Online Permaculture Course

Our next annual Permaculture Design Course Online will begin Oct. 3, 2004. The course runs about six months and includes reading from texts, weekly posts of "lectures" sent via email, email discussion of course topics, and a set of student reports, including a full Permaculture design report from all certificate candidates Instructors are Dan and Cynthia Hemenway of the USA, sometimes assisted by Willem Smuts of South Africa. We list full details of the program, including financial arrangements, enrollment restrictions and alternative arrangements in the course protocol.
Email us with any questions.

One scholarship is currently available for this course. This can be split as two half scholarships, etc. The deadline for completed scholarship applications to be received at Barking Frogs Permaculture Center, Sparr FLORIDA, USA, is August 1. No extensions for any reason.Scholarships are only accepted in June and July. More info.

Contributions for additional scholarships, and to assist scholarship students with purchase of reading matter, are always welcome.

What's this Course About?

The course follows the outline of Dan's 3-week certificate course, with additions allowed by the longer course duration and adaptations to the email medium.  It consists of three sections, as follows:

Section 1: Introduction and Basic Principles
a) World ecological problems and interrelationships.
b) Principles of natural design.
c) Permaculture design concepts.
d) Classical landscapes.
e) Patterning, edges, edge effects.
f) The Permaculture Design Report
g) Principles of transformation (Unique to Elfin Permaculture courses).

Section 2: Appropriate Technologies in Permaculture Design (Special feature of
Elfin Permaculture Courses)
a) Energy--solar, wind, hydro, biomass, etc.
b) Nutrient cycles--soil, microclimates, gardening methods, perennials, tree
crops, food parks, composting toilets, livestock, "pest" management, food storage, seed
saving, cultivated systems, forests, etc.
c) Water--impoundments, aquaculture, conservation, etc.
d) Buildings.
e) Design for Health (NEW in 2000)

Section 3: Social Permaculture. Design Report.
a) Design for catastrophe.
b) Urban Permaculture
c) Bioregionalism.
d) Alternative economics.
e) Village development.
f) Final design reports and critiques.
g) Final evaluation.

The lead instructor is Dan Hemenway, who was drafted to teach the certificate course directly by Bill Mollison in 1983.  Other instructors include: Cynthia Baxter Hemenway, MSN, CNM, who teaches the Design for Health section of the course and serves as back up to Dan.

Willem Smuts, a South African geologist, who was a student in the first online course and has been involved in all the course cycles since.  Willem brings a wide range of specialized knowledge as well as his perspectives as an African and a scientist.Do to his regular work schedule, Willem participates in a sporadic basis, particularly where his expertise is relevant.
top  

Registration & Tuition

Students may register for the course at any time, including after the teaching cycle has begun. Normally, students then take the section that they missed over in the next course cycle. Only the ability to receive ordinary email is required for the course, however the ability to use the web and to receive large attachments are very useful.No specific software is required, though we recommend that everyone downloads Adobe Acrobat Reader (freeware), or comparable software for reading .pdf files.

Since the course may be taken in several customized ways, a full set of tuition options is provided in the fee table. The course protocol details various options for payment in smaller quantities for those with cash flow problems

The course can be monitored free if registration accompanies purchase of the Self-Study version of The Permaculture Design Course CD-ROM or the full Course Reading Package.  
top