Lusi Alderslowe

Lusi Alderslowe
Availability

Generally available for teaching, facilitating, mentoring.... Give me a shout

Taking new apprentices?
Yes
Individual or group tutorials
both
Notes about contacting me

Phone/Signal/Whats app: +44 (or 0)7787 376475

 Email: lusialderslowe@ gmail.com 

My phone number

+44 7787376475
About me

(she/her)

A permaculture educator of adults and children: I am a Permaculture Design Course teacher, a senior tutor for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design, a LAND/ScotLAND tutor, a Forest School Leader, a Branching Out Leader, a Trainer of Teachers, an author of the Children in Permaculture Manual, and LGBTQI+. I have always loved spending time in nature, whether bumbling in woods, paddling in burns, cycling or climbing munros. I first conceptualised my deep love and connection to nature whilst studying Ecopsychology in an MSc at the Centre Human Ecology (CHE) in Edinburgh in 2003-05. My thesis on Ecovillages and Planning Permission was awarded a distinction. I studied the Permaculture Design Course in 2005 in Kilmartin with Ed Tyler (an amazing and inspiring nature observer), and in 2006 set up an outdoor children and parents’ play-group called ‘Nurture in Nature’ - featured in the Permaculture Magazine (PM73). In 2010 I completed a Permaculture Training of Teachers course with Designed Visions, and in January 2011 I completed my Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. I have been teaching permaculture since 2009 including many full design courses. From 2005-12 I lived in the City of Glasgow, including leading permaculture education with children from the local schools and nurseries in Castlemilk (through Urban Roots, a local environmental charity). In 2012 I moved to Gatehouse-of-Fleet in Galloway, where I continue to teach permaculture to adults (in PDCs) and children. Completed my Forest Schools Leader training, I have worked with kids both within school hours, and after school leading both nature connection in the woods and gardening in the school grounds. I worked with others to reinvigorate Permaculture Scotland in 2009 - organising events including the main annual event the Permaculture Scotland Gathering, coordinating the ScotLAND network, although taking a back seat now, as the new team are doing such wonderful work and I focus more on children in permaculture. A potted history of my permaculture journey: Since 2014 I have been working on the Children in Permaculture European project , which has been full of fun, rewards, challenges and creative solutions, including receiving Erasmus+ funding (100 page application!!!), representing two partners - Gatehouse School and the Permaculture Association. In 2018, we wrote a book entitled 'Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: the Children in Permaculture Manual'. Since then we have been leading lots of permaculture courses for educators of children, including in schools, permaculture centres and online. Currently a co-chair of the Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor and Woodland Learning Group delivering training of teachers and Branching Out (outdoor mental health support for adults). I have a fun, informative, participatory teaching style with lots of diversity in methodologies.

Diploma Tutor Experience

My diploma apprentices are all over the world! It's wonderful to support people through their permaculture designs wherever they are, preferably by a combination of tutorials (mainly on zoom, but in person if you are nearby), sending me designs, assessing, and discussing it on Zoom. My personal design experience is mainly in Scotland - I did my diploma whilst I lived with my young children in a city so there was lots of urban design, and lots of designs with/including children. In 2012 I moved to Galloway, since then my main designs have been in school grounds, people-based designs, my own garden and education.  Children-centred designs have included: Nurture in Nature (an outdoor playgroup for adults and children); a Housing Association garden in Castlemilk; a child-friendly allotment; Gatehouse School's playground, peace garden and food growing; and Twynholm school's Peace Garden. Other designs include: forest gardens; herb spirals; teaching permaculture; the Work that Reconnects workshops; Permaculture Scotland; Transition Towns; Bodhi-SCI Ecovillage; and my permaculture life. Currently working on an LGBTQI+ design...

Diploma Tutor Skills

Specialising in:  *

  • Children in Permaculture, 
  • Permaculture Education, 
  • Urban permaculture, 
  • Social and personal permaculture

Also interests and skills in: 

  • LGBTQI+ permaculture.
  • Transition Towns, 
  • Community, 
  • The Work that Reconnects, 
  • Ecovillages, 
  • Human ecology, 
  • Herb spirals, 
  • and generally working on the edge!
Educator experience

My educator experience includes teaching Permaculture Design Courses - taught several courses per year since 2010 in various locations including Glasgow, Findhorn Ecovillage, Dumfries & Galloway, Ireland (Carraig Dulra), England, and online. 

Have a specialism in engaging children in permaculture -  teaching a PDC for Educators of Children, as well as a Practitioners Course for Educators of Children.

In my region, I share with school and nursery teachers about how to engage children in the school curriculum (with a focus on literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing) in the outdoors. Supporting educators to take children outside to learn in, with and from nature. 

I've led many programmes for children to learn about the world through a permaculture lens from when I co-founded and coordinated an outdoor playgroup in 2006, and in 2012 a forest school. Through working with children in schools in an area of multiple deprivation in Glasgow, to a food forest in Gatehouse School, a Peace Garden in Twynholm School, and various short workshops in lots of different locations! (e.g.  school playgrounds, forest gardens, vegetable gardens, workshops, courses,  ecovillages, urban permaculture, small spaces, social permaculture, compost, the Work that Reconnects, and more...

Educator qualifications

Senior, Assessment and Registration Level Tutor Training - Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design

Children in Permaculture Train the Trainer (and Practitioner)

Forest School Leader 

Work that Reconnects Facilitator

Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design 

Permaculture Training of Teachers

Masters of Science in Human Ecology, with distinction 

BSc hons Psychology 

and loads of short courses, such as LGBTQI+ inclusion training (2024), outdoor first aid, Campfire cooking (2024), ecofootprint Masterclass, PDC, food hygiene, ponds and wetlands etc..