Foundations for Ecological Literacy - 1-Day Workshop

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Great diversification of ecological observation tools for permaculturalists.

Register at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/397530 - Sliding Scale $65-95.

In this one-of-a-kind 1-day workshop at the enchanting Whidbey Institute, you will be introduced to a comprehensive set of accessible experiential practices for communicating and participating in the ecological story of our time. Learn to listen to the ways the land speaks. Join the conversation. Enter into an ongoing dance with the ecological dynamics of your life and your work. Never venture outside or into your imagination without new insight and stories to share. The story of our families, our homes, our communities, and the greater human story is an ecological one. Learning to perceive and participate ecologically has never been more important.

This workshop is grounded in observation and awareness, then integrates the headier elements of design with the aid of context developed through storytelling. The approach is equally effective for children as adults. We encouraged attendance of parents and parents-to-be.

You will gain tools in six interrelated approaches:

1. Observational, Awareness, and Perceptual Shifts: Everything we know must first be perceived. Shifts in how we observe bring ecological relationships into our everyday awareness and change our behavior.

2. The Living Earth: Thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting. We perceive in many ways that the vast living systems of Earth are ever adapting to keep the Earth itself suitable for life, in a way similar to us maintaining our own bodies or homes.

3. Naturalist Knowledge and Tracking: The way we know and become the place we call home. The ability to read the patterns of the land is ancient and in our blood.

4. Bird Language and other messengers: Wherever you are in the world, the birds and other sensitive creatures form our extended awareness, feeding back information about our surroundings and ourselves.

5. Story and Myth: Our modern scientific culture has articulated a story of creation that is rarely told in its full, ecological form. The story of the universe shares much with the creation stories of all times and cultures. It asks us, "What does it mean to be the universe perceiving itself?" and gives us the common perspective to live ecologically.

6. Designer's Mind: With ecological awareness comes ecological actions. Simple design principles and practices form the competence to turn awareness into action.

The class will be taught by Robert Mellinger whose bio can be found here: http://www.robertmellinger.com/?page_id=312

Please be ready to be comfortable in any weather and bring lunch. Bring a notebook and pen/pencil.

Please contact us if you have any questions. If you are interested in more in depth exposure, look up our 2-day intensive and our 6-workshop series. See a full schedule at www.robertmellinger.com and our Facebook page: Foundations for Ecological Literacy.