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eco building courses at venues in Cape Town
Pete Staley teaching at the permaculture research centre
For those interested in eco building there is finally a venue in Cape Town, and finally a place where I can afford to learn. The Permaculture Research Centre is the most promising venue for developing eco building that I've encountered in Cape Town. It is on the same property as the Cape Farmhouse Restaurant, at the intersection of Redhill Road (the most scenic drive this side of the Peninsula) and the road from Scarborough to Cape Point.
This Saturday last, Pete St Aley held a permaculture workshop at the Permaculture Research Centre. I just had to attend although I was ill and I wish I could apologize to everyone there for coming while ill. I feel pretty bad about perhaps infecting others, and was in two minds and perhaps made the wrong decision. I wanted to meet this bright new face in Cape Town’s permaculture circles. It is my goal to meet every green activist and everyone in the permaculture movement in the Western Cape, and write about them to give an overview, and to illustrate how much is happening. I’m far off that goal, but enjoying every milestone.
This Saturday last, Pete St Aley held a permaculture workshop at the Permaculture Research Centre. I just had to attend although I was ill and I wish I could apologize to everyone there for coming while ill. I feel pretty bad about perhaps infecting others, and was in two minds and perhaps made the wrong decision. I wanted to meet this bright new face in Cape Town’s permaculture circles. It is my goal to meet every green activist and everyone in the permaculture movement in the Western Cape, and write about them to give an overview, and to illustrate how much is happening. I’m far off that goal, but enjoying every milestone.
Pete explains how productive the foursquare is. Here with one of his portable systems
One usually meets such amazing people at events like this, and it was no exception: from a student of biomimicry, to young activists and someone setting out in a van soon, to travel through Africa teaching permaculture and learning traditional agricultural techniques as they go.
The presentation was fact and numbers driven, controversial and informative. Pete St Aley claims that the loss of topsoil is a more serious problem for the survival of mankind than global warming. The talk gave the facts and figures, down to how many kilograms of soil is lost to produce a loaf of bread (7). He then went on to give an outline of permacultural ethics and cite some positive examples of regeneration such as the Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project in China.
The presentation was fact and numbers driven, controversial and informative. Pete St Aley claims that the loss of topsoil is a more serious problem for the survival of mankind than global warming. The talk gave the facts and figures, down to how many kilograms of soil is lost to produce a loaf of bread (7). He then went on to give an outline of permacultural ethics and cite some positive examples of regeneration such as the Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project in China.
NEAT INVENTION for paved yards: RAISED straw bale BED with WORM PIT for kitchen waste IN THE MIDDLE
I don’t know all the personalities and movements in green activism in Cape Town, so I apologize if I’ve missed anyone, but what strikes me as unique about Pete St Aley’s contribution, is his technical angle on permaculture. It seems to me there is a shortage of people who can teach green technology to do it yourselfers, even if there may be a lot of professional practitioners. Pete’s set of skills is impressive. He’s modest so I’m reading into his biography here. He was an engineer with the British Armed Forces for two decades. He teaches courses on how to build geodesic domes which are a sellout with locals. I think there are many experienced people teaching vegetable growing in Cape Town. You will not struggle to find a permaculture gardening course to attend, but you will struggle for help to be taught how to connect up a pump driven system, or a build a house. The building part is exciting and unique. Its not as if its unheard of, but eco-building courses are often out of town, and thus only for the kind of people that can afford weekends in the country.
piled earth beds and paths on a base of cardboard
eco building courses coming soon
Pete teaching how to build with rammed earth, as well as geodesic dome and aquaponic system construction, market garden management, as well as regular modules one can use towards the Permaculture Design Certificate. This is another gap which Pete fills. His courses are affordable at R200 for a day workshop, and do not require overnight stay as do all the other PDC and eco building courses. So his contribution to local permaculture is technology, eco building, affordability, and proximity. He has a very important niche in Cape Town’s permaculture ecosystem. I hope he keeps up the good work, and does not become too dismayed by the baboon visitations, and we see workshops extending his experimentation with building. I would love to learn how to build my own solar water heater, wind pumps (someone in my area has used old plastic buckets as a windmill), rocket stoves, smokeless stoves, gray water systems, humanure composters, sandbag buildings, clay buildings, straw bale buildings, and micro homes, if Pete is interested in any of this. Pete hasn’t been on the land long, but he has a big piece of land to work with and I wish him success with his market garden and other ventures, and especially with teaching eco building. Cape Town finally has a locus from which permacultural building technology can spread.
site map
home page on green ideas and links to useful information on green living and ecological issues
different methods for building green and reducing your building's carbon footprint
The facebook page of the Permaculture Research Centre, for courses coming up
site map
home page on green ideas and links to useful information on green living and ecological issues
different methods for building green and reducing your building's carbon footprint
The facebook page of the Permaculture Research Centre, for courses coming up