Besides receiving the full PDC curriculum and participating in several permaculture design exercises, students at this training 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

Use an A-frame to mark Contours for Swales

Build and Fire-up a Rocket Stove

Dig a Swale or Rain Garden to Hold Rain

 Additional Details About the Course

Begin The Training Now with Pre-Course Studies
This 8-day permaculture course begins when you register for this course.  Within 1-2 days, students receive a welcome email that contains

• access to our Foundations of Permaculture webinar series
• links to over 3-dozen selected handouts
• and the 150-Question Study Guide.

Within a week or so, students receive the course textbook and a DVD of the webinars via US Mail.

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 To complement the text we have created a study guide with 150-questions that will assist the student in anchoring the information contained in the book. If a student can answer these questions to themselves, they can be assured that they have grasped the foundations of the permaculture design certification course.

Purchase Foundations of Permaculture Webinar Series Separately $195 Price Applies Fully Towards a Future Design Certificate Course!   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. Click Here to Learn More "I've LOVED these webinars. 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://ozarksalive.org/larrapin/

 Instructors

On-Site Portion of Course:

Daily Schedule
Certification requires that we cover the entire curriculum so please come ready to work (and have fun).

We will begin at 1pm on Thursday, June 7th, and end at noon the following Thursday, June 14th.  We will have class daily from 8:30 a.m. through 9 p.m. with nice breaks for lunch and dinner.

As we have shared, this training is an immersion into permaculture and carries a recognize certificate of completion. Many courses are two weeks long.  With the pre-training studies and the full (but fun) days, we can deliver this informative and inspiring training in 8 days.  We ask students to come ready to learn and however possible, to clear their week of other commitments.  

Meals
Some meals will be provided.  More on this soon.

Accommodations & Travel
There will be dorm rooms available for rent on campus.  More on this soon.  But in general, students looking for accommodations will make these arrangements on their own.  We will have a place for you on your pre-training website to attempt to coordinate some ride-sharing to minimize our collective carbon footprint.

Group and Personal Design Projects
For all PDC trainings, students work on one or more designs in small groups.  This is a requirement of certification.  The project selected will be determined by the instructors.

Personal Invitation: If one of the reasons you are 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 photo or 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.  You should also be as clear as you can be about what your current dreams or visions are for the property.  There will be some time in the latter part of the course where individual projects can be explored.

What to Pack & Other Details
About 4 weeks before the on-site training begins, students will receive more information concerning what to pack, when and where to arrive and other details.

Certification
Students who complete this design course will receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’ from Midwest Permaculture which permits them to use the copyrighted word ‘permaculture’ in the promotion of their work or business. Graduates may offer workshops, lectures and design services.  Click here for more on certification.

Course Fee $1,200 
Early Registration Discount of $100 ($1,100) by April 7th
Student Price (Must have valid student ID#) $900 

Lodging
Single room fee :  $199 (7 days)
Double room fee:  $136 (7 days)  

Price Includes ‘Foundations of Permaculture’ Webinar Series, 8-Days of Training, Some organically prepared meals, Loads of Resources, and the Networking Site.

	Registration Process  Option 1 Register On-Line. We take MasterCard, Visa and Discover. Option 2 Call Becky to register over the phone at 815-256-2215 with credit card or personal check(s).

Group Registrations – Save $100
2 or more may register as a group and receive an additional $100 discount each.  We’ve had friends, family members or couples register together and in the weeks before the course, ended up bringing in several more friends, each saving $100.  Call Becky for either more information or to set up a group (815-256-2215).(Does not apply to students. They already have a $300 discount) 

Low Risk Cancellation and Refund Policy
Should a student have to cancel their enrollment in the course up to 30-days before the on-site portion of the course begins, there is a full refund less $250.  Student retains access to webinars, keeps the course handouts and text book, and receives a full $195 credit towards any future Midwest Permaculture design certification course.

If a student cancels within the 30-day period before the course there will be a full refund less $350 and the student still receives a $195 credit towards our design courses. 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.

Already A Permaculture Design Course Graduate?
We offer a 33% discount to students who have already received their PDC Certification from another recognized course (from anywhere in the world) who wish to take one of our courses as a refresher. Please email for details.

Still Have Questions?
You are welcome to email Becky or call her at 815-256-2215.

This was a Great Training Even Though it was still Winter!

Pictures from March 2011 PDC Course University of Wisconsin — River Falls Pictures and text by Bill Wilson

Wayne with students in parking lot of classroom.

Our host, Kelly Cain PhD, sharing an overview of his work.

Off to explore a design project site – a community garden plot.

Student with her pride and joy.

Visit to Kelly Cain’s home.

Sara Cain and her father Kelly attended our 2010 PDC in Stelle, IL. She is running a CSA this year for the first time.

Josh is the driving force behind the community garden project we looked at early.  Grow-to-Share

Kelly’s puppy. (He’s only 8 months)

Worm bin project

Adding shredded newspaper and water on top of kitchen scraps.

Now for the worms

Before heading outside, Wayne explained his homemade biochar-rocket stove.

Hal (short sleeved blue shirt) showed us his diesel truck that runs on french-fry grease.

I rode up to the training with Hal and the grease burned just like diesel but without the unpleasant odor of diesel fumes.

Firing up the biochar-rocket stove.

Phil Rutter of Badgersett Research Corp. — An expert on hazelnuts and woody agriculture. .

Our friend and permaculture designer, Dan Halsey of Southwoods Center for Permaculture Design near Minneapolis.

As students enter the design phase of the course they started to do research and break into small teams.

On the final morning, our students presented their permaculture design projects.