Common Vision has an epic line-up of permaculture and sustainability workshops this summer/fall with some of the most esteemed teachers in the world, namely Elaine Ingham, Darren Doherty, and Michael Philips. All courses will be held at the M.A. Center in Castro Valley with group camping options. We hope you can be involved.

Soil Food Web w/ Dr. Elaine Ingham (August 2009)
August 10-14th 2009 @ M.A. Center in Bay Area
Dr. Elaine Ingham PhD is revered internationally as the preeminent teacher of soil micro-life and how human survival depends on it. Her five day intensive course will transmit a wealth of knowledge and teach hands-on compost and compost tea strategies for organic gardens, orchards, and landscapes. Common Vision and the GreenFriends have worked hard to offer this course at almost half the price of Dr. Ingham’s usual course tuitions.
In this course you will learn to:

• Understand Soil Microlife
• Make biologically powerful compost
• Brew and analyze Compost Tea
• Grow healthier plants and food
• Never look at soil the same way again
• Save the planet through top soil health.

Fruit Forest: Orchard as Ecosystem (Sept 2009)
September 11-13 @ M.A. Center in the Bay Area
Michael Philips is author of The Apple Grower, a definitive guide to growing organic apples holistically. Michael's knowledge of fruit trees, orchard management, companion plants, and soil science has helped him to become well spring of information and inspiration for orchardists and backyard gardeners alike. He integrates the intuitive knowledge of our great-grandparents with the fruits of modern scientific research and innovation. Michael shares his breadth of wisdom woven through personal stories in a way of amplifying a passion and inspiration for growing fruit trees and 'abetting Nature's way'. Using the MA Center orchards, Michael will bring participants on an ecological journey that explores how we can create an optimal “forest-edge- ecosystem” perfect for fruit trees.

• Walking through the orchard season
• Moving beyond organic: The holistic approach
• Creating a diverse, healthy orchard ecosystem
• Managing understory plants, nutrients, and beneficial microorganisms.
• Using plant medicines and compost teas to boost tree immune resistance
• Evaluating strategies for the existing and new hillside orchards at the MA Center
• On site Apple Harvesting and Juicing

Permaculture Design Intensive with Darren Doherty (Oct 2009)
October 2-4 @ M.A. Center in Bay Area
Darren Doherty (Australia) is one of the world's most experienced Permaculture Design professionals and teachers. A prolific designer, Darren has developed over 1100 properties across 4 continents and has co-taught with Bill Mollison & David Holmgren (the co-originators of Permaculture) and Geoff Lawton. In this workshop Darren will be bringing his immense experience in water design, pasture regeneration, and species selection to the MA Center to work with participants to create a working design that:

• Rapidly improves soil fertility for the new orchards.
• Connects rainwater catching earthworks across the landscape
• Employs Keyline design strategies for orchards, paddocks, and reforestation
• Uses cow grazing to improve soil health.
• Plants trees within grazing patterns.
• Develop a productive and marketable agroforestry system
• Exploring the food forest / orchard edge
• Hand-on Keyline design and live ploughing
• On-site Permaculture consultancy strategies