Ever Wondered…
“What can I do with a Permaculture Certificate?”
Meet Our Alumni and Get Inspired By Their Stories!
We have over 500 graduates of our Permaculture Design Certificate course, and they’re doing some extraordinary things. This page is dedicated to showcasing their great work through beautiful videos, clever interviews and profiles of successful student businesses and projects.
Two filmmakers set out to document 10 of our grads in action as they start homesteads, businesses, conferences and more. Warning: beautiful footage and inspiring stories will make you want to jump up and follow suit!
This series tells the stories of 10 past students of our Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course, documenting what they’ve done with the knowledge, skills and inspiration they acquired from the course. Two film makers set out to find these graduates and catch them in action, capturing their successes, struggles, and transformations as they embark on new endeavours – starting gardens, homesteads, community projects, businesses, building sustainable homes and structures, hosting conferences and much more.
At this turning point in human history, where people from all walks of life have begun searching for a more fulfilling and sustainable way of living, these PDC graduates show what is possible, and in doing so demonstrate the essence of the permaculture movement that is sweeping Calgary and the world. We hope that watching these videos inspires you as much as we were inspired by creating them; so kick back, press play, and enjoy watching positive, practical change in action!
10 Part Series Trailer:
With countless Verge grads launching their own permaculture careers and projects, it’s getting harder and harder to keep up! So each month, we profile at least one PDC grad and their permaculture business or project. If you’ve ever daydreamed about quitting your job and starting a meaningful career healing the earth, these grads will show you how it’s done.
Explore our Verge Alumni Profiles:
Taking a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) can be a life-changing experience. Many of our students leave the course so inspired and full of ideas, they end up making dramatic lifestyle changes, sometimes leaving their jobs to pursue careers in permaculture. And not surprisingly. In this exciting, dynamic and earth-healing field, there’s a lot of room for work. So what does life after the PDC look like? Read on, as Sara Haney, a PDC graduate herself, interviews seven of Verge’s PDC graduates about the career and life changes that followed their course.
Life after the PDC Interviews:
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The course was life changing for me, I learned so many positive solutions in an uncertain world, I was also able to network with an incredible group of people that are interested in sustainability in the same way that I am. I can unreservedly recommend this course – if you want to live in a permanent culture, please consider taking the time to do the Design Certificate course.
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Permaculture offers an exciting and engaging vision for human organization and habitat. The knowledge provided by this course has equipped me with positive alternative solutions to the significant problems our society faces. I hope to apply my experience to food security policy issues. Rob and Michelle have developed an organized and structured course; combined with their knowledgeable instruction, the value of the course far surpasses the course fee. Highly recommended.
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Taking the Verge Permaculture courses helped give me the knowledge, connections, and confidence to make real changes in my life. I was able to start my own business, change my lifestyle, and meet an amazing group of people that helped me every step of the way.
Rancho Relaxo
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Over the past five years I have watched Rob and Michelle build Verge Permaculture from the ground up and I am proud to say that Verge Permaculture is now one of North America's premier permaculture design and education companies.
Director of The Permaculture Institute
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I would highly recommend this course to anyone of any age who would like to make a radical change in the way they act in, and perceive the world around them.
Gardener/ Mycologist/ Farmer
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I plan to develop a multi generational permaculture farm and teaching centre where I can apply what I learned and pass it on to others. The instructors were all passionate and helpful. They made it an enjoyable experience. I feel that I got amazing value for the money spent.
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I honestly feel that with the principles and techniques I learned in the PDC, plus the network of people in the permaculture world, we now have the tools to heal the planet.
Owner - Sunshine Earth Works
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This design course really helped to us draw connections to integrate shelter more closely with the landscape.
Dirt Craft Natural Building
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Every so often someone comes along who seems to change the game. In this case, Alberta’s good fortune is doubly so, as it is a dynamic husband and wife who have changed people’s lives in service of environmental stewardship. As engineers-turned-sustainability designers, Rob and Michelle Avis have brought back Permaculture from a global learning expedition and innovated—adapted tools to Alberta conditions—sustaining not only their own small business but so much more…
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Verge delivers on its reputation as "Permaculture for Professionals, Innovators, and Entrepreneurs". Rob teaches in a manner that is familiar to students with post-secondary education - professional, organized, and technology-based. Unlike most instructors though, he's willing to slow down and explain difficult concepts further at the request of his students. For those looking to transition into a permaculture-based career, Rob is chock-full of exciting business ideas and he truly comes alive when his students invite him to share. A Verge PDC - worth every penny.
RT Trader
How Permaculture Changed My Life
In this newest blog series, we feature personal stories from past alumni about how how permaculture changed the direction of their outlooks and careers.
