Southern Willamette Valley
August 6 – 26, 2012
The Permaculture Passport Program is a new course offering that goes beyond a PDC at a single institution, as is the norm. It is a collaborative regional permaculture sample program lasting 3 weeks, during which a student experiences many different sites and people implementing permaculture principles in different ways within 40 minutes of Eugene. It will consist of one week at Lost Valley Educational Center, then one week at Dharmalaya, and the final week at Aprovecho. There will also be day trips from each of those hub sites to other nearby projects of note. There will be significant permaculture instruction and hands-on activities based around the strong suits of the host sites. Each is described and pictured below. If you have questions, contact programs@lostvalley.org, or any of the three host sites.
Lost Valley Educational Center is a nonprofit sustainability education center and learning community creating catalysts for joyful ecological and social regeneration. Since 1989, Lost Valley has been a place for experiential learning through our educational programs, as well as within our aspiring residential ecovillage. Our courses include: Permaculture Design Certification, Gardening, Eco-building, Designing for Catastrophe and others, and we are a functioning retreat and conference facility with Nature Center. LVEC uses a permaculture approach of ecological design and restoration to care-take our beautiful 87 acres of gardens, meadows, forests, pond, creek, and trails located 18 miles southeast of Eugene.
Dharmalaya promotes dharma holistically in personal, ecological, and social spheres of life. Dharma is the perennial path that brings balance, harmony, and inner fulfillment. The center features a comprehensive program of personal development through yoga, meditation and service, with an integrated approach to personal development. Dharmalaya is also at the heart of an emerging urban ecovillage in its Eugene neighborhood that demonstrates living with low impact on the earth. Finally, Dharmalaya’s social vision gives importance to decentralized economics, cooperative enterprise, equity, development of human potentials, ecological protection, bioregionalism, and spiritual humanist values.
Aprovecho is a 40-acre permaculture and sustainable living education and demonstration center located outside of Cottage Grove. For 30 years, the staff, residents, volunteers, and students of Aprovecho have collaborated to create a thriving educational community showcasing rainwater catchment, natural building, fuel-efficient cookstoves, aquaponics, ponds, orchards, organic gardens, solar hot water, sustainable forest management, and more. We are excited to offer the opportunity to experience Aprovecho to students in the Permaculture Passport Program, and look forward to meeting you this summer!
