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SUSTAINABLE LIVING SHORT COURSES
Community Resilience, Introduction to Sustainable Living, and Natural Building.
See below for dates and details and get in touch with Martine on gbsustain@gmail.com to enrol.
Take all three courses for a total fee of $1200 and choose a single day for $100,
discount of 10% for Golden Bay locals.
Closing dates for enrolments:
27th of March for Community Resilience and Introduction to Sustainable Living
5th of March for Natural Building
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
The community resilience course is designed to help those who are part of any community, a neighbourhood, a city, a hapu, or a group of people with a common goal of creating resilience for their people and land. Especially aimed at community leaders, council members, community organisations and those who want to understand how we can all be focused on community stability, resilience, and sustainability.
We start from the ground up, with soil health for food resilience, then look at designing and redesigning our common grounds between our houses, through rural, city and village design. We go on two field trips to resilient and intentional communities who showcase practical ways in which they look to the future. On the final day we consider the impacts of natural weather events and look at an example of preparedness and planning that has been created for Golden Bay.
DAY 1: SOIL HEALTH FOR FOOD RESILIENCE.
We learn about the importance of having healthy soil in which to grow our food for generations. Biodiversity in our soils is essential for longevity and we discuss how we create healthy soil and how we maintain healthy soil for growing our food and providing food for healthy animals.
DAY 2: RURAL, CITY AND VILLAGE DESIGN.
We look to understand the design of not only our houses but the spaces between our houses, our common ground through permaculture principles. We visit a local cohousing development and how they are approaching and planning their neighbourhood for long term resilience both as a community and to the wider Golden Bay residents.
DAY 3: FIELD TRIP TO TUI COMMUNITY
Established in 1984, tui is a practical working example of how we can apply the theory of resilience. Understating how the community structure works: In group decision making, communal and private spaces, and food production, housing, energy, woodlot, and general infrastructure. We will explore tui's social enterprises, tui bee balms and the outdoor education centre, and how they incorporate education together with livelihoods.
DAY 4: NATURAL DISASTER IMPLICATIONS.
We look to understand natural disaster and its impact on local communities, how can we design and plan for impacts to our communities and how can we come together in times of need. We explore the Mohua 2024 (Golden Bay) plan, and how you can apply these to your community and create a plan for your neighbourhood or wider community.
Dates: 11 - 14 April
Hours: 9 – 5pm
Lunch, Morning Tea,
Afternoon Tea provided.
Fee: $400
INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING
This five-day course gives you a day introduction to all our key aspects to our longer eleven-week course, covering natural building, permaculture principles, personal sustainability, sustainable eating, and organic growing. As well as our very knowledgeable tutors who guide the eleven-week course, we also incorporate many guest speakers with specialities on all aspects of sustainable living. The theory in the course, is supported by some field trips to local examples of sustainable living and practices.
DAY 1: NATURAL BUILDING
Go on a journey with tutor, Rita Scholten as she expertly guides you through the process of using natural materials for building structures learning the difference between a sick vs healthy home, how to choose materials for your climate and an introduction to simple off-grid systems. The afternoon includes the practical experience of making your own mud bricks, followed by a field trip to a local example of natural building in a residential home.
DAY 2: PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES
Robina McCurdy is a leading light in world permaculture. In her expert hands, you will get an introduction and understanding to "What is permaculture?" Robina will give you an overview of this systems approach and application which is considered one of the smartest design system available for the productive sustainability of households, land and neighbourhoods and rural landscapes. Afternoon field trip to see Permaculture Principles practically applied on a local property.
DAY 3: PERSONAL SUSTAINABILITY / INNER PERMACULTURE
Possibility Management Trainer Tristan Girdwood offers a day of exploration of your inner Permaculture landscape. The aliveness of your projects and relationships is rooted in the foundational assumptions and beliefs that you embody, which are often invisible to you 'from the inside'. During the day you will have the opportunity to discover and unravel these invisible foundations. Come prepared to enter a dynamic practising space to empower you to become an ‘Inner Permaculture Designer’.
DAY 4: SUSTAINABLE EATING AND FOOD PREPARATION
Kerryn Easterbrook will guide you in taking the steps to become conscious consumers and making sustainable food choices. After an introduction to fermented foods, you will have a hands-on experience making sourdough and buckwheat bread, sauerkraut, wild grown pesto’s, plant-based milks, and feijoa chutney.
DAY 5: ORGANIC GROWING, COMPOSTING AND FERTILISERS.
Sol Morgan, is an experienced gardener and educator, and Course cofounder of the Sustainable Living Centre. Sol will give you an introduction principles and practices of generating healthy soil, producing healthy plants and animals. You will learn how to grow food that not only nurtures your whole being but also helps repair and heal the earth we live on and are responsible for. As well as experiencing the gardens of the Sustainable Living Centre, we will also go on a field trip to a practical example of an organic garden growing collective.
Dates: 17 - 21 April
Hours: 9 – 5pm
Lunch, Morning Tea,
Afternoon Tea provided.
Fee: $500
NATURAL BUILDING
Rita Scholten tutors this workshop combines theory, field trips and hands-on building. We also learn about the high toxicity of modern building techniques and offer sustainable building alternatives. Experience working with cob, light earth and loose straw, building beautiful bottle walls and plastering techniques. With your guest tutors you will explore alternative energy and sustainable grey water systems.
Dates: 24 - 27 April
Hours: 9 – 5pm
Lunch, Morning Tea,
Afternoon Tea provided.
Fee: $400
