Past Events

February 22 - March 8, 2009

Sahale Learning Center, Belfair, Washington
Tahuya River Valley, Southwest Kitsap Peninsula

A Two-Week, Residential Permaculture Design Course

Instructed by:

• Michael Pilarski - Friends of the Trees Society
• Laura Sweany - Terra Flora Farm

• Larry Korn - Mu Landscaping Company
• Marisha Auerbach - Herb'n Wisdom
• Jenny Pell – Wilder Institute
• Albert Postema – Earthwise Excavation
• John Henrickson – Wild Thyme Farm
• John Hoff – Goodenough Community

Tuition includes instruction, delicious, mostly organic meals, materials, and permaculture design certificate. Graduates are entitled to use the term "Permaculture" in pursuit of livelihood and for educational purposes

Accomodations:

• Tenting or RV - $210
• Shared room - $350 (comfortable, warm, dry, 2- to 4-person bedrooms)
• Private room - $450

Course is limited to 30 participants.

Contact:
Laura Sweany
13425 43rd Ave. S., Tukwila, WA 98168.
206-369-7590 cell
lauraflora@msn.com
http://www.friendsofthetrees.net
http://www.goodenough.org

poster

Trackers NW Permaculture Design Course
http://www.trackersnw.com/portland-wilderness-skills.php

Our Permaculture Principle: Our permaculture courses run on student collaboration with the instructors in question-led discussions, scenario-based design and facilitated long-term projects.

We include and hands-on "take homes" that you make and keep (potential projects: pocket rocket stove, compost tea, grafted fruit tree, mushroom cultivation + more). We cover applications for diverse climates and lifestyles, from intentional eco villager to rural homesteader to the urban rewild nomad.

4 month Permaculture Design Course

This course place at our 400 acre wildlife refuge and cabin just outside of Sandy, OR. It features a pioneer fruit Orchard with 130 year old trees and 2.8 acres of land dedicated to the design and restoration aspect of this course. While in class and during breaks, you find yourself on the edge of the Bull Run Wilderness with the chance to wander one of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth.

Permaculture Principles in action: A team of expert instructors stack functions through collaborating with students on relevant hands-on "take homes" and design projects that amplify each day's focused lecture material. A curriculum designed from patterns to details, following the natural succession of basic survival to sustainable sustenance and long term regenerative sustainability. Afternoon sessions progress to Professional Design Specifications. The course utilizes a daily framework of retrospective meetings & brief check-ins for students and instructors to creatively use and respond to change, apply self-regulation and accept feedback. And through the specialty hunter-gatherer awareness of TrackersNW we learn the full value of zone 5 and how to fully live with the wild and natural world.

Schedule

• February 24
• March 3
• March 10
• March 31
• April 7
• April 21
• April 28, 29, 30 Overnights
• May 5
• May 12
• May 19
• May 26, 27, 28 Overnights

Cost $950

At Raw Vegan Source, in Redmond, WA
6 Weekend Intensives, March - August 2009

Instructors: Jenny Pell, Marisha Auerbach & many guests

Join us one weekend each month for 6 months and learn:

• Permaculture design principles and methodologies
• Reading landscapes, mapping, and site analysis
• Patterns in nature
• Plant propogation and seed saving
• Raw food and nutrition
• Six months of garden planning, management, and harvest
• Perennial polycultures, edible landscapes, and food forests
• Alternative technologies
• Water catchment, pond building, and aquaculture
• Whole systems theory and Ecoliteracy
• Herbs and medicinal plants
• Natural building, passive and active solar designs
• Urban permaculture strategies, and more...

Cost: $1,150 - $950 sliding scale; discounted price includes work-trade

72-hour design certification course features delicious raw lunches, optional Friday night lecture series, & extra monthly hands-on workshops at Seattle Tilth Association.

For complete details and to register please contact Christy Nieto:
permaculture@earthlink.net (360) 820-8586 http://www.permaculturenow.com

flyer

March 27, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at The Good Shepherd Center 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle, WA $10-$7 suggested donation

Permaculture is an exploration of sustainable human settlements. We look at how humans can work with nature to meet our needs and those of other beings on this planet. Please join us to learn about permaculture and how to apply permaculture principles in your life.

Slideshow & Discussion

For more information, contact: Jenny Pell (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com or Marisha_Auerbach

April 24, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at The Good Shepherd Center 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle, WA $10-$7 suggested donation

Permaculture design offers strategies for energy efficient planning. The permaculture zone concept means that we place the elements in our lives that are used the most in close proximity to where they will be used. This saves time and energy. This workshop will offer an in-depth look at how we map the different zones and use them in the design process.

Slides, lecture, and mapping exercises.

For more information, contact: Jenny Pell (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com or Marisha_Auerbach

May 29, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at The Good Shepherd Center 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle, WA $10-$7 suggested donation

This evening will focus on enhancing sustainability in urban areas. We will discuss strategies for neighborhood food production, conservation techniques, skill-building, and community self-reliance. Slides, lecture, and lively discussion.

For more information, contact: Jenny Pell (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com or Marisha_Auerbach

June 26, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at The Good Shepherd Center 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle, WA $10-$7 suggested donation

Take a tour of fascinating projects from Cascadia to DC, India to Europe, Africa to New Zealand, Vietnam to Nicaragua and learn how to get networked to these permaculture people and places! Take a tour of beautiful homesteads, farms, community projects and city neighborhoods around the globe that will inspire and welcome you!Slides, discussion.

For more information, contact: Jenny Pell (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com or Marisha_Auerbach

July 24, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at The Good Shepherd Center 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle, WA $10-$7 suggested donation

How can we invite you into your own backyard? This evening, we will offer you design techniques for creating a space for your enjoyment, that expands your time outside, while adding beauty and biodiversity into the landscape. We will discuss permaculture ideas to create a place to meditate, share meals, play music, practice yoga, play games, or watch butterflies and hummingbirds.

For more information, contact: Jenny Pell (206) 949-0496, mailto:jennypell@gmail.com or Marisha_Auerbach

August 21, 7:00pm - 9:00pm at The Good Shepherd Center 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle, WA $10-$7 suggested donation

Tonight, we will offer ideas for turning the inside of your house into a more energy-efficient, delicious, and abundant place including: passive solar designs, pantries, solar clothes dryers, sprouts, oyster mushrooms, candles, and the community dinner table. Slideshow, lecture, discussion.

For more information, contact: Jenny Pell (206) 949-0496, mailto:jennypell@gmail.com or Marisha_Auerbach

Friday, January 15
6:30 to 8:30
Olympia, WA, Traditions Cafe
300 5th Ave SW
Olympia, WA
$10 - $7, sliding scale

How many kinds of nature spirits and fairies are there? What do they do? How can we communicate with them? Why would we want to? These are some of the questions we will explore. Michael is the founder of the Fairy & Human Relations Congress which has been held in Washington and Oregon annually for the past 9 years. The Congress brings together some of the world's leading fairy communicators. He is the compiler of the "Collected Fairy Manuscripts of Daphne Charters" and has lectured widely on the topic of fairies. No need to register, but an email that you are coming is appreciated.

For more information or to register, contact: Marisha_Auerbach

Monday, January 18
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Procession Studio
311 1/2 Capitol Way N, enter from alley
Olympia WA

$60-$40 sliding scale

The workshop will cover some of the most useful Northwest medicinals such as cascara, devil's club, oregon-grape, lomatium, usnea, osha, and yew, as well as lesser-known ones. We will have fresh and dry botanicals to examine. We will look at these plants in the contexts of sustainable wildcrafting, ethnobotany, ethnoecology, traditional and modern uses, and their uses in ecological restoration and permaculture systems. The workshop will touch on using native medicinal plants in urban, suburban and farm landscapes for production of food, fiber, fuel, and crafts as well as medicine and how these native medicinals can be planted for ecological functions such as windbreaks, sound buffers, erosion control, shade, water retention, etc. We will explore how to bring more wild habitats and native plants into human landscapes in a way that improves the quality of life for people as well as native flora and fauna. A win/win situation. The role of yards, alleyways, forest gardens, riparian zones, farmland, etc. We will look at a range of native medicinals which can be grown at the home scale, at the farm crop scale, for ecosystem restoration and for creating wildcrafting opportunities.

For more information or to register, contact: Marisha_Auerbach

Tuesday, January 19
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
$75 (limited to 16 participants). Registrants will be sent maps to the workshop location.
Bring a lunch. Please try to carpool. Let us know if you want, or can offer, a ride.

This workshop will be held at Wild Thyme Farm near Oakville. The farm is near the Chehalis River floodplain and contains a wide diversity of habitats including forests, pastures, gardens, forest gardens, riparian areas and agroforestry plantings. We will do hands-on wildcrafting and processing of a number of medicinal plants. Devil's club root and rootbark, Oregon-grape root, cottonwood buds, Usnea lichen, lungwort lichen, butterbur root, cascara bark, dandelion root and licorice fern are some of the things we will be looking for. We will discuss other medicinal and useful plants we come across. Information will be wide ranging including sustainability, ecology, ethics, uses, optimum harvesting times, harvesting tools, processing and propagation. Mostly we will be in the wild - experiential. The information is applicable to western Washington in general.

For more information or to register, contact: Marisha_Auerbach

Tonight, Marisha Auerbach will introduce us to Permaculture. Permaculture offers simple strategies to reduce your expenses, save energy, and enrich your life locally through connection with natural principles. Nature provides a grand blueprint of how interconnected systems work together efficiently. We will look at the systems that we use in our lives and how they are affected by fluctuations globally. We will identify solutions that can be applied on the small scale to enrich our lives.

Tonight, Marisha Auerbach will introduce us to Permaculture. Permaculture offers simple strategies to reduce your expenses, save energy, and enrich your life locally through connection with natural principles. Nature provides a grand blueprint of how interconnected systems work together efficiently. We will look at the systems that we use in our lives and how they are affected by fluctuations globally. We will identify solutions that can be applied on the small scale to enrich our lives.

Saturday, April 3
10 am - 4 pm
Wild Thyme Farm
Oakville, WA (45 mins SW of Olympia)
$75 - $65 sliding scale
potluck lunch
pre-registration requested

Mushrooms are an integral part of the environment in the Pacific Northwest. They are rarely used in landscaping. Permaculture draws on examples from nature to create abundant landscapes based in ecological systems. We would like to invite our fungal allies to return to the garden and assist us in creating abundance through their relationships.

During this workshop, we will discover the functions of mushrooms in an ecosystem and the different techniques for incorporating them in the home garden. Hands-on projects will include: log culture, establishment of outdoor mushroom beds, mycorrhizal inoculants, and other fun projects. Each participant will go home with an inoculated log.Please join us as we consciously welcome mushrooms into our landscapes and gardens.

For more information, or to register, contact: Marisha_Auerbach

Join in the Great Re-Skilling!

One weekend per month, March - October, in Seattle or Olympia,

Take one, take them all! Discounts for bulk registration...

Instructors: Jenny Pell, Marisha Auerbach, and special guests.

In this 7 month weekend workshop series, you will learn valuable skills that will provide the foundation for sustainable abundance in your homes and neighborhoods.

We are experiencing rapidly changing global economic and environmental shifts that impact our everyday lives. Each of these workshops showcase design elements that create decentralized, resilient, income-generating, and biodiverse systems that provide for our most basic needs.

Cost:

• One workshop - $195
• Any 3 workshops, prepaid - $600
• All 7 workshops, prepaid - $1,200
• Any one person may attend prepaid workshops.

The Only Constant is Change – Get Ready

April 17 - 18 in Seattle
10:00am – 4:00pm
$195

Imagine transforming an urban lawn into an abundant garden in a weekend! This weekend, we will design an average urban yard to a diverse garden that meets the needs of the inhabitants. We will discuss soil preparation, plant selection, strategies for growing food in small spaces, and water saving strategies. We will be planting annual vegetables as well as perennial berries, edible flowers, medicinal herbs, and fruit trees.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBMpaWq4EKE&NR=1

Course details and registration: http://www.permaculturenow.com
Or contact Jenny Pell: (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com

May 1 - 2 in Olympia
10:00am – 4:00pm
$195

Imagine transforming an urban lawn into an abundant garden in a weekend! This weekend, we will design an average urban yard to a diverse garden that meets the needs of the inhabitants. We will discuss soil preparation, plant selection, strategies for growing food in small spaces, and water saving strategies. We will be planting annual vegetables as well as perennial berries, edible flowers, medicinal herbs, and fruit trees.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBMpaWq4EKE&NR=1

Course details and registration: http://www.permaculturenow.com
Or contact Jenny Pell: (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com

Monday, May 3rd, Portland OR
7 pm - 9 pm
$10 in advance, $12 at the door

In the Maritime Northwest, it is possible to grow all our own produce year-round with limited time to establish a system and limited effort. As petroleum becomes more expensive, this sort of system can provide an example to support our evolution to a more sustainable society. Marisha Auerbach specializes in converting properties from grass to to a perennial forage system. A perennial forage system functions much like a natural ecological system, and yields year round produce with minimal work. These systems are developed to meet the needs of the inhabitants on site. Marisha provides most of her diet and income from her garden and has surplus produce and crafts to give away and trade for other supplies.

This presentation is an invitation for you to visit Marisha's garden through slides and lecture. She will be discussing how you can work towards self-reliance in produce if you have property to work with as well as guerrilla tactics to grow more food and flowers in the greater Portland area. This lecture offers an opportunity to create cultural change through gardening.

For more information or to register, contact Leonard Barrett at (503) 425-9706 or mailto:leonard@barrettecological.com

Friday, May 7th, King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave, Tacoma WA
7 pm - 9 pm
$10 - $5 sliding scale

In the Maritime Northwest, it is possible to grow all our own produce year-round with limited time to establish a system and limited effort. As petroleum becomes more expensive, this sort of system can provide an example to support our evolution to a more sustainable society. Marisha Auerbach specializes in converting properties from grass to to a perennial forage system. A perennial forage system functions much like a natural ecological system, and yields year round produce with minimal work. These systems are developed to meet the needs of the inhabitants on site. Marisha provides most of her diet and income from her garden and has surplus produce and crafts to give away and trade for other supplies.

This presentation is an invitation for you to visit Marisha's garden through slides and lecture. She will be discussing how you can work towards self-reliance in produce if you have property to work with as well as guerrilla tactics to grow more food and flowers in the greater Tacoma area. This lecture offers an opportunity to create cultural change through gardening.

For more information or to register, contact Kelda Miller at (253) 370-9946 or mailto:kelda@riseup.net

Sunday, May 16, 2010
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
OmCulture Studio
2210 N Pacific Street
Seattle, WA 98103
http://www.omculture.com/directions
$50.00 per person, some work-trade and barter available

In this hands-on workshop we will learn techniques for growing climbing edible annuals, perennials and flowers, and build a variety of trellises suitable for balconies, backyards, and urban gardens. Kiwis, cucumbers, grapes, wisteria, roses, hops, beans, peas, berries, and more!

From an inviting archway twining with hops, to a covered walkway hanging with kiwis, berries, and fragrant flowers, trellises are useful, easy to make and beautiful. Trellising is a practical way to add a variety of desirable features to your home or garden, no matter how large or small your space.

This workshop is for renters and homeowners! All ages welcome; discounts available for family members.

Trellises:

• dramatically increase growing area
• create privacy
• build “outdoor rooms”
• serve as a wind-break
• are beautiful!

Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-Permaculture-Guild-Meetup/calendar/13389844/

May 23 in Olympia
10:00am – 5:00pm
$50

In Western Washington, we get abundant rainfall in the winter and scarce rainfall in summer when we need it most. In the winter, the excess water is directed from impermeable surfaces, like roads, to the stormdrains. In this workshop, we will reroute stormwater into an intentionally designed garden with select plants that produce a yield and enjoy lots of water in the winter as well as tolerate dry summers. We will inoculate our raingarden with mycelium to remediate any contaminants from the roadside. This workshop includes a discussion on working with the city for sustainable retrofits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0r4weoUSgI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Xfa1rXwVQ

Course details and registration: http://www.permaculturenow.com
Or contact Jenny Pell: (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 25th, Traditions Cafe, 300 5th Ave, Olympia WA
7 pm - 9 pm
$10 - $7 sliding scale

In the Maritime Northwest, it is possible to grow all our own produce year-round with limited time to establish a system and limited effort. As petroleum becomes more expensive, this sort of system can provide an example to support our evolution to a more sustainable society. Marisha Auerbach specializes in converting properties from grass to to a perennial forage system. A perennial forage system functions much like a natural ecological system, and yields year round produce with minimal work. These systems are developed to meet the needs of the inhabitants on site. Marisha provides most of her diet and income from her garden and has surplus produce and crafts to give away and trade for other supplies.

This presentation is an invitation for you to visit Marisha's garden through slides and lecture. She will be discussing how you can work towards self-reliance in produce if you have property to work with as well as guerrilla tactics to grow more food and flowers in the greater Olympia area. This lecture offers an opportunity to create cultural change through gardening.

For more information or to register, contact Marisha_Auerbach

June 11-27, 2010
Tryon Life Community Farm
Portland, OR

A Permaculture Design Course explores sustainable human habitation. We begin with the ethics and principles of permaculture which support a philosophical reverence for life and provide a framework for making healthy choices.

The objective of this Permaculture Design Course, taught by Marisha Auerbach and others, is to provide a comprehensive overview of sustainable futures, based on permaculture philosophy, techniques, and strategies that one could incorporate into their everyday life, or enhance their career. These courses provide hands-on experience. The intention is to facilitate a systems approach to thinking about different issues, encouraging care for the earth and its inhabitants as a diverse community.

TLC Farm's two-week intensive Permaculture Design Course course can be taken as residential or commuter. The fee for the non-residential option is $1000 - 850 sliding scale. The fee for the residential option is $1300 -1100. Limited work trade may be available.

For more information about this course, please see http://tryonfarm.org/share/node/881, email mailto:permaculture@tryonfarm.org or call Matt Bibeau 503-351-2075.

"The course at Tryon was one of the most cohesive and empowering two weeks of my life."
"I've learned so much from this course that will change my life!"
"This was a very inspiring and empowering course. The teachers were amazing"
-reflections from last year's PDC participants

June 12 - 13 in Seattle
10:00am – 5:00pm
$195

Everyday, each household dismisses slightly used water from sinks, laundry, and showers (called graywater) to the sewer. This valuable water can be diverted and re-used to water the garden. Graywater may have cleansers and/or food particles in it: with intentional planning, these can be turned into a resource for watering and feeding our gardens. We will design and install a legal graywater system during this workshop, calculate the outflow of water, discuss permits and legal issues, practice plumbing as we install the system, and test it out! During this workshop, we will explore different strategies to install a graywater system in your own home or workplace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBMpaWq4EKE&NR=1 (same video as urban yard)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWB9DQLhIsY

Course details and registration: http://www.permaculturenow.com
Or contact Jenny Pell: (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com

Saturday, June 19, 1 pm - 2 pm
Portland Nursery, 9000 SE Division, Portland, OR

Free!

Come join us to delight in the diversity of culinary flowers. Marisha will introduce the class to various types of edible flowers and discuss how you can include them in your diet. Raw and cooked, edible flowers enhance every meal!

To register, contact Portland Nursery at 503-788-9000 or go to the registration page: https://portlandnursery.wufoo.com/forms/m7p9a5/

June 26 -27 in Olympia
10:00am – 5:00pm
$195

Everyday, each household dismisses slightly used water from sinks, laundry, and showers (called graywater) to the sewer. This valuable water can be diverted and re-used to water the garden. Graywater may have cleansers and/or food particles in it: with intentional planning, these can be turned into a resource for watering and feeding our gardens. We will design and install a legal graywater system during this workshop, calculate the outflow of water, discuss permits and legal issues, practice plumbing as we install the system, and test it out! During this workshop, we will explore different strategies to install a graywater system in your own home or workplace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBMpaWq4EKE&NR=1 (same video as urban yard)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWB9DQLhIsY

Course details and registration: http://www.permaculturenow.com
Or contact Jenny Pell: (206) 949-0496, jennypell@gmail.com

Friday, July 2, 7 pm - 9 pm
King's Books, 218 Saint Helens Ave, Tacoma, WA

$10 - $7 sliding scale

Seed saving gives us the unique opportunity to dance with life and play a distinct role in our nourishment. We can nurture plants for the special qualities that sustain us in uncertain futures. As corporations attempt to take control of our genetic diversity, seed saving becomes an important political act. Come join us to learn how you can take responsibility for your own food supply by saving your own seed from your garden. We will be discussing harvest of cultivated and native seeds as well as flowers and vegetable crops. Seed saving is a great localized buffer against the globalization of our food supply as it encourages diversity and increases the resilience in our gardens from pests and disease.

For more information, or to register, contact, Marisha_Auerbach

July 9, 10, & 11

A seed exchange is a hub for generating community food security. The diverse community at the Oregon Country fair represents unique microclimates from Cascadia and beyond. Many of us already cherish heirloom seed varieties and grow them in our gardens year after year. We are a new booth this year, offering free heirloom seeds and seedsaving information to the greater community. This booth holds the intention as a space for faire family to share and expand the surplus from our gardens as we provide a location for exchange of the diverse varieties of unique seed. We offer a non-commercial grassroots way for people to learn how and have the supplies to save seed.

Background Statistics: (Food insecurity means that these households were unsure of where their next meal is coming from)

• 14.6% of households in the United States were classified as food insecure last year.
• 13.1% of households in Oregon are classified as food insecure last year.
• 6.6% of households were classified as hungry, which means that they missed meals or need to make significant choices concerning food.
• Oregon is among 5 states with the highest food insecurity rate.

Friday, July 23, 7 pm - 9 pm
Traditions Cafe, 300 5th Ave. SW, Olympia, WA

$10 - $7 sliding scale

Seed saving gives us the unique opportunity to dance with life and play a distinct role in our nourishment. We can nurture plants for the special qualities that sustain us in uncertain futures. As corporations attempt to take control of our genetic diversity, seed saving becomes an important political act. Come join us to learn how you can take responsibility for your own food supply by saving your own seed from your garden. We will be discussing harvest of cultivated and native seeds as well as flowers and vegetable crops. Seed saving is a great localized buffer against the globalization of our food supply as it encourages diversity and increases the resilience in our gardens from pests and disease.

For more information, or to register, contact, Marisha_Auerbach

July 27 - August 13, 2010
Big Bend Hot Springs,
2 hrs east of Redding, CA

We are excited to announce this first Holistic Permaculture Design Certification Course with a focus on InterGenerational Ecovillage Development. With a focus on tending the inner, outer, and community landscapes... this course will include the standard 72-hour permaculture design curriculum based upon the original Mollison and Holmgren ideas and design philosophies published in The Permaculture Designer's Manual, as well as be a nourishing retreat and hands-on immersion experience in Ecovillage Design & Development. In addition to the standard Permaculture Design Certification curriculum, we recognize permaculture as a holistic design philosophy expanding in symbiosis with many related fields. Accordingly, this permaculture design course will integrate additional content and activities such as nature awareness, indigenous wisdom, holistic nutrition, embodiment practices, inner work, group process, and much more. During this intensive 17-day course participants will be immersed into an amazing and nourishing learning environment practicing skills to transform our lives and our communities into regenerative systems while contributing to the design & activation of an exciting Ecovillage project, living in community as a village, and experiencing profound personal renewal at this oasis of natural beauty and magic.

To register, visit http://bigbendecovillagepermaculturedesigncourse-herbnwisdom.eventbrite.com

For questions and more information regarding the course e-mail: mailto:education@livingmandala.com or phone: (707) 634-1461