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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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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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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Genesis Permaculture
I have renewed excitement for what we all can do together to bring back our soil diversity and improve our food and heal our communities.
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Two weeks of inspiring lessons. Two weeks of realization that there are so much more positive options. Two weeks of great food. Two weeks of being surrounded by nice people. Two weeks of enjoying the great facilities of Mountain Waters. But also two weeks of a lot of thoughts. Two weeks of thinking what is really important in life. Course is well worth the money and I will for sure recommend this course to others.
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Rob’s course will transform you into someone ready to make the changes you want to make but are unsure are even possible. The revealing of permaculture design and knowledge at [the permaculture design course] is so powerful because it equips you with the knowledge of how to make real and significant changes in your community and your own life.
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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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The PDC was an invaluable investment. Much like when getting proper nutrition and exercise I now feel enabled to express myself.more wholly. The information was densely packed but there was a clear reason for each piece of content being discussed. Rob Avis offers a unique approach to permaculture that really connected with my pragmatic and humorous worldview. A great two weeks with an extraordinary group of people.
Tiny House Builder
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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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The course administration was fabulous, organized and friendly
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The money I put into this course is so tiny compared to what I’ve spent on material possessions that have no significance to me whatsoever. This is a drastic life changer. Rob gives many ideas on how to make a right livelihood. Now, I’m going to focus all my time towards bettering my environment and I’m leaving with many ideas on how to accomplish that.
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.
