Summer Permaculture Design Intensive

with Nightingale Montessori, Springfield, OH

Now enrolling for July 2026!

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 on campus over three weekends: July 10/11, 17/18, and 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, April 17 (Arbor Day) for $900

  • Regular Registration: Register by Friday, July 3 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.

Ready to get started?

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.