Oregon State University offers two Permaculture Design Certificate programs. There's a 10-week track for the basic education and 20-week track for those who want to become professionals. I'm in the second one.

It's an online course but it's intensive. It does actually kind of follow the lecture + lab format of other university programs. We have live “office hours” with our instructor via Zoom. Lectures are delivered via video. We can also get one-on-one help from instructors and peer support with each other.

The lab part I find interesting. We are given a template for a full-on design proposal. The course walks us through all the elements of the template. But to fill out the template, you have to research A LOT. Because you pick a piece of land and complete the template as though you've been hired to design for it.

So, for example, in the first two weeks you introduce yourself, the land, and the climate. That sounds simple but it goes really deep. You have to find out who the indigenous people were and how they lived. If it's been colonized, you have to describe that relationship too. You have to describe your personal relationship to it. You have to deep dive on the climate conditions.

The current assignments have to do with developing a base map and interviewing the clients. I am learning so much about this land! And about my family.

So that's why I feel prompted to start blogging here again even though the deer camp development is effectively at a standstill right now.

#PermacultureDesignCertificate #PDC #OregonStateUniversity #permaculture