2013 summer course schedule
Introdução à Permacultura / Introduction to Permaculture (Português/English), with Helder Valente – Tuesday 4th June – Wednesday 5th June 2013.
Full Permaculture Design Course, Intensive, with Helder Valente - Tuesday 4th June – Wednesday 12th June 2013.
Introduction to Permaculture weekend, with Rob van Deursen – Saturday 27th July – Sunday 28th July 2013.
Organic Horticulture: Zones 1 and 2, with Rob van Deursen - Tuesday 30th July – Saturday 3rd August 2013.
Practical Stonemasonry – A fully practical week long course taught by one of the area’s premier professional stonemasons. Summer 2013. Full dates and details very soon.
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Introduction to Permaculture / Introdução à Permacultura (English/Português), with Helder Valente
Tuesday 4th June – Wednesday 5th June 2013.
Join us for the first two days of our Permaculture Design Course and receive a thorough introduction to the subject. International teacher Helder will lead us through the ethics and principles of Permaculture.
This course will be provided in English, but with Portuguese translation.
Junte-nos para os dois primeiros dias do nosso Curso de Design de Permacultura e recebe uma introdução completa ao assunto. Professor internacional Helder vai levar nos através da ética e princípios da Permacultura.
Este curso será fornecido em Inglês, mas com tradução Português.
Prices and Payment
The total cost of this Introduction to Permaculture course is €50.
The full Permaculture Design Course continues until Wednesday 12th June. Please consider joining us for the whole course!
The price includes:
- Introdution to Permaculture course tuition and certificate of completion.
- Camping space for your own tent.
- Use of compost toilet and washing facilities.
- Vegetarian meals. Additional meals available at a small cost if you wish to extend your stay with us following the course, or are joined by a non-participating guest.
Places are limited. Contact us via email to reserve your place and we will provide you with bank transfer details. Or telephone us on (00351) 235512171 or 934542254 (mobile).
A minimum deposit of 50% is payable at time of booking, with the remaining 50% payable on arrival. When your deposit is received we will acknowledge it by email and confirm your place on the course.
Payments cannot be refunded for cancellations by the student less than 10 days before the course commences.
We reserve the right to cancel the course and refund monies paid in the unlikely event of illness or that insufficient bookings are confirmed. We cannot be held responsible for other costs.
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Full Permaculture Design Course, Intensive, with Helder Valente
Tuesday 4th June – Wednesday 12th June 2013
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is a sustainable design system that provides for human needs while having positive effects on the surrounding environment. It is based on the ethics of earth care, people care and fair share, and provides practical solutions to the global crises we are currently facing.
Who is the Permaculture Design Course for? 
Permaculture is for EVERYONE, regardless of their education, background, or previous experience.
Permaculture is NOT just about trees, or just about gardening! You don’t need loads of land to practice it and it’s a design method that can be applied to all social systems.
Whatever your plans for the future, the Permaculture Design Course will give you the perspective and tools required to find positive solutions towards a sustainable life.
This is an intensive course, where we will concentrate fully on the permaculture immersion for the whole nine days. You’ll receive the full 72 hours teaching plus practical sessions, but we’ll be working hard! It’s ideal for those who are time short or just prefer a more intense experience. For those who are able, there is the opportunity to stay on at Casalinho as a volunteer after the course and try some additional permaculture in action.
Official Permaculture Design Course
When? Tuesday 4th June – Wednesday 12th June 2013
What? The official 72 hours Permaculture Design Course
Where? Casalinho e Escabelado, Aradas, 3320-361 Unhais o Velho, Pampilhosa da Serra
The course follows a 72 hour set syllabus and leads to the internationally recognised Permaculture Design Certificate. Taught in English by Helder Valente. Helder speaks fluent Portuguese, so please don’t worry about translation for troubling words or ideas.
Helder studied permaculture with Bill Mollison and now teaches all over the world. You can read about Helder and see examples of his design work here.
Andrea and Jeroen are your hosts here at Casalinho. Andrea’s Permaculture Design Course inspired her so much that she insisted Jeroen also do one, and the first PDC taught at Casalinho was born! Last year our eldest son also did the PDC here, making him one of the youngest graduates 
We’re now working towards the Diploma in Advanced Permaculture Design with Casalinho as our focus. We’re assisted in our projects by the international volunteers that we host, a fabulous opportunity to bring permaculture to a wider audience and expose ourselves to new ideas and inspirations. The rest of this website should give you the flavour of our project.
The subjects covered during this Permaculture Design Course include:
- The ethics and principles of Permaculture
- Learning strategies
- Pattern in design
- Biodiversity
- Water in the landscape
- Forests and trees
- The importance of Soils
- Climate
- Buildings and structures
- Formal / informal economies
- Community development
The course includes a combination of classroom and practical sessions and culminates in a design workshop.
Participants in Casalinho’s 2011 PDC hard at work surveying the field and creating a mulch bed
Prices and Payment
The total cost of this Permaculture Design Course is €350.
The price includes:
- Permaculture course tuition, practical sessions and certificate.
- Camping space for your own tent.
- Use of compost toilet and washing facilities.
- Vegetarian meals. Additional meals available at a small cost if you wish to extend your stay with us following the course, or are joined by a non-participating guest.
Places are limited. Contact us via email to reserve your place and we will provide you with bank transfer details. Or telephone us on (00351) 235512171 or 934542254 (mobile).
A minimum deposit of 50% is payable at time of booking, with the remaining 50% payable on arrival. When your deposit is received we will acknowledge it by email and confirm your place on the course.
Payments cannot be refunded for cancellations by the student less than 10 days before the course commences.
We reserve the right to cancel the course and refund monies paid in the unlikely event of illness or that insufficient bookings are confirmed. We cannot be held responsible for other costs.
PDC class with Lesley Martin & Bonita the goat. Participants have joined us from Portugal, UK, Australia, Philippines, China, Norway, Holland, Italy, Spain, Israel, Brazil, Hungary, Denmark and USA.
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Introduction to Permaculture Weekend, with Rob van Deursen
Saturday 27th July – Sunday 28th July 2013.
Enjoy this introduction to permaculture over a relaxed weekend. Designer and teacher Rob van Deursen will guide us through the basics of permaculture using a combination of taught sessions and fun practical exercises. This is a great taster for someone who may wish to go on to do a full Permaculture Design Course in the future, or someone who just wants a fun introduction to the subject and wants to go home with some ideas to put into practice.
You may be interested in combining this Introduction to Permaculture weekend with our Organic Horticulture course beginning Tuesday 30th July.
Prices and Payment
The total cost of this Introduction to Permaculture course is €50.
The price includes:
- Introdution to Permaculture course tuition, practical sessions and certificate of completion.
- Camping space for your own tent.
- Use of compost toilet and washing facilities.
- Vegetarian meals. Additional meals available at a small cost if you wish to extend your stay with us following the course, or are joined by a non-participating guest.
Places are limited. Contact us via email to reserve your place and we will provide you with bank transfer details. Or telephone us on (00351) 235512171 or 934542254 (mobile).
A minimum deposit of 50% is payable at time of booking, with the remaining 50% payable on arrival. When your deposit is received we will acknowledge it by email and confirm your place on the course.
Payments cannot be refunded for cancellations by the student less than 10 days before the course commences.
We reserve the right to cancel the course and refund monies paid in the unlikely event of illness or that insufficient bookings are confirmed. We cannot be held responsible for other costs.
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Organic Horticulture: Permaculture Zones 1 and 2, with Rob van Deursen
Tuesday 30th July – Saturday 3rd August 2013
Following Permaculture Design Courses, we’ve always asked what students would like to learn more about. The actual nitty gritty of growing food is the most common answer, so this 5 day course has been designed with that aim in mind. It’s actually for anyone who wants to learn more about growing their own food, and we’ll cover that from the planning to the harvesting. This course might be for you whether you’re new to organic gardening or just looking to improve your skills and yields. If you have no previous experience of permaculture that is absolutely fine, although you may wish to join Rob for our Introduction to Permaculture weekend conveniently immediately before this course.
In this course, we’ll be covering
- Starting situation
- Design decisions
- Yield requirements: crops and quantities
- Crop planning, including planning for ‘losses’
- Land use and labour estimates
- Growing strategies (minimalistic vs. intensive)
- Companion planting: vegetables, herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees.
- Planning and growing for soil fertility
Sessions will include a combination of classroom and practical activities, and you’ll have the opportunity to explore the Casalinho vegetable gardens and see the course material in action.
Rob van Deursen was introduced to Permaculture in 2008, and in 2009 completed the a year of Permaculture Training at the Permaculture School of the Netherlands. He is fascinated by Permaculture’s focus on complexity and interaction in nature and how it offers practical methods to design in harmony with nature’s own principles.
Since 2010 Rob has been developing and teaching courses and workshops on Permaculture Design, and he’s currently working as a Permaculture Designer and Coach to several emergent communities. In all of Rob’s work as Designer, Coach and Trainer he strives to provide hands on ways to design productive landscapes.
Prices and Payment
The total cost of this Organic Horticulture course is €250.
The price includes:
- Organic Horticulture course tuition, practical sessions and certificate of completion.
- Camping space for your own tent.
- Use of compost toilet and washing facilities.
- Vegetarian meals. Additional meals available at a small cost if you wish to extend your stay with us following the course, or are joined by a non-participating guest.
Places are limited. Contact us via email to reserve your place and we will provide you with bank transfer details. Or telephone us on (00351) 235512171 or 934542254 (mobile).
A minimum deposit of 50% is payable at time of booking, with the remaining 50% payable on arrival. When your deposit is received we will acknowledge it by email and confirm your place on the course.
Payments cannot be refunded for cancellations by the student less than 10 days before the course commences.
We reserve the right to cancel the course and refund monies paid in the unlikely event of illness or that insufficient bookings are confirmed. We cannot be held responsible for other costs.
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Other Information
What you will need to bring with you:
- Tent and all your bedding requirements and personal items.
- Notebook / paper and pens for note taking, and pencils, coloured pencils or pens, ruler for designs
- Something to lean on (clipboard, hard notebook) for practical sessions.
- A torch or lantern. It’s dark at night!
- Sensible footwear for practical sessions.
- Sunhat, suncream etc.
- Work gloves if you need them for practical sessions.
- Eco-friendly toiletries (a small selection available for sale here)
- Additional items may be required for the Stonemasonry Course. Please enquire.
For a more in-depth packing list, intended for our volunteers, see here.
What you need to know
- Please do not bring dogs or other pets. We have dogs and other animals of our own, and their security is our priority.
- Please use only biodegradable toiletry and washing products. All our grey water is used for irrigation.
- If you smoke, we request that you take particular care with cigarette ends. Not only is it impolite to leave them around, but they represent a serious fire risk. No smoking in the campsite, forest or fields. We don’t allow candles during the summer months.
- You can reach us via public transport, and we will pre-order a local taxi to the farm for you by arrangement. Car-sharing would be great. We’ll include participants on a travel share list unless you would prefer that we didn’t.
- Please don’t rely on having internet access during the course. There is access in local villages, but you may prefer to relax during your free time.
- Non participating partners and friends are welcome to join you at Casalinho. They can make a donation and enjoy a holiday with us, or we can arrange for them to join our volunteering team.
- You are welcome to extend your stay at Casalinho after the course. Consolidate your new learning with some volunteering, or donate to the project and you can relax and enjoy the beautiful area after the course.
- We would love to welcome children, but we do not have the facilities to take care of them whilst you are in class. Therefore, any children who will be here during the courses must be accompanied by a carer who is not participating.
- Please respect that this is a family home and normal life must go on as usual!
- Trucks and other live in vehicles are very welcome, but please let us know in advance so we don’t overbook the available space.
Please contact us with any queries.
We look forward to welcoming you to Casalinho e Escabelado and one of our courses.
