MORE ABOUT THE PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATE COURSE (PDC)
This course has truly transformed the lives & enhanced the careers of thousands of people around the world. Learn this holistic design system based on care of the Earth and its inhabitants, and efficient use of natural resources. Even in the most difficult conditions, permaculture empowers people to turn wastelands into food forests.
The 72 hour PDC curriculum is a training program for farmers, homeowners, renters, accountants, landscapers, architects, builders, developers, civic planners, educators, environmentalists, students...anyone interested in meeting human needs by turning our communities into fully functioning ecosystems. Receive hands on experience on how to apply the principles of ecological design in your own home, neighborhood, state, nation and beyond.
Successful graduates will receive a Certificate in Permaculture Design. Take advantage of this terrific opportunity!
This course has truly transformed the lives & enhanced the careers of thousands of people around the world. Learn this holistic design system based on care of the Earth and its inhabitants, and efficient use of natural resources. Even in the most difficult conditions, permaculture empowers people to turn wastelands into food forests.
The 72 hour PDC curriculum is a training program for farmers, homeowners, renters, accountants, landscapers, architects, builders, developers, civic planners, educators, environmentalists, students...anyone interested in meeting human needs by turning our communities into fully functioning ecosystems. Receive hands on experience on how to apply the principles of ecological design in your own home, neighborhood, state, nation and beyond.
Successful graduates will receive a Certificate in Permaculture Design. Take advantage of this terrific opportunity!
Your Instructors
Hunter Heaivilin holds a degree in Tropical Forest Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management and has worked in projects throughout Hawai`i, Haiti and Peru & has taught on PDCs in Haiti and Molokai. He is lead designer at his consultancy firm, Pono Permaculture and teaches at The Green House, an urban model for sustainable living in Honolulu.
Matthew Lynch is founder of the Asia-Pacific Center for Regenerative Design, a Honolulu based nonprofit. His work implements permaculture design principles in a broad range of community projects from Mongolia to Australia and throughout the Pacific, from building resilience through food security, to sustainable economic development. His talent for energizing communities and individuals has re-humanized urban and institutional systems in the developing and developed worlds, and works towards restoring & regenerating the ecological systems upon which these social systems depend.
Matthew Lynch is founder of the Asia-Pacific Center for Regenerative Design, a Honolulu based nonprofit. His work implements permaculture design principles in a broad range of community projects from Mongolia to Australia and throughout the Pacific, from building resilience through food security, to sustainable economic development. His talent for energizing communities and individuals has re-humanized urban and institutional systems in the developing and developed worlds, and works towards restoring & regenerating the ecological systems upon which these social systems depend.
$300 non-refundable deposit required to hold your space. Balance due by first day of class. Register by filling out filling our registration form on left. Pay via check or Paypal. Please indicate payment method in comment section.
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For check payments:
- Make check out to "Asia Pacific Center for Regenerative Design". Mail check to:
Oahu PDC, 4539 Malia St, Honolulu, HI 96821
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Some Testimonials
Matt and Hunter are terrific PDC instructors. As the recently hired Director of Sustainability for UH West O`ahu and a new arrival on the islands, completing the PDC was an ideal way to learn more about local ecosystems, plants, and to steep myself in a design methodology that is practically applicable at my campus. I've wanted to complete a PDC for years, but I'd never before found a course that so well met my needs. And both Hunter and Matt have an unusual and remarkable ability to relate the design principles of permaculture to institutional change at a larger scale. For my final design project, I helped envision a sustainable, model permaculture campus for a local school - extremely relevant to my work. They are excellent resources and the class is full if interesting, passionate people who are contributing to improving our community. ~~ Aurora Winslade, Director of Sustainability, University of Hawai`i West Oahu
Living in Peace with the Planet is possible when people in all places and professions become better Designers. Permaculture inspires us to closely observe and work with Nature and to utilize Leverage. Two of my personal favorite Permaculture mindsets are "Quality of Thought = Quality of Yield" and "The Problem Is The Solution." This course is the perfect entry point into a whole new world of transformative possibilities!" ~~ Lydi Morgan Bernal, School Garden Coordinator, 'AINA In Schools, Kokua Hawai'i Foundation
My PDC offered me a new perspective on my degree in sustainable development and gave me the tools and design framework to put it to use in my life and my work in agricultural research. In doing so, it turned my career into my passion. Matt and Hunter’s teaching styles complement
each other and adapt to the diversity of the class for a fun, interactive and eye opening experience that will teach you not only how to grow food, but a new way to view the world and your place in it. This course is your opportunity to go beyond sustainability. ~~Jayme Barton, Kunia Research Station Manager at Hawai`i Agricultural Research Center (HARC)
The PDC training and experiences were so much more than a "how-to" course. Each weekend was a continuing expansion of how AND why to adjust the context of our whole lives in multiple ways of taking care of life, optimizing all our wonderful gifts (many that we never viewed as gifts - like waste!) and maximizing benefits to all!! The depth and breadth of theory, global and local statistics, tours and examples, hands-in-the-dirt experiences and meeting and working with individuals committed to making a difference in Hawaii culminated in an extraordinary opportunity to create real, positive change on small and large scales. Needless to say - committing the time, energy and resources have resulted in invaluable ongoing benefits that continue to provide opportunities to be part of the ripples changing the world! ~~ Barb Morgan, Retired Punahou Administration and Sustainability Steering Committee - Happy Grandma and Gardener
I took the PDC course in August 2013 taught by Hunter and Matt. I felt it was excellent, an excellent value, and certainly has changed my life and how I
think about solving problems, not just permaculture. My course was the continuous version (three sessions of four days on and one off) and was very
intense – taught everyone a lot. We split into teams for much of thedesign activity (with coaching from Hunter or Matt) and worked hard to produce a
design that we were all proud of. Both Hunter and Matt taught and each brought a slightly different approach to aid our understanding. They worked very well together. The advantage of continuous learning was that there were few distractions. I did speak to several other people who had attended the “every other weekend” version and the advantage for them was the ability to fit it in with busy lives, read about each section before the next session, and time to absorb and even see examples of what was being taught. I think both can work well and each has its advantages. I highly recommend the PDC course as a way to help solve our sustainability issues. ~~ Matt Glei
I'd been wanting to do a PDC for many years. The alternating weekend Oahu PDC was a good fit for my schedule and a great way to get an insiders' view of varied permaculture and related sites around the island. Instructors Matt and Hunter complement each other very well and bring a lot of experience and depth to their teaching. I now have a strong connection to a network of fellow students and permaculture practitioners on the island for ongoing collaboration. ~~ David Atcheson, web & content developer for University of Washington
Hunter Heaivilin and Matthew Lynch, permacultures Cheech and Chong will entertain you with growing stuff. You'll laugh and you'll cry everyday of this course with verbal antidotes and permalongs befitting this fast growing entertainment in the field. You will become immersed in the best of permaculture without even touching the bucket. So sign up now boys and girls, coming to a farm near you! ~~Pete Hodgson, Surf Photographer for GoPro
Having a passion for working the land my whole life taking a permaculture class directed my passion into something far more greater than I would have ever expected. Flashback to 2005 my buddy and I were seriously thinking of setting up a landscaping company because first of all we had no intentions of working 9-5 indoors and we enjoyed working with plants. We got our feet wet a little but nothing much materialized. A couple years later I moved to the Garden Isle and in 2009 completed a PDC on Kaua`i. Learning unique permcacultural techniques at local hawaiian farms was life changing and this served as a catalyst for me to co-found Island Foodscaping. An edible landscaping company who mission is to empower families, businesses and communities to grow food right outside their own doors. Having known the instructors over the last couple years I can honestly say this will be a life changing experience and if anything you will meet great people and have some great laughs. ~~Justin Franzmeir, Owner of Island Foodscaping
I've been involved in organizing several PDCs since 2004 and I'm always amazed at the variety of professions and age groups represented among the students -- landscapers, landscape architects, ranchers, Peace Corp workers, builders, teachers and engineers, to name a few. As far as instructors for this course go, Matt and Hunter compare with the best, they're top knotch! ~~ Donna Lay, Legislative Assistant at Hawai`i State Senate
The Permaculture Design Certification course was a thrilling adventure for me. Prior to taking the course I had a feeling that there was a better, more self-sufficient way to live with less negative impact on the environment. The course replaced that “feeling” with a practical understanding and approach to creating this better life. Learning about the functions and needs of individual plants, animals and micro-organisms opened my eyes to how the natural world takes care of itself and the potential to leverage natural systems to create more abundance and resiliency for my family. While I now understand how to design an efficient (minimal work and very little waste) food forest, what surprised me about the course was that it gave me a new lens of understanding and appreciation for the people that I interact with. I was amazed how the design principles can be applied to personal relationships. I have come to appreciate that the even more important than being self-sufficient is building a more self-reliant community with others so that we can all thrive together.
~~ RH, Businessman
Since earning a Permaculture Design Certificate with Robyn Francis in Australia in 2003 I committed to bring more ‘permaculture’ to Oahu. I worked with Hunter & Matt summer of 2012 to host a two week intensive course on our farm and am stoked to hear they are at it again with the weekend format so the course can be accessible to more people. The PDC provides a framework & skill-set to approach living sustainably and is an experience I feel you!, your community & the planet will benefit from. With nearly 10 years passed since taking my PDC, I enjoyed sitting thru many of their lessons and getting back in the zone, Hunter & Matt are a great team and you will be in good hands. ~~ Meleana Judd, Waihuena Farm
As someone that has been involved in the landscape business almost my whole life, I was really impressed with our instructors, Hunter and Matt. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Indeed, utilizing each other's personal strengths is an essential permaculture concept and clearly, the rapport between Matt and Hunter maximizes the value of this course to its students. They made it entertaining and fun, while challenging us every day to make the most of the experience. These two instructors, along with other guest stars like Tia Meer and Kaleo really brought home the idea that we were all becoming a part of a community of change-makers in a world that desperately needs the kind of changes we were learning. Matt and Hunter are uniquely qualified, as innovators at the forefront of the permaculture movement, to spread the concepts of supersistence and regenerativity and we are blessed to have them doing so in Hawaii. The knowledge, relationships, and inspiration I received from their course have been profoundly enriching and transformational. I'm currently in the process of transforming my yard in Florida and my limited rental space on O'ahu to reflect the concepts of abundance available to us all and act as an example and nursery to spread exceptional permaculture plants to my customers. Permaculture's recognition is growing exponentially and having the Permaculture Design Certification gives me immediate gravitas among those in the know, as well as being an excellent credential to introduce those concepts to the less initiated. I've recently started a business in Asheville, NC as well, and it is really gratifying to be offering my services in a town with practically universal recognition of the term and concepts and it has certainly helped in establishing what I have to offer, there. I can't say enough about the value of taking this course. As we like to say, once you put on the permagoggles, they never come off. ~~Steve Newman, Landscaper
Living in Peace with the Planet is possible when people in all places and professions become better Designers. Permaculture inspires us to closely observe and work with Nature and to utilize Leverage. Two of my personal favorite Permaculture mindsets are "Quality of Thought = Quality of Yield" and "The Problem Is The Solution." This course is the perfect entry point into a whole new world of transformative possibilities!" ~~ Lydi Morgan Bernal, School Garden Coordinator, 'AINA In Schools, Kokua Hawai'i Foundation
My PDC offered me a new perspective on my degree in sustainable development and gave me the tools and design framework to put it to use in my life and my work in agricultural research. In doing so, it turned my career into my passion. Matt and Hunter’s teaching styles complement
each other and adapt to the diversity of the class for a fun, interactive and eye opening experience that will teach you not only how to grow food, but a new way to view the world and your place in it. This course is your opportunity to go beyond sustainability. ~~Jayme Barton, Kunia Research Station Manager at Hawai`i Agricultural Research Center (HARC)
The PDC training and experiences were so much more than a "how-to" course. Each weekend was a continuing expansion of how AND why to adjust the context of our whole lives in multiple ways of taking care of life, optimizing all our wonderful gifts (many that we never viewed as gifts - like waste!) and maximizing benefits to all!! The depth and breadth of theory, global and local statistics, tours and examples, hands-in-the-dirt experiences and meeting and working with individuals committed to making a difference in Hawaii culminated in an extraordinary opportunity to create real, positive change on small and large scales. Needless to say - committing the time, energy and resources have resulted in invaluable ongoing benefits that continue to provide opportunities to be part of the ripples changing the world! ~~ Barb Morgan, Retired Punahou Administration and Sustainability Steering Committee - Happy Grandma and Gardener
I took the PDC course in August 2013 taught by Hunter and Matt. I felt it was excellent, an excellent value, and certainly has changed my life and how I
think about solving problems, not just permaculture. My course was the continuous version (three sessions of four days on and one off) and was very
intense – taught everyone a lot. We split into teams for much of thedesign activity (with coaching from Hunter or Matt) and worked hard to produce a
design that we were all proud of. Both Hunter and Matt taught and each brought a slightly different approach to aid our understanding. They worked very well together. The advantage of continuous learning was that there were few distractions. I did speak to several other people who had attended the “every other weekend” version and the advantage for them was the ability to fit it in with busy lives, read about each section before the next session, and time to absorb and even see examples of what was being taught. I think both can work well and each has its advantages. I highly recommend the PDC course as a way to help solve our sustainability issues. ~~ Matt Glei
I'd been wanting to do a PDC for many years. The alternating weekend Oahu PDC was a good fit for my schedule and a great way to get an insiders' view of varied permaculture and related sites around the island. Instructors Matt and Hunter complement each other very well and bring a lot of experience and depth to their teaching. I now have a strong connection to a network of fellow students and permaculture practitioners on the island for ongoing collaboration. ~~ David Atcheson, web & content developer for University of Washington
Hunter Heaivilin and Matthew Lynch, permacultures Cheech and Chong will entertain you with growing stuff. You'll laugh and you'll cry everyday of this course with verbal antidotes and permalongs befitting this fast growing entertainment in the field. You will become immersed in the best of permaculture without even touching the bucket. So sign up now boys and girls, coming to a farm near you! ~~Pete Hodgson, Surf Photographer for GoPro
Having a passion for working the land my whole life taking a permaculture class directed my passion into something far more greater than I would have ever expected. Flashback to 2005 my buddy and I were seriously thinking of setting up a landscaping company because first of all we had no intentions of working 9-5 indoors and we enjoyed working with plants. We got our feet wet a little but nothing much materialized. A couple years later I moved to the Garden Isle and in 2009 completed a PDC on Kaua`i. Learning unique permcacultural techniques at local hawaiian farms was life changing and this served as a catalyst for me to co-found Island Foodscaping. An edible landscaping company who mission is to empower families, businesses and communities to grow food right outside their own doors. Having known the instructors over the last couple years I can honestly say this will be a life changing experience and if anything you will meet great people and have some great laughs. ~~Justin Franzmeir, Owner of Island Foodscaping
I've been involved in organizing several PDCs since 2004 and I'm always amazed at the variety of professions and age groups represented among the students -- landscapers, landscape architects, ranchers, Peace Corp workers, builders, teachers and engineers, to name a few. As far as instructors for this course go, Matt and Hunter compare with the best, they're top knotch! ~~ Donna Lay, Legislative Assistant at Hawai`i State Senate
The Permaculture Design Certification course was a thrilling adventure for me. Prior to taking the course I had a feeling that there was a better, more self-sufficient way to live with less negative impact on the environment. The course replaced that “feeling” with a practical understanding and approach to creating this better life. Learning about the functions and needs of individual plants, animals and micro-organisms opened my eyes to how the natural world takes care of itself and the potential to leverage natural systems to create more abundance and resiliency for my family. While I now understand how to design an efficient (minimal work and very little waste) food forest, what surprised me about the course was that it gave me a new lens of understanding and appreciation for the people that I interact with. I was amazed how the design principles can be applied to personal relationships. I have come to appreciate that the even more important than being self-sufficient is building a more self-reliant community with others so that we can all thrive together.
~~ RH, Businessman
Since earning a Permaculture Design Certificate with Robyn Francis in Australia in 2003 I committed to bring more ‘permaculture’ to Oahu. I worked with Hunter & Matt summer of 2012 to host a two week intensive course on our farm and am stoked to hear they are at it again with the weekend format so the course can be accessible to more people. The PDC provides a framework & skill-set to approach living sustainably and is an experience I feel you!, your community & the planet will benefit from. With nearly 10 years passed since taking my PDC, I enjoyed sitting thru many of their lessons and getting back in the zone, Hunter & Matt are a great team and you will be in good hands. ~~ Meleana Judd, Waihuena Farm
As someone that has been involved in the landscape business almost my whole life, I was really impressed with our instructors, Hunter and Matt. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Indeed, utilizing each other's personal strengths is an essential permaculture concept and clearly, the rapport between Matt and Hunter maximizes the value of this course to its students. They made it entertaining and fun, while challenging us every day to make the most of the experience. These two instructors, along with other guest stars like Tia Meer and Kaleo really brought home the idea that we were all becoming a part of a community of change-makers in a world that desperately needs the kind of changes we were learning. Matt and Hunter are uniquely qualified, as innovators at the forefront of the permaculture movement, to spread the concepts of supersistence and regenerativity and we are blessed to have them doing so in Hawaii. The knowledge, relationships, and inspiration I received from their course have been profoundly enriching and transformational. I'm currently in the process of transforming my yard in Florida and my limited rental space on O'ahu to reflect the concepts of abundance available to us all and act as an example and nursery to spread exceptional permaculture plants to my customers. Permaculture's recognition is growing exponentially and having the Permaculture Design Certification gives me immediate gravitas among those in the know, as well as being an excellent credential to introduce those concepts to the less initiated. I've recently started a business in Asheville, NC as well, and it is really gratifying to be offering my services in a town with practically universal recognition of the term and concepts and it has certainly helped in establishing what I have to offer, there. I can't say enough about the value of taking this course. As we like to say, once you put on the permagoggles, they never come off. ~~Steve Newman, Landscaper