Courses

Join Milkwood Permaculture's Nick Ritar with Permaculture co-originator Bill Mollison and other special guests for an amazing two weeks of permaculture theory, practical workshops, site visits and intensive design exercises exploring permaculture in the middle of Sydney.

A Milkwood Permaculture Design Certificate provides an exceptional grounding in Permaculture design and theory. Our PDC graduates leave our courses ready to design and implement permaculture principles into a wide range of scenarios; from urban permaculture systems to small farms, suburban blocks and overseas aid projects.

The class size for this course is strictly limited to 24 students to ensure effective learning outcomes for everyone, and students emerge as accredited Permaculture Designers.

Permaculture is set of principles that result in sustainable and productive systems. Systems for living, architecture, food production, land management and community. No chemicals and no excuses. Just good, thoughtful, innovative and effective design for the needs of our species.

"Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple"
Bill Mollison (co-originator of the Permaculture concept)

About this Permaculture Design Course:

This PDC will be taught in combination within both a classroom and a community garden environment, incorporating design exercises and practical workshops. 

Examples of designing for energy conservation, food production systems, nutrient cycling, holding water in the landscape and community strategies for resilience will all be addressed with a combination of rural and urban examples. All workshops during the course will also focus on Permaculture in practice within rural, city and suburban areas.

"I have done several permaculture courses now and I would say that Nick Ritar of Milkwood is definitely the best and most dynamic permaculture teacher I've experienced. His inclusive style of teaching and his effective design coaching, combined with his extensive knowledge and experience, has activated me towards becoming a permaculture designer. Thanks again, Milkwood." - Paul Jordan, Project Officer + budding Permaculture Designer

Our PDC is based on the curriculum set out by the Permaculture Institute, and uses Bill Mollison's "Permaculture: A Designers Manual" as its central text. We also blend into this curriculum new material from a range of other world-leading thinkers and activators on subjects like transition, food security, regenerative agriculture, urban water harvesting and many more.

This course is FarmReady approved. Farmers, primary producers, land managers and their families may be eligible for a full reimbursement of the costs for this workshop, including travel and accommodation. Go to our FarmReady page to see if you're eligible. The FarmReady course number for this course is: FRTC0409

Sessions will include the following:

• 

  Permaculture principles and ethics
• Permaculture design for urban and rural situations
• Creating a balanced soil food web
• Pattern Understanding
• Designing water into landscape (or streetscape)
• Passive water harvesting and drought-proofing
  
• Intensive food and animal systems
• Orchard and food forest design
  
• System planning + intergration
  
• Design for different biospheres: tropics / drylands / cool climates
• Appropriate technologies for future communities
  
• Trees, water and energy cycling
• Strategies for building healthy, resilient communities
• Site visits to wonderful Permaculture gardens and amazing community initiatives
  

About the teachers for this course:

Nick Ritar is a permaculture designer, consultant and educator who works extensively across a wide range of bioregions, farms, watersheds and city environments. He is recognized nationally as a leading advocate on how permaculture principles can contribute to food security through good design and regenerative farming and living. He divides his time between extensive permaculture teaching, permaculture consultancy, writing and farming in central western NSW. Nick's full profile.

Bill Mollison is the co-originator of Permaculture theory, along with David Holmgren. Author of 'Permaculture: A Designer's Manual' and many other permaculture texts, Bill is widely regarded as a living treasure and has been much awarded both in Australia and internationally for his contribution to permaculture studies. Since the early 1980's Bill has travelled the world teaching, observing and applying permaculture, as documented in the ABC television series The Global Gardener. Bill runs the Permaculture institute in Tasmania with his wife Lisa Mollison. Bill's full profile.

Other special guest teachers to be announced.

Included in your course fee:

Your course fee includes workshops for the duration of the course and tea + coffee + fruit during the day. For lunches, we usually put in a joint order to a great little organic cafe around the corner, LoveGrub - or feel free to bring your own.

We also make available an extensive library of Permaculture and associated texts, which students are welcome to browse, borrow and work with throughout the course. You can also buy a discounted copy of the course text Permaculture: A Designers Manual at your course.

Booking into the course

You have several options to secure your spot in the Sydney Summmer PDC course.

• Option 1 - Take advantage of the early bird discount rate and pay $1530 now. This offer is only available until the 9th November. Click the green button at right to pay via PayPal or your credit card.
   

• Option 2 - Pay a deposit of $300 now and pay the remaining $1400 of the full course fee ($1700) by the 26th December. Click the gold button at right to pay via PayPal or your credit card.