Permaculture Design Course (PDC)

The PDC is a 100hr+ commitment.

The PDC will comprise a combination of Wednesday evenings 6.30pm – 9.30pm and additional individual weekend days (either a Saturday or Sunday from 9.30am – 4.30pm). There will be two weekend site visits, our new Urban Excursions weekend based in and around CERES and our well-loved Castlemaine weekend. The PDC course is delivered by a range of experienced, passionate, professional Permaculture teachers and practitioners from urban and regional areas.

The design project and exercises are not graded, but are an essential part of learning Permaculture design, so their completion enables the student to receive their Permaculture Design Course completion certificate.

To gain the most of the PDC, students are encouraged to read further materials before and after each class topic. Reading materials and online learning resources are provided and students are encouraged to be self-directed learners in using the PDC as a launching pad into topics covered.

Each course will have an individual schedule, which will be provided prior to the commencement of the course.

Compulsory requirements to complete the course and obtain a Permaculture Design Course certificate:

• Students are required to attend 90% of the course content, and must complete the core subjects of Permaculture Ethics, Principles and all design subjects;
• Students are required to complete Group Design Project and Design Exercises;
• The PDC facilitator will use discretion to make the final decision;
• Students who miss critical sessions are welcome to sit-in on future classes to catch up.

Course outcomes:

• An appreciation of the fundamentals of permaculture and the historical context in which it was developed.
• Ability to incorporate ecological and energy literacy/understanding in the design process
• An ability to read patterns in landscapes and understand how they influence design choices
• An understanding of the design processes and the conceptual design tools used in permaculture, as background for later application topics.
• An ability to design food production and other agricultural systems in appropriate landscapes
• An understanding of how communities function and how permaculture concepts can be used to build functional communities.
• An understanding of how trading functions and how permaculture concepts can be used to build more equitable economic systems.
• Understanding of how settlements can be designed to meet human needs on a sustainable basis
• An understanding of how buildings can be designed to meet human needs on a sustainable basis.
• An appreciation of the technologies that are available to assist in building sustainable lifestyles – renewable energies and conservation of non-renewable resources.
• Confidence in one’s ability to make a difference at the individual level.