Permaculture Design Course -- Detail of Modules

The full Permaculture Design Certificate Course includes 12 modules.

To earn a certificate, participants must:

  • Attend modules one and two;
  • Attend at least eight of the remaining ten other modules;
  • Present a permaculture design plan for a project of their choice.

Note: RECAP intends to offer modules one and two annually, and divide the remaining modules across two years, so that this is effectively a two-year course. One-year modular and two-week residential courses are available in a variety of locations throughout New Zealand and internationally.

THE MODULES

1) Philosophy & Design
An Introduction to the Permaculture Approach to Ecological Systems Design for Homes and Neighbourhoods

  • Welcome & introductions;
  • Permaculture ethics & principles;
  • General applications of permaculture;
  • Ecological principles and design;
  • Concepts of sustainability.

2) Working with Place & Landscape in Sustainable Ecological Systems Design

  • Natural patterns and reading the landscape;
  • Techniques of observation;
  • Measuring and recording land form;
  • Sectors & aspect;
  • Gathering information of natural conditions and cultural features and requirements;
  • Design process (information collection, analysis, options, evaluation and drawing up).

3) Improving the Soil

  • Nature of soils & soil structure;
  • Soil life and fertility;
  • Soil testing (visual assessments & plant indications);
  • Soil/plant/animal relationships (nutrient cycles, mixing of air & water);
  • Composting;
  • Re-vitalisation aids (seaweed, rock dusts, EM, biodynamics etc).

4) Designing Sustainable Food Gardens

  • Garden layout & design (sun, shelter, access, companion planting, rotation, green manures);
  • Garden preparation (digging, mulching, humus build-up);
  • Garden types & relationships;
  • Plant health & diseases/pests/predators;
  • Weed management;
  • Seed saving.

5) Watersheds, Water Cycles, and Conservation

  • Nature and importance of water;
  • Watersheds & hydrological cycles;
  • Sources and sediments;
  • Purification & treatment (water quality, pollution & re-vitalisation);
  • Storage (naturally and in reservoirs);
  • Harvesting;
  • Uses, multiple use, re-use and conservation.

6) Working with Air and Climate in Sustainable Systems Design

  • Nature of the atmosphere (air, life and climate);
  • Types of climates, circulation patterns, and changing climates;
  • Weather (rain, snow & ice, frost, droughts) & micro-climates;
  • Air quality, pollution & re-vitalisation;
  • Shelter & shade (design & species).

7) Energy and Technology in Sustainable Systems Design

  • Nature and types of energy;
  • Sources of energy;
  • Energy analysis (efficiency, life-cycle energy);
  • Peak oil and energy descent;
  • Approach of science & technology and industrial production;
  • Appropriate technology and "R" principles – refuse, reduce, repair, re-use & recycle;
  • Energy and transport alternatives.

8) Small Animal Care and Orchard/Tree Garden Design

  • Diversity of orchards, food forests, staple crops, & small animals;
  • Climate and landscape and selecting trees/vines/berries/crops etc for site;
  • Layout for needs, guilds, diversity, & in relation to facilities;
  • Planting & pruning;
  • Food forests & ecological principles;
  • Orchard management for productivity & plant health, & integration with small animals (bees, poultry, pigs);
  • Ecology of plants & animals;
  • Management & care of small animals.

9) Large-scale Ecosystem Dynamics, Forest Harvests and Management, and Finding Abundance within Natural Systems

  • Natural eco-systems, biomes and changes in climate & landscapes over time;
  • Forests & grasslands;
  • Large animal grazing & soil fertility;
  • Grazing management & animal care;
  • Forest types & habitats;
  • Services & re-generation;
  • Uses & management;
  • Coppicing & pruning, thinning;
  • Species & spacing;
  • Wild foods & herbal medicines;
  • Dynamics of natural processes & large events;
  • Hazards (physical, biological/chemical, social, & economic) & risk assessment;
  • Information about hazards, preparedness, & responses.

10) Designing Sustainability into the Built Environment

  • Principles of building biology and ecology;
  • Orientation & layout for site and surroundings;
  • Building design (warmth & ambience, insulation, passive and active systems, storage & heat pumps, sound, light and electro-magnetism);
  • Building materials & construction (local earth, straw, timber, embodied energy, toxicity, finishings);
  • Services (on-site supply, micro-hydro, wind & solar energy, re-use & recycling, compost toilets, greywater systems etc).

11) Sustainable Living in Urban Areas

  • Healthy & sustainable living in cities;
  • Suburban retrofit & reducing your ecological footprint;
  • Apartment living first steps;
  • Engaging with local communities & councils;
  • Subdivision & development;
  • Layout and integration of urban areas/activities (community-based and adapted to the landscape, transport & service corridors, integrated infrastructure, social services, & community facilities).

12) Culture, Society, and Economy in Sustainable Design

  • Worldviews, assumptions & identity;
  • Personal, social & economic transformation;
  • Legal structures, ownership and privilege;
  • Function of money, banking & financial systems, alternative currencies;
  • Decision-making procedures, social roles, & conflict management.