Welcome to the APG Community!
We are an ever growing community in Central Texas committed to resilience, collaboration, and catalyzing diversity and abundance. We believe that although one person can’t change the world, together We can.
Give people the necessary tools to become resilient and self-reliant on their land and in their community through education courses
Make permaculture education accessible for everyone regardless of race, gender, or orientation
Incorporate the principles and ethics of permaculture into ecological landscapes, economics (such as business models), and social structures (communities, schools, families).
Permaculture Design Course
Workshops on dedicated topics such as:
Gardening
Companion Planting
Forest Gardens
Soil Science
Animal Systems
Holistic Site Design
Permaculture Potlucks
Building community throughout Central Texas
Representation at permaculture events
Propagating education
Subscribe to our Google Calendar so you can make it all of our events!
It stands for Permanent Agri(culture). It’s an ideology that can be used as a guide when making major sustainable improvements to all areas of our life including our homes, our communities, or our work situations. This ideology offers human beings a way to harmonize with our environment, symbiotically.
Many people first hear of permaculture in a gardening or farming context. But the terrain of permaculture extends far and wide, to include all other areas of human activity as well. Transportation, energy, building, manufacturing, business and finance, social organizations — you name it.
Another aspect that is not so much at the forefront that we believe is highly potent is social permaculture. We believe that an important element of permaculture is being able to facilitate a safe space where all people, marginalized communities, all genders and orientations feel empowered to restructure existing societal frameworks while regenerating ecosystems.
The Earth is a living, breathing entity. Without ongoing care and nurturing there will be consequences too big to ignore.
If people’s needs are met in compassionate and simple ways, the environment surrounding them will prosper.
Take what we need, share what we don’t, while recognizing that there are limits to how much we can give and how much we can take.
“This course change my life from a very deep place in my soul. It gave me the courage to believe in the Earth’s future and my ability to help.”
“I am inspired to steward the Earth more than ever. Even though I have been organic gardening and bio-dynamic gardening for years, I have never felt closer to Mother Nature.”
“This class equipped me with the confidence to utilize the knowledge and realize I already have a great knowledge base and can do what I’ve set out to do! I’m ready to get busy! It has also made me realize that I have a passion for teaching!”
Caroline Riley is a Texas native who grew up in the garden and free ranging on the Texas gulf coast with her family. She discovered permaculture design while living in Colorado in 2004 and soon incorporated the ethics and principles into her Montessori classroom as a foundation to learn from nature with youth. She completed her first PDC through Austin Permaculture Guild in 2009. She has since studies with Jude Hobbs, Warren Brush and Geoff Lawton.
Caroline founded One World Permaculture in 2010 with the mission to connect and serve people worldwide through the study and practice of permaculture design ethics and principles. OWP collaborates and inspires to create integrated regenerative community, ecology and economy. This project took her on world travels connecting with communities in need through permaculture design projects and evolved into local design and consultation work in Austin, TX.
In 2011 she and her husband founded the Whole Life Learning Center in Austin, TX which is where she currently focuses her creative efforts. This site is an example of permaculture in action. Over the years as the learning center has grown and matured, so have the permaculture systems in place including animal systems, a beautiful forest garden and farm space, the outdoor living classroom and 7 Feathers Apothecary. 7 Feathers Apothecary is a seed to apothecary herbalism practice and small scale plant nursery offering community and clinical herbalism.
With a passion for experiential learning and creative design, Caroline instructs Permaculture Design Courses through Austin Permaculture Guild and herbalism classes through Sacred Journey School of Herbalism. Her goal is to create a unique learning opportunity for her students from her vast experience.
When not at the learning center Caroline can be found with her husband and two children while enjoying the retreat of her South Austin homestead. Contact Caroline at caroline.riley.carberry@gmail.com, 512-217-0661
Taelor is a wildling at heart. She is deeply passionate about healing our earth, our bodies, and our relationships with ourselves and one another. She revels in growing healthy soils, healthy bodies, and delicious home cooked meals.
She studied under Caroline Riley, at the Whole Life Learning Center from 2014-2015, where she worked to transform the space into a full functioning permaculture design. She received her permaculture teacher training certificate from Theron Beaudreau in the Fall of 2014. She helped the Permablitz events get started in Central Texas, with Kirby Fry from 2013-2016.
She previously helped start a Permaculture centered intentional community titled Sacred Roots in San Marcos, TX in 2011. She has studied Permaculture design under Theron Beaudreau, Kirby Fry, Caroline Riley and Dick Pierce. Her main focus and drive is to create community and educate others about regenerative permaculture design and practice. Her home base is in a tiny house on 4.5 acres in the Hill Country.
When she’s not gardening or cooking, she is out dancing at local music shows around Central Texas or spending time with her family. Contact her at taelor@austinperm.com, 214-448-6428
Austin Permaculture Guild’s Co-Director Taelor Monroe will be teaching an in-depth workshop on how to companion plant and design out your spring garden.
Have you been getting really excited about planting a garden for yourself but don’t know where to start? Do you want to make your current garden more sustainable? Do you want to keep those pesky pests away without using chemicals? Then this is the workshop for you!
This workshop will be an all day event, going deep into details of companion planting, plant selection, plant placement, integrated pest management, how to prevent weeds, feeding the biology in the soil, maintenance, and how to build a garden bed.
The practice of companion planting uses the selection of specific plants organized in such a way that they are in symbiotic relationship with one another. Instead of planting the same plant over and over again in rows, which attract pests and reduces the nutrient density of the growing vegetable, a polyculture of intermixed plants types is planted. This style of planting not only reduces pests but also provides beneficial support plants that increase the strength and nutrient density of the plants in your garden. For instance, legumes are planted to provide nitrogen to the surrounding plants and alliums are planted on the outside of each bed to deter pests and weeds from coming in.
In integrated pest management, specific plants are selected to deter pests from entering your garden. Often times the best plants are very aromatic plants with strong smells to confuse pests. Within these companion planted systems, the plants are stronger than in mono-cropped gardens increasing their integral pest deterrents. Weak plants attract bad bugs.
The soil and microbial life at the plants’ roots also determine the health of each plant. If you have healthy soil biology, then you will also deter blights, harmful pathogens, and fungal infections growing on your plants. Even a home gardener can spend a terrible amount of time and money trying to kill off these pathogens and pests to keep their plants alive. A better practice is one that is preventative, less time consuming, and free!
Come out to this dynamic, holistic garden management design workshop, to build a better spring garden! There will be a focus on the design of Spring Companion Planting but these methods can be applied to any season.
SCHEDULE:
9:30am-12:30pm: Classroom Instruction on Companion Planting & Plant Families
12:30-1:30pm: Lunch Time
1:30-3:00pm: Plant Selection, Plant Placement, Integrated Pest Management, Preventing Weeds, Soil Biology
3:00-5:30pm: Outdoor Hands-on Planting of a Companion Planted Garden Bed
COST: $85, non-refundable
Click the Button to pay your tuition and Register
This workshop is located at Casa de Miel (CDM), at 16901 Albert Voelker Rd, Elgin, TX 78621. Casa De Miel unites people with nature’s creations through experiences that pollinate mindfulness and a soulful connection to one’s self, one’s community and the earth. This is the first eco-therapy center in Texas. On site CDM hired Michael Wolfer of Symbiosis Regenerative Systems to install an orchard, pollinator gardens, 65,000 gallon rainwater catchment system, pond, and chicken coop. It is a wonderful living example of permaculture design and practice in building community.
The Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) signifies completion of the 72-hour curriculum set forth by Bill Mollison in ‘Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual.’ This course is an in depth introduction to all topics listed in the schedule. Graduates can use this course as their jumping off point to begin teaching permaculture modules, creating a portfolio of permaculture designs, and establishing a permaculture consulting practice. It is a life and world-view altering event – living more kindly on their land, creating & caring for their community, conserving & renewing precious resources, respecting all beings, and designing & living in sustainable human settlements that work with and use Nature as the grand designer. Students will finish the course with a toolbox of design techniques and strategies as well as connections with local organizations and people who can help guide them towards new opportunities to learn, volunteer and work in various fields of interest related to sustainability.
Our Permaculture Design Certificate Course is currently open for registration. It is a ‘6 Weekends’ format course, spread out over the course of 6 months-1 weekend per month. We provide a sliding scale tuition format, to make this course more accessible to a wider audience. YOU choose the highest amount within the range provided that works with your budget. We trust your judgement and do not set your tuition price for you.
Tuition is set as sliding scale, with the tuition ranging from $650-$1,050. A $300 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your seat in the course. The second tuition installment of $200 is due 1 month before class starts. The last tuition installment is due on your first day of class, where you will pay $150-$550.
PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE COURSE SCHEDULE
This course includes classroom instruction from facilitators Caroline Riley and Taelor Monroe and guests. It features hands-on learning activities, including your final site design project. Required reading: Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture Design by Rosemary Morrow and Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway. Each weekend will have additional readings for reflection and resources for personal extensions. The final design project sites are chosen from student’s properties. Each student, via group projects, will create a conceptual design and choose at least one area to solidify all of the details needed for implementation. For more details about the content and schedule, scroll down this page.
Weekend 1:
September 19 – Day 1: Introduction to Permaculture, Permaculture Ethics & Principles, Tour Whole Life Learning Center- Permaculture in Action
September 20 – Day 2: Methods of Design, Climate
Weekend 2:
October 17 – Day 3: Patterns in Nature, Soil Biology and Science, Hands-on Soil Activity
October 18 – Day 4: Earthworks, Ponds, Grey Water, Rain Water Collection, & Hands-on contour land surveying activity With Mike Wolfert of Symbiosis Regenerative Systems
Weekend 3:
November 14 – Day 5: Tiny Home Design, Natural Building Techniques and Hands-on cob building activity with Kindra Welch and John Curry of Clay, Sand, Straw
November 15 – Day 6: Vegetable Garden Design, Techniques and Strategies, Companion Planting, Seasonal Timing, Field Trip: SubUrban homestead tour and tree walk at Caroline’s house
Weekend 4:
December 12 – Day 7: Trees, Perennial Forest Gardens, Medicinal plants for Central Texas, Forest Garden design activity, Field Trip to Festival Beach Food Forest
December 13 – Day 8: Holistic Management, Animals in Design, Propagation-seeds, cuttings, divisions (with some goodies to take home), Seed Swap
Weekend 5:
January 9 – Day 9 : Field Trip to Community First Village, Social and Eco-Entrepreneurship, Holistic Business Structures, Community Potluck
January 10 – Day 10 : Holistic Site Design Project Workshop
Weekend 6:
February 13 – Day 13: Community and Food Security, Fermentation, Design Workshop
February 14 – Day 14: Final Design Project Presentations, Graduation & Design Certificates
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS:
The Courses are held at the Whole Life Learning Center (WLLC), which is APGs home base and a living and ever evolving example of permaculture design. Since 2012 this site has been completely transformed from a barred field into a holistic learning center for people of all ages! Some design elements on site include a maturing food forest, pond, chickens, a 10,000 gallon rain water catchment system that feeds the greenhouse, yurt and gardens and grey water catchment. Also included are, 2 yurts, schoolhouse, and a geodesic dome classroom and tiny house office. WLLC serves as a learning center for children ages 3-14, who use the outdoor environment as a canvas for exploring their understanding of sustainability. It is also the home for 7 Feathers Apothecary, a seed to apothecary herbalism practice and small scale plant nursery focusing on medicinal plants for Central Texas. Over the years hundreds of students of all ages have offered their hands and hearts to creating this unique site that is truly Permaculture in action.
This is a commuter course. Along with classroom instruction, we have hands-on projects (including your site design project), and presentations by guest instructors. DRESS FOR THE WEATHER. Always come prepared to spend at least some time outdoors. Bring lunch, snack and water bottle. Lunch is a great time for socializing and sharing personal experiences. There is a full kitchen on site.
Class starts promptly 9:30am – 5:30pm each day; arrive anytime after 9 to get settled in. YOU ARE REQUIRED to be in your seat, ready to learn, at 9:30am. Bring water, snacks and lunch to each class (and some to share with others if you like). Each student who participates fully and completes the design project receives a Permaculture Design Certificate.
This course follows the internationally recognized 72-hour curriculum outlined in Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Design Manual. Although, this course offers over 84 hours of instruction. The certificate you receive at the end of this course signifies completion of this curriculum.
SCHOLARSHIPS
We are providing two reparation scholarships for this design course for people of color. These full ride scholarships require no payment in exchange for taking the course. If you would like to apply for either of these two available spots please submit letter of intention attached in an email addressed to Taelor Monroe, monroe DOT taelor AT gmail DOT com. The letter of intention should give a brief history of your current work in this world and how you think you can make the biggest impact in your community if you were to receive a permaculture design certificate.
Scholarship Deadline: September 1st. Responses will be given one week after the deadline.
An in depth introduction to meet the medicinals led by Caroline Riley.
Holistic Permaculture Site Design Services:
What are your hopes and dreams that you want to accomplish at your property? Do you work at a business that wants to take a step beyond landscaping and add more truly regenerative elements to their property? Then this is the service for you!
Hire Taelor for an initial consultation to discover and document the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats to your property. During this walk around the property your specific wants and needs will unfold. Solutions will then be introduced to holistically solve any problems presented during the consultation. If you also desire an integrative design of the space, together we will map out the perfect homestead, community, and/or education center. We will make sure all essential elements including food, water, energy, and/or shelter are represented.
Service Fees:
A donation to the Austin Permaculture Guild means more outreach in all areas of our organization. We get to host more workshops, have more community building events, sponsor events and other non-profit organizations
Austin Permaculture Guild is a societally supportive platform meaning it is our main goal to help Austin thrive by growing in environmental awareness and action. We do this through our education courses, supporting our local neighbors grow food, and by creating an outlet that connects people to regenerative organizations.
Membership Tiers and Perks included (this is a tax deductible donation):
**These perks are based on a yearly membership commitment. They can be taken away at any point in time if a member decides to cancel their membership before a year’s worth of contributions.***
**All donations made in partnership with Whole Systems Network**
