Permaculture Design Certificate | Burnaby Community & Continuing Education

PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE

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FREE INFORMATION SESSIONS

Program description
Prerequisites
Graduation requirements
Future employment
Program curriculum
Instructor bios
Student feedback

Related programs
Registration by phone or in person
Refund policy

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Gather together with likeminded people to grow with plants, animals, gardens and farms to learn about how nature designs itself and how we can become sustainable designers ourselves. Together we will learn how to map and design our land and our lives, plan for emergencies, grow organic food in all four seasons and work to build a more regenerative future.

The certification granted upon completion of the course will empower participants as permaculture designers, consultants and beginner teachers. Graduates will be able to use the word permaculture legally in their practice, business or project. This sustainability education eco-training certificate is a practical path for greening your life, resume and portfolio. Working toward certification is not a requirement. Students may attend the course without completing the material required to attain the certificates. It’s a fun way to journey with likeminded people in an experiential, outdoor adventure in education.

Taught by a dynamic facilitator, this class caters to anyone wanting to learn permaculture design in a creative way while engaging with working systems. It is an ultra-flexible course with an ideal evening and weekend class schedule for workers, entrepreneurs, students or those with dynamic routines. Catering to the busyness of modern life, if you miss a class, you can jump in on the same module in a different class at no extra tuition costs (through the instructors) and there is no time limit to complete the certification. Join this adventure in learning as it journeys to farms, forests, gardens and eco-locations (Some field trip locations include Yarrow Ecovillage, A Rocha, UBC Farm, Loutet Farm) and more.

Course Topics include design methods, patterns in nature, soils and composting, water, trees, animals, design for cool/tropical/arid climates, social permaculture, native food and medicine plants of the Coastal First Peoples, and much more. We have worksheets, permaculture design gaming tools, an online social networking and educational support platform, as well as hundreds of gardens as our living classroom. Optional hands-on activities throughout the course include: design charrettes, earthworks demonstration, integrative games, compost building, soil analysis, plant & tree identification, medicine making, homesteading, fermentation, non-violent communication, placemaking. We have an exciting teaching tool kit that transforms lectures into games and together we travel to many different permaculture farms, gardens and forest locations while sharing in a uniquely creative learning journey. The focus project is a map and design for where you live or an area of your choice.

Successful completion of this course offers graduates their choice of legitimate and formal certificate through Permaculture Institute USA (www.permaculture.org).

For more information about this program, email the instructor at kym@gigglingchitree.com.

PREREQUISITES

Students should meet all the following prerequisites before registering:

Proficiency in English

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students who are not working toward certification do not have to complete any certification requirements or tests.

Students working toward certification will be assessed on the following requirements:

Individual map and design for an area of your choice
Questions/written work
Course journal
100% attendance is required – Students who miss classes can (1) make arrangements with the instructors to make up missed classes with other groups at no extra cost or (2) take private instruction to make up missed classes with the instructors at additional cost.

FUTURE EMPLOYMENT

Having a Permaculture Design Certificate from a recognized training institute will empower participants as permaculture designers, consultants and beginner teachers able to use the word permaculture legally in their practice, business or project. This sustainability education eco-training certificate is a practical path for greening your life, resume and portfolio. You will have a green edge when applying for jobs, grants or school programs. Completion of this course offers graduates their choice of legitimate and formal certificates through Permaculture Institute (USA), Permaculture Association (UK) or Permaculture Research Institute (AU).

The certification granted upon completion of the course will empower participants as permaculture designers, consultants and beginner teachers and to be able to use the word permaculture legally in their practice, business or project. This sustainability education eco-training certificate is a practical path for greening your life, resume and portfolio.

PROGRAM CURRICULUM

See the attached file for the course schedule and curriculum for the 2018-2019 winter course.

INSTRUCTOR BIOS

The program has been developed over the course of three Diplomas, a Master’s Degree and a Doctoral Degree in Permaculture Education and has been continually upgraded over the 16 years it has been offered. This 28th Permaculture Design Course is the culmination of studying with the top permaculture elders at the best sites all over the planet and taking many advanced courses, teacher trainings and full permaculture design courses.

Delvin Solkinson

Delvin Solkinson is community gardener and plant poet dedicated to bringing creativity to the permaculture movement by creating free open source learning and teaching tools. He has completed a PDC, Diploma and Master’s Degree with Bill Mollison and done advanced teacher trainings with Rosemary Morrow, Toby Hemenway, Larry Santoyo, Looby Macnamara, David Holmgren, Geoff Lawton, Patricia Michael, Robyn Francis, the Bullock Brothers, Tom Ward, Jude Hobbs, Scott Pittman, Michael Becker, Robin Wheeler, Starhawk, Robina McCurdy and Robin Clayfield. He is an accredited teacher through the Permaculture Research Institute (Australia), Permaculture Academy (UK) and a Field Mentor through the Permaculture Institute (USA). Recently he completed a PDC in Portland with Toby Hemenway, one in Greece with Rosemary Morrow and a second Diploma through the Permaculture Institute. Currently he is doing graduate work under the mentorship of Larry Santoyo and Looby Macnamara.

Kym Chi

Kym Chi is a dedicated advocate of earth stewardship, people care and regenerative action for future resilience. Her main efforts are as a creative facilitator, artist, healer, medicine woman and community builder. To date; Kym has received 3 certificates in Permaculture Design, completed multiple teacher trainings, taken a variety of advanced trainings and completed a Diploma in Permaculture Education. With a love of learning, she continues to take courses that grow her understanding of the natural world. Through her stewardship of a deepened connection with the environment, Kym wishes to inspire creative self-expression and value centred living to enrich and create healthy, abundant habitats and communities. With a focus on Social Permaculture, Kym mentors others on their life path and focusses on ways to support organizations and communities to become more resilient. She lives on the West Coast of Canada where she teaches and mentors in Permaculture and runs a holistic healing practice and acts as the Executive Director of One Straw Society helping to create a thriving local food system on the lower Sunshine Coast.

STUDENT FEEDBACK

The instructors, Delvin and Kym, provide an excellent introduction to the ethics, principles, and techniques of Permaculture. The instruction is more than I could have hoped for. Between the curriculum, and personal experiences of the instructors, the course offers a brilliant education and a profound experience.S. Funk

Three years of University and a debt I’m still paying off today and I learnt more about the real world on this course than during that whole time. The majority of my posts, blogs and pub rants have been influenced by this philosophy. If you are interested in the natural world, sustainability, healthy living or just think the current way we do things in society is a little strange I’d recommend checking out Permaculture in some way or another.

Continuing education in permaculture studies, with the amazing teachers Devlin Solkinson and Kym Chi in Vancouver BC. I’m deeply inspired by the course that I’m in with them now, and highly recommend this to anyone interested in next level Earth stewardship gardening.B. McGruff

This program was fantastic! Delvin and Kym created a welcoming learning environment , encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and enabled me to grasp and learn the Permaculture ethics and principles in a way that was conducive to my learning style. I’ve left this program with the confidence and knowledge to further pursue my education and career in Permaculture. I have and will continue to recommend this program to others who are interested in Permaculture and look forward to the opportunity to learn with Delvin and Kym again.M. Gravel

I quite enjoyed the permaculture design course, I always looked forward to attending every class because there was something different to learn each time. It also nicely tied in well with the Gaia College studies. Having different locations is a brilliant way to immerse ourselves in the natural learning of ecological design. It was never boring! The lessons were engaging and very interactive, I quite miss it!M. Constant

Related programs

Registration by phone or in person

Refund policy

Fee payments originally made by credit card are credited back to the same card; for expired or invalid credit cards, refunds are made by cheque. Fee payments originally made by cash or cheque are made by cheque. Please allow 3 weeks for processing.

Cancelled classes
When a class is cancelled by Burnaby CCE, a full refund will be issued.

Full time certificate / diploma programs
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received at least 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $100 processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. For a refund request received less than 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $200 processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received after classes begin. Please see individual course descriptions for exceptions.

Part time certificate / diploma programs
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received at least 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $25 processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. For a refund request received less than 1 week prior to the first day of classes, a $50 processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received after classes begin. Please see individual course descriptions for exceptions.

General interest courses that are 1 session long
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received at least 24 hours before the start of the class, a 20% processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received less than 24 hours before the start of the class.

General interest courses that are 2 or more sessions long
A refund request must be submitted in writing and must include the original course registration receipt. For a refund request received before the second session of the course, a 20% processing fee and any applicable course supply fees are deducted when the refund is issued. No refund is issued for a request received after the second session of the course.

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