Ecovillage Training CenterEcovillage Training CenterApril 1 - 25, 2008
May 1 – 25, 2008
Sep 1-25, 2008
Oct 1-25, 2008
Ecovillage Apprenticeships
June and July, 2008
Apprenticeship in Education and Ecovillage Coordination
We are offering an apprenticeship in permaculture and ecovillage education. This apprenticeship will focus on educational coordination and outreach and will offer the opportunity to learn and teach permaculture through hands-on group facilitation. Apprentices will participate in our Permaculture Fundamentals and Ecovillage Design courses. This is a great opportunity for people interested in teaching ecological education or facilitation techniques. Come live and learn at the Ecovillage Training Center. This program is open to all interested applicants, however candidates with prior instructor experience and/or a permaculture design certificate are preferred.
View these workshops listed in chronological order.
Shiitake Mushroom Growing Basics
November 1, 2008
Summertown, TN, The Farm community. Learn mycoforestry with the mycorrhizal masters. How to grow gourmet mushrooms, reverse climate change, save the forests, and make money doing it. Half-day course includes mushroom lunch: 10 am to 3 pm. Frank Michael, Cliff Davis and Will Bates $50. We will also do a free demonstration at the Tennessee Lawn and Garden Show at the State Fairgrounds the last weekend in February, 2009.
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iofuels Conversion
May 2-4, 2008
Learn to convert your car or truck to run on fuels you can gather, grow and make at home with this hands-on weekend course. Jason Deptula has lived on The Farm Communtiy for over 7 years and has been working in the alternative fuels business for over 5 years. His mechanical background with nuts and bolts extends over the past 2 decades He manages the facilities of the Ecovillage Training Center, and is in the process of developing a biofuels research facility there, where he intends to put the "bio" back in "biofuels."
This course will cover all types of conversions, including biodiesel, "greasel" used vegetable oil, electric and solar electric, ethanol and hydrogen but focus on conversion of diesel engines and production of PermafuelsTM as the most practical near-term application. $300 fee includes meals and lodging, $500 for couples.
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June 13-22, 2008 Peak Oil, Climate Change and Permaculture Design Fundamentals with Albert Bates, Andrew Goodheart Brown, and friends.
Global production of petroleum per capita peaked in the 1970s. From here on, we need to how to live with less, and yet our profligate lifestyles are still expanding, still straining the web of nature. At the same time, climate change is in a curve of acceleration that will pose unprecedented problems. Get off of your fossil fuel dependence now! This workshop provides the first half of the Permaculture Design Course. Participants will learn ecology, energy and resource conservation, "permafuel" conversion, social and community skills, and the economics of environmental sustainability. Field trips will include visits to a bamboo nursery and local permaculture projects. Albert Bates, Andrew Goodheart Brown, Cliff Davis, Jason Deptula, Alayne Chauncey, and Greg Landua. $1100 with meals & lodging. The second half of the Permaculture Design Course is offered July 18-27.
"We should be the heart and mind of the Earth, not its malady. So let us be brave and cease thinking of human needs and rights alone, and see that we have harmed the living Earth and need to make our peace with Gaia. We must do it while we are still strong enough to negotiate, and not a broken rabble led by brutal war lords. Most of all, we should remember that we are a part of it, and it is indeed our home."
James Lovelock, The Revenge of Gaia
Do you know where your prescriptions are coming from when petrocollapse strikes?
Medicinal Plant Workshop with Wendel Combest, Ph.D.
May 14-18, 2008
Del Combest has been doing a 3-day Herb workshop through The Ecovillage Training Center and The Farm Midwifery Workshop program for the past 5 years, including herbology, gathering, growing, preparation and applications, chemistry and pharmacology. This Medicinal Plant workshop explains the science behind the folklore. Del teaches pharmacology at Shenandoah University in Virginia. The herbal course starts at 4 pm May 14 and goes to 3 pm May 18. $500 suggested, includes meals and lodging. Sliding scale for students and low income participants. Practical preparations -- extracts and compounds -- daily on the weekend.
July 18-27, 2008 Ecovillage Design and Permaculture Practicum
Requirements for certification for the full permaculture design course are met by completing this second module. Many instructors, ourselves included, have found it useful to break the course into two, more easily assimilated, sections. The first section, which is primarily theory and involves a lot of classroom time, is called Permaculture Fundamentals. The second, involves Ecological Village Design, including site selection, master planning and pattern design for ecovillage; consensus and conflict resolution, financial aspects, work issues, best practices. Participants will join the final part of our permaculture course to learn ecology, energy and resource conservation, social and community skills, and the economics of sustainability. Instructors include Greg Ramsey of Village Habitat Design, Diana Leafe Christian, author of Finding Community, Albert Bates, Cliff Davis, Greg Landua, and special guests. $1100.
Natural Building Fundamentals
Apr 4-6, 2008
Unparalleled three day instruction in straw, cob, wood and other natural materials. Wattle and daub, fidobe, earthbags, earthships, traditional Mexican styles, bamboo, slipclay, domes and arches, earthen floors, earth plasters and alis, passive solar, foundations and drainage, living roofs and thatch. Combines classroom work with hands-on experience. Participants will learn energy and resource conservation and the economics of sustainability. Instructors: Architect and builders Howard Switzer, Katey Culver, Cliff Davis, Albert Bates and guests. $325 for 3 days, meals and lodging included.
About Our Courses
To make the transition toward a sustainable society it is imperative that we take responsibility for our own lives and meet our basic needs for food, shelter, energy, gainful employment, and supportive community. The purpose of our courses is to offer you practical training in ecological design principles so that you can begin the application of these skills within your own home grounds, workplace, and local community. 
We also focus on building the support systems, networks, and alliances we all need in our work of remaking our culture. We strive to create a balance between classroom time, hands-on experiential learning, and personal empowerment work. Our courses will be useful for people with varying levels of experience, from backyard gardeners to design and educational professionals.
At the ETC we are creating a holistic, comprehensivist, "total immersion school," co-evolving creative designs that move us toward sustainability. All projects and buildings on site provides a walk-thru visit to the future. You can walk through our strawbale cabin, dome, organic gardens, and soon-to-be-completed cob Visitors Center (the largest cob structure in North America, the first east of the Mississippi) and wetlands filtration system. We have a large creek flowing through the Center and the headwaters of the Swan watershed are located on the property as well. Over 1000 acres of The Farm are designated as wilderness preserve.
The Eco-hostel is an old Farm house that has been renovated and expanded. The house was originally constructed by members of the Farm in the late 70's out of completely recycled materials. Our renovations have included three dormitories, four solar showers, rainwater collection, solar electricity, wastewater recycling, 2-story greenhouse and a third story observation deck.
For our policies on discounts and cancellations, please visit our Discounts page.
Accommodations:
Bunk houses and tent sites are available for the entire course. There are showers and bathrooms nearby. Bedding is provided. A limited number of private rooms are available at typically $30 per night. Wheelchair access provided. Language translation services can be arranged. Bring rain gear, swim gear, comfortable walking shoes, flashlight and towels.
It was a safe place to take risks. Whole living can't be taught, as it has to be experienced and absorbed, so this week at The Farm was an experience of osmosis for most.
We accu
mulated knowledge and direction for our lives while absorbing some of the wisdom and spirit represented around us. I saw a catharsis in many of these individuals. An immediate sense of community and purpose. It was a seminal experience in my life and a reawakening to a journey ...