Our 2012 internship program will run from mid-May to mid - September, four months. The fee will be $300 per month all inclusive, plus approximately 40-50% time spent doing market garden and farm work. Stay tuned here, as more details will follow shortly, but please apply early as we are only taking four people, one space being already filled. Thanks. alexdenicola(at)hotmail.com
Studying and practicing permaculture is a journey of empowerment:
Whether it’s installing a backyard garden, doing a passive solar design, establishing a farm or creating an ecovillage, permaculture principles and pathways can help guide us to mutually beneficial outcomes this world is so much in need of.
As we move ahead, increasing and uncertain climate change, diminishing energy supplies, and a wrecked economy clearly indicate our future will be unlike the past. Of that there is no longer any doubt. S0, in response, we need different ways of thinking and behaving.
“Although the world’s problems grow increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarassingly simple.” Bill Mollison(Permaculture co-originator)
Overview of the Permaculture Walk:
By seeing clearly that connections are accomplished by design, we can ourselves begin to design and redesign our surroundings and our actions in them. Deeply anchored in compassionate ethics and ecological literacy, we can learn to connect the myriad dots of existence in ways that yield a birdseye view of the landscape. This view, integrated with practical knowledge, creativity, cooperation, and a “tool kit” of strategies, may then give rise to effective “bottom-up action.”
Continued economic “growth” i.e. more warfare, more habitat destruction, and more social injustice, or a magic technological elixir that will somehow “save” us are imaginings of a culture addicted to the present. We need an approach grounded in creatively meeting our needs while conserving our remaining resources. This is essential if we are to to prosper in a healthy way and continue to enjoy this particular planet.
Permaculture is not “the answer,” nor is it some utopian destination. Permaculture is a direction– heading for a saner existence, both material and not, in this place. If you realize the road ahead may have some serious difficulties, but arn’t too sure about what can be done, or just simply want to explore possibilities this is the walk for you.
-Alex DeNicola has been farming ecologically in Nova Scotia for 18 years, and has completed both Permaculture Design and Teacher Training courses. He has hosted a variety of talks and practical workshops.