Enrollments for the Class of 2014 starts March 29, 2014

Transcription

1 Enrollments for the Class of 2014 starts March 29,

2 Geoff Lawton s Online Permaculture Design Course Welcome to the Geoff Lawton Online Permaculture Design Certificate Course. It will run from the 5th of April until the 21st of June This is the course you have been waiting to take. It is the same course that Geoff Lawton has taught for many years to thousands of students. In fact, you will be part of a class conducted on Geoff s farm in Australia, with students who have since tsking this course, have become fully certified Permaculture designers. Geoff brings to life his in-depth knowledge and explanations with his unique style of teaching, accompanied by his distinctive drawing style that he uses whilst illustrating concepts on the white-board. As with all PDC s, it follows the curriculum set out in Bill Mollison s book, Permaculture A Designer s Manual. Geoff has taught Permaculture with Bill Mollison for many years. Lessons will be released every week over a 12 week period from the 5th of April until the 21st of June. The course has been designed to be watch at your convenience. Aim to spend on average about 4 or 5 hours a week, studying the material and asking questions in the Online forum. Just like in a classroom, you will be able to ask questions. This will be done in the same way as so many of you have been commenting in our series of free videos, in the comment box below the video presentation. There are over 200 videos in the complete course! Geoff and his team will be answering questions in the forum and responding in a series of weekly Q and A videos to all your design questions. In last year s course Geoff answered over 12,000 student questions. This was my first formal PDC and I felt informed each step of the way. With Geoff s wisdom and the community we created from all over the world, the course is just the beginning to lifelong connections with permaculture enthusiasts. I d recommend this course to anyone. Tamara Thebert 2013 PDC Course Student 2

3 What will this course teach me? This course is designed to equip you with the skills to take action to design your own property towards abundance. You can then go on to become a teacher of Permaculture Design or act as a consultant and design other people s properties and landscapes in your region. Its is an exciting journey to embark upon as many students have said, Its a life changing experience. After attending the Permaculture Voices Conference in California in March 2014, Geoff met many of his former online students who are now actively involved in doing exactly this kind of thing. Consulting on projects and applying the design lessons learnt in the course. There is much to learn and we need more people on the ground living in productive harmony with the earth. This course will teach you the design process. If you follow the course and are thorough in your viewing, you will get a good return on your investment. It s why Geoff decided to take his course online. The world needs more good Permaculture Designers. What do I need to take part in this course? The course is streamed online using Vimeo. You will need to have access to a broadband internet connection capable of streaming video. If you can watch Geoff s free videos on GeoffLawton. com, then you should have no problem doing this course. We have enabled it to be viewed on a most devices so you can watch it on your laptop, cell phone or portable devices like an iphone. You can watch the course at home or whilst going to work. However you can only watch it from one IP address at a time. 3

4 Geoff and Team my heartfelt thanks for presenting this amazing course in a format that worked so well for me. Attending a PDC in person obviously has its own merit, but with busy schedules, kids, animals, etc being able to take this course at my own pace has been invaluable. The course content was professionally presented and the online videos and DVDs are of great quality. I will treasure them. You can t help but to love Geoff and be in awe of the vast amount of information he so enthusiastically shares. - Laurie, Rochester, Washington USA What are the assessment criteria? In order to be eligible for a Permaculture Design Certificate, you must submit a design at the end of the Online course that demonstrates that you have understood the design principles as taught by Geoff Lawton. There are a number of type one errors that you must avoid. Each student enrolled must submit a design sketch and a written outline to qualify for a PDC. After a successful assessment, a certificate will be awarded to you, signed by Geoff Lawton and sent to your nominated postal address. Do I need any previous experience or qualifications? Age has been no barrier to a mind ready for a change in thinking. Young people from13 years of age to adults over 90 have taken the course. Students have also come to the course with a range of educational backgrounds. Illiterate farmers in developing countries have completed the course, as well as university professors. Permaculture concepts and design strategies just make sense, particularly to people whose every day lives are connected to the environment. This course has really changed my life perspective. Learning not only the techniques of Permaculture, but learning about the interconnections between society, energy, water systems, soils, animals, plants has given me a whole new way of looking at things. Candy Mills, Southern California My head she s gonna blow! Just kidding but that was a lot of info. Appreciate the massive effort on your part, Geoff. Hopefully I will see you at one of your upcoming events, you Globe trotting Permaculture Super Star! :) My best to you, your team and Master Bill Mollison. Rick Allen, 4

5 Will I be certified? Each student who passes the assessment will receive a Permaculture Design Certificate numbered and registered with Bill Mollison s Permaculture Institute. It enables you to practice as a Permaculture Designer and teach others about permaculture design. Bill Mollison has viewed the course and applauds Geoff s move to take the Design Course online. Bill has agreed for the certificates to be issued from his Institute. Doing an online course is no different from attending a regular classroom course with Geoff. In fact, Geoff thinks it s an advantage, as you get to review the material at home in your leisure. Only one certificate will be issued per enrollment. You can watch the course with your family or community, but only one certificate will be issued per course enrollment, with only one name written on the certificate Online Course graduate Susan LeSage accepts her certificate from Geoff in Oakland California Geoff Lawton standing next to founder of Permaculture, Bill Mollison...I m also designing a small urban plot, a quarter acre suburban home, a co-operative food farm, AND a learning and teaching garden at Macquarie University. This is the future, my future, our future. Thanks for making it shine brighter and opening so many doors for me. I sold my car to take this course and it s been a far better trade off than I ever anticipated. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! Belinda Bean, St Ives, NSW Australia 5

6 Course Outline APRIL 5 Chapter 1: Introduction 3hrs Human past, present and future Permaculture design philosophy. Holistic thinking. Key problems: Soil erosion, Deforestation, Pollution. Ethics of Permaculture Earth care, People care, Return of surplus Definitions of Permaculture. Sustainability outcomes. History of Permaculture. Permanent culture. Urban Permaculture. Permaculture repair Permaculture aid work. The PRI Master Plan. Permaculture in society. Permaculture as an holistic design APRIL 12 Chapter 2: Concepts & Themes in Design 4hrs 25mins Sustainable systems Hierarchy of soil creation in natural systems Permaculture is primarily a design for a sustainable, human-controlled support systems. The Prime Directive of Permaculture. Principles of natural systems and design. Elements -needs and products An example of designing elements into a system Tagri Farm Nth NSW Australia Guiding principles of permaculture design The web of life and net of functional relationships of designed ecosystems. Entropy extension Energy capture within Categories of resources and their management Diversity -Yield Mollisonian Permaculture Principals APRIL 19 Chapter 3: Methods of Design 4hrs20mins Design emphasizes patterning of landscape, function, and species assemblies. Approaches to design Analysis of elements Maps Sector planning Observational, Experiential Zones, Sectors Slope, Orientation Putting it together- Listing possibilities Selection of random assemblies-connecting components in a system APRIL 26 Chapter 4: Pattern Understanding 4hrs 30mins Seeing pattern as valuable connections Growth patterns and explosive patterns Scale of orders of size Edge events and pressure between media Recognizing pattern 6

7 Course Outline Pattern evolutions Applying patterns in productive design Information dense pattern as teaching systems Traditional uses of pattern MAY 3 Chapter 5: Climate Factors 3hrs 35mins Climate and classic landscape profiles Climate Differences Temperate Tropical, Dry-lands, Continental effect, Maritime effect, Rain shadow Orographic effects Climate analogues Classic landscape profiles Major landscapes Humid and Arid Minor landscapes Volcanic, islands high and low, coasts, Flatlands, wetlands, estuaries Ecosystems as climate moderators MAY 10 Chapter 6: Trees and their Energy Transactions 1 hr Wind, Rain Types of forest Role of fungi Legumes as support species MAY 17 Chapter 7: Water 3hrs Water harvesting earthworks Rechargeable water and non-rechargeable water The duties of water in landscape design Swales, Gabions, Limonias, Dams Types of dams Capturing water from hard surfaces MAY 24 Chapter 8: Soils 4hrs 30mins Collapsing soil fertility, difficult soils Understanding soil erosion as number one global problem Understanding where and why soils are conserved or increased Understanding ph acid/alkaline analysis and interpret the consequence Role of Weeds as repair mechanisms Compost and the decomposition cycle of humus creation Berkley 18 day method of Compost Creation of humus in soil The function of the hair roots of plants feeding on minerals and structuring soil starch exchange. 7

8 Course Outline Compost tea, biofertiliser, worm farms Mineralising soils with animal feed MAY 31 Chapter 9: Earthworking and Earth Resources 3hrs Earthworks and earth resources Terra-forming Landscape restitution Machines used in earthworks Planning earthworks Soil tests Surveying and site pegging Planting after earthworks Slope measurements Levels and leveling A design for water harvesting earthworks JUNE 7 Chapter 10: Climate Design 5hrs 30mins Climate comparisons -house design Energy use Aspect -Heating /Cooling Waste systems Garden design Food Forest comparisons across climates Main crop comparisons Seasonal timing Mulch and forage production Small animals Comparisons in zone 3 Comparisons in farm forestry JUNE 14 Chapter 11: Aquaculture 1 hr 35mins Chain of life in water design Selection of species Self-foraging systems for fish Pond sizes Aquaponics 8

9 Course Outline JUNE 21 Chapter 12: The Strategies of an Alternate Global Nation 3hrs 40mins Invisible structures Establishing permaculture community groups Bioregional resilience Necessary legal structures Formal and informal financial strategies. Trade Village systems Community land development Establishing not for proit Permaculture Institutes Bonus Earthworks Course Over 3 hours of on location and classroom instruction. This bonus course is only available Online. Bonus Reading the Landscape Course This bonus course is only available Online. JUNE 28 - July 30 Submissions of Student Permaculture Design Exercises* * In order to gain your Permaculture Design Certifcate, you must submit a detailed plan and written notes as instructed by Geoff Lawton. You will have one month to submit your design for assessment. Submissions sent after July 31 will not be accepted and no certificate will be issued. Taking a break in the filming at Ben Falk s Permaculture Farm in Vermont 9

10 Weekly PDF Documents to get you up to Speed Each week you will be provided with course notes which can be downloadable as a PDF document. Key concepts are summarized and learning is enhanced with informative graphics. You will be able to download and print the notes if you wish and collate them into a ready reference of the course. Many of Geoff s drawings on the white-board are reproduced and there are live links to a number of the references given. We know there is a lot of information to digest in this course and by providing this 66 page handbook we re looking to assist you to navigate your way through it with ease. We recognize people learn in different ways and having information presented in different forms will assist you in your understanding. This course for many of you will be the first step in your Permaculture journey and we plan to equip you to the best of our ability....geoff and team have done an amazing job at this first online PDC course. The videos are very high quality. I feel I have received much more than I would have in just a week or week end in a regular PDC, I could not take the time off and travel for that anyway. The videos are amazing and I am so thankful I took this course. There is so much information I seem to absorb it and go back and watch another video. Then look at my land, draw up a plan, it s like It just keeps expanding. and I feel like it is all coming together now and I am understanding what permaculture is all about. I am thinking about all this throughout the day. Even at work I drew up some sketches in my down time. I have so many things I want to do. I will be able to pass on something wonderful to my ancestors. Thanks Geoff and team! - gdacalio 2013 online student 10

11 Bonus Earthworks Course on Completion of your PDC On completion of the Online PDC course you will be able to step straight into Geoff s advanced Earthworks Course. This course will teach you the elements of working with excavators to reshape the landscape to your advantage. Geoff will teach you how to build ponds and dams to capture water. How to; put in swale lines to harvest rainfall to your advantage; work with laser levels on contours; give direction to excavator drivers; build soft earth mounds to plant out a cover crop and survey your site to complete security. This course is normally valued at $1200 for a weekend workshop with Geoff Lawton. Its yours for free for doing the Online PDC Course. Many PDC graduates enroll just to watch the Earthworks Course Online. This course is only available online and only to the Online PDC students. There is over 3 hours of material for you to reference and it s not available for resale and will not be issued on DVD. 11

12 This is what makes Geoff s online PDC so awesome. He recorded something like 50 hours of Q and A videos attempting to answer as many questions as possible. He CARES. He s interested in students grasping the content. Why? Because it matters - it matters to the long term outcome of what happens to our Earth. - Jennifer Wadsworth, Permies.com All your Questions Answered Ask Geoff any question related to the course material as you study and follow the course. Ask your questions under each video. We have many hours of Q and A material archived already. These questions were asked by students that have followed the course before you and we re going to share them with you. The weekly Q and A videos will be released regularly so please take the time to study them as there is plenty of extra material in them that is not covered in the main course. It s not essential to watch the Q and A videos, but once you get hooked, they ll be hard to resist. Depending on weather, Q and A s are filmed from different vantage locations relevant to the course. From Geoff s kitchen garden, right up into the tree canopy. Chances are, if you have a question, it s already been asked before. Each Q and A video commonly runs for 30 minutes and many are illustrated with graphics and examples that will assist you. The course covers all climates, from the temperate cooler climates of North America to the Dry-lands in the Middle East, right up into the Tropics. If you request a specific question in the course, please identify your name and location so Geoff can understand your climate zone and tailor make a suitable response for your area and zone. 12

13 You Get the Course on DVD As part of your 2014 enrollment in this Online course, we will send you the full course on DVD. This is a 24 x Disk set encoded in NTSC format suitable for viewing in North America. There are 18 x DVDs that cover the core PDC course itself that you can view at home. The other 6 x DVDs are taken from the Geoff Lawton Collection. Harvesting Water the Permaculture Way Establishing a Food Forest Introduction to Permaculture Design Permaculture Soils Urban Permaculture As an added bonus, we ll also give you Designing Abundance: Food Forest 2 DVD This 90 min DVD is an adjunct to Geoff s very popular Establishing a Food Forest 1 DVD. Each video is approximately 90 minutes in length. These videos have been used by Permaculture teachers and consultants as teaching aids. All the material is shot on location and is jam packed with many tips and techniques not covered in the course. 13 It looks at Food Forests as they mature and compares Geoff s system seven years later. It shows you how to use swivel pipes to maximize water flow. It takes you to various Food Forests around the world. This video is only available to the Online course members and not available for resale.

14 New for Fly with Geoff around the World in the Reading the Landscape Course This course builds on your body of Permaculture knowledge with new understanding. Geoff Lawton consolidates the theory of Permaculture with common sense on the ground training. Every landscape is different. Some are mountainous and rugged. Some are flat and featureless. Come along with Geoff as he tours these world places and teaches you how to get the maximum edge on design from these landscapes. This is the finishing school to your Permaculture training. You are invited to go on an extensive magic carpet ride with Geoff touring with Google Earth some of the ravaged sites he has worked on around the planet. The story is written in the satellite photographs that he shares with you. Watch the video. Tour the 3D landscape using Google Earth software. Hours of practical examples that are designed to reinforce in you - the structure of Permaculture design. We have deliberately selected challenging landscapes to work with, and we ll show you how Geoff manages to do the unusual - create patterns that resonate with Nature, which build productivity and enrich natural systems. We use many tools to explore this topic from low tech cardboard landscape profiles to using Google Earth and computer mapping software. We show you Google Sketch-up software to base your consultancy designs upon and common cell phone Apps. that you can use to aid your design submissions. This is a fun course to finish off your Permaculture education. Learn the secrets as he takes you on location and shows you how you can use a sensible design approach with an understanding of the patterns in the landscape. Reading the Landscape Course is a bonus to you in 2014 for signing up to do the PDC....Geoff Lawton has taken Permaculture into the future with what may be called the Greatest, most Organized & Thorough Design Certificate Course EVER! Personally mentored by the Father of the Permaculture Movement himself, Bill Mollison, Geoffs precise accuracy of teaching has already made him one of the most important voices in Permaculture. Now these very special lessons of living in Absolute Abundance, can be taught to the Whole World in an interactive Global Community Classroom. The Future is NOW! Geoff, You re the Best! Stephen Thomason, Stone Mountain, Ga. USA 14 Belinda Bean, St Ives, NSW Australia

15 Our Students are our best Endorsement Designed by Troy Martz, California The quality of the student submissions last year was truly astonishing. People made a tremendous effort to submit quality designs. Some people made You-tube videos and detailed rendered topographical maps to show their design knowledge gained in the course. One person even sent in a 96 page booklet! Students keep ing Geoff saying they have found a new paid career installing Permaculture systems for their local government or community organizations. I m worried I m not a gifted artist. Can I still do the course? It doesn t matter if you can t draw or make beautiful architectural images. What we are looking for is an understanding of the design skills you will learn in the PDC course. You can send in your design taken with a cell phone and drawn in sand if necessary. We are looking to see you have a strong command of mainframe understanding and haven t made any Type One errors. Your drawing skills are secondary. Design by Joseph Paciarelli, USA The most amazing and comprehensive Permaculture Design Certificate course which is life changing. Everywhere I go I see potential for change and renewal. I would recommend everyone to do this course. In fact, I think it should be made a compulsory part of Secondary education. Shazia Noor 2013 PDC Student 15

16 2013 PDC Online Course Student Examples Th Designed by Renante Areola, Philippines 16

17 2013 PDC Online Course Student Designs 17 Designed by Troy Martz, California

18 Ok, I want to do this course. What do I need to get ready? Firstly, ask yourself do you have the time commitment to study the course each week for 3 or 4 hours per week? Do you have a broadband connection capable of watching videos? It would be an advantage to get Bill Mollison s Permaculture a Designers Manual. If you don t have it, don t worry. We ll be able to get a copy of this manual sent to you at near cost price so you will save money. Get a copy of Google Maps installed on your PC or Mac computer. It s not essential but it s a great way to follow Geoff later in the course when he takes you on an adventure in the Reading the Landscape Course. Get stocks of graph paper and a good tape measure. You ll need these tools to gauge distances accurately when designing your own property. Secure some stocks of cardboard, scissors, glue and putty. It can be recycled brown cardboard because you will be studying contours and how they work in the landscape. Install a compass on your i phone or grab a real one. Be prepared to take photos as we look at terrain and mapping. Its going to be a fun experience....this bonus Earthworks course has really helped me feel more confident about presenting a school garden plan to my local Board of Education in September. My biggest concern was for the children s safety, in case I miscalculated slopes. I will now be able to answer the Board s questions about safety features for severe weather events. I now know the terminology to use when speaking with the earthmovers. The videos were much easier to understand than the black & white drawings in the Design Manual. It was very generous of you to offer this free bonus course. It rounds off the PDC perfectly. Thank you very much! Theresa McCuaig, 18

19 Cost of this course? The course fee is $997 US dollars. Payment is by credit card or Pay-pal. You can pay in 3 monthly installments. There is an additional finance charge for the installment plan. Please speak with your bank first if your credit card is limited as last year we had many people sadly miss out on the course because their bank refused payment. Check that your card is not over the limit before signing up. Where do I sign up? This course is an event. Enrollments will be accepted at midnight US Pacific time only at on the 29th March 2014 and not before that date. Watch the instructional video on the course release day and click on the Add to Cart Button when you are prompted to do so, You will be taken to a secure shopping cart where you can safely enter your details. Once payment has been accepted you are enrolled in the course. Last years course sold out in under a week. Where do I Iog in? Once you sign up, you will receive an instantly with your password. Check your spam folder if it doesn t arrive in a few minutes. Enter your details to access the course and start immediately at: 19 I ve lost my password? Go to: and enter your that you signed up for the course and click on the I forgot my password link. A new password will be sent to you. I m having technical or billing problems. How do I get support? Open a support ticket available at: This is the best place for non permaculture questions. They are guaranteed a prompt answer. How much time do I need to spend each week on study? The PDC Course is broken down into weekly chapters of minutes duration. Three to four hours per week should be sufficient time to view all the weekly videos. Become involved with other students and ask lots of questions is the best way to enjoy the course. Why do some users have a Veteran Badge? Users with a Veteran badge are students who have successfully completed the 2013 Online PDC Course. They have the freedom to keep watching new content as it is made and uploaded. They may assist you occasionally with helpful comments and offer suitable advice. They will have viewing access to the entire course but not be able to participate in submitting a new permaculture design exercise.

20 You get a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee! Come along for the ride of your life on March 29th We are so confident you will be enthralled by this course and it will over reach your expectations as it has many other students. However we understand sometimes things happen in life which makes people have second thoughts, so Geoff is offering a 30 day money back guarantee from your date of purchase. Simply contact our support staff within 30 days for a full refund. We want you to enjoy the course and become a confident Permaculture consultant. On March 29th log into and watch the sales video that explains this course in complete detail. Click on the Add to Cart button when it appears and get ready for the ride of your life over the next 12 weeks. It s a journey that will never end. Our past students have set up their own Face-book page to share the journey. We ve also allowed them to continue their education and remain in permaculturedesigncourse. com and keep learning. It s our commitment to you too. See you on the other side!...mr. Lawton, thank you very much for your time and efforts, they are appreciated. I m still going through the course. I m a local truck driver and doing my best to keep up. I m currently on SOILS in the course. Lots of great info in the course so far and it s helping me balance out my zeal and excitement. Once again, good job and looking forward to other courses you have produced or are going to produce in the future. Cheerio mate! (Mark, San Antonio, TX -USA) Belinda Bean, St Ives, NSW Australia 20

21 M< This Course is a life changing experience that will alter the way you look at the planet forever. - Geoff Lawton 21