Workshops

The GOOF Series

GOOF 1 (Grow Our Own Food)

GOOF (Grow Our Own Food) is a series of 5 workshops which teaches you how to design, set up and maintain your own sustainable garden to enjoy year-round-food.  GOOF is based on the Ethics and Principles of Permaculture which copy the cycles of nature.   You can apply what you learn to balconies, backyards, community gardens or local schools.  The interactive workshops are a mix of theory and practical with lots of resources to back up what you will learn.

GOOF 1 has 5 topics

  1. Introduction to Permaculture Ethics, Principles application.
  2. Soils Make and Re-generate healthy, fertile soil. Grow Beds.
  3. Plants Select, Sow, Grow, Harvest & Store your food.
  4. Seeds Collect, Clean, Store & Sow Seeds.
  5. Year-Round Food integrates all topics into your own Personal Planting Guide.

The GOOF 1 series is 5-week program offered in three versions:

  1. On-line, via Zoom. There are 2 x one-hour sessions per week.
    Session 1 is Monday (7 – 8 pm). Session 2 is Wednesday (7 – 8 pm).
  2. LIVE at a suitable venue. Five Sat mornings 0900-1200.
  3. This version has the first 4 topics On-line and the last topic is live at a suitable venue where the practical skills are demonstrated.

All versions of GOOF refer to and build on each topic and include:

10 hours of interactive lecture/discussion; PDF copy of the slide deck for each topic, references and resource list, activities for you to apply back home.

The GOOF series is presented by knowledgeable and experienced permaculture teachers who live the ethics and principles of Permaculture in their own homes and communities.

GOOF 2 (Grow Our Own Future)

Live more sustainably and still live well.

The 5 Week GOOF 2 (Grow Our Own Future) series connects the garden, home and lifestyle for a more resilient and sustainable life.  We show how to incorporate the Ethics and Principles of Permaculture into daily habits, which can reduce our impact on the plant while enriching our lives.

GOOF 2 includes 5 topics (see below) over 5 weeks. (2 sessions per week)

  1. Hidden costs of Consumption: using Nature’s cycles to Re-use, Recycle, Re-purpose
  2. Natural Body and Cleaning Products: cleaner, cheaper, healthier
  3. Preserving and Fermenting: storing your harvest for year-round food)
  4. Integrated Pest Management: managing pests the natural way.
  5. Giants in Your Soil: In depth understanding of Soil microbes and Soil Chemistry. Remember, it all begins in the soil!

The GOOF 2 series is offered in 3 versions:

1. GOOF at a suitable venue. Five Sat mornings 0900-120

2. On-line GOOF, via Zoom. There are 2 x one-hour sessions per week. Session 1 is Monday (7 – 8 pm). Session 2 is Wednesday (7 – 8 2.pm)

3.  Hybrid GOOF this version has 6 hours of lecture/discussion on line and 4 hours (1/2 day) of practical skills at a suitable venue.

All versions of GOOF refer to and build on each topic and include:

10 hours of interactive lecture/discussion; PDF copy of the slide deck for each topic, references and resource list, activities for you to apply back home.

The GOOF series is presented by knowledgeable and experienced permaculture teachers who live the ethics and principles of Permaculture in their own homes and communities.

Living Skills Workshops

Once a month our members share skills on a specific topic via our Living Skills Workshops.
These workshops are very hands-on and in small groups. Members learn how to make and do useful things for their home and gardens.

  1. Convert pallets and recycled materials into useful items –
    tables, chairs, stands, compost bays, chicken coops, garden beds, rocket stove, grey water systems, brick walls, solar ovens, shade covers.
  2. Work safely with electric tools, shredders, garden and carpentry tips.
  3. Make homemade pest control products.
  4. Select, plant, prune and graft fruit trees.
  5. Ferment foods – probiotics, yoghurt, sauerkraut, kim chi, nut cheeses,
  6. Preserve foods – pickling, salting, canning, bottling,
  7. Natural Body Products – soap, toothpaste, lotions, hair care.
  8. Natural home cleaning products.
  9. Cook – from the garden, bread, international foods, vegetarian.
  10. Sew – darn, repair, patch

The duration of workshops varies: 2 – 4 hours, depending on the topic.

Each workshop encourages participants to form peer-support groups to enhance implementation back home and provide ongoing support for each other.
The teacher of the course will assist peer support groups to get up and running and help them achieve self-reliance.