PDC 1
Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course (created June 2014)
We will need a minimum of 10 students to go ahead. The course contribution is as follows:
10 students = $420
11 = $380
12 = $350
13 = $325
14 = $300
15 = $280 Deposit of $200 needed as soon as possible, say before July 5th, fully refunded if there are not 10 or more students... Course attendance and full completion of design entitlement to certificate. Morning and afternoon tea provided (organic ingredients).
Main location - Whistlestop Community Gardens, Tyrel Street, Stanthorpe
Curriculum based on Bill Mollison's Design Manual - topics include; What is Permaculture, Ethics, Principles, Methods of Design, Intensive Food Gardens, No Dig Gardens, Soils, Worms, Composting, Patterns, Edge Effect, Animals, Natural Pest Management, Food Forests, Wastewater, Water, Earthworks, Aquaculture, Climate, Microclimate, Urban Strategies, Trees, Energy Efficient Structures, Alternative Technology, Seed Saving, Nursery, Bioregional Strategies, Eco-Villages, Humid Tropics, Dryland, Cool Climate, Money and Finance
The course is more theoretical than practical but includes a mix of classroom presentations, practical activities, design exercises, and a visit to 2 different properties to see Permaculture in action.
The course explores the creation of productive and sustainable ways of living by integrating ecology, organic gardening, architecture, land use, and social systems. Participants will cover the whole PDC curriculum with extra time for Stanthorpe specific themes.
Four sessions each Day,
1. 9.00 - 10.30 (1 ½ hours)
2. 11.00 - 12.30
3. 13.30 - 15.00
4. 15.15 - 16.45
Day 1 - 13 July
Day 2 - 20 July
Day 3 - 27 July
Day 4 - 10 August
Day 5 - 17 August
Day 6 - 31 August
Day 7 - 14 September
Day 8 - 21 September
Day 9 - 28 September
Day 10 - 12 October
Day 11 - 26 October
Day 12 - 9 November
Day 13 - 16 November
Day 14 - 30 November
Practical activities included (at Gardens):
13 July - build a compost pile (Day 1)
20 July - build a rocket stove (Day 2)
27 July - create a sheet mulch garden (Day 3)
31 August - construct an insect or bee hotel (Day 6)
14 September - sand play – designing water storage features and managing flow (Day 7)
28 September - use laser level to mark out and dig a swale (Day 9)
12 October - plant a swale (Day 10)
9 November - house design exercise for various climates (Day 12)
26 October - Excursion to Poziers area (pm) to see a farm and homestead
Presenters:
Denise Donnellan
Dylan Graves
Evita Shen
Radha Cohen
Ray Palmer
Terry Gilmour
Recommended reading:
Bill Mollison - Introduction to Permaculture
Rosemary Morrow - Earth users guide to Permaculture
Toby Hemenway - Gaia's Garden
Bill Mollison - A Designers Manual - widely available on the internet as a pdf file (88Mb)
Recommended watching:
Free videos on www.geofflawton.com (these can be provided on USB)
Free lectures by Will Hooker of NCstate Uni (these can be provided on USB)
Search YouTube for Bill Mollison, David Holmgren, Sepp Holzer, Robert Hart, Joel Salatin, Geoff Lawton, Verge Permaculture, Paul Wheaton
What is Permaculture?
According to Bill Mollison:
"Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscientious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive eco-systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility of a stable social order.
Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all it's forms.
The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions." -Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, 1988
Update (15 Jan 2015):
All the PowerPoint presentations are now available on Google Drive.
(1 Feb): Found this great resource about/of the Designer's Manual: