Who is it forThis program is ideal for people who have already started studying or doing Permaculture, whether formally or informally, and want to move & improve their practical projects with good design support, and keep learning with practice. It is ideal if you have taken a regular PDC & want to deepen your understanding & practice of this important design science. It is the minimum level of support we advise for anyone participating in a Transition Initiative or other important sustainability project. & also try & see if this type of action-learning works well for them. Quick OverViewOr the Integral Permaculture Certificate, includes more support & direction to help you focus on the application of the principles to your life & projects. This is a more advanced than Option B, not only because in terms of content, as it includes 30 more classes where we go into a lot more depth in the modules that usually are left aside (People Care, Economy, Technology) but also we provide more opportunities to deepen understanding & to integrate the subjects of each class, in order to take full advantage of the rich contents of this course, which are assimilated much better the more we relate to them, through dialogue & in relationship with your experience & that of others. The dialogues are important in that we can catch whether you've really understood a new model given in the classes, or whether it has just fitted into the old ways of thinking (more common than we like to realize) ... but of course this depends on how much you decide to share about your understanding! (sooner or later these - common - mis-understandings become clear in our designs, but it's a lot more effective to understand them well before we get that far..) Full Program of Classes![]() It is most useful to embark on the course with an idea of what project you wish to move forward for yourself and your group, but you can also decide once you've started, with our help, if you don't have any clear ideas about this yet. ![]() Module 1 - People CarePeople Care is one of the 3 ethical bases of PermaCulture ... but how do we put this into practice? People are, as well as the context, without doubt also the most difficult aspect when it comes to realising truly sustainable projects. "The greatest challenges for humanity are not hunger, poverty, peace, public health, education, the economy, natural resources, nor a combination of these or other issues ... but our capacity to build new social organizations capable of providing the solutions. Our greatest challenge is collective intelligence." (F. Noubel) Weekly online classes: 1) Why are we (as humans) so slow in learning about Sustainability? ![]() Module 2 - Design TechniquesPermaCulture is based in understanding the process of a good design in order to use this in a more conscious, effective & powerful way. We are all designers, but what characterizes a notable design or designer? What works? In this module we study the criteria of functional design & the true meaning & the conditions of the design of integrated ecological systems. Permaculture has quite particular ways of thinking about design, about resources, human interventions in the system & of integrating the social aspects with the physical, energy aspect & the abstract. We learn to look & think in a new & different way. Weekly online classes: 1) What is Design? & Can we Re-Design a whole Society? What influence does our world-vision have? How do our daily objectives & criteria fit in all this? If our vision is programmed, in great, part by the "consumer dream" of our present culture ... How can we really change things? Even though we might have good information & good intentions, it's inevitable that we drag behind us many habits, patterns & ways of thinking that aren't very permacultural ... There are several design structures available to use. These consist of a sequence of steps that help the designer keep to a systematic approach. Beyond these are the design frameworks that help us place our designs in a wider context. The most comprehensive framework is our world-view, which greatly influences which designs we do, why & how. In this class we will study the different kinds of structures we have at our disposal This is something so basic that it is quite common to fall into old habits, simply copy what others have done or (even worse) use the materials 'we like', those we are familiar with, or technologies we find pleasant instead of those which do, in fact, best fit the criteria of sustainability. In this class we look at the importance & thinking behind the hierarchy of resources & the scale of interventions, two tools amongst various which we use to ground our designs. Observation is fundamental to any design & goes far beyond looking at something carefully. We involve all of our communication channels in a systemic & sistematic way, in good prolonged observation.We involve all of our communication channels in a systemic & sistematic way, in good prolonged observation. In this class we study in depth the clients interview & other observation techniques & tools. It is easy to design if we are clear about the design principles, but much more difficult to really understand & integrate these principles in our practice. In this class we go into more depth about the design principles, with lots of examples of each in order to understand them better. Design is a continuous process, so being able to see whether a project is moving in the right direction & accurately evaluating progress, so being able & ready to re-direct resources & efforts in order to respond creatively to surrounding co-designs & changing circumstances ... is an essential part of the whole. In this class we look at how to develop these crucial skills & explore some of the tools we use for creating flexibly with complex & ever-changing Life forces. There are a great number of design methods & it is important to choose those that are best suited to your particular circumstances & objectives. In this class we look at some of those methods & talk about the criteria to take into account for their use. Here we continue deepening on the various methods of design and their use, with more examples. See above. ![]() Module 3 - Earth CarePermaculture started as "Permanent Agriculture" & although very soon we realized that an ecological agriculture cannot work longer-term inside an exploitative economy or an un-just society (we need to design systems that integrate it all), the bio/ecological aspect of permaculture keeps being of central importance. "You cannot teach anyone to be a philosopher, but you can teach anyone to be a gardener, and from a gardener naturally grows a philosopher." (Bill Mollison) Weekly online classes: 1) What is Soil? Despite the fact that many 'Technological Improvements' haven't managed to improve the quality of life for the majority of people, but have brought more problems & pollution, we still keep expecting the arrival of a more modern technology, perhaps more ecological, that will restore & reverse the damage made. In fact, it is possible, but not without having more citizens with a better understanding & a wider vision of what technology is, & who also understand some basic science necessary in order to be able to think for ourselves on these subjects. The technology of the home, or bio-construction, is a close & important example for all of us, which will be highlighted during the course. Weekly online classes: 1) Is our Civilization Collapsing? NOTE THAT ... we go adding more detail about each class as we arrive at the module in the 2011-2012 programme, & adding the links to the classes as we record them. ![]() Module 5 - EcoEconomics & TransitionThe part that maybe we least understand & least think we can change in our world, is the economy. But, infact, the majority of us are actively supporting & voting for, each day, for an un-sustainable & unjust economic system. The central message of Permaculture tells us that it is possible that each of us stops doing that and collaborate, together with colleagues across the planet, to build the alternatives. This course supplies the information, tools & the basic support for this, starting (Permaculture principle) very small, from your own home, your work & social environment as a way of influencing the global. Weekly online classes: 1) Ecosystem Flows Flows of Energy & Resources in Ecosystems. Maximising & Movement of Local Resources 2) Money What is Money and How it Works (or doesn't) 3) CCs Complementary Currency Designs & Types Why & How of the Transition Movement 5) EcoBusiness Skills & Qualities of Social Innovators. Ethical Financing & Fair Livelihood. Setting up an EcoBusinesses & Legal Forms Communities & EcoVillage Design. Social Projects & Organisation Design Designing Effective Networks, Chaordic Structures BioRegionalism & the Planetarisation Phase How Paradigms Change Designing with Myth | Like all of our courses it is an Action-Learning program which means your real-life designs will be the focus of our work together & it is based in the Permaculture Designers Manual with important additions from the Integral Sciences. Resources at Your DisposalNodoEspiral of the Permaculture Academy is co-creating a great online e-book of resources & materials which follows the structure of the classes of the Integral Permaculture courses that we offer, expanding the information. the Integral Permaculture Manual This option has the full range of classes + teaching materials as described in the manual 1) 12 Months with Us Taking the online version of the courses means that you do the practical aspects directly in your home & your projects, in your own time, with the support of tutors & colleagues online, & this time we consider appropriate for completing the program without rushing. If you wish of course you may complete the classes & design assignments in less time. 2) Option of Intensive Practical version You can do a more intensive version of this course also in one month but with a rhythm of 4hrs of practical work + 2 hours of study, 5 days per week. It is recommended to do this version in a place where you don't have other distractions, & you can focus mainly on the course. If you don't have a place we can help you find it. You can see details of this option in the GaiaSis Intensive Practicals page.3) The 50 AudioVisual Classes which are all the basic classes of the full curriculum. The classes have a duration of 1:30h to 2:30h which you can see at your own pace (you can stop and resume the recording at any point). The first class teaches how to listen to the others in the most effective way possible. Each class focuses on the essential points of the theory & the majority contain original materials which have not been published yet. 4) Your Personal Blog Each student can reflect on their path & designs, sharing their learning process & interacting with the other students. It is a great start for a future design portfolio if you wish to go on with the diploma, & an essential discipline in order to integrate what is taught in class with your practice. We emphasize that dialogue & exchange of experiences is one of the most powerful tools of action learning. 5) A 2hr Monthly Meeting with the tutors, where you can put questions, present your designs & share live with the other course members. Start whenever you likeAction Learning has no beginning & no end. It's a continuous process and so this is how we've designed this programme: we'll meet you exactly where you are, any time you decide to join. You just need to take into consideration that we will accompany you for the time agreed for the course you choose, from the time you join. This course very flexible, designed to adapt around your life, not vice-versa. Go at your own Rhythmalthough we suggest these basic guidelines: 10 Weeks per Module (25+hrs of teaching time) supported by 1 Online Live (recorded) Conference per week + Discussion Groups + Personal following of your Practical Design work & Reading + Video + Audio materials + Additional materials 'to fit' (depending on your needs & level) Designs & PracticalsHere on the left hand side of the page <<< you have the programme of the theory part of the course, which will be reflected in the practical work, which consists in proposed activities + a minimum of two designs: a personal one and a group design (or project). Don't worry if you don't have any projects in mind that you'd like to develop as designs throughout the course - and also don't worry if you feel you have too many. Permaculture is primarily about DESIGN: and learning how to design well with anything. Bibliography & PreparationThese are some basic text-books that we reccomend and that will be referred to during the course. You don't need any previous knowledge but if you wish, a preparation for the course is take advantage of the free online conferences that are offered as an introduction to this course, which were given live from november to march 2011 & are now (mostly) recordings you can watch at any time. As soon as you enroll you can start discussing the contents of these in more depth with others if you wish, as we will help you set up your Personal Learning Environment and pointing you in the direction of whatever aspects most interest you. This is a pattern that will continue during the course also: we aim to follow each person very personally, encourage inter-student interaction and suggest the study materials that are most appropiate for your own personal interests, level and stage. Much (but not all) can be found in internet nowadays, & we can direct you straight to the treasures and help you avoid the massive confusion & a great deal of mis-information or "woffle" that is undistinguishable on the surface. We supply critical new materials that you will still not find anywhere else, which we believe are indispensable in order to effectively 'join up all the dots'. Prices & EnrollmentSee Costs of each option in the table below & a note about Prices & Discounts in the Courses page ![]() Click on the image to zoom in. All details about how to enroll are on the Enrollment page, & note that you can enroll & start on any of these courses at any time. |