PFD Permaculture Festival Design

( PFD )

 PERMACULTURE FESTIVAL DESIGN

Course by Helder Valente and
 The New School Permaculture team

Douro Valley - Portugal

Oficial website HERE

Interview to BIOSFERA 

Welcome to the permaculture life changing experience

The New School Permaculture with Helder Valente and Festança Festival will be working together to present a Permaculture and traveling festival at the Douro Valley in the north of Portugal.

For 5 days before the festival starts we will learn how to design and organize a permaculture event with a special focus on the practical experience, so we are actually going to be involved on the construction of the festival.

For many people being part of the organization of an event is the most empowering and inspiring transformative process of their lives...and they carry this with them everywere they go....and thats our goal.

This experience will be guided by Helder Valente of the New School Permaculture. 

😊 Helder studied and worked with Bill Mollison, Geoff Lawton, Graham Bell, Sepp Holzer, Doug Bullock, Rosemary Morrow, Darren dougherty, Ernst Gotsh and others, and has been teaching all over the world. Helder started in 2009 teaching permaculture to students at the agriculture university and since then learning and teaching on many different climates. While living in the city he dedicated 3 years on developing a urban permaculture project in the center of Lisbon.

For more than 20 years Helder traveled 50 countries learning about diferent comunities and climates and co created several Permaculture Institutes, schools and programs. During this time he spent 1 year traveling the high Amazon region and has worked and studied with indigenous people like the Shipibo, Quechua, Queru, Dakota, Yawanawa and Kamanawa..

There will also be other activities that you can chose to participate like you can be part of the PDC and also chose to be part of the local visits , practical festival design and stay until de end and celebrate at Portugal Permaculture Festival in the Douro Valley region.

See you there.

Contact: 

maininfonsp@gmail.com

VISION

Creation of an international festival

reference in permaculture to help promote a more natural life.

MISSION

Through this meeting we seek to share about self-sufficiency, natural resources, traditional and world music and travel stories.

Goals

Present workshops, lectures, meetings on the themes.

Sharing local knowledge and traditions

Give artists and artisans the opportunity to exhibit their work.

Present examples of natural construction and self-sufficiency.

Share knowledge about recycling and managing resources in a sustainable way.

Celebrating the unique identity of travelers and sharing knowledge and travel stories.

Traditional, contemporary and world music concerts.

Promoting a spirit of interaction among everyone and striving to maintain everyone's well-being throughout the

process.

Before the starting of the festival we will have a PDC Permaculture Design Course, with this course you will get your permaculture certificate at the same time that you help design the festival. 

To know more about the Festival course click Here

À boleia do HitchFest – o festival da boleia (o projecto mãe), mas com a essência deste. O foco nas viagens e nas experiências vividas e partilhadas mantém-se!!

• Many people look for Sustainability projects because they have a concern related with the way humans are interacting with nature and the impact they have on the planet. By being part of this movement we look to reduce our ecological footprint and develop a deeper connection with nature

• Permaculture its a design based system that looks to create balance between man and nature by a sustainable management of resources. Permaculture its about understanding how nature works and work with nature rather than against nature. Permaculture its also a way of living based on functional design and decision making from the perspective of flow of energy.

• 
  

• By being part of the development of a permaculture project we envision to develop our capacity to become active agents of change towards a positive future. Despite all the problems in the world our choices determine our impact, by a regenerative management of our resources and materials we can create a brighter future

• Permaculture projects have a big focus on reducing their ecological impact, the intelligent management of garbage, the production of food using organic methods and the construction of houses using local natural materials are some of the good examples that you will find, permaculture its a life changing experience and you will find many things to discover.

• By focusing on nature we discover the importance of rhythm and seasons, often we wake up with sun rise or stop to work at sunset,we plant the seed and wait months or years to have the harvesting, understanding natural cycles its a very important part of permaculture studies and to be attuned with the energy flows of nature, deep observation its an essential part.

• Water is the source of all life, and its availability can change dramatically from a dry climate in the desert to a wet climate in a rainforest. Proper water management becomes a priority in ecological design and to see water following a functional human designed system its a special experience.

• By being able to close cycles we see organic garbage from the kitchen become super fertile garden compost that will then produce delicious organic food. Soil creation and improvement, its the first thing we design for when we start a new project and once it starts it never finishes.From compost to natural fertilizers, to worm farming to animal feed, there are many ways to manage the organic waste but it usually stays all the project and its all converted on precious black soil.

• One of the great experiences in permaculture projects its to be able to eat the fruits of our work, its very usual to find large abundant vegetable gardens and diverse food forests producing a large diversity of fruits and berries .Producing its a part of it but also important its the processing of such crops.To make marmalades, vinegars, sourkrauts, jams and wines its a common experience in permaculture projects. Be ready to have great meals.

• There are many different visions towards ecological regeneration, sometimes you find regenerative agriculture that has a special focus on animals, sometimes you find agroforestry projects that have a special focus on trees and sometimes you will find organic farming that focus on all aspects of farming, permaculture also focus on building of houses, natural architecture, how to organize social networks and project management.The main line that connects all of them its to use low impact natural methods instead of intensive short term chemical options.

• Repair, reuse, reduce,  recycle, repurpose, that is all part of closing the cycles : To be able to have a future in harmony with the planet we need to stop exponential growth and exploitation of resources. To reduce our need for new things means to reduce the need for mining and industrial contaminating factories in poor countries, closing loops its the way to avoid that.

• By working outside in direct contact with nature you will experience what it is to feel the wind on your face and the soil under your feet, that helps with our sense of belonging to the planet and you will find that closer connection. Nature can also be devastating and with strong energy flows, we have to be able to adapt and figure out the best way to deal with it. 

• Natural Building is a hot topic that everyone naturally gets interested in. Everyone has the dream of a beautiful natural house in Nature. It is common to find houses made of clay, of wood, of stone and even houses of straw, it always changes with climate and available resources but the focus is always bioclimatic architecture and natural bioconstruction.

• Animals There are people good with plants, and there are people good with animals, some people are good with both, find your place and what do you especially love. Connection with farm animals is a great way to ground the stress and to take care of a very sensitive being. By doing this we have a strong help to find where we fit.

• By being part and helping on a permaculture project will give you some more clear ideas about how we can live in harmony with nature and how to design a future that goes from competition to cooperation, from exploitation to abundance and from egocentric to ecocentric. Take a step on this brighter future and you will see the world change around you