Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course at PRI Australia

Starts Jul 06, 2015 and runs for 10 day(s).

"The problems of the world are becoming increasingly complex but the answers remain embarrassingly simple." ~ Bill Mollison

David Spicer and Salah Hammad are joining forces in this year's Winter Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course at The Permaculture Research Institute, Australia with a guest lecture from Geoff Lawton.

As a 72-hour course, the Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course allows you to be the change you want to see in the world. Based on Bill Mollison's Permaculture Designers' Manual, it provides an introduction to Permaculture design as a science that can create abundant ecosystems sustainably in the backyard, a small farm or on a larger broad acre landscape.

This PDC will be taught at Zaytuna Farm, home of The Permaculture Research Institute in The Channon, Northern NSW. As one of the leading Permaculture demonstration sites in the world, Zaytuna Farm has a range of functioning systems including water harvesting, food production and a very productive animal husbandry. All of which will add to the learning experience and make this course a very rich experience and one not to be missed.

The PDC serves as foundation for further Permaculture work and study. It is a prerequisite for the Diploma in Permaculture Design. Credit for this course is now accepted by a growing number of universities around the world.

To date, thousands of permaculture designers have been certified through this course. They now comprise a global network of educators, ecological activists, individuals and groups of committed people working together to change the way we view and design into our landscapes. These Permaculture designers influence major corporations and create new business alternatives.

The course covers sustainable living systems for a wide variety of landscapes and climates. It includes the application of Permaculture principles to food production, home design, construction, energy conservation and generation, and explores alternative economic structures and legal strategies supporting permaculture solutions.

Specific topics include:

* Theory and principles of permaculture
* Concepts and Themes of Design
* Systems thinking and Methods of Design
* Pattern Understanding
* Understanding the impacts of climate and landscape.
* Trees and Their Energy Interaction with the Ecosystem.
* Water
* Soil
* Earth Working and Earth Resources
* Designing for Different Climates, Humid, Temperate and Arid
* Aquatic Design
* Alternative Nations
* Appropriate Technology
* Eco-friendly house placement and design
* Energy conservation techniques
* Recycling and waste management
* Organic food production
* Water harvesting and management
* Ecological pest control
* Drought-proofing
* Soil rehabilitation and erosion control
* Livestock
* Aquaculture
* Windbreaks and fire control
* Practical Designing Exercise

The foundation for this course is the Permaculture Designers' Manual by Bill Mollison. It is included in the tuition and students will receive it the first day of the course.

Students are invited to bring details of their sites or potential sites to consider during the course.

Course Instructors

David Spicer
David Spicer's approach to design and education is based upon a proven emphasis on practicality, having over 15 years experience in Permaculture education working and teaching with Bill Mollison at the Permaculture Institute (Tasmania) and Geoff Lawton, the Managing Director of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia and Zaytuna Farm. He is renowned for his ability to explain concepts and ideas simply, getting to the basics.

David previously worked as farm manager of the renowned Tagari Farm and Zaytuna Farm in northern New South Wales.

He has taught and worked extensively within Australia and internationally on various projects, covering five Australian states, Morocco, Jordan and Palestine covering a broad array of different climate zones. David is a valued member of the permacultureconsultants.com team headed up by Geoff Lawton.

He has the distinction of being Registered Teacher #5 with the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia.

David currently serves as Lead Consultant and Educator for permacultureworks.org

Salah Hammad
Salah's passion for sustainable food production started while working with struggling small farmers in Jordan. The experience exposed him to the urgent need for an alternative approach. This is when he decided to make the transition into a career in Permaculture following a 10-year long career in the food industry. During his career, Salah has led and trained large teams in different food production related projects and setups, including manufacturing, service and sales. Salah is now designing, teaching and living Permaculture at the Permaculture Research Institute, Australia as a farm manager.
With experience in dry arid, temperate, and subtropical climates, covering both urban, rural and broad acre setups, and with co-teaching experience with world-leading teachers including Geoff Lawton, Rhamis Kent, Alex McCausland and Miles Durand, he is aiming to empower individuals and communities with permaculture tools that will help them meet their needs and care for the earth.

Geoff Lawton is an internationally-renowned permaculture educator, consultant and practitioner. He emigrated from England to Australia and later studied Permaculture with Bill Mollison in Tasmania. He established the Permaculture Research Institute at Tagari Farm in New South Wales, Australia, a 147-acre farmstead previously developed by Mollison. PRI was eventually moved to Zaytuna Farm, in The Channon, where it continues today.

Since 1985, Geoff has designed and implemented permaculture projects in 30 countries for private individuals and groups, communities, governments, aid organizations, and multinational corporations. He has taught the Permaculture Design Certificate course and designed permaculture projects in 30 countries.

book this course here