If you are interested in living sustainably, or exploring the diverse approaches to sustainability and ecology in the arts, holistic science, ecopsychology, agriculture, community, economics, sustainable technologies, eco-building, food, health and healing, then the Higher National Certificate (HNC) in ‘Sustainable Environments – The Ecology of People and the Land’ may be of interest to you. The HNC in Sustainable Environments is an interdisciplinary forum where students come to explore, learn about and contribute towards the concept of sustainability, fostering new and creative ways of living with the land, environment, and community. Students and staff together explore and research together how to be a sustainable learning community. We are very grateful for having received the opportunity to explore and develop such a training at Higher Education level.

Sustainable Environments is run in the form of monthly weekend seminars with visiting lecturers providing a wide tapestry of learning. This coming year we have some exciting weekends planned. Tim Lenton who has carried-on the research of James Lovelock will join together with Peter Horton to present ‘Gaia Theory: the science and its cultural implications’ (including "The Interface of Deep Ecology with Gaia Theory"). Following last years weekend on ‘earth energies’, Dr Patrick MacManaway a healer, and geomancist will contribute again with "Pathways to Health in the Inner and Outer Landscape". Patrick ‘Jasper’ Lee, probably the last remaining Romani Chohivano (shamanic healer or medicine man) in Western Europe joins with Lizzie May Gotts a Romani gypsy herbalist to present "The Shaman’s Relationship with the Land". Craig Gibson and John Talbot (Community Building Consultants) from the Findhorn Foundation and involved in building projects at Findhorn and in the ‘Eco-village Training’, will present a seven day seminar on "High and Low Tech Eco-building". This will be preceded also by a weekend on "Mythology, Spirit and the Land" with May East from the Foundation. Hilary Prentice an Integrative Psychotherapist and Ecopsychologist will present a weekend on "Sustainability of Mind and Heart – An Introduction to Ecopsychology" this will also include some Deep Ecology. There will be a visit to the Centre for Alternative Technology at Macynlleth in Wales. We hope to have Satish Kumar sharing his ideas on "Children, Education and the Environment". Julia Hinton, an environmental artist will work practically with students in the landscape "Looking at the Land until the Land Looks at You". In July we will have a Summer School entitled "Celebrating Food from the Farm to the Table" with Wendy Cook, ex-wife of Peter Cook the comedian.

This is just a selection of the coming years full programme. Learning styles on the HNC are diverse and inter-disciplinary, ranging from: lectures, interactive group discussions; group dialogue, and individual or team based projects or assignments. The course looks at the basic principles of sustainability and ecology, as well as exploring the underlying scientific and philosophical concepts underpinning many of the changes in global attitudes to the environment. Aiming to be as diverse as possible in it’s content, the HNC is designed and continually redesigned in the attempt to be as inclusive as possible to a wide range of students who have the central purpose of exploring what may be involved in living more sustainably. We aim to encourage students’ enthusiasm through supporting them to discover where their own interests lie, fostering their passion for learning, towards creative outcomes and applications of their learning which they find meaningful or fulfilling.

If you are interested in this course, or it’s sisters the HNC in Organic Farming and Growing Systems" and "Plants for Healing" plese contact the Short Course Co-ordinator at Otley College, FREEPOST, Otley, Ipswich, IP6 9BR. Tel: 01473-785543

Otley College is running two new seminars this spring on Conversion to Organic systems and Community Supported Agriculture in conjunction with East Anglia Food Link. Each seminar will be run over two long weekends, starting in March ’99.

This is the start of a new programme of seminars on the organic production of food aimed at the practitioner who would like to know more about Organic systems before they take the plunge into conversion, or setting up a direct marketing system. The seminars will be led by experts in their areas with plenty of time for discussion and visits, and are run at weekends to allow for ease of access for as many people as possible. These seminars will build up finally to an HNC qualification that is currently in development.

The Community Supported Agriculture seminar will be run by Clive Peckham who will be talking about the wide range of direct marketing systems arising world-wide to supply consumers with organic local food. These are Farmers markets, co-operatives, box schemes and the like.

Dr Nicola Cannon will be looking at the process of conversion from a conventional to an organic farming or growing system. Time will be given to examine the financial, environmental and social implications to farmers and growers of this process.

Each of these courses costs £86.

There will be a simple organic lunch provided for an extra cost of £10 on the Saturday and Sunday so the participants can begin to taste what is possible!

For more information contact: