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Permaculture at Earthaven — Everyday Activism

Designing for Resilience

A hands-on, place-based Permaculture workshop

Three-weekend series:

  • September 18-20, 2026
  • October 9-11, 2026
  • November 6-8, 2026

Earthaven Ecovillage
Near Asheville, NC

 

Designing a home site

Have questions?

Join the live info call on Thursday, August 20, 7:00 – 8:00 pm to hear from the workshop instructors and ask your questions.

Can’t make it? Everyone who registers for the call will receive a link to the recording.

 

Register for Live Info Call

Join Earthaven villagers for three autumnal weekend workshops in Permaculture as a land-based care model, with International Permaculture activist Wade Burley, South Carolina Permaculture designer and instructor Matt Kip, and  permacultureally engaged Earthaven land stewards who are continually proposing, disposing of and embracing the best demonstrations of the Permaculture principles for the temperate mountain climates in the Southern Appalachians.

What can you learn? Each weekend we will meet Earthaven land stewards, tour their homesites and projects, and investigate ongoing efforts in the ecovillage neighborhoods, some that are still in dream form and some that are actually proving sustainable yields that encourage their stewards to keep building on past successes.

Through the lens of the principles of permaculture, which follow three basic imperatives for design and development— earth care, people care, and fair share — participants will be able to connect with and absorb many of the key principles of permaculture through actual hands-on experience and review of specific projects, discussion and a chance to be creative either in dream time or right on the land right then.

Learning about holistic farming

September Weekend

  • Permaculture: Definitions, history and ethics, Principles
  • Soil: Soil food web (including soil analysis, IMOs, ways of rebuilding soil) and Soil activity (composting, Hugelkulture, etc)
  • Animal integration into gardens, succession planting
  • Global systems and our pathways into an uncertain future — integrating ourselves into the overall design
  • Introduction to design, including a mini design activity. (Might shift to October weekend.)

October Weekend

  • Water in the landscape: Catchment, storage, and resilience in times of drought and excess.
  • Water activity: Contour measurement, swale and berm building, etc)
  • Silvopasture and related topics
  • Trees and forests, annuals and perennials, plant polyculture
  • Intro to design including a mini design activity if not done in September
  • Homesite in Earthaven
  • A permaculture approach to pests and invasives
Feast ingredients

November Weekend

  • Homesite visit to see many examples of permaculture design in action.
  • Harvest, seed saving, food preservation.
  • Mini group design project.
  • Carrying the fire into our lives and the world.

Additional topics

  • Patterns: Patterns in nature, their characteristics and using them as inspiration for design
  • Natural building with renewable and non-toxic materials.
  • Social permaculture
  • Farmscaping for beneficial insects and integrated pest management
  • Foraging
  • Beneficial plants (weeds) around us for food, fiber, and medicine
Happy gardener at the Earthaven Peace garden
Types of soil
Sector map
Adam Klaus teaching a Permaculture class

Program Schedule

Friday
7:00–9:00 Opening Circle

Saturday and Sunday
8:30–12:15 AM Sessions
12:15–2:00 Lunch and Independent Time
2:00–5:15 PM Sessions

Families and Youth

We are not offering a youth or child care program for 2026.

Most of the program curriculum involves focused, sit-down presentations, so attending with a younger child will likely mean being less able to participate fully in the program.

This program is primarily designed for adults. However, mature young adults under 18 years old are also welcome with a parent. Please contact us to discuss the enrollment of passionate individuals under 18 who would like to attend without an adult.

Logistics

Lodging

Several accommodation options are available at Earthaven Ecovillage and in the surrounding area.

Note: All shared lodging options have the potential to be mixed genders. If you use an electrical device that needs to be plugged in overnight, such as CPAP machine, please be in touch before booking.

Camping
Cost per person: 2 nights (Friday and Saturday) $55 per weekend

Campground Cabin Shared Lodging
Cost per bed, including bunks used by children: 2 nights (Friday and Saturday) $70 per weekend

Off-Site Options
Various options in Black Mountain and Asheville.

Sleeping bags and pads are available for rental for $15/set for adults and children. Cleaning supplies to clean mats are available before and/or after use. SOIL launders the sleeping bags once a year.

Read More About Accommodations

Food

Examples of food served at School of Integrated Living programs

Delicious, omnivorous meals are prepared by talented culinary artists from the Earthaven community. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options available. Snacks and beverages (tea, coffee) are provided. Participants are invited to help with meal clean-up. Many hands make light work.

As much food as possible is sourced from Earthaven and its surrounding farms and gardens, with some ingredients sourced from grocery stores. Our meals are created with seasonal, local, fresh, wildcrafted, humanely-raised, and organic ingredients.

***If you have dietary needs beyond the ones listed here, please be prepared to bring supplemental food to support your nourishment and well-being. Our kitchen cannot accommodate all diets.

*** Although we would like to know if you have any allergies, we cannot provide an anaphylactic safe meal. There is always the chance of cross contamination.

Click here for more information about food.

Program Specific Info

Lunch is included on Saturdays and Sundays.

Cancellation & Refunds

If you cancel your registration, you may:

  • Donate your tuition to support our continued work
  • Request a refund per our policy:
    • 90% refund for cancellations prior to 30 days before the start of the program
    • 50% refund for cancellations prior to 10 days before the start of the program
  • All refund requests received within one week of the start of the program will be considered within two weeks of the end of the program.

If SOIL cancels this program for any reason whatsoever, you would receive a 100% refund.

Contact us at info@schoolofintegratedliving.org with registration questions.

Crowdfunding & Fundraising

Check out our Crowdfunding & Fundraising page for creative ways to engage your community and launch a "Community Supported Education" campaign. This approach can help support your investment in yourself, your community, the planet, and future generations.

Cost

Adults
Tuition Sliding Scale: $695 – $1,400 per adult for all three weekends
$550 Scholarship rate
$500 BIPOC rate

Youth

  • Toddlers (0-3 years): free
  • Children and teens (4-17 years) attending with an adult: $300

What’s Included

Tuition includes lunch, instruction, and all materials.  Camping is available for an additional cost.

Registration

Complete the registration form once per participant. It takes 5-10 minutes, and you will complete your enrollment with a credit card authorization.

After your enrollment is processed, you will receive several confirmations…

  1. An automatic confirmation of receiving your registration form
  2. A payment confirmation from our card processor
  3. Confirmation that your registration has been processed

Please contact us before registering if any of these apply:

  • You have a service animal.
  • You are bringing a trailer or vehicle longer than 25′. There are limited spaces to park large vehicles at Earthaven.
Contact Info - Step 1 of 3

Designing for Resilience

Three weekends: September 18-20, October 9-11, November 6-8, 2026
Please check all that apply