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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I've never seen a permaculture endeavour marry business and permaculture together so well and I've rarely met finer people in my life.
Marketing For Hippies
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Permaculture connects ideas and processes in a new way that will improve life for humans and nature. I really appreciated this opportunity to learn about permaculture
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I can’t say enough GREAT things about this permaculture experience! I accidentally found Verge 2 weeks before the class started. I was already obligated for a lot of foreign travel out of the country when I had signed up and was worried I would have issues participating with the various time zones. The way, this class is structured allows professionals to do life and still do a good job learning and catching up through the video recordings. It is definitely more fun participating on a weekly basis but it was not always an option for me. I feel my Angels, were looking out for me when they introduced me to Rob and his staff. I had been asking around to many people in my area in Vermont for planning help for my farm;coming up with a master plan for my 10 acre property. I am well on my way to finalizing my perma plan and feel very excited about what will develop over the next few years as I start to implement. Thank you to everyone for your passion and incredible teaching skills.
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Extremely valuable, inspiring, relevant, and loaded with useful information. More than worth the price!
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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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Thank-you! For the density of vital information for creating resilient communities. Thank-you for the inspiration to find innovative opportunities for right livelihood, positive creation, earth repair...and true happiness! Thank-you for the introduction to a vital, vibrant and progressive permaculture community.
Food Purveyor, Canmore, AB / Farmbox Founder
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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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This is valuable information for life, not just "gardening". It has provided a base point to many of my life choices and beliefs, a sort of coming together of ideas about wholistic living from the ground up
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Hold onto your hat because your life will be changed.
Sage Pottery
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The course administration was fabulous, organized and friendly
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.
