Events - 2 Dec 16

One of the world’s classic trek. The ethereal views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Ama Dablam. A walk to the Mecca of mountaineering.

Mt. Everest! The mountain that has captivated the imagination of our race, sacred to both Hindus as well as Buddhists, this mountain now has acquired modern lore of its own, of heroic feats and tragic episodes. Walk with “Countryside” the route to the base camp of Mt. Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 8848m/29,030 ft. straddling the border of Nepal and Tibet. This mountain stands its solid and squat shape beside its neighbors Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Nuptse. This route is the most famous of all trekking routes in the world, and goes through some of the most stupendous landscapes anywhere. This is a region where superlatives start failing to describe that magic of a phenomenon that draws people of all kinds. We arrive into the exotic city of Kathmandu, capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal and next day – fly to Lukla, from where we begin our trek. This route through the Khumbu region goes up the Valley of Dudh Kosi River, through forests of rhododendron and pine, passing quaint Sherpa villages and remote Buddhist monasteries. En-route, we get spectacular views of Mounts Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest itself. Our route will directly take us to Kala Patthar and the Base Camp, from where we would get grand views of the Khumbu glacier and the Western cwm. Here’s a chance to have the experience of a lifetime…

Has the question of sustainability crossed your mind? Are you looking to bring in sustainable practices in your home garden, farm, or balcony garden? Have you wondered about what you can do to reduce your ecological footprint, to protect biodiversity, or to save our habitat? Permaculture has the answers.

Permaculture is a contraction of the two words ‘PERMAnent AgriCULTURE’. It stands for responsible and wise use of natural resources, in a way that will sustain life for the present as well as future generations. It is a philosophy and practice that enables people to design and establish productive systems to provide for their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs, in harmony with natural systems.

It takes us to the depths of soil health, water harvesting, organic food production, biodiversity regeneration, and waste management and highlights the inter-relationships among all of these.

In this 3 day course Narsanna Koppula, India’s pioneering permaculture practitioner will guide you on a journey of discovery and understanding the basics of permaculture, based on his decades of experience in this field.
The program will cover a mix of lectures, plenty of hands-on practicals, site visits and tree identification walks. From this three day intensive course, you will gain:
1. An overview of permaculture ethics and design principles
2. Observation of natural energies – how to read a landscape
3. Basics of soil regeneration, water harvesting & bio-diversity, in tropical context
4. Practical skills in composting, nursery raising, vegetable gardening & designing small plots
5. Knowledge of some local plants & trees that serve crucial & multiple functions
6. Exposure to various samples of permaculture design application in a garden & farm
7. Broad understanding of permaculture design application on a farm

You will return with some design strategies, to apply in your landscape – whether a garden, farm or balcony.

About the teacher:
Narsanna Koppula is the first and most renowned permaculture pioneer in India. For nearly three decades, his environmental-humanitarian work has been empowering rural communities through the employment and education of innovative and successful techniques in sustainable agricultural practices. For more info: permacultureindia.org/founder-team/

Location:
Native Place is a small eco-friendly guesthouse built on an acre of land overlooking a beautiful lake, We are an hour’s drive from Pune, 3 hours from Mumbai, 40 minutes from the busy hill station of Lonavala and are easily accessible via the expressway and rail. We welcome you to our bio diverse world and look forward to sharing our space and knowledge. For more info: www.nativeplace.com

About Intro to Permaculture courses (IPC) : The Introductory course is an overview and sets the stage for you to explore what permaculture is about. It does not cover topics in great detail as the PDC (i.e. a 12 day Permaculture Design Course). Usually, it is the seed that grows further into the journey of permaculture, wherein you may later choose to attend a full PDC . At the same time, many people have found that attending an Introduction to Permaculture Course is enough to go on to create some incredible projects, with the enthusiasm generated by this course, plus books and references to expand on their own knowledge.

To apply:
Write to us at astridrao@gmail.com and we will send you further information and payment details. We will have only 25 participants, so register soon.

Fees:
Rs. 4,500 for the three day course. This includes tuition, local travel during the course, food & dorm style accommodation (i.e. 6 to 8 members in a room). This too is a subsidised fee, worked out to make the fee affordable for permaculture enthusiasts. If you wish to contribute more, it will help the organisers meet the overall cost. If you want to have a different kind of accommodation with lesser number of members, the costs will be higher.

Contact us at astridrao@gmail.com if you have any questions.