Bloomington is gearing up to see people’s lives changed, hands in the soil, eyes seeing things in a new way, connections, commitments, and community all developing. The fall weekend permaculture design course, taught by myself, Peter Bane, and Keith Johnson is rounded out by guest instructors and a group of students that bring different perspectives and needs to the course. Put this all together and mix it up and it looks to be an excellent experience for everyone involved.
For those unfamiliar, permaculture, the art and science of creating homes, communities, and regions that integrate the human and natural world–regenerating the world around us to support life in its fullest and richest expressions–directly addresses the crises of our times. With the core ethics: care of the land, care of people, and distribution of abundance–and the principles and patterns of design, a person can consciously create an abundant life and landscape that brings ample returns of joy and connection with the natural world, with community, and with self. The design process can apply to any scale: from how I organize my kitchen workflow to regional community planning.
One of the things I’m most excited about by the weekend course, is that it is usually taken by those within my home region–creating a richer, fuller dynamic for the emergence of permaculture solutions to the region’s particular problems. In my own path, I see that we need many people working within their regions so that the solutions become more bioregional, more localized, fitted with the needs and cultures in our own areas. Certainly the permanent culture of the Midwest looks different from the permanent culture of Tasmania–in terms of cultural and agricultural patterns! And that is something to be celebrated. I feel so much anticipation and excitement about the future we will share, and I am so proud of and thankful to the colleagues and students in the area that have engaged in so much good work already.
To find out more about the course visit: http://shelteringhills.net/2011%20weekend%20course.html.
Vital Connection 
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