permaculture design certificate - day one

 Day One of the Permaculture Design Certificate course kicked off in misty weather at The Crossing out the back of Bermagui...

 this is our 'classroom' for the next couple of weeks of intensive study

 here it is from down the bank - the whole crossing site is constantly in flux and right now the whole place is really moving through a big change - here is evidence both of a new pergola extension for this learning centre..... the folks are about to install a commercial kitchen so there's lots of bits and bobs about the place for that project as well.... oh and then there's the paving happening on the other side... and the garden work... bush regeneration... and so much more everywhere you turn!


On day one, aside from the obligatory meet and greet we covered a definition of the term 'permaculture' (although the word stems originally from a contraction of the words 'permanent' and 'agriculture'  there are multiple ways of describing, defining and undertaking permaculture); we also moved through the 3 ethics of permaculture: care for the earth, care for people, fair share; and then spent the time working through the 12 basic principles:

1. observe and interact
2. catch and store energy
3. obtain a yeild
4. apply self-regulation and accept feedback
5. use and value natural resources and services
6. produce no waste
7. design from patterns to detail
8. integrate rather than segregate
9. use small and slow solutions
10. use and value diversity
11. use edge and value the marginal
12. use and respond to change creatively

 all today we listened to the resident gander honking warnings to all interlopers -
his girls are sitting on eggs and company is NOT welcome!

I  have read quite a bit about permaculture prior to setting off to this course - and have dwelt on these 12 principles as part of my initial MFA lit review - but its quite a different thing to be approaching this in a group and as part of a certificate course. I'm looking forward to really getting into the nitty gritty over the coming days.....

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