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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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.
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Rob and Michelle Avis lead an inspired, organized and informed two week adventure into a refreshingly positive view of sustainability. Rob shines as an instructor, delivering easily understood and detailed explanations of permaculture design principles and it’s practical tools. We left with an excellent understanding of subjects and ideas that were new to us.
The Harvest Pantry
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Fantastic! The best education I have received. Rob is an inspiration, a real pleasure to spend this time learning from him.
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I am excited to develop my garden and help friends and schools with theirs as well. The information on water systems was really well thought out and delivered and really made me consider how I have been looking at properties.
School garden coordinator
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These two weeks of permaculture have been the most useful and constructive education I have experienced. The practical skills, hopeful perspective and focus on solutions feel empowering.
Owner of Paintbox Lodge and Olympic Medalist
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I would whole-heartedly recommend this course to anyone with an interest in the subject broadly, or even just a specific interest in one topic (to understand how it fits into larger solutions). I certainly feel like I got more than my money's worth.
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If you ever thought that there had to be a better way of looking at the world, this course will not only offer one to you, but also give you the details on how to make it work. Life Changing!
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I found the course to be more than just intensive permaculture design information but really a plan for living a meaningful life with ethics and meaning.
Photographer
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I think if I could use one word to describe what Verge's PDC gave me, it would be "hope". Completely life changing.
Puzzle Permaculture
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I thought that the course was overall amazing, Groundswell is amazing. Loved the hands-on learning we received.
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.
