Midwest Permaculture

About Midwest Permaculture
Design Certification Courses

One Very Full Week - Plus Six Pre-course Webinars

Webinars Make the Course More Feasible for Many -- Most permaculture certification courses run between 10 and 14 days at a specific site or location.  This is because certification requires up to 72 hours of actual instruction and training.  With the use of the Internet, students will begin one of our Midwest Permaculture courses from their own home during a 3 week period prior to their week-long, on-site intensive. 

This means that our students will be able to receive a powerful-certification training in one week rather than two.

Click here to Learn More About Our Webinars

Certification
Students who take one of our design-certification courses will receive a Certification of Completion with the Permaculture Institute of Australia and have their names registered with this institution.. This is Bill Mollison’s (founder of permaculture) accrediting organization. Click here for more on certification.

What We Wish to Transfer to Our Students
We know there are graduates of permaculture design courses that have done very little with their education.  Their Designers' Manual sits clean and quiet on a shelf.  Learning something is one thing.  Having the motivation and inspiration to put something into motion is another.  Because of this, our courses are designed to:

1. Give our students all the basic tools and facts related to a full permaculture design education.
2. Continually bring everything back to the fundamentals so that everyone can see how the specifics all tie together.
3. Keep the information and the class interesting, engaging and fun.
4. Inspire confidence in each student.
5. Deepen the understanding that each of us can make a difference, from where we are, and with what we have.

What is Covered in a Full Design Course
Mark and Wayne share the instruction on a daily basis, with one of them usually taking the lead on a specific subject, while the other will sound in from time to time with his experience or ideas.  This back and forth dialogue clearly brings out the best in both of them, and their good natured humor makes the time fly.

A Focus on the Fundamentals
What is important to understand about a full-design-certification course is that all the basic principles and ideas behind a permaculture approach or design must be covered to meet Mollison’s requirements for certification.  So, it doesn't really matter if you take a design course in Illinois, California, Arizona, Hawaii or Australia, you should be exposed to all the fundamentals which will allow you to begin to create a permaculture design for just about any piece of property or location on the planet.  The fundamentals and the principles don’t change.

Temperate Midwestern Climate
That being said, we still feel that it is nice to narrow down the focus for different courses.  For those folks that have a large piece of land, or those with an acre or two, or those who live in the suburbs or city —  if the course one takes uses permaculture examples that are specific to one of these areas, the student tends to get more out of the course.  It is also a bit of a challenge if there are big climate or bio-regional differences between where one lives and where one takes their course.  Again, the principles don’t change but our courses will tend to emphasize examples and factors related to the temperate climate zone that most of the Midwest (and many other regions of the globe) have in common.  If you live in a area that freezes in the winter, our courses will tend to cater to those climate factors.

Fundamental Permaculture Design Principles

Regardless of the subject area being explored, these fundamental permaculture design principles will be revisited regularly:

• Each function is supported by multiple elements.
• Catch, store & recycle energy and materials.
• Use biological and renewable resources.
• We can turn problems into solutions.
• Mistakes are tools for learning.
• Abundance is unlimited.
• Observe & connect.
• Accelerate succession.
• Use small scale, intensive systems.
• Use the edge effect to maximize yield.
• Each element performs multiple functions.
• Make the least change for the greatest effect.

Design-Course Features

Our courses will naturally vary somewhat by location.  The high quality of the teaching will remain the same but the features might differ. 

The courses differ by:

• The number (and type) of site tours and guest speakers
• The size of the class (# of students)
• Classroom facilities
• Lodging and/or camping options
• Classroom days and hours
• Which meals are served
• And, of course, location.

Continuing Support Following Graduation
Students who have completed a Midwest Permaculture design course are then invited to become part of our growing network of graduates. We have a separate website where all our most recent and past students can connect, share ideas and look for some assistance. We also host an annual reunion up at our friend Alice's farm (another graduate) during the Midwest Renewable Energy Associations fair in Custer, Wisconsin, each June. This is wonderful way to network with fellow permaculturists who have been through a similar learning experience.

Our graduates are also invited to audit any future 72-hour certification courses at half price (provided that there is room). Our objective is to support our students for as long as they need it or want it, and to encourage them to support each other.

Already A Permaculture Design Course Graduate?
We do offer a 33% discount to students who have already graduated from any other recognized course (from anywhere in the world) who wish to take a Midwest Permaculture course as a refresher. The discount only applies if there are open slots in the intended course. Please email for details.