Tools to Change the World

Why learn Permaculture?

Permaculture helps us to live a balanced and sustainable life. Whether in a rural, suburban, or urban area, the principles, ethics, and design methods to which a practitioner of Permaculture adheres – or rather, since none of us are perfect, aspires to adhere – are the very principles, ethics, and methods that will greatly increase the possibility for a sustainable, regenerative human presence in harmony with all life on this planet.

This PDC, facilitated at a forming ecovillage in the tropics, is, at its core, about relearning a mindset that humankind has lost over time, a mindset of abundance and cooperation not just with other human beings but with all life on earth. The primary steward of your learning experience is Rebecca Reiber, founder of 8th Life Panama EcoVillage project. Rebecca has over 30 years of practical experience in building teams, facilitating change, and creating and implementing Permaculture designs in a variety of settings. She is joined by experienced co-facilitators during each PDC — see the Faciltitors tab.

Learn by doing!

To increase learning opportunities and keep “classroom time” to a minimum while on site, there are 4 preparatory online classes held in the weeks prior to the onsite course. This maximizes practical hands-on experience and allows for meaningful discussion and action-learning. The course includes 13 full days of onsite learning including over 90 hours of practice, instruction, discussion, and skill sharing.

This course will challenge you to learn by doing and, when you’re ready, to enhance your learning by coaching others on what you’ve just learned. We all bring many skills to the table and we each have special gifts and talents and we will also challenge you to apply and adapt these throughout the course. Activities will center around the ever-changing panorama of a forming ecovillage i