Our online Permaculture courses are delivered via downloads in pdf format.  Students will receive emailed download instructions after payment is made.  There are no homework assignments for the Introduction to Permaculture course.  Students taking the Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course will submit homework assignments and work with instructors via email.

Introduction to Permaculture Course

This course covers the first section of the full Permaculture Design Certificate Course.  This introductory course covers the ethics and principles of Permaculture, as well as providing some ideas you can experiment with immediately in your home and on your site.

The Introduction to Permaculture Course includes the first section (about 1/4 of the full 72-hour Permaculture Design Certificate Course), so you should allow about 1/4 of 72 hours = 18 hours of study time.

We provide financial credit to students who have paid for the Introduction Course and later decide to take the full PDC.  This credit will then be applied to the cost of your full PDC course.  When you are ready to move on to the full PDC coures, you will already have a substantial foundation in Permaculture principles.

$50.00

 

The Permaculture Design Certificate Course:

According to the Permaculture Research Institute guidelines, the full Permaculture Design Course (PDC) is a 72- hour intensive program.  This course involves study modules supported by practical exercises, photos, fieldwork and videos.

This PDC course should supply you with enough information and feedback to:

• Plan and implement a Permaculture system for yourself and others. 
• Incorporate relevant Permaculture ideas and methods into existing systems (home, office, business, ecological restoration sites).
• Assess systems for sustainability.
• Develop your research into particular systems, technologies or strategies.
• Develop personal interests in Permaculture subject areas.
• Encourage community interest in activities that focus on real (and not just economic) growth and development.
• Start-up or work in businesses related to Permaculture. (After getting your PDC, you will then be legally entitled to use the word “Permaculture” in your business and teaching activities).

 

The design course should provide you with a thorough understanding of Permaculture Design and enable you to begin teaching others. 

On successful completion of the Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course, graduates are awarded an official Permaculture Design Certificate.

$550.00

(Sliding-scale pricing, discounts and work-trade opportunities may be available for those who request it. We offer this because we and the Permaculture Institute feel strongly that this information needs to get out there to as many people as possible. By making this knowledge widely available, we can all help save the world.

 

 

The Online PDC:

Who Takes an Online PDC?

In 1994, Bill Mollison and the Permaculture Institute realized that there was a great need for an online PDC course. 

“The fact is that not everyone can afford to take 15-20 days off from work, pay for travel, food and lodging, and then pay $2,000.00 or more for the typical on-site PDC course.” 

In addition to the economic and time barriers to attending an on-site Permaculture course, the Permaculture community realizes also that different people learn in different ways.  Some would rather study from the comfort of home than travel, camp outdoors and listen to days of lectures.  Some learn better with the traditional teacher-student model (classroom, lectures, etc.), and some prefer the convenience of the online learning platform.

What kind of people take a Permaculture Design Certificate Course online?

• University student teams, led by a professor.
• People who want to learn at their own pace.
• Those who work long hours or have young children at home.
• People who may already have a PDC from their local Permaculture group, but want to learn new methods and techniques from different teachers.
• People who are isolated in remote parts of the world.
• People who don’t have the money or time required to attend an on-site PDC course.

 

Our online PDC course is designed for those who want to digest the material at their own pace, and receive support and feedback from teachers experienced in Permaculture.

Permaculture draws upon traditional indigenous practices of earth stewardship integrated with appro­priate modern technology. The term “Permaculture” was coined in the 1970’s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Today, Permaculture work is being carried out in over 130 countries by thousands of Permaculture design course graduates.

Graduates of Permaculture Education Center Courses:

Successful graduates are classified as Permaculture Design Certificate "trainees".

 

Can I teach or consult after receiving my PDC?

PDC graduates are absolutely encouraged to start teaching and consulting with others after receiving their PDC certification (this question was addressed fully by Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in Chapter 14 of their 2005 Permaculture Design Certificate Course DVD Collection). However, it is highly-recommended that if the graduate does not have 2+ years of prior related experience, that they spend their first 2 years co-teaching and consulting along with other qualified teachers before using the terms "Permaculture Design Consultant" or "Permaculture Design Teacher/Instructor".

After 2 years of research or field work, graduates may work with their regional Vice Chancellor of the Permaculture Academy to apply for the Diploma in Permaculture Design (much of this infrastructure is still in the early stages of development outside of Australia).  The graduate must organize a portfolio of research and/or design work and submit it with a letter from their original PDC instructor or another Permaculture Diplomate.  You do not need the diploma as a qualification to consult or to teach Permaculture courses. 

Completion of this course allows the graduate to legally use the term "Permaculture" in their business and other activities.