Faculty: Pandora Thomas & Lisa DePiano

This five-day Social Permaculture intensive uses permaculture ethics, principles, and design language both as a lens to critically explore problems and a creative tool to generate resilient solutions. During our time together, we will find and articulate the connections between social, ecological, and economic problems. By exploring case studies of grassroots organizing, the cooperative movement, the solidarity economy, and participatory budgeting, we will move beyond problem identification to solutions-oriented planning and action. We will also study and practice frameworks and tools for consensus building, facilitation, relational theory, direct democracy, commoning, and participatory design. The course features a combination of thought-provoking readings, perspective-shifting case studies, engaging hands-on activities in the outdoors, and challenging in-class exercises, providing diverse learners with ample opportunity to build their capacity for catalyzing long-term societal change. After learning to apply permaculture principles to the social domain, students will be better equipped to hold transformative spaces, foster resilient, equitable communities, and provide generative leadership.