Completion of the full Permaculture Design Course provides recognition as a Permaculture Design graduate, & enables you to go on to study for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. According to the Permaculture Institute, if you intend to teach permaculture, you will need a completed PDC & Diploma.
Our Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC) material was originally developed by Bill Mollison, co-founder of permaculture, to teach the principles & foundations of sustainable design. All PDC courses offered throughout the world follow the same format (see course syllabus) to assure that the integrity of the certification process is upheld.
- Permaculture principles, ethics, design methodologies, & pathways to sustainability
- Patterns & processes in nature, biome approach to sustainable management, essential earth systems science & understanding global climate influences
- Soil ecology, organic soil management, mulches & compost
- Water management planning, collection, storage & conservation, earthworks & aquaculture
- Forest ecosystems & design of forests for food, forage, fibre, structural materials, habitat, conservation, wildlife, tree-cropping & farm forestry
- Food producing systems for home gardens, small holdings, urban systems to broad acre farmlands
- Design to reduce vulnerability to fire, drought, natural disasters, & impacts of global climate change
- Appropriate technology, renewable energy systems, & passive solar house design
- Bioregional & community development strategies, urban renewal, eco-village design, community economics, legal structures, community gardens & city farms.
Skills & Knowledge you will learn
- Integrated approach to earth systems science, working with ecological processes & planetary life sustaining systems
- Practical design for low energy productive urban & rural environments: domestic to broad-scale
- Holistic approach to sustainable land-use planning, conservation & resource management
- Creative problem solving & participatory processes to facilitate positive change
- Tools for community building, bioregional sustainability & transition initiatives
- Strategies for individual, enterprise & community response to peak oil, climate change, globalisation, & challenges of the 21st Century.
When using permaculture strictly in their personal lives, students are able to begin applying their knowledge right away. Those wanting to use permaculture in a professional capacity must complement their certificate with an additional two years of acquiring practical knowledge & hands-on experience as well as pursuing a Diploma. However, those students who come to PDC with substantial previous experience might be considered by the permaculture community as being ready for professional practice without a Diploma.