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Imagine
the possibilities. Whether you need simple or complicated home repairs
or want to garden like the pros, or whip up a gourmet meal, we can
help. Through interactive lessons you can explore a wide variety
of home and garden topics. Click
on one of the courses below for more information. To
find out more on the three ways you can purchase a course, click
here.
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E-Learning Online Courses
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The
Chi in a home or other surrounding is very important. This course
will introduce you to Feng Shui, the essential practice of harmonizing
your surroundings. After you practice Feng Shui for a while, you
will start to notice how Chi is being affected by your design
arrangements.
Chi
is the invisible aspect of creating harmony: Chi is enhanced when
harmony is achieved. Chi, which translates as vital energy or
life force, can either flow or get stuck. It can be too strong
or too weak. It can be going in the wrong direction, or not move
at all. In acupuncture, stimulating certain pressure points on
the body will affect the flow of Chi. So too, if you shift the
energy in your surroundings, you will change the dynamic.
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Now,
now, don’t let your mind wander too much. I’m talking about the
sex lives of flowers, and how this knowledge can lead to magnificent
gardening. In fact, the sexual behavior of flowers has many similarities
to human sexual behavior.
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Solar
Home Design & Natural House Building Online Course
January
31st - March 11th
This
Internet course focuses on how-to build energy efficient, sustainable
solar homes. During this six-week course, everyone from the serious
owner-builder to the professional contractor, will learn up-to-date
strategies for sustainable new home construction and remodels.
Natural building (earth and straw construction) will be presented
along with case studies of progressive building projects.
SEI's goal is to introduce students to design and construction
principles that are cost effective, aesthetically beautiful and
sustainable. Today's high performance solar homes can be energy
efficient, healthy to live in and earth-friendly. Avoid the mistakes
of the past when designing your passive solar/natural home!
After completing this distance course, you can attend the Solar
Home Design and Natural House Building workshop in Colorado for
only $750 (a $250 discount).
Students
residing outside the United States must pay an extra fee for shipping
of course materials.
This is a 6 Week online course from January 31st - March 11th,
2005. Once you sign up, you
will be contacted by the developer about taking the course online.
Topics
Include:
- Lessons
Learned
- Design
Principles
- Heat
Transfer
- Building
Science
- Envelope
Options
- Super
Insulation
- Super
Windows
- Solar
Site Analysis
- "Green"
Building
- Passive
Solar
- Healthy
Homes
- Solar
Hot Water
- Electrical
Independence
- Natural
House Building
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Course
Instructor
Rachel
Ware is an online curriculum developer and instructor at Solar
Energy International (SEI). Rachel earned a Bachelor's degree
in Environmental Studies at Utah State University before coming
to SEI.
In the summer of 2001 she became an SEI intern and participated
in the Renewable Energy Education Program (REEP). She returned
in the winter of 2002 to help develop SEI's online education program.
She now teaches the Solar Home Design & Natural House Building
online course twice a year.
Currently,
she is helping to develop and team teach hands-on solar home design
& natural house building workshops. She is also pursuing future
online courses and multi-media opportunities. She currently resides
in Rifle, Colorado in an energy-efficient sun tempered home that
is patiently awaiting a solar thermal system.
Click
here to learn about software requirements for the Solar Home Design
online course.
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Photovoltaic
Design & Installation
November 1st - December 10th, 2004
This
course provides 60 cumulative hours of training, that may be used
towards NABCEP certification purposes.
Learn how to design a complete solar electric (photovoltaic) power
system without leaving your home. A six-week, Internet-based,
online course of instruction with text, CD-ROM reference materials
and Internet resource links. The course will be offered four times
throughout the year.
This
course is for the person who is interested in learning how to
produce their own electricity from the sun. The course will be
useful to the person seeking employment in the solar energy industry
as well as the person seeking to apply solar electricity for his
or her own use. Participants will learn the practical and economical
design of photovoltaic power systems which are independent of
the utility grid and those that are grid-tied.
New
for 2004: Participants will also receive a Kill A Watt meter,
an electricity usage monitor. This meter allows you to measure
how much electricity your appliances comsume and how efficient
they really are ($40 value).
Participants
will learn system sizing, site analysis, hardware specification
and component selection. They will also look at the costs of PV
systems, learn the importance of energy efficiency, as well as
compare economics of alternative PV-Generator hybrid designs.
The course covers typical applications and case study examples.
Upon successful completion of this course, a participant will
be able to:
- Describe
the function and performance characteristics of each of the
6 basic components of a photovoltaic power system.
- Determine
the energy requirements for any desired application(s).
- Determine
the capacity and specifications for each of the components required
in a solar electric power system.
- Evaluate
the initial cost and comparative economics of alternative system
designs.
This
is a 6 Week online course from November 1st - December 10th,
2004. Once you sign up, you
will be contacted by the developer about taking the course online.
After
completing the distance course, you can attend the 2-week PV Design
& Installation workshop for only $800 (a $250 discount) or a 6-day
PV workshop for only $475 (a $125 discount.)
Students residing outside the United States must pay an extra
fee for shipping of course materials. Contact SEI for details.
Topics
Include:
- PV
Applications
- Basics
of Electricity
- PV
System Components
- Efficient
Appliances
- Solar
Site Analysis
- Stand-Alone
PV System Sizing
- PV/Generator
Hybrid System Sizing
- Grid-Tie
System Sizing
- Component
Specification
- System
Costs and Economics
Course
Instructor
Justine
has been with Solar Energy International since May 1998. Before
coming to SEI Justine obtained her Bachelors degree in Physics
from the University of Colorado Boulder. She worked with the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory for 2 years in the Solar
Radiation Resource Assessment Division. After leaving NREL, Justine
worked with EV Solar Products in Chino Valley performing photovoltaic
system installations.
Justine came to SEI as an intern to further her knowledge of renewable
energies. Since her arrival, she has established a new division
of SEI that offers PV design, sales and installation services.
This division enables SEI to provide students and interns with
on the job training projects while offering solar electric services
to local residents. Justine is also a course instructor for SEI’s
coed PV Design and Installation workshop, the Women’s Photovoltaics
course, and the Online PV Design course. Justine currently works
out of SEI's Paonia office.
Click
here to learn about software requirements for the Photovoltaic
Design and Installation online course.
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CDROM, DVD, & Video Courses
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Lauren
Springer’s book on gardening with plants that can withstand drought,
wind, hail, and temperature extremes has been honored by the American
Horticultural Society as one of the 75 Great American Garden Books
of the last 75 years.
Springer, an acclaimed garden columnist and writer, introduces the
reader to more than 1,000 hardy species with down-to-earth advice
born of her own trials and errors. Two hundred and fifty beautiful
color photos of her northern Colorado garden complement Springer’s
refreshing and informative writing. All gardeners facing the challenges
of extreme weather conditions will find this book an essential addition
to their gardening bookshelf. |
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A wonderful
addition to every flower gardener’s and cook’s bookshelf from one
of the country’s top edible flower experts.
Grow your own edible flowers to use in seventy-two tantalizing recipes
for great desserts and drinks! Cathy Wilkinson Barash shows you
how with full-color photographs and in-depth information on growing,
harvesting and preserving thirty-three different edible flowers.
The book also includes Cathy’s “Ten Rules for Edible Flowers.” |
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Gardening
expert Margaret Davis provides enthusiasm, inspiration, and practical
advice to small-space gardeners in this illustrated guide. “Challenges
are the breath of life to gardeners,” according to author and balcony
gardener Margaret Davis. Today the average American property is
smaller than it was just a few years ago, but even in the limited
space of a balcony, terrace or patio, beautiful gardens can offer
a soothing retreat from our busy, crowded world. Written especially
for people who live in apartments, condominiums or townhouses and
units with balconies, this book guides gardeners through the important
considerations of growing plants in these spaces. In addition, Davis
provides a host of recommendations for suitable plants, many of
which are illustrated by full-color photographs. |
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Learn
the art and science of creating spectacular hot-climate gardens
with year-round beauty.
For all who live in sunbelt regions of America—whether Southeastern,
Southcentral, or Southwestern—Tom describes the differences that
set hot-weather garden performers apart from other garden varieties.
Year-round blooms are perfectly possible in hot climates, if you
select plants that are suited to the weather conditions of the season.
He addresses the distinction between drought-tolerant and moisture-loving
plants and explains which ones will work best in your garden, based
on the specific region of the country in which you live. Most importantly,
novice and expert gardener alike will learn how to succeed in cultivating
exquisite, varied beauty throughout the hot summer months. The book
addresses a significant—albeit much neglected—arena of winter gardening
in the lower altitude states.
Illustrated with more than 160 stunning full-color photographs,
Sunbelt Gardening leads the enthusiast confidently forward into
each new season and into a more adventurous and successful way of
gardening. |
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Written
by one of today’s hottest young garden writers, this book defines
a revolutionary way of creating edible theme gardens.
Susan McClure, author of The Herb Gardener: A Guide for All Seasons,
gives every gardener just the right mix of information and inspiration
to create their own ornamental edible design gardens. With eleven
designs for all types of theme gardens—Casual Country, Elizabethan
Knot, Italian Villa—the author shares hints on how to make each
type of garden one’s very own “highly livable” space. More than
just a discussion on how to design a theme garden and what to grow,
McClure’s book takes readers on an odyssey of harvesting and preparing
the abundant rewards from these gardens.
Combining beautiful full-color photographs, original full-color
garden designs, plant portraits, recipes, and helpful hints, this
book is a step-by-step guide for anyone who gardens. With the theme
of garden space as living space, learn how to satisfy your personal
needs for beauty and livability, while reaping the harvest of healthy,
organic foods. |
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This
essential primer is the beginning gardener’s key to confidence and
gardening success. Carter takes the gardener through the basics
of choosing plants, soil, lawn care, growing vegetables and flowers,
and controlling insects and disease. |
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Prolific
garden writer Jack Kramer believes that gardening should be enjoyable,
so he has written this book on how to spend less time on the strenuous
aspects of gardening and more on the creative. Topics include tools
and special aids, how to avoid unnecessary work, and no-bend gardening
as well as greenhouse, condominium and container gardening, and
plant growing basics. Kramer stresses that no matter what your limitations,
gardening can be an enjoyable pastime. |
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This
innovative book contains everything the gardener needs to know to
make the small space into a working landscape and garden. Veteran
garden writer Jack Kramer teaches the basics on planning, surfacing,
watering, tree, shrub and plant choice, maintenance, and disease
and pest control. Detailed line drawings and tables provide easy
access to design and other information. |
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In
this revised edition, Whitney Cranshaw draws from his experience
with master gardeners to show gardeners of all abilities how to
combat the major insect pests, plant diseases, and weeds west of
the Mississippi. Now completely updated with more than 100 photos
and informative tables and illustrations, this practical guide remains
the standard for every Western gardener´s bookshelf. |
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For
the first time ever in a gardening book, more than 20 North American
native gardens are profiled with informative text and beautiful
full-color photographs. An inspiration to every gardener.
North, South, East and West—gardeners across the continent are
embracing the sound environmental reasons for gardening with native
plants. Using the intrinsic beauty of nature’s own regional selections—too
long relegated to positions outside the horticultural fence—has
inspired a new generation of pioneering gardeners.
Grow
Wild! celebrates the aesthetic triumphs of the newly emerging
trend toward native plant gardening, offering readers the tools
necessary to create places of natural beauty in their own gardens.
Although the emphasis is on native plant gardens, this useful
book describes how to combine successfully adapted exotic species
into predominantly native plant designs. Also included are native
plant lists with plant descriptions and cultivation information
as well as design suggestions for working with native plants.
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The
ultimate reference—and inspirational guide— for gardeners in challenging
climates.
Gardeners who live in challenging climates know that garden success
depends on the most appropriate plant selections, the best gardening
techniques, and maximizing the seasons. Every subject the authors
tackle—from bulbs to botanical Latin—urges readers to make the most
of the garden they tend.
Passionate Gardening takes the gardener through the seasons in a
comprehensive, yet pleasurable and accessible way, as the authors
celebrate a diversity of plants for every site and every season.
They champion sound, ecologically friendly gardening techniques,
from soil and water issues to pest management. They also offer up
stories of their own horticultural adventures through their gardens’
evolutions, making this lively, information-packed reading with
a personal, real touch.
With its mixture of sparkling essays and lush photographs, Passionate
Gardening is an indispensable guide for both budding and seasoned
gardeners. |
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Did
you know that there is sex in your garden? This book takes a clear
and concise peek at the reproductive processes of garden plants
and their relationship to their various propagators. Written with
a flair for the humorous and a touch of the absurd, Sex in Your
Garden is the perfect addition to any gardener’s or botanist’s bookshelf.
Angela Overy teaches her readers all the basics of garden botany,
and the book’s appealing design allows curious readers an opportunity
to explore the ins and outs of sex in their own gardens. |
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