February 12th - 28th, 2010

A Two Week Residential Permaculture Design Course

May 14th - 23rd, 2010

A 10-Day EcoVillage Design Course at Sahale Learning Center

From May 14^th through May 23^rd Sahale EcoVillage will host a ten day live in course exploring the design and development of ecologically sustainable communities on a village scale.  With the context of Sahale EcoVillage as a reference participants will explore how timeless archetypes of architectural design relate to the indispensible patterns of building human community.

Material presented during the course will include:

•  A review of the Community Master Planning process at Sahale presented by Bruce Weiskotten and Robert Scully.

• A brief history of the EcoVillage movement, its origins and endorsement of the Permaculture Design process.

• Discussion of legal structures and formats relevant to EcoVillages, Communities, CoHousing and similar ventures led by Pt. Townsend EcoVillage member.

• Leadership training in techniques for facilitating communication, group dynamics, shared decision making and conflict resolution.

• Tutorial in community land use planning with Permaculture Design with consideration of County, State and Federal zoning and building codes including Rural Village Zoning as an option in the State Growth Management Act.

• Understanding the steps to forming and sustaining communities through their growth and evolution.

• Seminar on how rites of passage facilitate the transitions through personal roles essential to community relationships.

•  In depth exploration of the Anastasia EcoVillage Movement in Russia and its fundamental patterns – Creating a Space of Love, Kin’s Domains (Family Homesteads), human fulfillment as the Divine Man and more.

• Workshop on consensus decision making led by Bruce Weiskotten and Joyce Smith.

• How to develop and sustain local economics with a look at Time Banks, Local Exchange Trading System, Barter, Cooperatives, Business Incubators and more.

• Renewable Energy system overview of site location and design with solar, wind, micro-hydro power and energy conservation with a tour of the newly installed wood     gasification boiler system at Sahale presented by Ryan Zebold.

• Slow Food as a culture of nourishment, medicine and bonding

This design course will not be presented as a “one size fits all” formula, but more as a smorgasbord of options, techniques, technologies and living patterns from which we as individuals can empower ourselves and each other to create an optimum quality of life.