Financial Permaculture Course - Thriving Economies, Healthy Ecosystems

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2008, Living Mandala
creative services by: 360 Degrees

Including

ENTREPRENEUR TRAINING

BUSINESS ECOLOGY

SMALL FARM START-UP

FINANCIAL PERMACULTURE

Hosted By

The Center for Holistic Ecology

Financial Permaculture Institute

Gaia Southeast

Instructors & Facilitators

Eric Toensmeier

Jennifer English

Gregory Landua

& Special Guests

Course Inspiration

What Does a Sustainable Working Economic Model for a Modern Rural American Community look like? Communities throughout America are looking for the solutions to increasing energy costs, shaky financial markets, changing ecosystems, and job losses in a globalized economy. How do we respond to a world which seems to present us with changes and challenges almost daily?

Course Description

This innovative training for teachers, designers and community organizers hosted will review the mechanics of design, and tools for strategic organization, business planning, documentation, collaboration, action learning and principles of Permaculture applied to personal, ecological, social and financial systems as they meet in the nexus of right livlihood. Core instructor Eric Toensmeier will lead participants in three days of applied permaculture design to co-create thriving, humane, economies that regenerate whole ecosystems (profits for a prosperous planet!). Take this amazing workshop as a follow up to the Teaching Permaculture Creativly Course, or as a stand alone.

What kind of people should come?

This Convergence is designed to be an inter-generational, trans-cultural, and interfaith opportunity to learn how to leverage local resources, diversity and talent to create business opportunities that give back to the local community, bio-region, country, and the world. Attendees will include lawyers and bankers, small business owners, philanthropists, community organizers, investors, financial planers, accountants, construction workers, permaculture designers, financial advisers, city council members, local officials and students of ecology, education and business, and more.

Are there any pre-requisites required to coming?

While a background and understanding of permaculture as well as business is not required, it is helpful.

What is the format and educational style?

The education style for this event will be content driven participatory design. We will be providing key content from experts in financial planing, investment, ethanol production and engineering, green construction & natural building, cooperative legal structures, and more. We will also be utilizing the knowledge and skills of participants using open space technology and design simulations.

Frequently Asked Questions & Logistics

For answers to additional frequently asked questions, logistics, travel and more detailed information Download the Logistics Packet.

What is Permaculture?

The word ‘Permaculture’ was originally coined by University professor Bill Mollison and environmental design student David Holmgren in the 1970’s and was first taught as “Applied Systems Design “ in 1981. The word “permaculture” itself came from the notion of establishing “permanent agriculture” or “permanent culture”; in other words, permaculture is a practical set of ecological design principles and methods for human settlement that provide for humanity’s needs of food, energy, shelter, water and other material and non--material needs in a way that is sustainable and regenerative with the Earth’s natural ecosystems. Over the last 30 years, permaculture has grown to become a global grassroots movement of healing and re-connection with the Earth penetrating many different fields, continents, and cultures. Though often thought of as just a set of gardening techniques, permaculture is in fact a whole systems design philosophy. As a methodology for whole systems thinking, Permaculture is being applied towards business, economics, government, group process, and more. It is in this spirit of permaculture as a holistic design philosophy encompassing many fields that we are truly excited to gather in one place such a diverse spectrum of teachers and facilitators and offer this course to the public.

Tuition & Registratiion

Tuition for the course is $500 and includes course materials, food, and on-site lodging. A minimum $100 deposit is required to hold your space in the course, with the full payment due by September 1, 2010.

Site Details - The Farm

Located on The Farm at the eastern edge of Lewis County Tennessee, ETC is a training center in sustainable living. It holds courses and workshops, apprenticeships and special demonstrations in green lifestyles. The facility is located in a permaculture setting with protected woods and meadows, an eco-hostel, organic garden, swales, ponds and learning center. It hosts courses in permaculture, organic certifications, herbology, installation of solar electric systems, solar waterheating, mushroom cultivation, cob, earthbag and strawbale construction biofuels and a host of courses designed by Gaia University. The ETC has trained students from over 50 countries and is pleased to be working locally with the Hohenwald Financial Permaculture project.

Financial Permaculture Summit 2008

The first Financial Permaculture Summit, which occurred in the midst of the first wave of economic crisis in October of 2008, and since then the community of Hohenwald has been moving swiftly towards creating a new Green Economy based firmly in the principles of Permaculture. Through community meetings, engagement with the local Chamber of Commerce, city government, and county officials, the town of Hohenwald and Lewis County are working to create a participatory design for transition away from an economically and environmentally unsustainable way of doing business, and moving towards a localized economy where the towns folks hold decision making power and the responsibility that comes with it is in their own hands. Click here for more information on the 1st Financial permaculture Summit in 2008.

Watch the video from the 2008 Financial Permaculture Summit

Additional Financial Permaculture Videos

Find More Videos from previous Financial Permaculture Courses on the Living Mandala Social Network.

Financial Permaculture Resource Hub

Get updates from previous Financial Permaculture Courses, find and track the dynamic changes we are seeing in the global economy with updates, resources, blogs, and articles about Financial Permaculture at www.FinancialPermaculture.org.

Contact

Phone: 888-878-2434 x 2

Email: info@financialpermaculture.com

Instructors & Facilitators

The Financial Permaculture Design & Facilitation Team consists of an interdisciplinary coalition of individuals from the business, non-profit and education sectors who have come together to create a forum to address the economic and environmental challenges of the day. Through grassroots organizing, participatory design, and democracy we are working with local communities to create holistic and regenerative economic solutions for local and international sustainability.

Eric Toensmeier

Coauthor of Edible Forest Gardens (Chelsea Green), Eric has worked as a small farm trainer at the New England Small Farm Institute Belchertown, Massachusetts) and until recently managed the Tierra de Oportunidades new farmer program of Nuestras Raíces in Holyoke, Massachusetts. There he designed and installed a permaculture landscape in concert with immigrant farmers who are starting farm-based enterprises in an urban context. Eric is a graduate and former faculty member of the Institute for Social Ecology in Plainfield, Vermont.

Jennifer English

Jennifer English, M.S., N. D. is an instructor and consultant in sustainable and healthy lifestyles, permaculture design, and yoga. She has an N.D. in Traditional Naturopathy and an M.S. in Natural Health, a BA in Cultural Anthropology and Environmental Studies, a Diploma in Wildlife Management, a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrative Eco-social Design, and 14 years professional experience leading projects and non-profits in the alternative health and environmental sectors. Jennifer is the Director and Founder of the Center for Holistic Ecology and co-founder of Solar Springs LLC, a permaculture design consulting firm. Jennifer’s areas of specialization include: local economic development, community networks, eco-entrepreneurialism, consumer advocacy and whole ecosystems design.

Gregory Landua

Greg is a co-founder of the Terra Genesis carbon farming consultancy. He is an active permaculture and ecovillage design educator, founding partner of the Nemawashi Partnership, and core member of the Living Mandala Design Collective. Along with teaching and practicing permaculture, Greg is an active bioregional organizer and NextGEN fellow helping to craft avenues and pathways for intergenerational dialog and collaboration in the shared enterprise of earth regeneration. Greg has studied marine and terrestrial ecology and evolutionary biology in the Galapagos Islands, translated for Amazonian rainforest guides, fought wildfires in the wilderness of Alaska, and studied the nuances of ecology and ethics. Greg has B.S. in Environmental Science and Ethics from Oregon State University, and is receiving a Masters Degree in Organizing Learning for Ecosocial Regeneration from Gaia University International, and was a member of the coordination team for the 10th Continental Bioregional Congress.

Affiliate Organizations & Sponsors

Become a sponsor of this course!

For details email: affiliates@livingmandala.com

For Upcoming Courses, Workshops, & Events Click this Spring & Summer in Permaculture, Ecovillage Design, Sustainable Living Skills, & More Click Here.

Financial Permaculture Course

Thriving Economies from Healthy Ecosystems

September 24-26, 2010

The Farm Community, Summertown, Tennessee