NOTE: The Farm Trail at the Van Vleck Farm and Nature Sanctuary is temporarily closed.

Interested in the Permaculture Design Course?

We will be holding two online info sessions where you can ask questions and learn more about what you can expect from this class.  The dates are November 19 from 7:00-8:00 PM and December 10 from 7:00-8:00 PM,  Please register for the info session here and a link will be sent to you via email.

A Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) course presented in collaboration with Northwest Conservation District. This program is designed to immerse participants in information, ideas, and inspiration on how to design sustainable, regenerative systems for your home and property.

Permaculture is a design philosophy that aims to meet our essential needs through systems that mimic the patterns and relationships found in natural ecosystems. To understand permaculture, we first need to observe nature deeply and be informed by it.

Your home is its own eco-system. By studying permaculture, you can apply principles of enviromentalism and sustainability to ensure the maximum productivity of your home and land, while minimizing the resources required to maintain it.

REGISTER NOW

Questions? Please contact Adele Falco.

Program FAQs

Cost: $1450 (Members) | $1500 (Non-Members)  (Payment plans available) 

Location:  The Studio at Flanders Nature Center, Woodbury.  (Field trips to local sites may be scheduled)

Dates: Saturdays:  January 10 & 24 | February 7 & 21 | March 7 & 21 | April 11 & 25  

Time: 9 AM to 5 PM

All classes are held in-person at Flanders. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held online.

What can you learn from this course?

Design Your Home for Sustainability & Resilience
  • Mimic Nature: Learn to design landscapes, gardens, and even social systems by observing and imitating patterns found in healthy ecosystems for maximum efficiency and stability.
  • Resource Efficiency: Discover how to conserve water, build nutrient-rich soil, produce no waste by cycling resources, and use renewable energy to create abundance.
  • Climate Change Solutions: Gain tools to create sustainable systems that can mitigate climate impacts, promote biodiversity, and improve local food security.
  • Ecological Design: Acquire hands-on skills in site assessment, earthworks, water harvesting, composting, and creating productive, diverse systems.
  • Problem-Solving: Learn to identify challenges and see them as opportunities for creative, ecological solutions in various contexts.
  • Food Production: Gain the ability to grow your own food sustainably, reduce reliance on conventional agriculture, and increase food security. 
  • Observe Like Nature: Develop a heightened ability to see interconnections between elements, understand natural patterns, and interpret landscapes.
  • Shift Your Mindset: Overcome despair by understanding positive roles you can play in creating a better future and fostering ecological connection.
  • Connect with Ethics: Embrace the core ethics of earth care, people care, and fair share, guiding your actions and decisions. 
  • Personal Transformation: The study and practice of permaculture can be a life-changing experience, offering a renewed sense of hope and purpose.
  • Community & Networking: Join a global community of like-minded individuals, opening doors to collaboration, new friendships, and potential career paths.
  • Career Opportunities: Develop skills that can lead to new income streams, sustainable businesses, and right livelihood in fields like ecological design, regenerative farming, and sustainability education.
  • Beyond the Garden: Permaculture principles can be applied to design homes, manage resources, choose technology, and even shape educational practices and community interactions.
  • Local & Global Impact: Design solutions specific to your local ecosystem while contributing to a global movement for ecological balance and community resilience. 

Course Outline

Each participant will complete a permaculture design project under the direction of the instructor.

  • Core Permaculture Principles
  • Climate and Site Analysis
  • Water Harvesting and Management
  • Soil and Plant Cultivation
  • Food Production Systems
  • Animal Integration
  • Design and Implementation
  • Energy and Resource Management
  • Social and Economic Aspects
  • Case Studies and Practical Applications

Meet the Program Instructors

Elmo Ranelli

Certified Permaculture Designer

Elmo is thrilled to help bring permaculture’s design philosophy and practices to Flanders Nature Center. He has been studying and practicing permaculture for nearly 10 years and has received his permaculture design certification from Cornell University. Elmo brings a diversity of interests and experience ranging from performance, television production, and nightlife to fermentation, food systems, and design. Now, he will introduce a new crop of future designers to the ethics, principles and practices of permaculture.

Cynthia Rabinowitz

Certified Permaculture Designer & Soil Scientist

Cynthia is a soil and wetland scientist, a Certified Permaculture Design Consultant, and an environmental horticulturist. A commitment to organic and ecological farming and land
management led her to become a founding director of CTNOFA and she was New Haven County Agriculture and Community Resource Development Agent for UConn. Cooperative Extension System, following which she was a private consulting soil scientist, and owned and operated a commercial greenhouse operation for 15 years. She is the former Executive Director of the Northwest Conservation District and is currently still working as a soil scientist for that organization.