.png)
Golden Bay Sustainable Living Courses
LIVE AND LEARN THE FUTURE
There has never been a more critical time
to build our skills for a genuinely sustainable future.
​
Last Day for Enrolment 1 pm on Monday 28th August 2023
Our Golden Bay Sustainable Living Courses will change how you think and live forever. Are you ready to design your sustainable life? If so, click on apply & we'll see you on the course.
Course Overview
‘Sustainable Living Courses’ offers a compelling menu of hands-on, experiential learning modules covering core areas of sustainable practices plus your personal research project. Course participants will enjoy super healthy organic lunches, lots of fun, some of the best learning needed to survive and thrive in the 21st Century and the support you need personally in getting your best visitor experience in beautiful magical Golden Bay.
​
​
Modules cover: ​
-
Permaculture Design
-
Organic Food Growing
-
Sustainable Eating:
Food Harvesting, Preparation and Preserving -
Natural Building
-
Community Resilience
-
Personal Project
How You Learn
Learn in paradise with some of the world's leading experts through interactive tutorials, hands on practical work and field trips.
You will visit some of the wealth of living examples of sustainable practices within Golden Bay like a 30 year old intentional community and a famous local music & restaurant venue that embodies sustainable practices. You will hear the stories of conscious, local businesses and experience first hand how they work.
​
In addition you will complete a personal project allowing you to synthesise the relevant learning from all the course modules. This project is deliberately open-ended allowing your to tailor it into a meaningful, productive exercise for your life.
Student Testimonials September 2020
SEPTEMBER 2023
SUSTAINABILITY COURSES
At the Sustainable Living Centre in Takaka, Golden Bay
​
PERMACULTURE
PERMACULTURE: Landuse Design Certificate
Part 1&2:
Learn how to transform your property into an aesthetic productive edible landscape, using permaculture design principles, working in harmony with nature.
Depending on your household's needs and vision, you will learn how to integrate into your landscapel:
* Abundant organic vegetable gardens * Bird & bee attractant shelter
* Fruit trees, herbs and flowers * Small animals
* Diverse (use of) microclimates * Watering recycling systems
This interactive course offers a dynamic combination of theoretical knowledge, observation exercises, hands-on practical activities, field visits and a full design experience.
Mon 18 Sept - Thu 21 Sept, Part 1: Interpreting Landscape
Fri 27 Oct - Wed 1 Nov, Part 2: Designing for Sustainable Landuse
On Wed eve 1 Nov; presentations of the Main Design
Tutor: Robina McCurdy, Price: $990 + GST
PERMACULTURE, part 1
4 days: Mon 18 Sept - Thu 21 Sept, Part 1: Interpreting Landscape $395 + GST
PERMACULTURE, part 2 (must complete part 1 first)
6 days: Fri 27 Oct - Wed 1 Nov, Part 2: Design Sustainable Landuse
On Wed eve 1 Nov; presentations of the Main Design, $595 + GST
​
ORGANIC GROWING
​
GROWING HEALTHY VEGETABLES & ORCHARD DESIGN + CARE: part 1&2
Learn how to create a vegetable garden and orchard from scratch, following organic principles and utilising local resources as much as possible. In addition, you will gain skills and know-how to produce healthy abundance of fruit and vegetables throughout the seasons. This programme includes land preparation, managing soil fertility, composting, plant selection and propagation,
seasonal action plan, growing structures, plant care, and saving seed for food resilience.
Tutor: Sol Morgan
ORGANIC GROWING, part1
9 days: 23-27 Sept & 30 Sept- 3 Oct, part 1 Growing Vegetables, $895 + GST
ORGANIC GROWING, part 2
​
4 days: 24-25 Oct & 3 Nov, 5 Nov, part 2 Orchard Design and Care, $395 + GST
NATURAL BUILDING
​
In this module you learn about health impacts of our modern building and why building with natural materials benefits all living systems. What can you do to bring natural materials back into your home.
By getting your hands and feet in the clay you will learn about different earth building techniques and their properties. Become inspired by the creative expressions if this material. You will go on field trips to talk to owners of earth-built homes and other supportive natural systems here in Golden Bay.
Tutor: Rita Scholten
1 week Module: Get inspired by Natural Building techniques
5 days: Mon 9 Oct - Fri 13 Oct, $495 + GST
AFFORDABLE EATING AND CARE SOLUTIONS
A practical, hands on course of creating fermented foods, dairy & plant based products, harvesting & processing local herbal teas, & creating awareness of local resources growing wild as well as being produced locally. Also includes a day of making first aid and household solutions with herbs and weeds from your local area and garden.
Tutors: Kerryn Easterbrook, Rita Scholten
Create Affordable Food (3 days) and Care (1 day) Solutions
4 days: Mon 16 Oct - Thu 19 Oct, $395 + GST
FULL COURSE MODULES:
8 weeks , 4 modules incl Your Personal Project.
1. Interpreting Landscape/Growing healthy veggies, 3 weeks, tutor Robina Mc Curdy and Sol Morgan. Kerryn Easterbrook for 1 day Affordable weekly food calendar
2. Get inspired by Natural Building Techniques, 1 week, tutor Rita Scholten
3. Create Affordable Food and Care Solutions, 4 days, tutor Kerryn Easterbrook and Rita Scholten
4. Permaculture Design of Sustainable Landuse/ Orchard Design and Care, 2 wks, tutor Robina Mc Curdy and Sol Morgan
Book in time with experts to help you with your Personal project and hold presentation.
Each module Includes Fieldtrips , Guest Speakers and hands on Practicals
Mon 18 Sept - Fri 10 Nov.
Price: $ 3500 + GST
Permaculture Landuse Design Certificate
7 weeks, 4 modules course (not including Personal Project)
Mon 18 Sept - Sunday 5 Nov.
Price : $3300 + GST
Permaculture Landuse Design Certificate
COMBINED MODULES:
​
PERMACULTURE & ORGANIC GROWING
INTERPRETING LANDSCAPE WITH PERMACULTURE SUSTAINABLE LANDUSE DESIGN COMBINED WITH GROWING HEALTHY VEGGIES/ORCHARD DESIGN AND CARE.
Tutors: Sol Morgan, Robina McCrurdy,
5 weeks: Mon 18 Sept - Wed 4 Oct, Part 1
Tue 24 Oct - Sun 5 Nov, Part 2
Price $2395 + GST
Permaculture Landuse Design Certificate
INTERPRETING LANDSCAPE WITH PERMACULTURE SUSTAINABLE LANDUSE DESIGN AND GROWING VEGETABLES, AFFORDABLE WEEKLY FOOD PLANNER
3 weeks: Mon 18 Sept - Wed 4 Oct
Price: $1395 + GST
​
PERMACULTURE DESIGN SUSTAINABLE LANDUSE/ ORCHARD DESIGN AND CARE
(must complete a module that includes permaculture part 1 prior)
2 Weeks: Tue 24 Oct - Sun 5 Nov
Price: $995 + GST
ONE DAY MODULES:
$95 + GST
​
Wed 4 Oct: Affordable nutritious weekly food planner by Kerryn
Tue 17 Oct: Create your own Household and Care Solutions by Rita
FIELDTRIP DAYS packed with info:
Wed 27 Sept: Sustainable Growing Businesses by Sol
Fri 13 Oct: Naturally Built Houses by Rita
Thurs 19 Oct: Sustainable Food Businesses by Kerryn
​
​
TUTORS:
​
​
Personal Project
In many ways the personal project is the most important part of the course. Through your project, you will engage in depth in an aspect of sustainability you are passionate about.
​
You will develop your project with the project management skills gained in this course and regular sessions with your mentor.
​
We will assist you in setting goals at the beginning of the course and match you with a suitable mentor, so that you will have plenty of time.
​
You may choose from any of the core areas of the course and related topics. For example: you may choose to focus on developing a sustainable business in every sense of the word: financially, ecologically and personally or deepen your knowledge of building a tiny home or running a community garden.
​
At the completion of the course you will present your project to your fellow students, mentors, & tutors and potentially to our wider community.
Why We Are Offering The Golden Bay Sustainable Living Course
GBSLC students are of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds.
We want to help people who are tired of struggling in the system working without joy, wishing they knew how to live happier, healthier, more fulfilling, and more sustainable lives.
And people who have done well in life and are now ready for the next stage and want it to be sustainable for themselves, others and the planet.
In this age of climate change, rampant pollution and so many unsustainable practices, we humans need to learn to overcome, the Golden Bay Sustainable Living Centre team has expanded our commitment to land-based environmental education.
With this course we seek to share the huge knowledge and skill base contained within our beautiful community of Golden Bay on all things sustainable with students from across New Zealand and from around the world.
GBSLC vs A Traditional Permaculture Course
Designed for people who want the knowledge, skills & experience to make a difference as sustainability change agents, the main distinctions between a traditional permaculture design course and our sustainable living course are that no other PDC in the world offers the personal project, and the length and depth of learning. Over eleven weeks, participants work with the guidance of a mentor to develop a project or research an idea. Maybe you want to start a composting business, a market garden or community market? Maybe you have a building project, or have ideas around healthy food? Or perhaps you need a plan for your land or even forwho you are going to be and how you are going to live.
Students from the Spring 2019 Golden Bay Sustainable Living Course learning seed propagation.
Best Value Permaculture Design Course In New Zealand and the World.
GBSLC is the best value course of its kind that we have been able to find and we've had a good look around. We found six month courses that meet one weekend a month, two week intensives, and short 1- 4 day workshops that focus on one small piece of one of our core areas. These range in price from $600NZ to $3000NZ, the latter being for a two week permaculture design course. ($3000 did include food and accommodation but was less than 1/3 the length of ours.)
So we feel confident telling you that if you want in depth learning about sustainable practices and the knowledge to develop your own amazing project, there is nothing comparable to GBSLC. Developing your project alone makes this course a valuable investment in your future success.
Our goal is for all of you to leave with a renewed sense of hope and a focused direction for your lives.
​About Golden Bay
Golden Bay has been identified by our spokesperson for Primary Industries, Hon Damien O'Connor, as the perfect place to be THE sustainable region of New Zealand. In truth we have incredible people, resources, and projects already happening, but we are far from there yet. You will be part of and witness to an on-going adventure to make our region reach its full potential as an example to the country and the world. The Sustainable Living Course itself is part of that journey. Come and join us and be part of our history.