Summer Permaculture Design Intensive

with Nightingale Montessori, Springfield, OH

Cincinnati Permaculture Institute takes its internationally recognized Permaculture Design Course on the road for our most condensed format yet, a great overview of permaculture for people eager to get started right away.

This year, we have partnered with Nightingale Montessori in Springfield, OH to offer this three-weekend course in July. The course entails 60 hours of direct instruction and 12 hours of supplemental material & independent work.

CPI Lead Teachers team up with our site hosts and guest speakers to cover the essentials of permaculture:

  • History, ethics, & principles

  • Methods of design and implementation

  • Pattern understanding: Interpretation and application

  • Climate: Weather patterns, managing precipitation, creating micro-climates

  • Water: Harvesting, conservation, and earthworks

  • Trees: Using them in landscapes, growing natural and edible resources

  • Soils: Classification, the soil food web, and methods for restoring soil health

  • Plant selection, creating habitats, and growing annual/perennial food gardens

  • Using plants and natural solutions for integrated pest management

  • Ethically integrating animals — rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep, cows & more

  • Managing bees in your ecosystem

  • Renewable energy, using biological resources, natural building, and appropriate technology

  • Food preservation, fermentation, nutrition, and food/herbs as medicine

  • Invisible Structures: Personal, social, governance, and economic permaculture; intentional communities and local resiliency

Students will also spend time together working as a team on a design project, using the design process we’ve outlined and applying their newfound ecological wisdom to create sustainable systems.

COURSE FORMAT

Full 72-hour training online and on site over three weekends: July 10/11/12, 17/18/19, and 24/25/26

  • Fridays (7/10, 7/17, 7/24): 4 hr online lecture/discussion sessions (4:00PM – 8:00PM)

  • Saturdays (7/11, 7/18, 7/25) & Sundays (7/12, 7/19, 7/26): 8 hrs on-site lecture, discussions and work-learn interactivity at Nightingale and nearby sites (9:00AM – 6:00PM)

  • Plus 12 hours of supplemental reading and videos to be completed outside of class time

TUITION

  • Early Bird: Register by Friday, May 22 for $900

  • Regular Registration: Register by Thursday, July 9 for $1,000

  • A deposit of $250 holds your spot. Payment plans may be arranged for the balance. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to us.

This session has concluded - but you can get on the list for next year!

Pre-register today to put your name on our list for the upcoming class session. Following your application, you will be contacted by a CPI representative to answer any questions and confirm your enrollment.