Give your interns, employees or volunteers affordable access to one of the most brilliant and powerful training programs in the world. The Permaculture Design Course deeply explores how we enhance positive relationships with nature and one another, to create more abundance and security from our own backyards, all the way up to an expansive farming operation.
We are Happy to Partner with any…
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Developing permaculture site,
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Organic farming/gardening operation,
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Regenerative farm,
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Homestead endeavor, or
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Community food growing project…
…that has an internship or educational component as part of their mission.
If you and your team are building healthy topsoil, growing nutrient dense food for your community, and teaching others the skills to do the same, even in a small way, we want to support your efforts and enhance your chances for success.
Partnering with Fellow Doers/Educators/Teachers
Our Online PDC Course at Half-Price
From $695.00 to $347.50
“I just finished the permaculture design course for certification online and am so grateful for this experience. Bill’s breakdown of the course material and the design exercises were so helpful and I immediately felt equipped with the tools and knowledge to create designs for others. I was so grateful for the course structure so I could watch the videos on my own time and not have scheduled classes to attend.”
Bailey G. – 2025 Grad. – Completed entire training, on her own, in 17 days.
Permaculture/Regenerative/Organic Farmers, Ranchers or Homesteaders
This offer applies to anyone working on your team or operation, including you.
What could be more valuable than to have the people who will be working on your property, exposed to an amazing permaculture education that includes the foundations of high-impact grazing?
Whether your team is made up of interns, volunteers or entry level employees, you can offer this PDC Course as a bonus or as part of their learning experience while working with you on your operation.
Community Gardening Programs
Regardless of how a community gardening program is set up, if the project is growing healthy food, inviting people from the community to participate, and/or providing soil building, food growing and food-harvesting/eating education, the project easily qualifies for this 50% discount.
Again, any and all of the team members involved in this project qualify under an umbrella scholarship it holds with us.
If this project is taking on volunteers or interns, they would all qualify.
How This Partnership Works
Once you have filled out the application and have been approved, you can either purchase the course on behalf of the student or simply offer them the option to enroll at half-price themselves under your partnership qualification with us.
We will approve up to 6-students, under one Internship Partnership, per year. Annual partnership renewal is automatic, so you don’t have to reapply each year.
We have been here for almost 2-decades and intend to be here for 2 more. We will deliver an amazing permaculture-educational experience to your team participants that will greatly expand their understanding of caring for plants, people, livestock and soil while hopefully, supporting your growing success.
How Is This Course Delivered and How Much Time is Required?
Because the course is mostly recorded content and set up in a progressive, self-study format, a person can experience the full training in 72-100 hours. We’ve had a few students complete the course in 2-3 weeks, from their own home, with dedicated study and focus.
But there are no imposed deadlines. Many students take 3 or 4 months to complete the training and earn the certificate. If an unexpected interruption in one’s life occurs, students still have up to 3-years to complete the training from the date of their registration.
Our Structured Online Support Option
Most students however take advantage of our 9-week Support/Review Sessions that we offer every season — winter, spring, summer and fall. For example, you could have your summer crew sign-up for the winter or spring Support/Review sessions, and they will all arrive on your site with a permaculture perspective and training under their belts. They will be much more aware and prepared for the tasks you have planned for them.
If you team members have not been identified or selected before summer arrives, then they could all take the summer Support/Review sessions (one a week over 9 weeks) while working with you and enjoy the excitement of team learning as they all go through the course together. Students will need to have 6-8 hours/week to keep up with the course content. The weekly 90-minute review sessions are on Monday evenings.
Taking the course together helps build positive team dynamics and everyone earns their PDC Certificates around the same time.
Once a Week
Monday Evenings
FULL DETAILS HERE
“I attended one of the 9-week online support series, and it was an absolute blast! I’ve never been so into learning new information. Bill was a great teacher, and I feel like I have a new view on the world around me. I struggle with anxiety about the future of our planet and this course has giving me true hope that we can fix the mess we have made of the natural world.”
Chris L. – 2024 Graduate
By the way… this course is not for the half-hearted learner.
This course is not ‘difficult’ but it is a large body of work and does require viewing all the material and taking notes. The only requirements for earning the certificate are to view all the content, take notes, complete a half-dozen simple design exercises and turn this all in at the end along with a simple final design project.
We guide and support students along the way and we have found that everyone is capable of completing the course and earning the certificate if they will simply apply themselves and follow through.
It typically takes 72-100 hours to fully complete the course.
“What About Me?
My family and I volunteer at a community garden, and I don’t think they even know what permaculture is.”
Yes. You can still access the course at the internship price. Just go to the garden/project coordinator and ask if they will apply to our partnership program through this webpage application. There is not a charge for them to apply and it should only take them 5 minutes to fill out the form. They can do it right there on their cell phone.
Once we approve it, we will send them a Partnership Code for their project that any of their team members can then use, including you to register for the course at half price. They don’t have to do anything else.
And then as you complete the course, do let them know if it helped you understand what you were doing better and to see the importance of the work they are doing in the world. If you think other interns or workers on their team would benefit from the course, let them know.
Caution: Can Be Paradigm Shifting
This course is a world of fun, but also very instructive and can be deeply encouraging. This is because permaculture attempts to look at life with eyes wide open and inevitably examines what is at the root of those things in our lives and cultures that work, and also those things that don’t.
As a result, most of our students end up contemplating life at a deeper level than they had before and become more inspired to do ‘the good work’ in the world by the time they complete the training.
If you and your team are caring for people, caring for the planet, and caring for the future (‘the good work’) you are already doing permaculture. The course gives students a greater understand and a flood of helpful ideas and tools to do this good work at a higher level.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela
Application Process
Just fill out this form to give us a good idea of what you are doing and what your project is all about. If we feel that you are a good match, we will gladly extend this 50% partnership discount to your project.
We will give you your own Partnership Code to register participants at $347.50 instead of $695.00.
It is our small way of supporting the important work you are doing in the world.
Quick Response
We attempt to respond to every request within a day, sometimes it might be within a few hours. And once your application is approved you can register up to as many as 6 students, anytime, over the calendar year of 2025. In 2026 you will have the opportunity to register up to 6 more. Even if you have only one person in mind at this time you are most welcome, and the invitation stands for up to 6 students per year.
And remember…
Anyone working on your team or in your operation qualifies for the course at half-price. This might include office folk, the yard manager, your grandparents who volunteer or even the tour guides (especially them as they interface with the public).
The permaculture course is more than just learning about plants and soil. It is about understanding our environment as a whole including how we set up positive relationships within our bioregion, with each other as people, and with the businesses, organizations and institutions that influence our lives and culture.
