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Commenced:
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01/09/2013 |
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Submitted:
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18/07/2013 |
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Last updated:
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07/10/2015 |
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Location:
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Sermenin, Gevgelija, MK |
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Website:
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http://zelenataarka.mk/ |
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Climate zone:
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Warm Temperate |
This is a project of the non-profit civic association "The Green Ark". The aim of this project is to establish and develop an Educational & Research Center for Permaculture in the village of Sermenin that is situated at the foot of mountain Kozhuf, in the south of R. Macedonia.
We are The Green Ark, a grass-root organization from Skopje, R. Macedonia. We founded the association in 2007, currently we are about 15 people all joined together with a single goal - actively working in accordance with the principles of Permaculture Design to make a difference in peoples everyday lives by giving workshops on making organic soap, building herb spirals, building with straw bales, methods of composting, filtration of water, making seed balls, guerrilla gardening...
Our primary project is to establish the first Educational & Research Center for Permaculture in our country. We are working on this since late 2010 and have already jump-started the project by organizing a fundraising concert asking for local support, we also did a crowfunding campaign for international support.
After two years of negotiations with the local authorities of the municipality of Gevgelija we have signed the agreement that grants us the use of a former school building and the surrounding plot for a demonstational garden over the next 20 years for the purpose of establishing the Educational & Research Center for Permaculture, right there. The agreement states that we take care of the reconstruction of the object dating from the 1930s, and now it is completely up to us to make it operational again. We are now taking step one, and that is to reconstruct the ruined roof and convert it into a green roof.
Our plan is to initiate parts of the educational program as soon as possible, all that can be applied through hands-on experience during the reconstruction of the object itself by organizing workshops for restoration and refurbishment with minimal impact to the environment. We will explore all the posibilities to engage people who want to learn and practice these building techniques and appropriate technologies, and will seize each opportunity to turn every single step of the process of establishing the Educational & Research Center for Permaculture into a learning experience open for all who want to do it.
After we make the school building operational we will continue developing the educational program by giving introductory courses in permaculture design, 72h PDCs, permablitz gatherings, workshops on consesus decision making and nonviolent communication, etc.
The work done in the Center will incite significant positive changes, over the years to come, in the community of the village Sermenin and the region by empowering people to make their first steps in the transition towards self-sustainability within healthy ecosystems. We will be inviting people all over the world to learn and exchange knowledge & experience with the local people and us. We hope the Educational & Research Center for Permaculture in Sermenin will grow to be the hub of numerous environmental, social, cultural and economic initiatives in the region, supporting diverse innovative collaborations.
Note: The various badges displayed in people profiles are largely honesty-based self-proclamations by the individuals themselves. There are reporting functions users can use if they know of blatant misrepresentation (for both people and projects). Legitimacy, competency and reputation for all people and projects can be evidenced and/or developed through their providing regular updates on permaculture work they’re involved in, before/after photographs, etc. A spirit of objective nurturing of both people and projects through knowledge/encouragement/inspiration/resource sharing is the aim of the Worldwide Permaculture Network.
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MemberA member is a permaculturist who has never taken a PDC course. These cannot become PDC teachers. Members may be novice or highly experienced permaculturists or anywhere in between. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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Permaculture MatchmakerOne of these badges will show if you select your gender and the "I'm single, looking for a permaculture partner" option in your profile. |
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PDCPeople who claim to have taken a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course somewhere in the world. |
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PDC VerifiedPeople who have entered an email address for the teacher of their PDC course, and have had their PDC status verified by that teacher. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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PRI PDCPeople who’ve taken a Permaculture Research Institute PDC somewhere in the world. |
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PDC TeacherPeople who claim to teach some version of PDC somewhere in the world. |
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PRI TeacherWith the exception of the ‘Member’ who has never taken a PDC, all of the above can apply to become a PRI PDC Teacher. PRI PDC Teachers are those who the PRI recognise, through a vetting board, as determined and competent to teach the full 72-hour course as developed by Permaculture founder Bill Mollison – covering all the topics of The Designers’ Manual as well as possible (i.e. not cherry picking only aspects the teacher feels most interested or competent in). Such teachers also commit to focussing on the design science, and not including subjective spiritual/metaphysical elements. The reason these items are not included in the PDC curriculum is because they are “belief” based. Permaculture Design education concerns itself with teaching good design based on strategies and techniques which are scientifically provable. PRI PDC Teachers may be given teaching and/or consultancy offerings as they become available as the network grows. |
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Aid WorkerThe individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to be involved in permaculture aid work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture aid worker experience. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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ConsultantThe individual with this badge is indicating they are, have, or would like to do paid permaculture design consultancy work. As such, the individual may or may not have permaculture consultancy experience. Watch their updates for evaluation. |
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Community ProjectCommunity projects are projects that help develop sustainable community interaction and increase localised resiliency. |
