[OKC] Oklahoma Permaculture Design Course now available

[Shauna Struby]

Hello all -

 

A full-scale, 72-hour Permaculture Design Course to take place in Oklahoma
City and at Turtle Rock Farm near Red Rock, organized by Transition OKC
<http://goinglocalokc.com/> , a program of Sustainable OKC
<http://www.sustainableokc.org/> , is now open for enrollment. The course
will be taught by Scott Pittman, of the Permaculture Institute of Santa Fe,
with guest teaching by Oklahoma City permaculturist, Bob Waldrop. 

 

The course will take place from Aug.-Nov. 2011 and is designed around two
long weekends (Thurs.-Sun.) and two weekend-only sessions (Sat.-Sun.), for a
full 12 days of instruction. This means working people will miss only four
work days total (calculated on a regular work week being M-F). Classes are
generally 9 a.m.-5 p.m. This is a certificate-level class. 

 

A $300 deposit is required to reserve your spot in the class and a short
questionnaire/essay is also required, to be submitted at the time of deposit
payment. The Permaculture Institute is handling registration via their
website <http://www.permaculture.org/nm/index.php/site/class-4/>  - dates of
the classes, registration, course syllabus, essay outline and other details
are available. 

 

Permaculture design offers an array of solutions for growing and designing
resilient, healthy and sustainable communities. Or as Bob put in a recent
article about Permaculture in the Oklahoma Gazette
<http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/article-11404-get-a-perm.html> , 

 

"It [permaculture] is the art and science of designing sustainable human
habitations and systems that care for people, care for the planet and have a
care for the future."

 

Some long-range planners, analysts, designers, sustainability advocates and
environmentalists believe Permaculture has the potential to guide humanity
through many of the challenges we face, such as economic instability,
volatile energy supplies and prices, peak oil, climate change, environmental
degradation and biodiversity loss. As an affirmation of this concept, last
year the U.S. Army sent several members of Oklahoma's National Guard through
a specially designed Permaculture Course at the Permaculture Institute in
Santa Fe prior to deployment to Afghanistan. You can read more about that
inspiring effort here
<http://www.santafenewmexican.com/LocalNews/Farm-help-on-the-front-line> . 

 

Transition OKC received a grant from the City of Oklahoma City Office of
Sustainability which lowers the full fee for the class to $750 (a very nice
discount from the usual $900 or $1,000) so we're very blessed. Big shout out
to Transition OKC team member Randy Marks for obtaining the grant. Lodging
and meals are not included in the tuition and are the responsibility of
course participants. 

 

The first session will take place at Turtle Rock Farm Retreat near Billings,
Okla., about an hour and half north of OKC. This is a working farm, Platinum
certified with Oklahoma Tourism
<http://www.travelok.com/media_room/release/retreat-center-achieves-platinum
-eco-certification> 's ECO program, and part of the Oklahoma Agritourism
program as well. They serve as a center for sustainability, spirituality and
healing, and are located on the beautiful, rolling Oklahoma prairie. Grounds
include a labyrinth, a recently completed straw-bale hermitage and lake. The
farm has alpacas, honey bees, gardens, chickens, wheat and cattle.

*        Meals - Bring your own lunch.

*        Lodging. Participants are responsible for their own lodging.

o   Turtle Rock offers a limited number of accommodations on a first come,
first serve basis. Accommodations include a 100-year-old farmhouse
overlooking the prairie and a brick rambler overlooking a lake. Some rooms
include double beds so if you're willing to share a bed with someone, more
spaces are available. If you stay at Turtle Rock, a continental breakfast is
provided. More details on Turtle Rock
<http://turtlerockfarmretreat.com/default.aspx> 's website or contact them
directly if you have questions. You're also welcome to camp out on the farm
and utilize their bathroom facilities. They may also have a teepee available
for camping. Please bear in mind it will be Aug - likely very hot.

o   Perry and Ponca City are about 20-25 minutes away (Perry is south of the
farm, Ponca City is north) and both offer lodging and eateries, with Ponca
City being the larger town. Both offer the usual hotel/motel chain lodging
as well as locally owned B&Bs and inns. TravelOK.com
<http://www.travelok.com/>  offers great information on lodging and dining
for both towns. Just go to the website and enter the town/city name in the
search line, you'll get info on the offerings in both categories - just
click through to see what appeals to you.

 

Please feel free to forward and share this info with others. TOKC and SOKC
will have this info our websites soon.

 

Here's to happy Oklahoma permaculturing!

 

Shauna

 

Shauna Lawyer Struby

imagine, innovate, collaborate, transition

Co-chair, Transition OKC

Past-president, Sustainable OKC

www.goinglocalokc.org <http://www.goinglocalokc.org/> 

www.sustainableokc.org <http://www.sustainableokc.org/>  

Fresh Greens blog <http://freshgreens.typepad.com/> 

 

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