Permaculture and Self Sufficiency

Courses

ADVANCED PERMACULTURE BHT301

Take Your Permacuture Design Skills to a Higher Level

This course provides advanced training for:

  • people with prior experience in permaculture
  • graduates of either a PDC or our Permaculture Systems course
  • anyone with sound knowledge of garden or farm design

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ALTERNATIVE ENERGY VSS102

Supply your own power
Learn about alternative energy
 
Learn to become less reliant on the electricity and gas companies and save money through alternative energy sources.

Alternative Energy is a growth industry, and career opportunities are opening up all the time; from sales and marketing positions in retail outlets and manufacturing businesses through to technical assistants, developmental scientists and entrepreneurial businessmen. Some people get a start in this industry as a hobby, others with a short course like this. Some are lucky enough to get a position where they can train on the job, and others undertake a more substantial certificate, diploma or degree course.

This is not an industry where you necessarily need a high qualification; but you do need to understand the industry, be technically minded and have a creative and open mind that can apply lateral thinking to problem solving. This course aims to encourage and develop these characteristics as a foundation for working in alternative energy.

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HEALTHY BUILDINGS I BSS200 (BUILDING CONSTRUCTION & HEALTH)

This course develops skills to determine the impact of building construction characteristics upon human health, and to recommend innovations in building design to improve habitability. It covers building materials, construction techniques, electrical wiring, temperature & light control, ventilation, plumbing, ergonomics and psychological factors.

Who should do this?

  • Architects, builders, developers
  • Building and health inspectors
  • Engineers, landscape designers
  • Building supply and manufacturing companies
  • Health practitioners, wellbeing consultants
  • Environmental consultants
  • Anyone else concerned with how building structures affect human health

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HEALTHY BUILDINGS II BSS300 (BUILDING ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH)

 

BUILDING BIOLOGY COURSE

Learn to create a healthy interior in a house or building

Learn to understand and explain how physical characteristics of a building and its surrounds have an impact upon human health. Studying this complements Healthy Buildings I, and is an ideal follow on for anyone who has studied that course or it may be taken on its own.

Gain an understanding of:

  • The impact of chemicals used indoors on health
  • The impact of different furnishings
  • The effect of locations
  • The effects of pesticides using both inside and outside and more.. 

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MUD BRICK CONSTRUCTION ASS103

What is a cheap way to build a house?

How do you build a house using mud-bricks?

How do you make mud-bricks?

If you've thought of building a mud brick building, this course can be an excellent starting point. Its very practical, with some hands on work to get you started; helping you begin experimenting and planning ongoing projects, whether they are a modest garden wall, or more complex buildings. Learn to test soil suitability for mud building, how to make a quality brick & how to test its strength. The course takes you step by step through the building process, showing how to plan a building, sorting through permits and other legalities, doing the site works & foundations, different construction techniques,laying bricks, frames & roofs, installing services, wall finishes and more.
 
 

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PERMACULTURE I VSS104

Start Your Career or Life in Permaculture
 
This course introduces the basic concepts of Permaculture, and develops a basis for permaculture design by explaining the patterns which occur in nature, such as weather systems, water cycles, topography, soil-plant interactions and forest ecology, and how a knowledge of these patterns can be used to reproduce balanced and productive garden growing systems.

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PERMACULTURE II VSS105

Advance Your Permaculture Knowledge

This course is a natural progression from Permaculture 1, but can taken separately in its own right. It concentrates on the plants in a permaculture system, how they relate to each other and to the surrounding environment; and selection and placement of different varieties within a permaculture design. This course deals with preparing plans for different types of permaculture gardens, and its duration is approximately 100 hours.

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PERMACULTURE III VSS106

Learn How Permaculture Systems Relate
 
As with Permaculture II, this course is a natural progression from the earlier Permaculture units, but can also be taken separately in its own right. It concentrates on the animals in a permaculture system, how they relate to each other, how they relate to surrounding environments, and selection and management of different types of animals in a permaculture design.

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PERMACULTURE IV VSS107

Take the Final Step into Permaculture: Learn to design and manage a comprehensive permaculture system.
 
There are ten lessons taking about 100 hours to complete

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PERMACULTURE SYSTEMS BHT201

Learn How to Design and Plan Natural Gardens

A permaculture system is a unique landscape where plants and animals live balanced in a self-sustaining ecosystem). It commonly involves developing a garden or farm where the plants and animals are put together in such a way that they support each other's growth and development. The garden or farm may change over years, but always remains productive, requires little input once established, and is environmentally sound.

Expand your permaculture know-how

This is an intensive foundation course. If you are only going to take one permaculture this is the ideal choice. If you take this course, do not do Permaculture I, II, III or IV as well (Permaculture Systems contains parts from the others).

This course provides a sound starting point for setting yourself up as a permaculture or sustainable garden designer.

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QUALIFICATION - CERTIFICATE IN ALTERNATIVE FARMING VSS003

How to Have a Sustainable Organic Farm

Agriculture has seen massive changes in most developed countries over recent decades due to changes in global economics, technology and environmental concerns. This course provides an foundation for dealing with those changes, whether on your  own farm, or in a broader sense. A suitable course for:
  • Farmers or land owners who seek to adapt to a changing world
  • Anyone wanting to develop career opportunities in rural industries
  • Anyone working on farms or farm supply businesses

 

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Qualification -CERTIFICATE IN HORTICULTURE (PERMACULTURE) VHT002

Learn to Design and Build Sustainable, Resilient and Productive Landscapes, Farms or Gardens

Combine horticulture and permaculture for a truly professional qualification in this field.

This course provides training for people working or wishing to work in farming or horticulture with a particular emphasis on the design, development and management of productive natural garden systems and productive landscapes. Graduates may find employment in either general horticulture, or in areas servicing permaculture or natural gardening (eg. Garden/system design, plant nurseries, teaching, consulting, etc). Half of the course is identical to the Permaculture courses outlined previously, and the other half provides a broad, general foundation in horticultural practices.

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SELF SUFFICIENCY I ASS100

I want to BE MORE SELF SUFFICIENT!

Learn how to be more in tune with nature and self reliant. 
  • Live healthier
  • Take control of your own destiny
  • Reduce reliance upon money and services beyond your control

Learn how to live self sufficiently in this modern age and teach other people! With this course, develop your understanding of self sufficiency. Learn about food and nutrition, and making the right decisions about changes in lifestyle; as well as showing you how to do a whole range of practical things such as mud brick building, making crafts, growing fruit, vegetables, herbs, and other crops; raising poultry, sheep & goats, extending the life of clothing, conserving energy, recycling, simple home medical care and first aid, and lots more.self sufficiency, food and nutrition, and making the right decisions about changes in lifestyle; as well as showing you how to do a whole range of practical things such as mud brick building, making crafts, growing fruit, vegetables, herbs, and other crops; raising poultry, sheep & goats, extending the life of clothing, conserving energy, recycling, simple home medical care and first aid, and lots more.

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SELF SUFFICIENCY II ASS101

Self- sufficiency: save on food bills and ensure a higher quality and healthier diet for you and your family.

Learn to be self sufficient with your food.You learn about nutrition and how to balance your diet, as well as how to produce, process, store, and use different types of food. This includes berries, nuts, milk, cheese, eggs, bread making, preserves, & dried food. Cooking, freezing, drying, bottling, making bread, planning a vegetable garden to give produce all year round, and lots more are covered during the ten lessons.

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