Kelowna Community Permaculture Design Certificate Course
Cycle 1: April - July 2019: *this course is now complete.
Cycle 2: TBD: Add yourself to our mailing list to be notified when the next course is in pre-registration!
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is an approach to design modelled on natural ecosystems. It is rooted in both traditional and modern approaches to land management and environmental stewardship. Above all, it stems from an ethics of care for people and the Earth.
Who is this course for?
This course is perfect for anyone concerned about the current state of our local & global ecosystems, food systems and social systems, and who is wishing to make a positive difference in their community. It is geared towards those who agree that many of the current issues facing our communities today could be improved by implementing a design system that is in tune with the patterns and cycles found in nature.
What will you get out of the course?
You will walk away from this course with a Permaculture Design Certificate signifying that you have completed a comprehensive 72-hr curriculum based on the work of the many teachers who have developed and expanded on Permaculture since the coining of the term in the 1970’s by David Holmgren and Bill Mollison. You will also walk away with a completed Permaculture Design for the site of your choice! (If you don’t have a site in mind, don’t worry, we will help you find one!) Finally, over the duration of this course, you will build community and develop positive relationships with like-minded people in your area.
Click through the photos below for a peek into the course!
Please be sure to visit the FAQ page and read through the questions carefully!
Topics Covered
This course is based off the Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA) curriculum, with special emphasis placed on the instructors’ personal experience and areas of expertise. While giving a broad overview permaculture, this course will also focus on case studies, stories and specific examples. Below is the quick n’ dirty course outline (please bear in mind, the outline may change slightly from year to year):
Day 1: Introduction to Permaculture
Day 2: Sectors, Zones and Design Process
Day 3: Climates, Bioregionalism, and Ecology
Day 4: Hands-On Community Project at Springvalley Middle School
Day 5: Soils, Water and Landscapes
Day 6: Food Forests/Cultivated Ecologies and Composting
Day 7: Broad Scale Permaculture Design at Summerhill Pyramid Winery
Day 8: Urban Permaculture and Waste Reduction
Day 9: Appropriate Technology, Working With Animals, and Designing for Disturbance
Day 10: Social Permaculture/Social Sustainability
Day 11: Review, Work Day, Design Project Check Ins
Day 12: Design Project Presentations and Potluck Celebration!
Other Key Details
The first cycle of the KCPDC was hosted out of the Mission Creek EECO Centre at 2363A Springfield Rd. in Kelowna. The course home bases were the wheelchair-accessible downstairs multipurpose room in the EECO Centre and the food forest just outside the building. The 2nd cycle location has not yet been decided, but it’s possible that it will be the EECO Centre again - stay tuned! The course size will vary between 8-15 students.
This PDC course includes both theoretical and interactive hands-on activities that will work for many kinds of learners. We are committed to making the course environment a safe and non-judgemental space to learn.
The first cycle of the course took place over 12 weekly sessions and it is quite likely that this will be the way the course is taught next year too. Classes will likely take place on a designated day of the week from 10am - 3pm with a break for lunch (please bring a bagged lunch). On field days we may begin earlier to escape the heat as needed.
At RESES, we recognize that most Permaculture Design Certificate courses offered are our of the financial range of many people who would benefit from or be interested in participating in them. The KPDC is designed to be financially accessible to anyone to who would like to participate. This may mean that we run the next cycle on a by-donation basis thanks to our funding partners. Please stay tuned for updates!
Who Teaches the Course?
This course is collaboratively facilitated by a guild of local teachers, including RESES Co-Founders Lucie Bardos, Elana Westers, Haruko Kagami, and Victor Cobian. In 2019, we were also joined by Shayne Meechan of Green Okanagan and Gabe Cipes of Summerhill Pyramid Winery who are professionals in their respective fields of zero waste living and biodynamic farming. Across our teaching guild, we have studied with pioneering Permaculture teachers such as Heather Jo Flores of the Permaculture Women’s Guild, Toby Hemenway, Jana and Gord of Element Eco Design, and Jesse Lemieux of Pacific Permaculture, among others. The new cycle may see the introduction of new guest teachers, so stay tuned!