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.

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.

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We'll use your donations to further our plans to plant more trees and vines.

PDC August 2016 – Building Swales.

Learning to measure contours and build swales is a wonderfully interactive part of the PDC course. The swale being created here has wood in the berm to create a higher edge. The swale itself is a path, and we’ve built a raised bed on the downside. It’s been planted with annual veg in the […]

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PDC August 2016 – Making Hot Compost.

PDC participants turning a hot compost pile. Put together at the beginning of the course, it’s nearly ready for use by the end. As we were lacking animal manure (so many projects, so little poo!), we’ve been using the pee from the compost toilet to add extra nitrogen.

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PDC August 2016 – Natural Building Day

Our Permaculture Design Course participants making adobe blocks and beginning a cob bench on the Natural Building day of the August PDC.

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Cob bench in the making

Completed blocks beginning the drying process, which will take about a month.

Moulding the adobe blocks, a combination of straw, clay and sand.

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Ram Pump Workshop

A Ram Pump is a hydraulic pump which allows you to raise water from one point to another without using an outside power source. We’re astonished that they aren’t more widely known as you can make one at home. All you need is a water drop and cheap parts you’ll find in the plumbing aisle […]

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Book up for a Summer Permaculture Design Course PDC

So our summer schedule of courses is now live, and we’re taking bookings. This year we’re offering a choice of three Permaculture Design Courses, all certified by the UK Permaculture Association and taught by Josh Gomez. They’re differing lengths, so there should be one to suit everyone.

This year, for the first time […]

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A Different Date for your Diary – PDC 1st-9th July

Plans are meant to be adapted huh?

Our Permaculture Design Course this summer with Silvia Floresta has had to be rescheduled. The new dates will be from the 1st to the 9th July, and I hope that means that you’ll be joining us! Please let your friends know, and help us make this […]

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Introducing Oficinas da TerraCrua

Oficinas da TerraCrua (literal translation = Workshops of Raw Earth) is a local organisation offering workshops in a range of sustainable building techniques such as Adobe, cob, cordwood and straw bale.

Nuno taught the New Build session on our recent Permaculture Design Course, which everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Although workshops are taught in […]

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Thermal Mass Rocket Stove Workshop

We’ve just come back from a Thermal Mass Rocket Stove workshop over at Corga da Periera, where Jeroen was helping to build a rocket stove in their tipi. The flue from the stove passes  through a cob bench (the thermal mass) as it exits, so the heat of combustion is retained and can be […]

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