This course will be at the amazing island of Tenerife
This course will be in the beautiful subtropical island of Tenerife. This island has amazing microclimates, you can find plants from cold climates like chestnuts or rhubarb with tropical fruits like mangoes or pineaples all growing very close to eachother.
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is a sustainable design system that provides for human needs while having positive effects on the surrounding environment.
It is based on the ethics of earth care, people care and fair share, and provides practical solutions to the global crises we are currently facing.
Helder studied and worked with pioneers like Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in Turkey, Doug Bullock in the Amazon, Rosemary Morrow in Austria, Graham Bell in Scotland, Darren dougherty, Ernst Gotcsh, Sepp Holzer in Portugal and many others in countries like Haiti, Canada, Egipt, Finland, Peru, always learning and practicing this sustainable design methods.
While living in the city he dedicated 5 years on developing urban permaculture projects and for the last 5 years traveling and developing permaculture institutes around the world.
It all started in 2009 teaching permaculture to students at the agriculture university and since then learning and teaching in many different climates and getting to know the old ways and new ways of sharing information.
By December 2012 in the Peruvian Amazon working in support to the shipibo indigenous communities Helder created the New School Permaculture and is now developing alternative educational methods.
In 2013 the New School has been presenting at the IPC International Permaculture congress in Cuba
TheNew School Permaculture uses creative and inspiring educational tools that enable the students to empower each other in a way that many people have never experienced in their lives before.
The course is presented by creative non formal education methods, that are based on creating a bridge between the right and left side of the brain, so that the analytical and creative abilities of the students get fully stimulated and get the most out of the experience...for many people is the most empowering and inspiring transformative process of their lives...and they carry this with them every were they go....and thats our goal.
The subjects covered during this Permaculture Design Course include:
The ethics and principles of Permaculture Learning strategies Educational Methods Reading the landscape Pattern in design Biodiversity Water preservation Forests and trees Soils building Climates Buildings and natural construction Alternative economies Community development
To know more about the content of the course you can check our videos on you tube
“When the student is ready the teacher will show up”
“Do you chose to take responsability?” Since i am a big fan of non formal education i decided to create this story, sharing what i have discovered in my process as a permaculturist and showing what i really am, how i relate to nature and the inspiration that i have received from my teachers and fellow permaculturists.
I am not the best analitic person and right at the beggining of this diploma construction i was getting lost with the constant grammar chalenges with the british language, so i decided to make it as simple as possible, using no connection words, just main concepts. This is the result of that change of prespective, and it took me closer to what i believe to be a more simple and direct flow if information. By focusing more on the patterns than on the details i believe i found an interesting and dynamic way to include everyone, taking care of the earth and taking care of the people. Hope you enjoy it and this is how it starts...
Index
My Life
Holistic
Objectives
Vision
Mission
Values
Quality
of life
Future
resource base
Observations
in Life
Aims
and objectives for this diploma
Life
story
The
Permaculture closet
The
impact of Permaculture in my life
The
comfort zone
What
I would do different
Burn
outs
Appearances
Aplication
of permaculture ethics in my life
Care
for earth
Care
for people Fair share of surplus
O.B.R.E.D.I.M.C.E.
Final
observations
“Presentation about my river of life”
My Life
Holistic
Objectives
Vision
I
envision a future in which human beings can awaken to their essential
nature.
A
vision that lives by cooperation with each other, nature, and the
cosmos with all the potential, so that we all can create a simple,
just, peaceful, and harmonious new human culture.
Mission
My
mission in life is to keep on searching for that same vision.
A
path that behaves like in any simple organism, always developing,
adjusting and self regulating in all the dynamics that relate to
life.
Il
try to help on the creation of an holistic awareness that contributes
to the development of a big fraternity of healers on this planet .
Values
The
values that I seek for my life path, are based on a simple and
integrative life, were there is a place for everyone to share its
true nature, by compassion, honesty, love, harmony, friendship and
truth.
Quality
of life
The
quality of life that i am looking for is based like in any
permaculture design on the needs.
My
needs are centered on having a peaceful and
fulfilled life, being opened to learn from all sources, from
the elders and the children to the valleys and the mountains.
I
hope that i can also contribute for the regeneration of the outside
landscapes were ever I am needed.
Future
resource base
I
know that the main fountain of my resources are my friends, so based
on that i hope that in the future i can meet more people that can
relate to my self and also to my friends around the world that worked
with me to make this moment possible.
And
by supporting this connections of experiences we can all live in the
paradigm of our dreams.
"Wonderland poem"
Observations
in Life
-Since
very young in the small village were i was born i observed with
curiosity the light that shines on every little manifestation of
nature, those little moments wen it looks like the time stops and
there is this silent moment of complicity between the all powerful
nature and this tiny animal element that walks in a very different
way than the other.
“Childlike observation”
-By
that time i was really good at making that kind of observations, it
was very natural for me to preserve a state of mind clean of
impressions, stacked in my memories.
“Vision quest”
-I
believe that is the biggest gift I ve ever received, to be able to
have this interrelation of perceptions, from my senses and also from
the 6th sense,
my intuition that made me be aware of different dimensions and
realities.
Aims
and objectives for this diploma
-Share
what i have experienced and discovered along this 2 years process
-Give
a general and at the same time detailed idea of the aspects of the
elements in the systems that i have developed
-Compilation
of research on Mediterranean climate
-Demonstrate
the application of ecological design for holistic systems -Improve and practice my permaculture design skills -Create a bigger awareness about what, and how to teach permaculture contents. -To have a lot of fun and celebration along the process.
Composting at Boom Festival
Life Story
Here
is a short story about my life path until the present moment and what
were the main events until i arrived here and now.
It all started in that magic year of...
1979
Born
in Portugal in a small village in the countryside next to the Viseu
mountain.
1983
Went
to live to the Atlantic coast in a farm next to the city of Lisbon
1990
Moved
to a new house next to the Sintra mountain
1997
First
travels to spain and the Mediterranean coast
1998
Participation
on the development of the “Zarabatana” social center
The Evidence
to act
“Peak oil”
By this times it was already very clear that the modern lifestyle could not last for ever, and the search for alternatives was starting to become more and more common.
These were the early days of my understanding of the actual paradigm, and the first steps towards a more holistic perception of reality.
"Some things dont want to change" By working on a social center by the age of 18 and by interacting with many new alternatives i started creating my own new life.
Zarabatana was a social center
with gardens, bar, library, and reversal room were bands like Terrakota have started.
Terrakota concert
It was in this context that i eard for the first time the word permaculture, by that time it was presented to me just like another form of agriculture but with very special characteristics because of its awareness of natures needs.
1999
Trip
to Brazil to learn about tribal art and biodiversity
"Great
Spirit, whose voice I hear in the Winds, and whose breath gives life
to all the World, hear me! I am small and weak, I need your strength
and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the
red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have
made, and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I
may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the
lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, not
to be greater than my brothers, but to fight my greatest enemy...
myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and
straight eyes so when life fades as the fading sunset, my spirit may
come to you without shame."
2002
Travel
around Europe and 12 of its countries to know about diferent climates
and cultures
"Proteus @ the Postojna caves"
"Taizé community in france"
2004
Visit to Egipt and the populations in the margins of the river Nile
2008
Creation
of Urban permaculture project “A toca do rebento” in the city of
Lisbon
Permaculture
design course with Lesley Martin at the Mountain of Monchique
“Interview to Lesley Martin”
Working
and studying at the Lisbon architecture university
2010
First
visits of newspapers and TV channels to “A toca do rebento”
project and big permaculture promotion to all the country.
"Second visit of national television to the Toca do Rebento”
First
introduction to Permaculture course at the Agriculture university of
Lisbon
“Permaculture course in agriculture university”
Sustainable development international project
Italy and Belgium
“ORA Belgium”
“ORA Italy”
Permaculture design course in Istanbul, Turkey with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton to learn from the permaculture creator and to discover how to develop a national permaculture institute.
2011
Trip to the Algarve with the objective to co-create the Vale da Lama permaculture institute and its educational permaculture structures and programs, with Lesley Martin, Walter Ludwick and Nita Barroca.
Travel to Austria for a teachers trainning course with Rosemary Morrow at the Alpine permaculture academy.
Regenerative agriculture course with Darren Doherty
Participation in several PDCs and internship as aprendice teacher with Lesley Martin
Rocket stove
Planting the agroforest
2012
Organizer of Permaculture teachers trainning course with Rosemary Morrow in Portugal.
Visit to Finland to learn more about cold climate
Presentation of my Diploma in Slovenia during the European Permaculture Teachers Meeting
"Back to Slovenia after 10 years ”
2013 Trip to support permaculture education in the peruvian amazon.
“Big help needed in tribal amazon communities”
The closet
One
of the best definitions for permaculture ive ever heard came from
Geoff Lawton, he explained to me that permaculture is like a closet
were we hang our many different clothes, that we dress every week
according to the climate and our needs, and in this closet there is
also space for our shoes and boots and also place for our hat to
protect from UV rays, and a mirror for us to check if everything is
related, so its not about the clothes that we dress or the fancy hat
that we use, its more about designing the hole closet so that
everything works in its relations.
The
impact of Permaculture in my life
-Every
permaculturist remembers wen he came across permaculture and how much
it has inspired him to follow this difficult path of creating a
resilient world in the most holistic way. The big boosts of
inspiration, in my case most of the times, comes from other brother
permaculturists either older or younger that share their experiences
with me, it is the fountain that gives the energy to go forward and
create new paradigms of cooperation.
The
impact of permaculture in my life was huge its just like Bill
Mollison says in the beginning of the PDC “After this you will
never be the same”.
The
main impact i believe that relates to the way i connect things, and
how i became so more accurate on looking for efficient relations in
everything around me.
-I
ve traveled a lot since young age so i observed the unique richness
of being with other people and other cultures that was to me the
revelation of diversity and stability that is directly related to
permaculture principles.
“Networking”
The
comfort zone
The
main impact that permaculture had in my life is related to my comfort
zone and the way i relate to that.
By
following this path of permaculture teacher and practitioner i
believe there is no other way to learn and become an active member in
the regeneration of this planet, other than extending our comfort
zone.
We
are all very strongly dependent of our believe system, prejudices,
and mental limitations, by trying to look at things from a new
perspective, this concepts disappear and a new world is discovered
that can provide us with new opportunities.
Challenges
Burn
outs
Something
I find really important its the awareness of burn-out situations, many
permies work for more than 10 hours a day, because they are fully
inspired and motivated, that situation usually changes in the way it
manifests.
So i believe permaculturists should only work 80 %
of their working time, the extra 20% dont make that much of a
difference in the production, but a big impact on quality of life, so
the extra 20% should be applied on celebration, implementation of art
elements, events, courses, partys contemplation of achievements, and inner silence for a
deeper understanding of nature.
Permaculturists
are people that know about many things, thats all part of the
process of growing, but its important to be aware of the speed of the process of percieving and processing so that no precious emotional energy gets lost along the process.
So it looks to me that its extremely important to find a
place to stop the mind and connect to a relaxed state of emptiness.
“The children are the example” I discover that
there is an immense impact on the flow of ideas for the design and
also in the general harmony of projects
Dont
get burned out, work with your local community To know how to prevent Burn-Outs clickHERE and HERE
Appearances
Every
permaculturist talks about a new paradigm, thats the paradise of our
dreams, a world were this planet its at its full potential , and man
developed all its cooperation skills.
“Horizontal leadership”
In
my opinion the key to get to this level of development its by
understanding that, it doesnt matter how you look, it also doesnt
matter what you say, all that matters is what you do, cause thats
what you are.
Based
on my experience of trying to connect with nature i discovered that
only by watching, touching, smelling, listening and feeling the
landscape its possible to be aware of the life and the patterns of
interrelations that surround us.
I
received many gifts by relating to Nature as a friend and ally and we
can all find this treasures and richness by treating this planet with
respect and care.
Now
is the moment to take responsibility and to take us all into what we
want to see in the world.
“If
your not having fun you have made the design wrong”...Graham Bell
Aplication
of permaculture principles in my life
In
the beginning of my process i used to get very excited about the
permaculture technic and methods, after going deeper and deeper into
the permaculture experience i came to the conclusion that there is an
extreme importance on the awareness of the patterns, and its not so
important to try to understand all the details, so in my opinion the
ethics and principles of permaculture are the patterns that i want to
keep very close to me, the details about how to make a food forest or
a lake can be discovered slowly, by the other hand the principles are
something to keep really close in our sub conscient.
Its
the application of the principles that creates the permaculturist and
its efficiency towards the challenges of regeneration.
Permaculture Ethics
Care
for earth
The
situation that pops to my mind wen I think if I have been properly
taking care of the earth, was a moment wen I was living in a big
capital, in the center of the city of Lisbon, I was running a urban
permaculture project there called “A toca do rebento”, and there
was a moment wen I was contemplating my achievements, observing the
garden in a very rainy day, sudently I saw thousands of red worms
climbing the walls of the garden because the soil was to wet for them
to stay in there, it was a big revelation of how much had been my
impact on the soil regeneration and the life that it had.
One
of the situations that brings me a special happiness is the moment
wen I developed in a food forest the habitat for the monarch
butterfly to establish, and as years were passing by I was able to
see more butterflys each year circling aroud my fruit trees and the
hole farm.
A
big discovery on the regeneration of ecosystems came wen I started
making lakes, specially on the time factor, the speed of regeneration
surprised me, and it all happened just by the application of the
permaculture principles..
One
of the lakes I made on a very arid landscape gave me a big lesson,
there I was able to create all the right needs for a new
micro-climate, it was a surprise how biodiverity came after this
conditions, it was amazing for me to create conditions for turtles to
come to an area that as such an dry environment.
Care
for people
With
permaculture and with all this amazing teachers and partners that I
have been having for all this years I have discovered the richness of
our differences and the power that arises from the efficient use of
such resources.
In
my opinion the key for the integration of such richness is by the
awareness of our learning styles and the different way we all
interact with the reality.
Some
people are doers, some people are thinkers, to identify the potential
in all the elements is the bridge for a sustainable future, were
everybody has a crucial participation. I found also a crucial importance on the use of pacific communication tools, so that its developed a clear and focused expression of our feelings and needs, so that each person can fully feel integrated and included in every moment.
Fair share of surplus
In
my opinion ive been supporting the community around me, by helping on
the creation of cooperative structures, based on cooperation rather
than competition, by supporting the development of networking
mechanisms between permaculture projects and practitioners in
Portugal and international, so that there is an easy flow of
knowledge.
A
big part of my time as a permaculturist was invested on education and
to share my discoveries with other people is one of the things that
inspire me the most.
By
doing this diploma project I feel that its an enterprise that is
directly related to the fair share ethic, because its being developed
online so that any person can see and consult at any time for free.
“The agave connection”
Our
main strength its at the same time our main weakness, only by stayng
toguether we can make the world of our dreams.
“Permaculture
is the awareness of our real needs”
The key for my designs
O.B.R.E.D.I.M.C.E.
For the design process of this projects and for my life, ive chosen the O.B.R.E.D.I.M.C.E. as mainframework, based on the O.B.R.E.D.I.M. tool to witch i extended the C. and E. and mixed with other tools like holistic management or the scale of permanence.
"The key maker"
O.B.R.E.D.I.M.C.E.is a mnemonic that stands for Observation, Bounderies, Resources, Evaluation, Design, Implementation, Maintainance, Celebration and Evaluation again.
More information about the O.B.R.E.D.I.M.C.E. tool click HERE
Biggest
challenges
The
biggest challenges ive lived in this process was to keep combine the
land developments with the organizational developments.
Its
very challenging wen we have to divide in several different
directions, its a lot more easy if we just work with the land or if
we just work with education or organization.
In
my case is extremly chalenging since im very passionate about both
things, land development and education.
A
good strategy about time stacking is crucial on this combination and
its also very important to delegate to someone that is helping us.
Final observations
There is a crucial importance to know the landscape in all its aspects, to know what happens inside and outside each element in our system. The time invested on understanding any landscape its the best investment you can make.
It takes many years to understand a landscape, in permaculture its suggested at least one year observation period, to then start implementing, that takes us to a deeper understanding of how to relate to what surrounds us and even ourselves.
A close observation of what surrounds us, takes us to an evaluation of potentials, and an awareness of problems and challenges, limiting factors and needs.
Ultimately if everything connects to our mission and vision and the quality of life that we want to have, and if what we need is coming in our direction we are on the right path.
"If the resources are gathering around you...you are doing the right thing"
"Permaculture its a lot more than the sum of 2 parts"
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
