Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC)

For those that want the ultimate Permaculture course experience, work abroad or pursue a profession or passion to live the ultimate sustainable lifestyle.

Course Details

When: 2nd – 14th July 2012. Most days are 9am – 5pm but there will be some evening sessions and some flexibility with the program timetable.

Where: This course is offered at the beautiful and luxurious Bandusia Country Retreat St Albans - less than 2 hours from Sydney. Read more about Bandusia on our Venues page.

The Trainers: Four highly qualified, experienced and professional Permaculture trainers and Practitioners will be conducting this course. You can read a bio of each our permaculture trainers here.

Investment: Course fees including all tuition, notes, lunches, teas and dinners is exceptional value at: $1,495

Bring: Folder for notes and handouts, pen notebook, camera, suitable clothing for warm weather, suitable shoes, insect repellant, sun block, swimming costumes, hat, gardening gloves and your own favorite tea or coffee mug. Your own favorite snacks and alcoholic or other beverages.

Bookings & Enquiries: Phone Penny on (02) 9888 2575 or email info@permaculturesydneyinstitute.org.
Registration and full payment to confirm your place in the course or workshop should be received min 7 days before the course commences. Please click here to read the full Terms and Conditions.

About our Permaculture Design Certificate Course

The Permaculture Design Certificate Course or PDC is the ultimate Permaculture course experience. Covering the Permaculture Designers Manual it brings together ancient and modern wisdoms, science and the arts and many practical design principles and techniques for living a totally sustainable lifestyle.

Quality and Commitment

Permaculture Sydney Institute Permaculture Design Certificates are of high quality and top of the range experiences. Our Permaculture Design Certificates:

  • Build on the Permaculture Sydney Institute Introduction to Permaculture Course. So whilst it’s not necessary to have completed the Introduction to Permaculture, when you do the two together you have a richer course experience and gain much more than with other average courses
  • Use the Designers Manual as the curriculum as well as extra sources and topics
  • Provide a range of experienced quality trainers to cover topics of the Permaculture Design Certificate in which they have specialist expertise and knowledge (drawing on the strengths of trainers)
  • Include theory and practical sessions and provide a range of delivery styles and methods throughout the course including small group work, one to one work, lecture style sessions and whole group discussions
  • Take participants through the whole design process from interviewing the client, formulating the brief, gathering data for the site, developing a design and finally presenting the design
  • Include specialist and specific design exercises as well as total design exercises
  • Are skills based and self or peer group assessed against a checklist of essential designers skills and knowledge

This is why our courses are a bit longer than others – so we can ensure we make it the best possible experience for you. PSI honors the two-week intensive Permaculture Design Certificate course format traditionally designed by Bill Mollison. We believe this format produces the best possible outcomes and learning experience for participants as it was designed to do.

Permaculture Sydney Institute aims to provide the participants with both the skills and the confidence to start “doing it” themselves. We guarantee participants will be able to go home and do what they have learned in the course. Permaculture Sydney Institute is committed to quality education, quality outcomes and quality of life for each participant. Follow up contact and support for graduates is also provided after the course.

Course Description

This course shows you how to design, construct and manage Permaculture systems for small or large-scale properties across a range of climatic, environmental or cultural conditions.

The Permaculture Design Certificate is the basic requirement to: work professionally in Permaculture as a designer or consultant; teach permaculture; or do permaculture work abroad. It is important for designing suburban homes, farms, community gardens, school gardens, and most suitable for community development workers, farmers, teachers, local government workers; community aid abroad workers, landscapers, gardeners, horticulturalists, forestry workers, environment or natural resource managers and for those just wanting to learn how to design sustainable systems in the home garden, farm or workplace that are productive, eco-friendly, organic, healthy and low maintenance.
Learn about the detail of Permaculture design principles, systems, techniques and strategies and to create and enjoy your own Permaculture system – large or small, in any climate or conditions.

The Curriculum

The PSI Permaculture Design Certificate curriculum is the Permaculture Designers Manual by Bill Mollison plus additional material. Copies of the manual will be available for reading and available for purchase at discounted rates.

Topics and content include:
The curriculum covers all major topics from the text Permaculture – A Designers Manual by Bill Mollison including:

  • Permaculture history, philosophy, ethics and principles
  • Applying ecological and natural laws and principles to design
  • Methods of design – including: design techniques, processes and drawing
  • The design process from the brief to completion and presentation
  • Small and broad scale site design
  • Pattern understanding in nature and design
  • Climate and micro climate effects on design
  • Trees and their energy transactions
  • Water – including: sustainable water management; storage; dams & ponds; water purification; grey water systems; swales and keyline systems; natural swimming pools and more.
  • Soils – including soil health & restoration; physical, biological and chemical aspects of soil; working in difficult soils and more;
  • Earthworks and earth resources – including: planning and design; types of earthworks like banks and terracing; leveling and earth moving & resources.
  • Design strategies for differing cultures and climates – The humid Tropics, the drylands and humid cool to cold climates, including: housing & other structures; the home garden; orchards, food forests and farm forestry; designing for disasters; animal systems and management; land, earthworks and soil rehabilitation for different climates and conditions; and more
  • Aquaculture and polyculture systems
  • Social Permaculture – Strategies for an alternate global nation.
  • Urban and community strategies including: school and community gardens, balcony and small scales systems; food security and production systems; farmers markets and Community supported Agriculture (CSA).
  • Working professionally in Permaculture including: employment opportunities; design, consultancy and construction business; Permaculture teaching; and working abroad.

Course Format

The Permaculture Sydney Institute Permaculture Design Certificate includes a variety of training styles and methods including theory and practical sessions on an individual, whole class or small group basis. Sessions involve both formal (lecture style) and informal (interactive) delivery methods involving discussion, teamwork, films, exercises, presentations, fieldwork and local field trips.

Course Outcomes

Once completed the Permaculture Design Certificate participants will

  1. Have a through understanding of Permaculture and its theory, ethics, principles and techniques and why it is critical in obtaining a truly sustainable society
  2. Know how to design and create a permaculture system in both town or country settings
  3. Have acquired the skills and confidence to proceed on their own garden design and construction (with some help of their Permaculture group and friends)
  4. Be familiar with the design process from client interview to presentation of design
  5. Have professional options for Permaculture including ones own Pc business
  6. Have acquired some practical design skills required for construction e.g.: map & landscape reading, marking contours and making swales and other criteria.

Assessment

Permaculture Design Certificate participants as part of a group are expected to produce and present a design of a broad acre property. Individually they also need to be competent and knowledgeable on a range of skills and subject matter specified on a designer’s assessment checklist.

Certification

Upon completion of the course two certificates will be issued to participants, one from the Permaculture Sydney Institute and one from the Australian Permaculture Research Institute (internationally recognized) as Permaculture Sydney Institute has a close affiliation and is registered with the Permaculture Research Institute. This means all our graduates will receive a unique number and be registered as Permaculture Institute graduates. The Permaculture Design Certificate certificate is required for many professional employment opportunities.

Investment

Permaculture Sydney Institute is able to offer course participants a flexible fee scale depending what type of accommodation you choose and your personal situation. Remember, the venue is a top rating 4 star country retreat so whatever accommodation type you choose you will be doing the most important course of your life in luxury. You couldn’t ask for more.

Where and when

Our top quality Permaculture Design Certificate Course is offered twice a year, summer and winter, at PSI’s education and demonstration centre, Bandusia Country Retreat, St Albans. Bandusia provides a luxurious, comfortable and nurturing place where you can learn in comfort and peace – very conducive to learning. Nestled in a scenic valley in the country, the centre provides a living and learning experience in a peaceful tranquil setting less than 2 hours from Sydney. Bandusia has excellent four-star facilities such as a swimming pool, free Internet access, spa baths, sauna, pool table, library, pianola and much more. So learning in luxury will make the experience a holiday as well.

Permaculture Sydney Institute Trainers

Permaculture Sydney Institute engages only highly experienced and professional trainers for the Permaculture Design Certificate Course. All are practicing Permaculturalists deriving an income from Permaculture. Each has over 15 years experience in the movement, and vast experience in work and training. They also come highly skilled and qualified in a range of related professions and specialist areas. Read more about our Permaculture Course trainers here.

 

I hope you join us for what is often described as the most life changing and pertinent courses you could ever do for the future and enjoy our ultimate Permaculture course experience of a lifetime. Please don’t hesitate to ring me on (02) 9888 2575 to discuss further.

Penny Pyett – Director Permaculture Sydney Institute