Elfin Permaculture

Permaculture design integrates people into Nature's design for the bioregion as a whole so that it is respected, enhanced and strengthened. People receive shelter, energy, food, water, income, community and aesthetic as well as spiritual fulfillment as part of the permaculture design, all within a balanced biological community.

Permaculture design students learn to make practical recommendations to develop the natural potential of a site. They also learn to identify the source and availability of every resource required to implement the permaculture design. A time table for orchestrating the unfolding of the design and using each stage of implementation to prepare for the next helps to assure practical and efficient results. Thus the design integrates the goals of the Earth and the people in that place.

Workshops, Courses And Other Training

Elfin Permaculture offers a variety of formats as learning experiences in permaculture. Workshops include weekends in which participants begin a permaculture design and intensive 10-day and two-week programs where the group develops a draft permaculture design for the site at hand. The three-week Permaculture Design Course includes more than 100 hours of instruction and field work and a very intensive group design project. We certify graduates of the courses as Permaculture Trainees. Further training is available through Elfin Permaculture's Advanced Permaculture Training (APT) individualized program in which the student uses permaculture principles to design his/her educational experience. Elfin Permaculture offers a Permaculture Design Correspondence Course online for individuals, couples or groups. The course runs up to six months and involves reading assignments, student reports, class discussions, and a set of instructors posts. You can get more information from the course protocol. The online course is suited for people who want a particularly thorough grounding in permaculture and for those who cannot attend a live course for various reasons. The student practicum (full permaculture design report) can be done at one of our live 10-day design intensives, especially helpful for the student who needs some face to face contact with the instructor.