Ecovillage Training Center

The Farm's Ecovillage Training Center (and its partner programs abroad) present a series of intensive courses:

April 1 - 25, 2008
May 1 – 25, 2008
Sep 1-25, 2008
Oct 1-25, 2008
Ecovillage Apprenticeships

Summertown, TN, The Farm community. Apprenticeship program in either organic food production or natural building. Organic gardening program includes production from seed through harvest, biodynamic and permaculture methodologies, and soil building. Construction program includes hands-on experience with natural buildings of all types as well as the fundamentals of permaculture and ecovillage master planning. This year we will be continuing work on our 11,000 sq.ft. constructed wetlands, our cob visitors center, our cob, strawbale and earthbag sauna, unique "hipitats" and compost toilets, our 3-story fidobe brick office building, Mexican styles of bamboo/earthen walls, plaster, and thatch, and many other interesting projects. Participants all apprenticeships will learn ecology, energy and resource conservation, social and community skills, and the economics of sustainability. A small weekly fee is charged to offset food and lodging costs. To apply, contact us at ecovillage at thefarm dot org.

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 Basicsmushroom inoculation
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.

Biofuels 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

Solar Installation with Ed Eaton
Nov 5-9, 2008
Become a solar installer with this week-long course from Ed Eaton of Our Sun Solar. In the US course, the $500 fee includes food and lodging or $350 if you just want the instruction without accommodations, and $50 discount for early registrants or bringing a friend.

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.

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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.


Advanced Permaculture Design Implementation

Earthworks for Water Catchment, Erosion Control and Clear-Cut Remediation
September 12-14, 2008 $200-400 sliding scale

Forest gardening and Orchard Remediation
  September 19-21, 2008  $200-400 sliding scale

IF YOU COME FOR BOTH WEEKENDS, JOIN US FOR A 4 DAY HANDS-ON PRACTICUM
September 15-18, 2008
Total 10 day course price $600-900 sliding scale, includes gourmet vegetarian meals and eco-lodging.

This fall, we will be implementing large scale earthworks on a piece of clear-cut property, working on an old orchard (during harvest season) and planting a new forest garden! Stack functions with hands-on advanced permaculture education as we work to restore degraded landscapes.
These are hands-on courses. Learn by doing, with expert instruction!

Earthworks for Water Catchment, Erosion Control, and Clear-Cut Remediation 9/12 - 9/14

Follow the entire permaculture design process from survey to implementation

Learn how to create lush green forest out of a clear-cut wasteland

Topics:
Site Analysis
Site Design
Keyline Theory and Practice
Mulched Swales
Earthen Ponds
Low-Tech Cartography
Low-Medium Tech Survey Equipment

Forest Gardening and Orchard Remediation 9/19 - 9/21

Deepen your understanding of food forestry
Help restore a neglected orchard
Provide food, fuel, and fodder for future generations

Topics:
Agroforestry Theory and Practice
Bud Grafting
Harvesting
Food Storage
Native Orchards
Planting and Mulching Fruit Trees
Rehabilitating Old Orchard Trees
Picking the Right Root Stock
Annual Inter-Cropping
and more!

Instructors: Rick Valley studied at the Pc Institute in Australia and received a diploma in Permaculture Design, Site Implementation, and Teaching in 1975.  Rick co-taught the first permaculture design courses in Canada, Oregon and Belize. An experienced forest gardener, he has also been designing and building ponds and water harvesting earthworks for over 20 years. Currently he teaches permaculture courses and is the Land Steward at Lost Valley Educational Center in Oregon. Matthew English is actively working to regenerate a clear cut piece of property that he and his partner bought as the site for their off the grid homestead and educational center, Solar Springs. Matthew earns his living as a bamboo artisan and farmer. He has spent the last 12 years studying bamboo cultivation and utilization (from crafts to construction), natural building, permaculture and other ecological land-use systems. He is establishing a small-scale bamboo plantation and agroforestry system and offers consulting and workshops in the multitude of appropriate technologies represented at Solar Springs. He has been teaching professionally for seven years. Cliff Davis's reverence for mama gaia has led him to work as an arborist, edible/native landscaper, natural builder, and permaculturalist. His deepening passion for sacred ecology fuels his current projects including an orchard restoration project, a permaculture program for The Farm school and co-founding Flowering Earth Permaculture Gardens/Nursery. He currently works as site steward of the Ecovillage Training Center and is a Permaculture teacher, designer and consultant. Greg Landua has a post graduate diploma in Organizing Learning for Ecosocial Regeneration from Gaia University and is active in teaching permaculture and ecovillage design with the Ecovillage Training Center. He is an up and coming permaculture teacher, founding partner of the Nemawashi Partnership and core member of the Living Mandala Design Collective. Along with teaching and practicing Permaculture and Natural Building he is an active bioregional organizer and NextGEN fellow coordinating regenerative educational opportunities for the Ecovillage Training Center.

Natural Building Fundamentals
Oct 3-5, 2008
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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. Exceptional hands-on experience. Participants will learn energy and resource conservation and the economics of home construction. Instructors: Architect and builders Howard Switzer, Katey Culver, Cliff Davis, Albert Bates, Greg Landau, Wade Austin, and guests. $400 for 3 days, or $700 for couples, meals and lodging included.


POPCICLE -- Peak Oil Preparedness, Climate Intervention: the Challenge of Less Everything
Oct 10-12
Post-petroleum survival training weekend intensive with sections on becoming food self-sufficient, food preservation, growing your own fuels, fuel alternatives, heating and lighting your home with solar and other renewable energies, water catchment, natural building techniques, preventative medicine, ecovillages, and transition towns. This three day course will get you started towards personal oil independence. $400, or $700 for couples, 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. picture

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.


Class size limited so early registration is recommended.

Fee & Enrollment Prices include tuition, lodging, and vegetarian meals. Please send a (non-refundable) deposit to reserve your space. Substantial discounts may apply for advance registration. Balance is due at registration. Credit card users may register by phone. Shuttle service is available upon request from the Nashville Airport for $40 or less per trip depending on the number of people sharing the shuttle van.

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.

For more information, please write or call:

What some past participants say about the courses:

This is a life philosophy and community support structure, not just land design - more than I expected! Those expecting a seven-day classroom course of study were abruptly shocked into entirely new dimensions - and loved it! This course drew together a good community which took me beyond the analytical to experiencing something different. When we built the swale and pond I saw differently.

 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 accupicturemulated 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 ... 



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