The course combines theory and practice, and covers the following topics:

Permaculture design principles and ethics for creating a healthy human presence in ecological systems
Soil, water and habitat restoration
Skills of deep nature connection and tools to build ecoliteracy and relationship to place
Alternative economic structures and legal strategies
Social permaculture and a decolonization framework for ecological justice
Rainwater and graywater design, water harvesting earthworks
Wildlands restoration, fire resilience and prescribed fire
Annual and perennial organic food production systems
Soil building, compost, and compost tea
Livestock systems and aquaculture
Energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions
Passive solar design and natural building strategies
Design strategies for different biospheres: tropics / drylands / temperate climates

Over 80 hours of course time includes lectures, interactive exercises, hands-on projects, personal mentoring and field trips. The PDC culminates in a design project where students create a permaculture design for a real-world site and client, presenting their integrated solutions for sustainable building, energy, food, waste, and water systems.

Weekend Format - once a month for 6 months:

October 26 - 27
November 9 - 10
December 7-8
January 11-12
February 22-23
March 14-15

*Each class starts at 8:30am and ends at 5:30pm. Course fee includes lunches.

The course provides a crucial background in systems thinking that prepares individuals to play an active role in holistically regenerating our landscapes, food systems, and communities, and is appropriate for people from all backgrounds, and particularly community activists, entrepreneurs, farmers, land managers, architects, and educators.

Students will receive reading and group assignments to work on in between sessions.

Participants must commit to approximately 6 hours between sessions, and be available to meet once a month at New Paradigm College outside of class time with fellow students in their design group.

Upward Bound at NPC