Even though Daryl Hannah lives off the grid on a sustainable solar-powered farm in Colorado, the actress is convinced she can do even more for the environment so she signed up for a two-week course on permaculture in Queensland, Australia.

The sustainability classes are designed to teach individuals how to design human settlements in a fashion that mimics our natural eco-systems.

“Obviously, we are facing a time of great crises; we are in the middle of probably the biggest extinction in recorded history,” says Hannah. “We are pretty much at peak oil (use) and we have over-population. Permaculture is one of the best tools that I know in terms of understanding our place within that system and still do the things we need to do, like grow food and collect water… (It’s) a more sane way of living in harmony with our environment.”

Later this month, Hannah will present a keynote address at the 2010 Australasian Permaculture Conference in Kuranda.