Permaculture Design Certificate

PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE
This program is offered in the Winter/Spring semester only.

CURRENT COURSE OFFERINGS
&
ONLINE REGISTRATION FREE INFORMATION SESSIONS

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Gather with likeminded people to learn about how nature designs itself and how we can become sustainable designers ourselves. 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 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 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 regenerative design in a creative way while engaging with working systems. It is a 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. One on One make up classes are also available at a nominal fee.

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. There are worksheets, gaming tools, as well as exciting living sites as our classroom. Optional hands-on activities throughout the course include: design charrettes, earthworks demonstration, integrative games, compost building, soil testing, plant & tree identification, medicine making and homesteading. This course is the only of its kind with an exciting teaching tool kit that transforms lectures into games and travels to many different permaculture farms, gardens and forest locations while sharing in a uniquely creative learning adventure. 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, Sharing Farm and more). Apply your learnings to the focus project for the program which is to start 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.

Introduction to Permaculture – Webinar
Join Kym Chi on March 18th from 6:30pm-9pm PST for a journey into Permaculture to discover how it can empower people with solution based approaches, to create and live a more regenerative life while caring for people and the planet! Together we will learn more about Permaculture and its benefits by:
– Exploring the Permaculture framework.
– Reviewing the foundational concepts.
– Observing and interacting with the world around you.
– Discovering how it can be applied to create abundant land, lives and communities.
– Creating an emerging design that applies to your life using what you learnt in the class.
– This webinar will include discussions, break out groups and a Q&A to support the integration of information shared.

Participants are encouraged to consider an area of their life or a project that they can focus on during the class in order to apply learnings to their own life.
Join in for the live event to get the most out of the webinar! If you cannot make it, a replay will be available within 24 hours of the live class that can be watched at your convenience.

Email kym@gigglingchitree.com for more info or to register for the webinar.

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.

INSTRUCTOR BIOS

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

All office locations are closed on statutory holidays. Burnaby South Secondary & Burnaby Central Secondary are also closed during Spring break, July, August and during the holiday break in December.

Register by phone
604-296-6901

Regular office hours:
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri
8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Burnaby CCE Office
751 Hammarskjold Drive
Map

Regular office hours:
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri
8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Burnaby South Secondary
5455 Rumble Street
Map

Regular office hours:
Tue  | Wed  | Thu
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Burnaby Central Secondary
6011 Deer Lake Parkway
Map

Regular office hours:
Tue |  7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

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.