6:00 pm Saturday, April 17th, 2010
 John Dutton Theatre, 616 Macleod Trail S.E.
 Tickets $10 each, available at the door
 Door prizes, popcorn and more!


Join fellow Calgarians for a screening of 'Introduction to Permaculture Design' followed by a webcam session with Geoff Lawton, live from Australia!

Geoff Lawton, founder of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia is regarded as one of the most experienced permaculture teachers on the planet. Based on the 72-hour Permaculture Design Certificate as devised by Bill Mollison, join Geoff Lawton as he takes you into the world of Permaculture Design and introduces you to a new way of looking at the world. Learn to apply design skills by observing, analyzing and harmonizing with the patterns of nature. Discover the theory and then see the examples in action in this unique film. Essential information for anyone interested in learning more about permaculture and how to apply it in their daily lives to create sustainability.

This event is being hosted by the Calgary Permaculture Community Group. For more information visit their website or contact calgarypermaculture@gmail.com .

Living in Canada makes staying warm in winter an interesting challenge. In such a cold climate I have long wondered how to continue to keep humans warm (care of people) without bringing down forests or using fossil fuels (care of earth). Even the most energy efficient home with passive solar design will require some sort of external heat input during our winter.
Biomass is simply "ordered" carbon through the process of photosynthesis, ie. stored solar energy. Biomass comes in the form of straw, wood, stover, or generally any matter from living organisms. Wood is a premier choice for heating as it has a high carbon content and will burn hot. However, if there was a massive shift to heating with wood we would quickly deplete our forests and significantly affect the climate. How do we heat ourselves without bringing down the lungs and life support system of the planet? Read more...

This is the first in a series of fourteen introductory articles written by our  friend and mentor, Jesse Lemieux of Pacific Permaculture. There will be one article for each chapter of Bill Mollison's "Permaculture: A Designers' Manual." Through this series Jesse will connect theory with practice, and share practical examples of permaculture in action.

Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms. It provides a sustainable and secure place for living things on earth. While each component is important, permaculture is less about the things themselves and more about how the things fit together. Read more...

Our first design certificate course upon returning from Australia will be taught at Mountain Waters Retreat in Nelson, BC from May 23rd to June 4th 2010. This is sure to be a great course set in a beautiful location - the Retreat Facility is surrounded on three sides by the 27,000 hectare West Arm Wilderness Park and is within walking distance of the town of Nelson and all of its amenities. Mountain Waters Retreats are fortunate stewards of a unique piece of land that has cultivated meadows, old and diverse forests and bubbling creeks that run out of the parkland above. Find out more about the course here, 

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