It's been a couple of years now since I walked into a classroom, for the first time in years, to learn more about permaculture. At the time, I wasn't quite sure what I was in for. I'd had a little insight into permaculture design and what it meant, but practically, I wasn't sure what I'd get out of it. I thought maybe some enhanced gardening skills, maybe learning about composting and some hot tips for collecting water. Or something. But what I discovered while doing my Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) was so much more…
I was met by a room full of people from all over the country (the world!), looking to learn more. Brought together with this one common goal - a desire for a simpler, practical, more connected way of living. We couldn't have been more different. But the enthusiasm that brought us together created this infectious positivity. Plugging away with books at home on my own hadn't managed to reach me nearly half as successfully, even though that's my preferred method of learning. It's inspired the way we've designed our Seedlings course, and we'd recommend at least one member from every Seedlings family undertake a PDC too. I can't believe it took me so long to get around to doing it and I think I'd do another in a heartbeat!
Oberon had a similar experience while doing his PDC, and later, his Permaculture Teacher Training. Permies are the best kind of people. So we thought we'd put down some reasons why a PDC is an amazing start towards living and breathing permaculture, just incase you're thinking about it...
1. Each PDC is different, drawing on the experience within the group and a range of learning styles are provided for. You can learn all sorts of skills and concepts you may not have expected.
2. You can make friendships with wonderful, likeminded people. They say the key to making friends is spending time together. Spending 72 hours with people, sharing knowledge, ideas and space tends to bring you closer. There may be hugs, challenging conversations and interesting perspectives gleaned along the way.
3. You have a chance to really immerse yourself in permaculture and what it's all about. You may leave your PDC feeling that this is only the beginning. But it's a wonderful grounding to build upon and those permaculture goggles help you do great things.
4. It helps to put our modern lives into context to create positive, practical change. Sharing the experience with others makes it achievable.
5. A PDC motivates you to be part of a community and give back to your own community. It's quite amazing the breadth of knowledge and support that can be gleaned from a group of ordinary, extraordinary people willing to share.
6. A PDC gives you a great overview of environmental issues, but considers them in a solutions-based way.
7. You'll learn how to grow your own food well, in a way that's sustainable for you, your family and your community.
8. You'll get to visit some permaculture properties in action and be inspired by their owners - one of the most excellent bits! It's a chance to see what people in your community are doing.
9. You will get experience in drawing, designing, sketching and imagining, within a supportive environment. You can take those skills further to apply permaculture design within your own home or community.
10. You'll have fun!
The lovely folk at Good Life Permaculture are offering a part-time PDC, starting in early October. Part-time works really well for families and full-time workers so it's a great opportunity to fit everything in. Oberon is co-teaching alongside some other super amazing teachers and we encourage you to sign up if you're even vaguely interested or just thinking about it. You totally won't regret it! Head here for more information about the course and to enrol.
If you're wanting to get stuck into some permaculture with your family and want a gentle introduction, we'll be starting our Spring Seedlings course in a few weeks and there's still plenty of time to sign up.
Happy growing!
~ Lauren & Oberon. xx
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