The Farm Ecovillage Training Center
The Farm 
petroleum energy transition. Our usual array of courses has been reduced for the 2012 season, but we continue with these offerings: View all Farm workshops listed in chronological order.
$55 dollars for the day includes lunch. For further information please contact:
Cliff or Jenny Davis at 931-964-2375 or spiralridgepermaculture@gmail.com
Fourth World Tour/RetreatJanuary/February, 2012 |
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with Sustainable Life Retreats Contact Doug Stevenson to discuss dates and details |
Hike in the rainforest, see an array of beautiful waterfalls, overnights in remote dinner Mayan villages, visit relief projects by Plenty International, explore permaculture at the Mayan Mountain Research Center. |
Permaculture Design Certificate Course
February 20 - March 2, 2012 Maya Mountain Research Farm, San Pedro Columbia, Belize
with Albert Bates, Andrew Leslie Phillips, Cliff Davis, Christopher Nesbitt, and friends.
For bookings and further information contact Chris Nesbitt (info at mmrfbz dot org)
$1250
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 in the Permaculture Design Course teaches ecology, energy and resource conservation, "permafuel" conversion, social and community skills, and the economics of environmental sustainability. Travel far south; to the back of beyond; to a remote valley accessible only by dugout canoe. Study permaculture surrounded by a lush, productive forest of edibles, medicinals and tropical hardwoods. Eat organic food, sleep in dorms powered by renewable energy, bathe in a sparkling pure river.... Field trips will include visits to a Mayan cacao farm, an underground river cavern and local permaculture projects. $1250 with meals & lodging. Contact www.mmrfbz.org info@mmrfbz.org for information or to register for the Belize course.
"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
Edible Forest Garden Intensive with Jono Neiger and Eric ToensmeierNatural Building with Cliff Davis and friends
Introduction to the science of building elegant, artful, mortgage-free housing from cob, strawbale, slip-form clay, alis, natural plasters, living roofs, clay floors, round pole, cord-cob, adobe, thatch and more.
The Farm, Summertown TN
April 13-15
June 5-7, 2012
$700
Biochar Stove Camp
dates T.B.A., August 2012
with Dr. Hugh McLaughlin and Dr. Paul Anderson with expected participation by Dr. Thomas Reed, Paul Wever of Chip Energy, (www.chipenergy.com) and others
The Biomass Energy Foundation (BEF) announces a BEF Stove & CHAB (Combined Heat And Biochar) Camp at The Farm.
The five-day Camp feature hands-on experience plus theory & instruction on gasifiers of numerous types, but focusing on pyrolytic top-lit updraft (TLUD) technology for cookstoves (and larger devices for thermal energy and biochar CHAB). In 2011 these camps are being offered in India, Australia, Uganda, Mozambique, Europe and Honduras. Each BEF Camp has sufficient differences and updates to merit repeat attendance. Camp sizes are limited to 15 to 30 participants (subject to change in special circumstances.) Costs/fees (including materials) are expected to be between $250 and $500, depending on specific arrangements. (Excludes transportation, lodging, and most dinners.) Each participant will have ample time to pursue specific interests, including the making or use of stoves and CHAB devices for specific purposes, such as: residential cookstoves, including the combustion device and the stove structure; Institutional cookstoves, in 55-gallon drums or in alternative structures; the Chip Energy Biomass Furnace (200,000 Btu/hr plus biochar) and the Biomass Grill/Stove; 50 samples of fuels, ranging from llama dung to briquettes and chips and pellets; and Jatropha-seed stoves.
For further information contact:
Dr. Paul S. Anderson Email: psanders at ilstu.edu (+1-309-452-7072) and
Dr. Hugh S. McLaughlin Email: wastemin1 at verizon.net (+1-978-448-6414).
The Biomass Energy Foundation (BEF) is a Not-For-Profit entity registered in America as a 501(c)(3) organization to which donations (such as sponsorships of BEF Camps) are tax deductible in the USA.
Farm Community Retreats |
The Vegan Cooking Retreat
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 Whether a confirmed vegan or simply seeking new recipes to better health, you'll find yummy new foods, easy gourmet recipes and a jam packed weekend. |
| Contact Doug Stevenson to discuss dates and details |
Conference on Community and Sustainability
May 25-27, 2012 |
 Co-sponsored by the Fellowship of Intentional Communities (FIC), this weekend is an immersion in all things community and achieving a lifestyle in line with the values of sustainability. Our most popular event of 2011 that promises to be even greater this year! |
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Organic Gardening Intensive |
A week (or weekend) of hands-on gardening as well as garden tours on and off-The Farm to visit Shiitake operations, a bamboo nursery and more. |
Permaculture Skills ApprenticeshipsThis year we will be continuing the remodeling of our Eco-Hostel, using the best techniques in natural building and "designing for enchantment." We are also continuing work on our gardens, 11,000 sq.ft. constructed wetlands, our cob visitors center, our cob, strawbale and earthbag "hipitats" and compost toilets, and many other interesting projects within the Farm community. Field trips to nearby Amish community, Spiral Ridge Permaculture Farm, canoeing on the Buffalo River, and a local bamboo nursery are possible. Apprentices will learn ecology, energy and resource conservation, social and community skills, and the economics of sustainability. A small weekly fee is charged to offset lodging costs. Food is on your own but kitchen facilities are provided. To apply, contact us at apprenticeship at thefarm dot org.
A Permaculture Design Certificate is strongly recommended for this program. We offer certification programs for those who have not studied permaculture, one in Belize in February, others to be announced. All certification or online courses are given in English.
The nearby Earth Advocates Research Farm is also offering internships with emphasis on the development of skills, knowledge, and insights and welcomes inquiries.
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. Morfe extensive renovations are planned for 2012.
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 ...
