Introduction to Permaculture

Course Description

Permaculture means “permanent culture,” and …”is the conscious design and maintenance of cultivated ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of a natural ecosystem.” [Bill Mollison] This course will explore a design/thinking methodology that seeks to provide our essential physical needs, food, water, shelter, energy, etc., while doing so in an environmentally friendly, sustainable manner. This course is restricted to upper level undergraduate, graduate, or matriculated continuing education students.

Learning Objectives:

4-H’ers learn about basil varieties at the Ashe County Victory Garden.

1. Explain the ethics, principles, and methodology of Permaculture;
2. Better observe their surroundings; make connections between pieces of information; and continue to develop your critical thinking skills;
3. Define the elements that make up sustainability, and articulate practices that are truly sustainable;
4. Identify and apply ways of designing a garden that promotes self-sufficiency and requires the least amount of inputs and resources possible;
5. Demonstrate the practice of thinking in terms of cyclical systems, this being inherent in Permaculture designs;
6. Demonstrate the design process used in permaculture design;
7. Demonstrate, through confidence developed in hands-on projects, your knowledge and understanding of Permaculture in an active, tangible way.

Reflections and Summary

The second elective I took based upon content conducive to environmental education was the Introduction to Permaculture course. This course was incredibly interesting and was my first interaction with any kind of horticulture science class. Throughout the course, I learned principles related to permaculture and completed several projects that were equal parts challenging and creative. These included designing a tiny dwelling, creating a permaculture design, planning a garden, and designing a creative build.

Within my role as a 4-H Agent, I am often asked about community gardening projects for youth, and this class gave me the opportunity to explore project opportunities that I could incorporate within my program area. Through research, videos, and project application, I came away from the class with much more knowledge of permaculture and plan to incorporate these lessons with some of my 4-H’ers.

Primary Artifact: Permaculture Design Project