Alfred Decker - The Social Microclimate
About the lecture
Permaculture is a holistic design system that works on social as well as the ecological structures. It is like a pair of glasses that allow you to see previously unseen possibilities: that rubble-filled urban lot as a food forest; your neighbourhood as a vibrant and resilient community; and yourself as part of a hugely complex web of life and the societal structures which form the world around you.
While Permaculture originated as a primarily ecological methodology, more recently the design principles have been applied in urban, social and group contexts to organise, communicate and cooperate more effectively, rethinking existing social and economic structures – we call this Social Permaculture.
Social Permaculture is about connection – between people, economies, and governing structures – and creating the conditions for humans to flourish on a societal level. In this session we will look at how to work effectively in groups and strategies for creating environments in which something more than the sum of the individual parts can happen; how to avoid the typical pitfalls for all groups (power, money, sexuality, etc.); organisational and decision-making structures; and fruitful communication.
About Alfred Decker
Alfred Decker is an award-winning permaculture designer; the Education Coordinator of Permaculture For Refugees; a certified educator with the Permaculture Association of Britain; a leading voice in Social Permaculture; and one of Europe’s innovative permaculture educators. His journey into ecological design began in 1998 when he completed his first Permaculture Design Course in California. Since then, Alfred has been involved with social movements and projects across many borders. He is the founder of the 12P Permaculture Design consultancy, Permacultura Barcelona and the Forest Gardens project at Can Masdeu; is a co-founder of the Spanish Permaculture Academy (Academia de Permacultura Íbera); and was a member of the European Permaculture Teachers Partnership and the Permaculture Council of Europe. Alfred holds a post graduate diploma in sustainable architecture and renewable energy (Centre for Alternative Technology).
After taking a “Permaculture Teacher Training” (PTT) course with Rosemary Morrow in 2011, he undertook a two year mentorship and later co-facilitated six courses as her assistant, ultimately earning a Diploma in Permaculture Education & Community Development in 2013 through the Blue Mountains Permaculture Institute (Australia). Committed to furthering the PTT course that Rosemary developed in over four decades of teaching experience around the world, Alfred facilitated over 20 PTT courses as lead facilitator, co-edited all three versions of the PTT manual, and organised a successful crowdfunding campaign to develop the platform. Rosemary has asked him to organise the PTT trainings in Europe, and he has developed an online version of the course on the Permaculture Association of Britain’s online educational platform.
In 2024 Alfred joined the Global Council of Permaculture For Refugees. He is passionate about how permaculture can be useful to refugees and migrants, and how permaculture education can be designed for them as learners…and how they in turn can best share their valuable knowledge and experience with others.
Alfred lives in the old town centre of Berga, Catalunya (Spanish Territory), and is available for educational activities, design work and consulting.
