and contemplation. An avid meditator Craig draws on his three years spent in meditation at the Samye Ling Tibetan Centre to guide and direct his daily engagement with the Spiritual roots of the Ecovillage. Holding a diverse portfolio of leadership roles in our Ecovillage including chairing the management team of the Findhorn Foundaiton, launching and upholding Permaculture in our community and co-founding the original Findhorn Ecovillage curriculum, Craig is an active specialist in Ecovillage living education.
Course Fees
- £1,590
- £1,375
- £1,150
The fee includes tuition, outings, materials, food and accommodation and membership of the British Permaculture Association. The higher fee helps support others to attend, the middle fee covers costs and enables course development, the low fee is the minimum cost of the course. A reduced fee is available for those choosing to camp. Please contact us if you are interested in camping.
Application Information
When your booking is approved, a £100 deposit is required to secure your place. The remaining fee is due six weeks prior to the course start date.