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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Extremely valuable, inspiring, relevant, and loaded with useful information. More than worth the price!
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We would and already have recommended this course, as well as your website to anyone who voices an interest in sustainable living and most especially to those with an interest in developing a career in permaculture design or other elements of permaculture.
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Well worth the tuition fee. Learned so many options to use my life energy in a more sustainable way. Can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned!
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Rob's incredible wealth of knowledge and resources provided a great base for understanding sustainable living that is symbiotic with nature...in a way that was inspiring and positive.
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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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I can't express enough the value for all people to learn permaculture principles and Verge made this learning fun, factual and provided a nurturing environment to do it in.
DESIGN FARM
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The beauty of permaculture lies in its simplicity. It makes us all slow down and finally LISTEN to the earth and respect its systems. Applying permaculture principles– teaching , changing, healing — is going to save the world. A lot of people have become disconnected with their communities and this course reminded me of how essential it is to revive them. My mind is overflowing with ideas, plans, and I’m so excited to implement them ASAP. [...] I’m lucky and blessed to have found this opportunity.
Provisions Permaculture
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The Verge Permaculture [Design Course] is a comprehensive course with hands-on applications. It is fantastic! Rob Avis provides functional information that goes way beyond the garden to – building, growing & creating a good life. We walked out of the [course] with so many entrepreneurial & sustainable ideas & opportunities there is no way this functional system (permaculture) cannot grow exponentially to make a better future. I am so excited!
Environmental Planner
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This course lets you change your life TODAY. Change your area of the world TODAY. It is practical, positive, and interesting.
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If you’re interested in empowering yourself to build community and create a sustainable future for yourself and the world we live in, this is the PDC is for you. It’s inspiring and it’s skill building. I’m so excited to share what I’ve learned when I get home.
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.
