Learn design skills and technique
Broadfork Permaculture is teaching a six-week Permaculture Design Practicum starting July 1. The practicum includes on-site classes with guest speakers, opportunities for independent and small group learning and systems-based design games. Participants will practice site assessment and design skills.
Practicum dates: Saturdays 9am - 4pm // July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and August 5
Weekly Office Hours/Homework Support: Thursday evenings online // July 6, 13, 20, 27 and August 3
Location: Client homes in Hampshire and Franklin counties, exact locations upon registration.
Program Cost: $1,500 per participant. Limited scholarships available. Includes design materials to get you started.
Lead Educator:
Sara-Evelyn Lane is a founding member of Broadfork Permaculture. She specializes in collaborative systems thinking with clients, employees and the plants themselves. She has 10 years of professional permaculture design and installation experience. She’s spent hours digging, planting, watering and weeding for the designs to come to life. She’s an expert in strategy and sequencing, looking at installations over time and prioritizing time as a factor in the design system.
Before teaching the Permaculture Design Practicum, Sara-Everlyn taught nature-based education with people of all ages and was an assistant teacher for permaculture design courses with Connor Stedman.
Sara-Evelyn has an MA from the Conway School of Landscape Design and a BA in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College.
How to Apply
Fill out the application form available HERE. Please submit your application by June 20. We will contact eligible applicants to schedule an interview. If you have any questions, please email us here.
Accepted payment forms are cash, check and CommonGood. Program cost includes weekly instruction, weekly office hours and email support, and a package of curated design materials. A small amount of scholarships are available -please indicate on the application form if you would like to apply for a scholarship.
Six-week Practicum Outline
Week 1: Drawing
Learn how to look at the landscape and draw a basemap, the first step in the design process.
Week 2: Sun vs Shade
Consider different plant communities for different microclimates for sun and shade patterns throughout the day and the seasons.
Week 3: Water
See how water flows on a landscape. Learn the markers of the history of water on a landscape, including underground water systems. Consider site geology, septic systems and soil layers when choosing plants.
Week 4: Trees
Walk through the woods to see different trees in the landscape and in-depth exploration of certain trees. Learn basic tree identification, markers of tree health, needs, structure and history.
Week 5: Group design and presentations
Design a landscape with a group followed by practice client presentations. Learn to incorporate feedback to make a final design.
Week 6: Deeper context and story of place
Look beneath the design at the ecology of place. Learn how to interpret the larger living and historical stories of the land you're working on.
Guest Speakers:
Andrew Young is an ISA certified Arborist who has been successfully running The Whole Tree, a holistic tree care service, since 2006. He graduated from Mitchell College in 1993 with an Associate's Degree after which he worked as an arborist and landscape foreman for several companies before deciding to start his own business. His passion for educating his clients on tree health and care and his commitment to safety and thoroughness in his work sets him apart from the multitude of tree services providers in the area - proven by his number of repeat clientele.
Since learning how to prune fruit trees from his grandfather when he was 12, he has never been able to quench his thirst for learning about trees and how we relate to them as caretakers. He actively pursues educational opportunities to keep himself abreast of the newest research and techniques in the field of tree care and landscaping, and is always willing to apply newer, safer, and more efficient strategies. As a responsible husband and a father of three, Andrew is very conscientious when it comes to the work he does, insisting on safety above efficiency. As an active member of his community and a volunteer on his Conservation Commission he knows very well the importance of protecting the relationship between our built environment and the dynamic landscape that it is built in. Andrew also spends his time polishing local stones and making jewelry.
Connor Stedman is an ecological designer, farm business planner, climate educator, and organizational strategist based between western Massachusetts and the Hudson Valley. As principal and lead designer at AppleSeed, he works with farms and institutions around the Northeast US and nationwide to understand the uniqueness of their landscapes and successfully transition to industry-leading carbon farming and climate adaptation systems. His farm design work specializes in intensive agroforestry systems, diversified annual/perennial production, keyline water planning, and whole farm viability and profitability. He is lead faculty at the Omega Institute’s Ecological Literacy Immersion Program, an instructor and advisor in the University of Vermont’s innovative Leadership for Sustainability program, and speaks frequently around North America on regenerative agriculture and the climate crisis. Connor holds an M.S. in Ecological Planning from UVM.
Walker Korby Inspired by his childhood and teenage experiences in nature, and adult experiences in nature education, Walker graduated from UMass Amherst with a Masters Degree in Geography in 2004. He has a passion for teaching and has been an adjunct professor at Greenfield Community College in the field of human ecology since 2002, as well as an instructor in the community education department. With a focus on community resilience and nature connection, he also teaches for local Permaculture Design Certification classes.
Walker is a Certified Treecare Safety Professional, and teaches chainsaw safety, applications, and maintenance to trail stewards and municipal and state workers. He currently owns and operates Terramor, LLC which specializes in trail building and remediation, as well as earth working and excavation for homestead projects. He lives with his wife and three children in Montague and works also as a firefighter/EMT for the Turners Falls Fire Department.
Ashley Schenk merges art and permaculture in natural building and hardscape design, building trellises, garden boxes, and earthen ovens. He has been building earthen ovens for 15+ years, including at Yestermorrow Design/Build School. Read more about Ashley in Edible Pioneer Valley Magazine.