Courses

The solutions are in the soil!

On Thursday June 26 12:00h through Sunday 29, 2025 12:00h I will, for the second time, give a course on soils at Provision in Alunişu, Romania. I live in The Netherlands and have given over 600 courses and lectures since 2013.

Sustainability is not enough. We need regenerative cultures. We need to know in our hearts that we are nature, that everything and everyone is connected. To really understand this, we need to shed light on our collective blind spot: the living soil!

During this course you will meet several important inhabitants of a healthy soil: bacteria, fungi, protists, nematodes, earthworms, and more. What’s their purpose? How do they relate to each other? And more importantly: how can we help them so they can do their important work?

Although soil life is infinitely complex, taking care of it is not. We must learn to trust the complexities and team up with all life.

Although we need healthy soils for the health of plants, animals and even the planet, we lose soils at breakneck speed. Agriculture causes desertification, erosion, deforestation, pollution and the degradation of life in general. Planet Earth is losing its biodiversity at a rate of about two hundred species per day and her climate is increasingly erratic.

Problems abound, but many solutions can be found in the soil!

Here’s a short impression of the course I gave in 2019:

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Language

The course will be in English, but that’s not my mother tongue. We will help each other if I can’t find the right words or someone doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say.

Cost

The price of the course includes on-site accommodation, drinks and meals.

I generally work for free, living on donations with my wife and son. We’ve successfully crowdfunded three quarters of the funds needed for this five-day course. That means that the course should be affordable for all. Still, we maintain three fees to make sure no one is left out.

Bank information

Reference Name: Asociatia Provision Transylvania
IBAN (RON): RO67BTRLRONCRT0492346201
IBAN (EUR): RO17BTRLEURCRT0492346201
Swift/Bic: BTRLRO22XXX
Bank: Banca Transilvania S.A.

Food and drinks

Food and drinks are included in the fee. They are provided by Provision and will be locally and organically grown as much as possible. Please feel free to bring food or non-alcoholic drinks to keep our costs down.

Register

You may register for this course using the form at the bottom of this page. Once your payment is received, you will receive a confirmation email.

Do you know people that might be interested? Please inform them! You can also invite them via the Facebook event.

Cancellation

Cancellation is possible until June 1 2025, you can get a full refund. After that, no refunds are possible.

Location

Provision
Alunişu 25
407516 Alunişu, Sâncraiu (România)

Your stay

There are several accommodation options:

Offered free of charge at Provision:

[1] Camping; bring your own gear.

[2] Hay barn; bring your own sleeping gear.

[3] Shared room; limited number of mattresses available, please bring the bedding you require.

Outside solar shower and compost toilet are available.

Otherwise:

[4] Informal lodging with locals of Alunişu. The beds are made and all within walking distance from Provision. Cost 50 RON per person per night, paid at the time of registration for the course.

[5] Bed and Breakfast in Sâncraiu (3 km distance from Alunişu and Provision). You will have to arrange this for yourself, using this link.

Please let us know when you register for which option you are choosing (1 – 5).

Program

The program may change due to weather conditions. There is ample time to get to know each other during breaks and evenings.

Thursday, June 26 (12:00 – 17:00)

Friday, June 27 (10:00 – 17:00)

Saturday, June 28 (10:00 – 17:00)

Sunday, July 29 (9:00 – 12:00)

Possible content (to be decided)

Thinking in systems: it’s all about relations
Feedback: nature speaks!
About soils: texture, structure and how to test the soil quality
Photosynthesis: the basis of life on Earth
Fun with fungi: healthy systems rely on fungal networks
The Return of the Fungi: making good use of succession
The water cycle: what’s life got to do with it?
Complex not complicated: the illusion of control
Today we go for a refreshing walk through the hills! Bring your hiking shoes!
Observing your surroundings: reading the landscape
The Soil Food Web: the interconnectedness of all things
Picking up trash along the way
Composting
Workshop by Lars: how to set up and use a composting toilet
Nutrients in the soil: how to get them inside the plant
Nitrogen: essential but troublesome
Dynamic equilibrium: striving for balance
Nutrients in the soil: how to get them inside the plant
Nitrogen: essential but troublesome
Dynamic equilibrium: striving for balance
Farewell ceremony