April Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course in Detroit, Michigan, USA
Courses/Workshops — by Killian OBrien March 4, 2010
Date: April 12-25
The Permaculture Design Certificate course is an internationally-recognized, seventy-two hour course resulting in a Permaculture Design Certificate. It provides an introduction to permaculture design as set forth by movement founder Bill Mollison. The course is taught Rhamis Kent, with Geoff Lawton appearing via live stream and video as Special Guest Instructor, and other permaculture and/or sustainability educators.
The PDC serves as foundation for further permaculture work and study and is a prerequisite for the Diploma in Permaculture Design, offered through The Permaculture Institute. Credit for this course is now accepted by a growing number of universities around the world.
To date, thousands of permaculture designers worldwide have been certified in PDC courses, and now comprise a global network of educators, ecological activists who influence major corporations, individuals creating new business alternatives and groups of committed people working together to change the way we view and design into our landscapes.
The course covers sustainable living systems for a wide variety of landscapes and climates. It includes the application of permaculture principles to food production, home design, construction, energy conservation and generation, and explores alternative economic structures and legal strategies supporting permaculture solutions.
The Permaculture and Resilience Initiative Detroit (PRI-De) PDC includes additional materials intended to give students broader knowledge and experience specific to urban environments. Detroit was selected as our site specifically because of it’s unique position among large cities as being ideally suited to being reinvented as perhaps the world’s first large sustainable city. The combination of extensive green space, unemployment and abundant water are the perfect conditions for growing sustainable design. Detroit currently has one of, if not the, most active urban agriculture environments in the US, and possibly the world.
Students will have a variety of opportunities to apply what they learn in design and practicum elements of the course that are more extensive than is typical. They will have the opportunity to work directly with non-profit organizations, individuals and other groups/businesses to assist in designing and implementing permaculture-based solutions.
Students are also invited to bring details of their own sites or potential sites to consider during the course.
Specific topics include:
- Theory and principles of permaculture
- Eco-friendly house placement and design
- Energy conservation techniques for cold climates
- Recycling and waste management
- Organic food production
- Water harvesting and management
- Ecological pest control
- Drought-proofing
- Soil rehabilitation and erosion control
- Livestock
- Aquaculture
- Catastrophe preparedness and prevention
- Windbreaks and fire control
The foundation for this course is A Permaculture Designer’s Manual by Bill Mollison, which is included in the cost of the course tuition. Attendees are encourages to acquire and read the text prior to the course. Those students who pre-purchase the text will be reimbursed at the beginning of the course.
T. Rhamis Kent, Certifying Instructor
Rhamis completed his Permaculture Design Certifcate certificate, PDC Teacher Training certificate and Aid Worker Project certification with Geoff Lawton, founder of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, as well as completing an internship with Geoff. During his internship, Rhamis assisted Geoff in his duties consulting on the landscape architecture & water harvesting design of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masdar_City), the most ambitious and significant sustainable development project found anywhere in the world.
Rhamis’ professional work background is rooted in mechanical engineering. In addition to his engineering work history, he spent two years working as a high school algebra & physics teacher in Oakland, California, which included demonstrating a flair for creativity via creation of a physics curriculum interpreted through aviation science using wed-based NASA instructional materials. He also assisted in the development of an environmental science plan based on principles of sustainability for Oakland Aviation High School which resulted in the school being accepted by PG&E into its Solar Schools Program (www.pge.com/solarschools).
Additional experience includes grant writing for nonprofit organizations such as Zaytuna Institute (www.zaytuna.org), serving as a co-coordinator & administrator for Zaytuna Institute’s Summer Arabic Intensive (www.arabicintensive.org) held near the UC Berkeley campus at Westminister House and participation in a Citizen-based Advisory Task Force specifically formed to address environmental issues related to the Port of Oakland tasked with identifying items critical in facilitating a mutually beneficial relationship between the Port of Oakland and the City of Oakland. Our primary focus was finding viable ways to mitigate the environmental impact of the Port’s daily activities on surrounding communities.
Geoff Lawton, Special Guest Instructor
Geoff will appear via video and live feed. He is an internationally-renowned permaculture educator, consultant and practitioner. He emigrated from England to Australia and later studied permaculture with Bill Mollison in Tasmania. He established the Permaculture Research Institute at Tagari Farm in New South Wales, Australia, a 147-acre farmstead previously developed by Mollison. PRI was eventually moved to Zaytuna Farm, in The Channon, where it continues today.
Since 1985, Geoff has designed and implemented permaculture projects in 30 countries for private individuals and groups, communities, governments, aid organizations, and multinational corporations. He has taught the Permaculture Design Certificate course and designed permaculture projects in 30 countries.
Additional info:
Price: $1,400 US, deposit $300
Meals: B, L, D with two snack breaks. This includes both omnivorous and vegetarian meals. A value added meal service is possible at an additional $150 for those with special needs, vegan or special requests if a sufficient number of students request it.
Accommodation: Residential dormitory-style in the hosts home or local church, depending on the number of students. Bedding will likely be on pads or mattresses on the floor. Students should bring bedding/sleeping bags. Participants may opt to tent, but this will not reduce costs and is not encouraged due to the urban setting and lack of secure areas for tents. Individual home stays may be available at an additional cost, depending on meal plan, with sufficient notice.
Up to five fully paid scholarships are offered, with preference given to local residents.
For information on how to book, meals, accommodations, travel, or any other questions, please contact us at:
studentservices@pri-de.org
1 (313) 647-4015
PRI-De
Attn: Student Services
8910 Isham St.
Detroit, MI 48213
This is great, in an area that needs it most. Glad to see that Rhamis is teaching!
Comment by Sakina Grome — March 16, 2010 @ 1:23 am
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