Ludwig Appeltans from Earth Ways with several chosen expert guest teachers will be teaching a Permaculture Design Course spread over 6 weekends with a special permaculture program. (Already confirmed guest teacher for the first weekend: Rakesh Rootsman Rak! )

The course will take place at this exquisite location: Oliver, Tweedsmuir, Biggar, Scotland.

It will be a rich experience and a wonderful learning journey for us all. Ludwig has been preparing for his calling to teach permaculture for more than 30 years. He will bring a wealth of experience and expertise in all things relating to permaculture and in supporting you on your learning journey. You will not be disappointed. Former students report major shifts in their understanding of permaculture and connection to life and nature.

The dates are:
November 12-13 2016
December 3-4 2016
January 21-22 2017
February 18 -19 2017
March 18-19 2017
April 15-16 2017 Graduation

Ideally to learn the whole design journey, you would need to attend all weekends. If you can’t make one, we will provide ways to catch up.

The course includes 90+ hours of tuition, learning permaculture design from Ludwig Appeltans and several guest teachers, a certificate of completion from the Permaculture Association Britain, optional Sat evening activities and homework support.

Accommodation:

There are some bedrooms available and floor or camping space available to stay overnight and we’ll all bring lunch to share. For people that are staying, we’ll organise dinner together.

The high quality program is a rich mixture of permaculture, permaculture design, cultural emergence, permaculture core routines and nature connection. You will learn much more than permaculture design. It will provide you with all the tools you need to give your permaculture journey a real kickstart.

We will certainly cover: permaculture ethics and principles, observation techniques, permaculture core routines, Cultural Emergence, swales, water and wind management, map making, designing efficient money systems, LETS, composting, companion planting, sowing, designing a growing schedule, herbal organic pest, permaculture weed, pest and fungal control, wild food harvesting, woodland management skills, connecting and selling to a community, observation techniques, soil identification and remediation techniques, plant, tree, animal identification, apiary, tracking, bird language, mapping, and much more…

The permaculture core routines are developed by Ludwig as routines that are essential skills if you want to be able to make a good permaculture design.

During the course you will be divided up into small groups and prepare a practise permaculture design together. At the last weekend, you will be invited to present the design to the venue custodians in the hope that they will implement the design after the course.

Homework over the 6 months will be supported online. Homework is not compulsory, but will really help to fully integrate the learning. There will be an online forum for us all to work together.

There are possibilities to learn permaculture hands-on at our farm (optional and in between the course weekends) Keeping pigs, chickens, ducks, apiary, sheep; growing in a poly-tunnel, Jean Pain heating systems, home brew wine or beer, mushroom cultivation, home made herbal remedies, wild food harvesting, survival skills, woodland skills, hydroponics, aquaponics, nature connection mentoring, and much much more…

Prices are on a sliding scale according to financial means and income. £780 for people with very little money up to £1800 for people who can afford it. If £780 is too much for you, bursaries may be available or other ways to reach a fair exchange can be negotiated. Don’t let money be an issue. We can provide support to help you raise the funds you need.

More information will be available as the course preparation takes shape or feel free to ask questions. Contact details are here

Many pictures of the activities of Ludwig and Earth Ways are here on flickr.

Testimonials

It doesn’t become any more permaculture than this! Ludwig Appeltans has a unique way of combining in depth nature connection and awareness with permaculture design. These two months at Earth-Way Farm have been quite mind-changing and a wonderful way of thinking outside of the normal “box”. Ludwig has been a wonderful teacher, mentor and, glad to say, friend. Thank you.
Patrick Maginnis

If you want to experience permaculture and nature connection on a long term basis, so you can really make it your own, this is the place to be.
Jolanda

When I think back to what I knew before and compare it to now, the change is quite astounding. If you’d asked me 3 months ago to create a vegetable routine I would have laughed, but I’ve just created my first reasonably comprehensive one that I feel would have some good success in reality.
This course is a must for anyone who wishes to feel empowered to actually live in a way that is more authentic. Food is a big part of this, as is nature connection, after doing this course, one is able to design and produce food systems, beautiful connections with community, self and others, while keeping ‘nature’ mother earth as the highest priority. Of course it is an ongoing learning journey and for me it feels, the journey has just begun.
Danielle

Rather than emerging myself into books and papers, I emerged myself into nature. You can learn so much through simply observing and being aware. I can recommend it to anybody that loves combining practical permaculture with background knowledge. Be prepared to be a different person afterwards.
Nils

The two months gave me space to absorb all the information through practise on the farm, reading in the library and sitting room and asking Ludwig and my fellow students loads of questions. I think it is great if you want to have a good experience of life in beautiful Scotland. Learn shitloads about permaculture and everything else. Get a sense of the challenges we have on this earth and have fun.
Sauly B

Excellent presentation by @EarthWays #permaculture course participants. Longer, participative course def enhances the learning opportunities
Ian Findley @crossgreenman Permaculture designer and inventor of the whirligrow

Beyond my expectations. As well as the factual knowledge, my soul feels like it’s been touched deeply.

Jonny Harris

I really feel a deeper connection to myself and nature as well as a much better understanding of permaculture and the mindset of permaculture.

Jayson Byles

Inspiring, enriching, informative and fun. It gave me the tools and inspiration to practise permaculture in daily life.

D.P. Forres

The course is wholesome and well balanced. All topics are inspiring and lead not only to healing of mother nature but also to healing of all people involved. Thank you much for your love and dedication.

Love and Light Christine

It took permaculture into fullness, affecting me on emotional level deeply.

Amy

Ludwig: Great inspiration and wealth of teachings.

It’s way more than a Design course. It’s an opportunity to fly with Buzzards view to see yourself part of the whole to be nourished, challenged and connected on many levels.

Amy

I thoroughly enjoyed such a holistic course, the passion and knowledge is astounding and the close-knit community we created in such a short time makes this course stand out, and was an experience I will never forget.(14 day course)

Stephanie Ayres

The course, delivered in the awe inspiring beautiful location, really helped you get a hands on feel for the content being taught.
Ludwig; a man of few words. Each considered and thoughtful; our group was a mixed one, with people from all walks. But each of us felt comfortable due in no small part to the understanding & empathetic nature of this man; A well rounded course in all, that will provide inspiration for years after…
Going on from this course; & after some reflection and observation, I have now decided to become a permaculture teacher. Take the plunge you won’t regret it.

Ed.

A great course with inspiring tutors. You cannot complete this course and not go away and change the way you live, at least in some small way. Inspiring and thought provoking.

J.K.

Everything on the earth should do this course. Everything it teaches is so important in ensuring we build a respectful and resilient world. I can’t wait to learn more and spread the word!

A.D.

More testimonials can be found here:
http://www.earth-ways.co.uk/testimonials/

FAQ

– Why would I choose this course over other PDC’s?

If you’re curious why I am so confident that this course is so wonderful, please read on:

• The teaching quality is unusually high with unusual yet effective teaching methods. Ludwig and the guest teachers each teach from their strengths, lifting the level of the course higher, with more personal assistance. Please check out the biography of the teachers to see what excellence we have to share with you. Ludwigs is here, the others will be added soon.(coming soon)
• Perfect location; our venue is the beautiful Newbold House surrounded by the beautiful Scottish wildlife, which gives us excellent nature observation opportunities.
• The course will be taught on the premises of a beautiful garden, which gives you an -on site- example and a chance to practice the permaculture principles you’ll learn.
• A variety of choice to make your practice design with a wide variety of expertise available from the teachers.
• Most Permaculture Design courses offer only the 72 hours tuition required for the certificate. We also offer many more optional learning opportunities, making the course a holistic wonderful learning experience.

– How do I book?
Send an email here or call Ludwig 0044 (0) 7760142495 to request a booking form. He is always happy to answer questions or to discuss options. If money is an issue, we will do what we can to find solutions.

– How does the deposit and refund procedure work?

£500 part returnable deposit is required from all participants to reserve your place.
£250 is non-refundable.
£250 is refunded if cancelled before October 15 2016.
After October 15, £250 will be refunded if we manage to fill your space. (always worked so far)
After November 1st, no refund of the deposit will be issued.
If for any reason we need to cancel the course, the deposit and fees will be returned in full.

Full payment needs to be made before November 1^st.

We will only consider you booked when the deposit is paid. If the full course fee is not paid by November 1^st we reserve the right to give your space to someone else. We can’t risk financial difficulties due to people dropping out at short notice.
If you have financial difficulties, we will do what we can to help.

– How does the sliding scale price work?
The cheapest price of £800 is for students, job seekers or those who do not earn enough to pay taxes. People who earn more pay more; for those at the highest end the price rises to £1800. This is also the cost for organisations or those who really can afford to help sponsor others.

– What do I need to do to ask for a bursary?
The people who pay higher prices will help pay for bursaries to enable people to take part who otherwise cannot afford it. Putting the permaculture ethic of fair shares in action straight away. The amount of bursaries depends on the number of people who pay more than the lowest price in the sliding scale.
If you have any questions or would like to apply for a bursary, please send a message here

At the last course we gave bursaries to a total of £2000. Bursaries are handled with complete confidentiality. We see no reason not to apply. We will go out of our way to make it possible for you to pay what you can afford.

Funding

If you’re unable to pay the full fees our first suggestion is that you look for funding. Below is a list of organisations which have given funding to people on PDC courses in the past.

We have our own crowdfunding platform where you could crowdfund your fees. As an example, you could sell a design for a friends garden that you promise to make after you completed the course at 50% discount.

www.earth-ways.com