“Don’t ever think that you have to do it by your own smarts and your courage. It won’t be enough. We have to walk out with synergy with each other but also with intelligence and vigor and grace of creation”. Joanna Macey
Hone your design skills as part of a life-long practice. Our core motivation keeps us studying and open to new ideas. And being in a collective of design thinkers supports and inspires systems thinking. Advance your practice and share your successes with our Design Guild of experienced designers through online group sessions, tutorials and design practice field days.
Early Ideas Now Household Practice
Many of the early ideas like insulation, rain water tanks in the cities, mulching to protect the soil, composting kitchen waste with worm farms, or building rain gardens are now household practices. And Permaculture practice has observed and learned from many sources including indigenous practices, social governance practices such as Sociocracy, research work such as solar power and commercial composting of waste and using biochar. Best of all, we have learned a lot from nature. And continue to. There are hundreds of different design opportunities to explore in the practice of Permaculture.
What Usually Happens After a Permaculture Design Course?
The first response is often self-reflection. Many apply the design skills to their lifestyle, making it more sustainable and efficient. Decades of Permaculture design has helped develop ideas, and pioneer techniques. And most people who study permaculture succeed at this personal level. It changes their relationship with their environment, what they eat and what they contribute.
Some graduates go on to observe and recognise potential in the community, or the workplace. They introduce design concepts like zoning, or better integration. https://youtu.be/YjXtjbKL2RY
As we evolve as designers we see the potential for improvement in most things – a coffee cup or a streamlined system for charging EVs. But the down side of practicing Permaculture can be that you see opportunities that other’s miss. And that can feel frustrating. That is when it is good to talk to other design enthusiasts.
And it is exciting to be part of a community that cares about design and wants to develop the ideas further. So, we now host online mentorship sessions that connect permaculture design thinkers. We welcome elders, graduates and newbies so explore concepts together.
The first round of sessions discussed how to build beyond the basic Pattern Language. The upcoming sessions will focus on Flow as part of a transfer of energy, nutrients or ideas.
You can apply the outcomes to your vegetable patch, a living room layout, a garden design or a community webpage. Valuing and exploring deeply concepts like flow helps us create a framework for the design. We also run Field Days where you can connect with fellow designers.
What’s your latest Permaculture design challenge? Care to Share?
Join us on our advanced design course, or as a member of the design guild.
If you are a graduate of another Permaculture Course, join as a Guild Lifetime Member (one affordable payment with no hidden subscription fees). If you would like join the sessions as a newbie, you can join for as little as $125 for the introduction to Permaculture course.
Our NEW Advanced Permaculture Design Course
We have 30 years experience in hybrid Permaculture teaching (online, in person and with a student moodle). We offer experienced and qualified facilitators, real-life design challenges and international discussion groups.
‘The great value of permaculture is the design strategy for a whole system, strategy for food, energy and living systems. All sorts of relatives such as organic farming, regenerative agriculture and biodynamics go some way towards that. But permaculture really embraced design and gets people to think about design on multiple levels’ Emeritus Professor Stuart B. Hill
Re-engage with Permaculture thinking and practice designing with others and for others. Permaculture is a powerful design system for thriving living systems. This advanced course is for participants who have studied Permaculture Design Certificate Course.
Join the Advanced Permaculture Designer Course or Permaculture Designer Guild