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Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) Courses in Stelle, IL
Our Classic PDC Courses held at Midwest Permaculture
Includes Pre-training Studies: Foundations of Permaculture Webinar Series
 Plant Walk at Stelle Pond |
| Our PDC Trainings in Stelle Include:
Foundations of Permaculture Free Camping and Showers Three Healthy Meals Daily Hands-on Experience Permaculture Design Exercises Explore Midwest Permaculture Yard and Community Including:
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Graduates of our Full Trainings Receive a PDC Certificate
Upon Successful Completion  Midwest Permaculture PDC Course hosted in Stelle, IL – Graduation Day |
| “Bill, this was unequivocally the best educational experience of my life. This training has tied it all together for me. Thank You. Amy H. – Grad Student at UC-Boulder |
Hands-on Experience at Each Stelle PDC Course:
Besides receiving the full PDC curriculum and participating in several permaculture design exercises, students at our spring, summer or fall trainings in Stelle will gain hands-on experience in a variety of areas to help ground their understanding of permaculture concepts and principles. Here are likely examples:
 Learn how to Graft Trees, One to Another |
 Learn to make Cob for Earth Building |
 Build and Fire-up a Rocket Stove |
 Learn to use a Sight-Level and Transit |
 Use an A-frame to mark Contours for Swales |
 Dig a Swale or Rain Garden to Hold Rain |
Further Details about our Stelle PDC Courses
Bill and Becky’s Experimental Aquaponics System
Come Prepared for Very Fulfilling Days
Even though students will have already made a good start on their permaculture training through the Foundations of Permaculture webinar series, there are still about 55-60 hours of training remaining in the 72-hour curriculum. In order to fit the balance into 8 days, we typically have something happening from 8:30am each morning through 9pm. There are long breaks for lunch and dinner so students and rest, eat, visit and digest what they are learning… but students should to come prepared for a very full week of learning, designing and fun.
Ride Share – Flying to Chicago – Getting to Stelle
To minimize our collective carbon footprint we set up an internet forum for each training so that students can connect to see about sharing rides to and from the training. Stelle is between 75-90 miles of the two Chicago airports and the bus and train stations. We ask our students to do their best to help one another find rides to and from Stelle and public transportation. If necessary, we can arrange to pick up students in Chicago or other nearby towns for a reasonable fee. We have community residents who enjoy having our students here and are willing to help with transportation. Here are directions and maps to Stelle.
Meals Provided
All meals, snacks, coffee, tea and water are provided and are served beginning with dinner on the first evening through lunch a week later. Meals will be prepared from mostly organic, and when possible, locally raised foods. There are always vegetarian options if meat is served with a meal. Generally, we can accommodate vegan and raw food diets if students will let us know ahead of time. For students with unique diets, they should be prepared to supplement their meal requirements if necessary but we would like to make your meals as convenient and enjoyable as possible. Please email Becky (or call her at 815-256-2215, message or text us at 815-782-2216) if you have special food needs.
Free Camping Space Provided in Stelle for PDC Students
Free Camping Space Provided
As part of the price of tuition, free camping space is available with toilets and showers nearby in community spaces. Students must bring their own tents and gear. But remember, because of the full days and the fact that meals are provided, students will only be sleeping in their tents.
Rooms in Stelle – $150 for the Week
Some of our friends in Stelle are delighted to rent out their guest rooms for this modest fee for the whole week. All rooms are a short walking distance from the classroom. Students can reserve a room when they register for a training directly on our E-Commerce site. Please email Becky (or call her at 815-256-2215, message or text us at 815-782-2216) if you have questions.
What to Pack & Other Details
About 4 weeks before a training begins, students receive more information concerning what to expect, arrival details, what to pack, etc.
Students Working on Group Design Project
Group Design Projects
For all PDC trainings, students work on one or more designs in small groups. This is a requirement of certification and the project will be supplied by the instructors.
Personal Design Projects
If one of the reasons you as a student might be taking this training is to learn the skills necessary to create a permaculture design for your own home or property, we invite you to bring information about your site to the training. For example, bring a sketch of your property in fairly accurate proportions and/or an aerial view map, a plant list of what is on your property now (does not have to be exhaustive – what are the dominant species – place them on the sketch), note the sunny and shady parts of the property and what direction is south, and what your current dreams or visions for the property might be. There will be some time over the 8-days where individual/personal projects can be explored.
PDC Certificate
Students who complete this design course will receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’ from Midwest Permaculture which in the permaculture tradition, allows one to use the word ‘permaculture’ in the promotion of their work or business. Graduates may offer workshops, lectures and design services. Click here for more on certification.
| And What Exactly is Covered in a Permaculture-Design-Certificate Course? If you landed on this page and happened to have missed the full description of the training, you might still be wondering what is actually taught in a certification course. If so, Click Here. |
Students can Begin their Training Anytime – Begin Now if you wish…
This 8-day permaculture course actually begins when the student registers. Shortly thereafter, students receive a welcome email that contains a link and password to our Foundations of Permaculture webinar series and all that come with it. Within a week or less, students then receive the course textbook and a DVD of the webinar series via US Mail.
If one is seriously interested in learning about permaculture but cannot commit at this time to a certification course, the webinars and self-study features of our design courses can be enjoyed now. Students will gain a solid foundation in permaculture from their own home. It includes the text book, the 150-Study Questions and links to over 3-dozen selected handouts. And the full $195 for this webinar series applies toward any of our design certificate courses for a period of up to three years.
Purchase Foundations of Permaculture Webinar Series Separately
$195 Price Applies Fully Towards a Future Design Certificate Course!
Thank you so much for offering the webinar-only option. I plan to take a certification class within the next couple of years, but these webinars allowed me to really bring together the self-study and in-the-dirt projects I've been working on. THANKS!"
Leigh W. (Arkansas)
http://larrapin.us/
| Course Textbook Included with the price of Registration 'Earth User's Guide to Permaculture' by Rosemary Morrow This gem of a text, shipped to students upon registration, is written by Rosemary Morrow, an Australian, that has taught permaculture around the world for decades. The book is straightforward and loaded with illustrations and substance. It covers theory and also focuses on the practical aspects of how to create and implement a permaculture design. This book is a must read for the serious permaculturist and is a requirement for students of our design certification courses. 150-Question Study Guide |
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Instructors for Stelle Trainings
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Bill Wilson – Lead Instructor Bill holds two PDC Certificates and two Advanced Certificates in permaculture (one in design, the other in teaching). He is cofounder of Midwest Permaculture with his wife Becky and has hosted and taught at over 30 permaculture courses. Bill and Becky have lived the last 34 years in the sustainably oriented community of Stelle, IL, and have been intimately involved in the community through it various transitions. |
 Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture Stelle, Illinois |
 Milton Dixon
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Milton Dixon…
Becky Wilson… She earned her Permaculture Teaching Certificate in 2011 with internationally respected permaculturist, Rosemary Morrow, the author of our PDC Course textbook, The Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture. |
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Becky Wilson “I was so inspired by the course. I’ve already integrated permaculture into a community project I’m working on. After 25yrs of landscaping, I needed that boost of BLISS!” Catherine R. – Landscape Architect |
Course Fee & Registration
The price for our Stelle PDC Courses is $1,295. (Plus $150 for lodging if not camping)
60 Day Early Registration Discount: -$100 (or $1,195)
| What is Included in the Fee Again? Foundations of Permaculture webinar series, 8-days of training, organically prepared meals, camping, a PDC Certificate, loads of post training resources, and a long-time connection to the Midwest Permaculture family of PDC graduates. |
Group Discount – $100 per person
2 or more (couples – friends – family) may register as a group and receive a $100 discount per person. We have had two people register together and in the weeks before the course, bring in several more friends, everyone saving $100 each. Call Becky for either more information or to set up a group (815-256-2215, message or text us at 815-782-2216).
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Payment Plan: Register 60 days early …AND… pay in full before training, students receive the $100 early registration discount. A minimum of 3 payments must be made before the on-site part of the training begins. |
How to Register for a Stelle PDC Course
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Option 1
Option 2 |
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Low Risk Cancellation and Refund Policy
If a student cancels their registration 30-days before the on-site portion a course begins they receive a full refund less $265. The student keeps the Foundations of Permaculture webinar series ($195 value) and receives a $195 credit towards any future Midwest Permaculture design certification course, good for up to 3-years.
If a student cancels their registration in the 30-days before the course there will be a full refund less $365 and the student still receives a $195 credit towards our design courses in the future. The credit is good for up to three years.
There are no refunds for cancellations or for withdrawals once the course begins. However, in certain circumstances, we may extend partial credit towards a future design course.
Continuing Support Following Graduation Students who have completed a Midwest Permaculture design course are then invited to become part of our growing network of graduates. There are three ways we work to support our students:
Our objective is to support our students for as long as they need it or want it and to encourage them to support each other. |
Already A Permaculture Design Course Graduate?
We offer a 33% discount to students who have already graduated from another recognized course (from anywhere in the world) who wish to take a Midwest Permaculture course as a refresher. Please email for details.
We offer a 50% discount to our own Midwest Permaculture PDC Graduates.
Still Have Questions?
You are welcome to email us or call Becky at 815-256-2215, message or text us at 815-782-2216.