Hi there Earthy Folks -
I just wanted to officially get the word out that I will be teaching the
second go-around of Permaculture Design at SBCC this summer
session (4 weekends in June and July -- see attached flier for
exact dates). Just as in the current semester, I'll be joined by a
variety of local guest teachers (from various fields of expertise) to increase
the energy, enjoyment, and applications of the class material.
The course is being offered through the college itself (not adult ed.),
and is cross-listed between the Environmental Studies and Environmental
Horticulture Depts. -- ENVS 210 and EH 210. The course itself is not
approved as an official PDC (it's only 52 hours), but we have partnered with
Quail Springs to be able to offer a three-day intensive extension that, in
combination with the SBCC component, will earn you a Permaculture Certificate
if you desire. This course is modeled after the format of a PDC,
so even if you choose only to participate in the SBCC portion, your
experience will be similar to that of a PDC course (with discussions of all
the primary PDC course topics in addition to a final group design
project.)
I am super excited to be offering this course through SBCC; we look
forward to interacting with what we expect to be a diverse group of
environmental studies and environmental horticulture students combined with
SB-area community members at large. The cost for this 50-hour course is
under $50, so it will be accessible to many who cannot afford most
permaculture courses (thanks to the Director of SBCC's Center for
Sustainability, Adam Green, for facilitating the curriculum approval process
at SBCC and making this course offering possible).
The current semester's class (the inaugural class at SBCC) has been
extremely rewarding for all of us involved. We have a great mix of SBCC
students and community members at-large, and an age- and experience-range that
has really added depth to each class. Here are a few things current
students have said about the class:
"It relates to real-world problems and solutions, and deals with concepts
vital to the sustainability of civilization and health and well-being of our
natural environment."
"Community feel. Openness. Laid back, earthy feel.
Warm, grounded instructors."
"Provides a broad overview with a high level of participatory
activities."
"Provides a 'sincere space' in which to learn, while 'thinking outside
the box'."
"Very well organized. I enjoy the hands-in involvement."
Regardless of your level of experience with permaculture, we would love
for you to come be a part of the second ever SBCC Permaculture Class! We
have had some excellent guest speakers/teachers in this semester's class, and
would love to invite more special guests to participate in our group learning
process. If you feel you have something to contribute to the class, and
would rather pop in and share a bit than take the whole course, please let me
know. However, I'd encourage you to sign up for the course if you can,
since we need a minimum of 20 students for the course to take place (maximum
30), and it really benefits everyone in the course when there is a diversity
of knowledge and experience in the students.
I'm hoping some of you who were not able to register last semester will
be able to sign up this summer -- I hated having to turn you away, but an
effective class can only be so big... I've structured this summer's
classes in a weekend format to hopefully be accessible to those who work
full-time and cannot attend class on weekdays.
In case you don't know me, here's a little bit about how I came to where
I am...
- I'm a Goleta local
- earned my B.S. in Zoology at UC Davis ('96) and my M.S. in Ecology at
the U of Arizona ('98)
- experienced in ecological field work with birds, plants, and some small
mammals
- experienced with restoration ecology (locally) through Coal Oil Point
Reserve and SB Audubon
- taught intro bio, ecology, and environmental field studies at SBCC from
2002-2005
- got involved with permaculture in 2004 through Margie and Wes, and
earned my PDC at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in 2005
- lived in SLC, Utah for past 2 ('06-'08) years leading the permaculture
program (and the community forestry program) at a non-profit called
TreeUtah
- just moved back to town last July and am excited to be involved in the
SB area permaculture scene again!
Pass the word, please, and feel free to distribute the attached flier
widely. The second and third pages of the flier gives explicit details
about how to sign up for the class.
Thanks for your time and energy,
Kendy Radasky
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