In Coast Guard terminology a lifeboat is a rescue boat, designed to save lives: “A lifeboat must be extremely stable and strong, built to withstand pounding waves and the possibility of hitting hard ground.  It must have extra buoyancy, so that it will stay afloat even if it is leaking badly.  It must be self-righting (able to turn upright if capsized) and self-bailing. Finally, despite its needed strength, a lifeboat must be relatively light and fast.”
—Columbia Maritime Museum 

Building Your Lifeboat:
You know about Peak Oil. You’re aware of global climate change.  You know we are entering time of unprecedented changes that will not be easy and may not be pretty.  You understand the “lifeboat” concept.  Do you know what to do?  

We offer new online classes providing personal guidance for people who are ready to do something about global warming and resources in their own personal lives.

Occasionally we offer weekend workshops. We are also available to speak at conferences or workshops.  Contact us regarding scheduling.

Our course includes a workbook, 10 hours of online support, and 1 hour of phone support. We request a “pro bono” donation of $35 per hour. We will not turn people away for lack of funds.

All Interns and Work/Study participants are required to take The Lifeboat Course.  Through this coursework, reasons for the homestead lifestyle and the work we are doing here become clear. Participants use this course to inform their choices for what comes after their TLA experience.  The Lifeboat Course is also available online. 
 
The Lifeboat Course is for people from western cultures who are serious about making the personal life changes, both outward and inward, necessary to live sustainably.  We work intensively with learners to determine how to begin erasing their eco footprint, become self-sufficient, and help others.
 
 People come to TLA in all stages of this process. We will not teach what you already know. (But you may be asked to re-visit some areas you thought you knew.) We  adapt the coursework to each individual's needs, experience, resources and skills. Roughly one-third of the course involves hands-on education. One-third is reading, viewing documentaries, internet searches, analysis, synthesis and discussion or Socratic seminars. www.studyguide.org/socratic_seminar.htm
The final third is internal processing and reflection.  We support each learner's individual life direction/plan with resources from a large library and data base and our decades of research, experience and teaching.
 
The Lifeboat Course is intensive and often life-changing. Our most successful students are those who routinely stay informed regarding current global events, who enjoy gathering new information and ideas, who are open-minded and willing to push the envelope, and who enjoy analyzing, synthesizing and transferring ideas. If you believe that simply by thinking positive, surrendering to Karma, allying with a “community", or creating your own reality,  you can avoid the negative consequences of resource depletion, climate change, economic crash and overpopulation, then this course will seriously challenge your thinking.  If your honest intention is to create a sustainable way of life, The Lifeboat Course will provide you with a solid foundation and a breadth and depth of information and ideas not otherwise available all in one place.  

For more complete details, send an email to our Education Director.

Comments From Former Students

Susan & Jerry  Houston, TX
“After reading Richard Heinberg’s book Power Down and giving the book to friends and family, we were very confused about our next steps to prepare for a post-carbon world.  We felt alone and isolated because no one took us seriously and some thought us clearly unbalanced.  Although we continued to read widely and research peak oil, we both felt something essential was missing.  We realized that we needed to think about our future differently; we needed skill sets; and we needed to align ourselves with groups who could help us prepare now.  
 
TLA has been a beacon for us in the fog of confusion and apprehension through which we found ourselves wandering.  Caren and Christopher have personally worked with us to establish a realistic plan designed for our personal situation and taking into account our limited resources of time, money and expertise.  
 
We certainly do not have all the answers…But thanks to our study with TLA we no longer feel alone.  Rather, we feel fully and purposefully engaged in developing skill sets and creating new life patterns that will allow us to survive and teach others, no matter what may come.”
 
Brian  Manzanita, OR
“Caren and Christopher are sustainable living veterans, both have actively educated and planned for the oil collapse for over thirty years.  Christopher, a former products engineer and solar electric installation contractor, has impressive credentials and an equally impressive library covering subjects from seed saving to survival, including a microfiche library of over one thousand books covering appropriate technology solutions already in use.   Caren, a former K-12 teacher and Vice Principal,  carries herself with the seriousness and intensity of someone who's used to getting things done.  Her ability to process information and pick out the relevant ideas is notable.  Together they make a dynamic and experienced teaching team. 
 
What separates Christopher and Caren from the many independent farms and sustainable communities already in motion is the scope of their vision.”