Join us in Bali this September with Chris Shanks of Project Bona Fide in Nicaragua, to learn how to live sustainably using permaculture principles and ethics. Immerse in farm living whilst meeting environmental entrepreneurs, educators, homesteaders and farmers in the ecologically diverse ecosystem of Bali.
During these two weeks you will learn practical skills through hands on workshops for creating resiliency into your everyday life. Gain knowledge on how to design spaces using natural patterning and permaculture design thinking. The 15 days will be a mixture of workshops, presentations, evening talks and off-site visits. You will be introduced to Balinese farmers that have for decades interwoven permaculture principles into their cultural and agricultural practices. Learn from The Kul Kul Farm Co-Founders Orin & Maria about their journey starting a farm enterprise based on permaculture principles.
MORE OF WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
Permaculture provides an effective solution-based design system to address the problems of today. Based on a set of principles and natural patterning, permaculture design is applicable in all climate conditions; in both urban and rural situations.
This 2 week Permaculture Design Certificate includes an Introduction to Permaculture and workshops on home gardening, soil fertility, composting, agroforestry, bamboo & natural building, and more. You will learn about the ecologically sustainable water management and intricate irrigation system for rice paddies in Bali called the Subak. Listed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012.
Green School and Green Village
During the course you will be given a personalised tour of Green School to learn from the leaders who are pioneering education using systems thinking and nature education. We will also visit some of the most beautiful bamboo structures in the world at Green Village. You will learn how to transform a wild grass into a beautiful building material from the bamboo architects and builders who were involved in building the school and the village.
Days will be a mixture of lectures, presentations and hands on workshops. The course is full time and includes 1 day off for you to enjoy exploring Bali or relaxing on the farm. You will also be able enjoy afternoons and weekend swims in Green School’s very own natural spring fed, natural pool by the Ayung River.
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE?
A Permaculture Design Course at The Kul Kul Farm is suitable for anyone interested in sustainability and nature living. People apply permaculture design to their daily lives, homes, gardens, businesses as well as to help facilitate positive change in their communities. Whether you’re interested in growing food on your rooftop, designing a kitchen garden, starting a community garden, developing techniques to reduce waste and energy consumption or you may have a larger professional project in mind, this permaculture design course will improve your ability to understand and interact with your local environment and give you the inspiration, knowledge and confidence to create permaculture designs and life more connected to nature.
THE FULLY CERTIFIED PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE CURRICULUM INCLUDES:
Permaculture Principles and Ethics
Reading the Landscape
Pattern Design and Pattern Application
Water harvesting and Earth Works
Site Analysis (Sector Analysis)
Site Planning and Layout (Zoning)
Climate and Micro-Climate Strategies
Tropical, Temperate, Dryland and Humid Climates
Mapping
Land Access
Community Building
Planting Strategy
Soil Carbon Sequestration and Biochar
Food Forests and Agroforestry
The Design Process, Principles, Strategies, and Techniques
Soil Fertility
Pond management and ecology
Natural Building
Grey water systems
Bioremediation
Renewable Energy Systems
Watershed management
Economy and Equity
Group work on a conceptual design project.
WHERE YOU’LL STAY
Accommodation on the farm is included in your ticket. We have two accommodation options; rooms in our bamboo bunkhouse and in our newly built bamboo yurts. These options are both shared. If you would like a private room these are also available upon booking. All participants are encouraged to stay on site during the course. Both accommodation options include composting toilets and warm outdoor showers.
WHAT YOU’LL EAT
We do our provide quality local ‘off the land’ ingredients to make delicious meals. We cater to vegetarians, vegans & people who don’t eat wheat or gluten.
YOUR TEACHERS
CHRIS SHANKS
Chris has been practicing Permaculture design for over 16 years. His ‘journeyman’ years were spent apprenticing and working on farms from Spain to Central America to the west coast of the United States. Chris designed, built and planted his primary project over 13 years ago, Project Bona Fide located on Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua. Chris has worked and consulted in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the USA, Thailand, the Bahamas, Hawai’i and the USVI. Chris has taught nearly 30 full Permaculture Design Courses, runs his own consulting firm called Living Systems Solutions is a businessman and strong proponent of interweaving Permaculture design into development and entrepreneurship. His work in horticulture, seed saving, ‘living seed banks’ and education have brought awareness as well as concrete solutions to thousands.
WHAT CHRIS’ STUDENTS SAY ABOUT HIM
“When I decided to take a Permaculture Design Course with Chris Shanks I didn’t realize how much it was going to change the trajectory of my studies, and quite honestly, my life. To put it succinctly, that course opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking about so many of the problems that I was learning about and see instead possible solutions in really interesting and creative ways. I was hooked.”- Jackie
“I had the wonderful opportunity of learning under Chris at Rancho Mastatal,Costa Rica. Originally the thought was planted in my head that learning from Chris would be like being at permaculture boot camp. Well it had that feeling because of the excitement that he brought forth. More importantly, he gave you the desire to get hands on the minute he was finished with instruction…. Friends and I are hoping within the next year to do some advanced instruction with Chris”. – Wes
ORIN HARDY
Orin was first introduced to Permaculture when he was 16 years old by Penny Livingston and her husband James Stark. Since then he has done Permaculture Design Courses with Dave Jackie at Milkwood, Penny Livingston and James Stark at the Regenerative Design Institute and Paul Taylor at Jambaroo Farms.
After graduating from the Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington, he returned to Bali in 2012 and started IBUKU Gardens, a landscape design group that is part of IBUKU. He and his team completed over 20 permaculture design projects in Bali. His most recent project was for the Sumba Hospitality Foundation on the island of Sumba.
The Kul Kul Farm is a culmination of his years of studying permaculture and implementing regenerative food systems and exploring its relationship to people and communities.
Other guest teachers will be announced at a later date.