Permaculture Design Certification Course

Sunday, November 4—Sunday, November 11, 2012
Bill Wilson • Mike Kluk •

Care of People,Care of Earth, Share the Surplus

Permaculturists can grow food just about anywhere,repair environmentally damaged lands,design lovely and long lasting green-buildings,produce power,run successful, people-oriented businesses,and build authentic community -all by using the same fundamental permaculture principlesand applying the three Permaculture Ethics:

Permaculture is a creative and artful way of designing our lives, where wastes become resources, productivity and yields

increase, work is minimized, people and nature are preserved – all by thoughtful planning and a respectful approach to life. Thus embraced, we create an environment where all may thrive for untold generations.

We as humans have the ability to re-design the world we live in. All it takes is desire, know how, will, and time. Even if it takes 50-100 years, the change can begin with each one of us right now and the effects of our work can have beneficial consequences for generations to come.

Consider this: The ratio of tensile strength-to-density of spider silk is approximately 5 times greater than that of steel, while a single thread, wrapped around the earth, would weigh only 1 pound (16 oz.).

Also, the amount of sunlight that intersects our earth in 40 minutes is equivalent to the total, global-annual-consumption of energy (400 quads).

Permaculturists look at facts such as these and ask the

question, 'If there is that much energy available, and if a spider can make something so strong simply by eating crickets, what kind of world can we create for ourselves and our neighbors if we work hand-in-hand with the natural systems surrounding us?' The goal of permaculture is to create harmonious relationships with all aspects of our life, to learn how to live abundantly well without hurting or polluting our surroundings and actually leave the planet in better condition than when we arrived on it.

To be clear, permaculture is a lot more than just food production. A thorough study of permaculture invites us to look at our homes, our uses and sources of energy, our methods for providing food and comfortable shelter, our work, our relationships with others, and even our relationship with ourselves.

As in Yoga, permaculture is essentially a spiritual approach to living consciously, harmoniously and healthfully on the planet. We can heal this planet. We can live lightly and we can live well. We can each make a difference... a big difference.

For the fourth year, the Yoga and Permaculture design certificate is being offered at the Yoga Farm by Bill Wilson from Midwest Permaculture. This course will not only deliver the foundational educational experience for understanding permaculture design and earning a permaculture design certification, but all involved will have the unique opportunity to experience it within the context of a practicing Yoga community.

For practitioners of Yoga, permaculture can offer a practice in which our external actions express the core yogic teachings of the unity of all creation and the yamas and niyamas. For practitioners of permaculture, Yoga offers an understanding of our basic spiritual nature which underpins all our actions.'

— Swami Omkarananda, Director of Sivananda Yoga Los Angeles Center

'Sampling the Yoga tradition at this unique yoga ashram will help students better appreciate the connection between spirit and the natural elements that surrounds us at all times.'

— Bill Wilson, Nationally Recognized Permaculture Instructor

Earn Your Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC)

PDC Training Consists of Pre-course Study plus 8 very full days on Site

Click here for detailed outline of the course.

This course will not only deliver the foundational educational experience for understanding permaculture design, but all involved will have the unique opportunity to experience it within the context of a practicing yoga community. Part of creating an integrated permaculture design includes learning to honor place. Sampling the yoga tradition at this site will help students better appreciate the connection between spirit and the natural elements that surrounds us at all times.

Students who complete this design course receive the world recognized Permaculture Design Course ‘Certificate of Completion’.

TOPICS Covered in Training:

Observations and Patterns,
Principles and Ethics of Permaculture,
Designing for Different Climatic Zones,
Soils, Plants, and Trees,
Guilds and Polycultures,
Water and Earthworks,
Utilizing Micro-climates,
Eco-Building,
Zone and Sector Analysis,
Aquaculture,
Planning the Homestead,
Bio-Fuels, Economics, Urban and Suburban
Community Building Possibilities,
Garden Management,
Large-Farm Possibilities,
Small-Farm Strategies,
International Implications,
Starting your own Permaculture Business, and more.

PDC COURSE SCHEDULE

	Sun.4	Mon.5	Tues.6	Wed.7	Thurs.8	Fri.9	Sat.10	Sun.11
6:00 – 8:00		Satsang	Satsang	Satsang	Satsang	Satsang	Satsang	Satsang
8:30 – 10:00	Check-in	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class
10:00 – 11:00	Brunch	Brunch	Brunch	Brunch	Brunch	Brunch	Brunch	Brunch
11:00 – 3:30	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class/End
4:00-6:00	Asana	Asana	Asana	Asana	Asana	Asana	Asana
6:00-7:30	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
7:30-9:30	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class	Class

Register Now

Begin The Training Now with Pre-Course Studies
This 8-day permaculture course actually begins with registration when the student receives a welcome email that contains:

access to our Foundations of Permaculture webinar series,
links to over 3-dozen selected handouts
and the 150-Question Study Guide.

Within a week, students also receive a DVD of the webinars via US Mail along with the course textbook.

Course Textbook

'Earth User's Guide to Permaculture'
by Rosemary Morrow (Included with the price of Registration)

This gem of a text, shipped to students upon registration, is written by Rosemary Morrow, an Australian, that has taught permaculture around the world for decades.

The book is straightforward and loaded with illustrations and substance. It covers theory and also focuses on the practical aspects of how to create and implement a permaculture design.

This book is a must read for the serious permaculturist and is a requirement for students of our design certification courses.

Arrival and Departure

Arrive at Noontime on Sunday, November 4th for Registration
Departure on Sunday, November 11th after Final Workshops at 3pm.

Tuition and Accommodations

$995 for Tuition, See below for Accommodations Rates

Testimonials

“I learned more than I thought possible. The site visits were amazing. I loved our overall group. Great vibe and life changing teachers. Thank you.”
Nate A. – Ann Arbor, MI – Non-Profit Administrator & Musician (33)

“I appreciated working on projects, all the information, the videos, the site visits with such variation, all of it. I was never bored.”
Lorna P. – Joliet, IL – Retired (63)

“Showed how permaculture is more than just gardening
but a moral, ethical, spiritual lifestyle.”
Steve K. – Los Angeles, CA – Contractor & Tai Chi Master (40)

Additional Training

Do Consider the 4-day Hands-on Training as an option as well. It Immediately follows this 8-day PDC Course. Take it as a great ’stand-alone’ Introductory Permaculture Training Or as an ‘add-on’ to the PDC Course.

Midwest Permaculture Course Page

Taught by

About Bill Wilson
Bill Wilson is a teacher, communitarian and permaculturist, holding three Permaculture Design Certifications. He has been interviewed on National Public Radio, Peak Moment Television and other public programs. Bill has taught in a wide variety of locations, including the agricultural halls at Purdue. He is a 32-year resident of the sustainably oriented community of Stelle, IL, which hosts its own community cooperatives including tool, garden, dinner and chicken co-ops. Bill and his wife/partner Rebecca are creating a permaculture oasis surrounding their traditional suburban home. www.MidwestPermaculture.com

About Mike Kluk
Michael Kluk is certified in Permaculture design. He has been an avid gardener all of his adult life. He grew up on the North Coast of California where his parents grew a large garden and raised cows, pigs, chickens, geese and bees. Mike, his wife Susan and 91 year old father moved next to the Sivananda Yoga Farm on a 20 acre parcel three years ago where they are homesteading and implementing a Permaculture design. They are working to live more sustainably and self sufficiently and leanring a lot in the process. Even though he now lives in a rural area, Mike lived in cities for 30 years and is interested in applying Permaculture design principles to suburban and urban areas as well.

Click for Accommodation Descriptions

Dates given are when you should plan to arrive and leave and may not be actual dates of instruction. All deposits and payments are non-refundable.

Permaculture Design Certification Course

Sunday, November 4—Sunday, November 11, 2012
Bill Wilson • Mike Kluk •

Care of People,Care of Earth, Share the Surplus