The Regenerative Design Institute (RDI) is a non-profit educational organization with the vision that all people can live in a mutually enhancing relationship with the earth. We envision a world in which people, inspired by nature, create and maintain healthy and abundant livelihoods that enhance fertility and biodiversity on the planet. More About Us...

Peacemaking & Permaculture at D-Q University, September 3–18

Join us for an extra-ordinary gathering of permaculture, peacemaking and Native American communities – a collaborative Permaculture Design Certification training at D-Q University in Davis.

Our very special guests Jake & Judy Swamp will help launch this unique permaculture course at D-Q University in Davis. Jake served as Mohawk Sub-Chief and representative on the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy for over 30 years, and is the founder of the Tree of Peace Society. Both Jake and Judy have a wide range of experience in Indigenous, environmental and social issues on local, national and international levels – read more about Jake and Judy here.

Also on the bill are top-notch instructors who have been chosen for their vast personal and professional experience in their respective fields – many of them Native American. There will be a strong focus on the Indigenous perspective to Permaculture, Peacemaking and Nature Connection.

Instructors: Penny Livingston-Stark, Brock Dolman, Jon Young, James Stark, David Ortiz,
Edward Willie, Frank Lake, Carla Perez, Jeanette Acosta, Tamara Wilder, John Valenzuela,
Lauren Dalberth, Dave Hage, Brian King, Doniga Markegard and Michael Corbett.

Combining the hands-on work of permaculture design with the leadership skills of peacemaking, this will be unlike any other permaculture course you have ever experienced!

Scholarships are available to Native American and Indigenous people.
Tax deductiable donations are gratefully accepted to support the scholarship fund.

Donate here for the Native American scholarship fund

Re-Skilling Series at RDI

Reclaiming the Art of Local Craftsmanship

What is Re-Skilling?

Our ancestors, perhaps only a few generations back, were able to make what they needed for daily life or trade for what they needed with a skilled neighbor.

In this modern culture, most of us have lost the skills of basic craftsmanship. As we transition away from global consumerism and towards localized, earth-friendly economies, we need to reclaim these skills for ourselves and for our community.

Many of us have already started to re-skill around food — growing fresh vegetables in the backyard or cultivating a plot at a local community garden. This self-sustaining practice is deeply satisfying, and in the Bay Area there is a vibrant local economy around food that supports local farmers, garden teachers, restaurants, and burgeoning new vegetable landscaping businesses.

Regenerative Design and Nature Awareness (RDNA) Program

Start: Sep 3 2010 17:00

Timezone: US/Alaska

Why Take the the RDNA Program?
Watch this Video!

Applications are still accepted for RDNA 2010-11

RDNA Open House
Sunday, August 22nd, from 10:00 am–12:00 pm
Commonweal Garden, Bolinas

Creating Resilient Leaders and Community

Are you ready to build a more meaningful relationship with the earth, your community and yourself – and make clear your role as a community member and an integral part of the natural world? The Regenerative Design and Nature Awareness (RDNA) program is an advanced 9-month program that extends hands-on, skill based training to help you develop the leadership skills you need to bring sustainability and regenerative practices into your personal and professional lives. Through RDNA, you can learn to design powerful communities, regenerate ecosystems and facilitate positive community change.

Our instructors are fully engaged visionaries working in regenerative design, nature awareness, cultural mentoring and leadership. They bring the tools they have gathered through years of experience, working locally and around the world, to create resilient leaders, cultural systems and landscapes. They weave these tools together into the dynamic and lifestyle that makes up the RDNA program.

Using the teachings of regenerative design, nature awareness, 8 Shields Culture Mentoring and the Ecology of Leadership, RDNA offers a comprehensive exploration of where we came from, where we are now and where we are going.

A full listing of our upcoming classes can be viewed under Courses & Events in the main menu.