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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Michelle was incredibly welcoming and wonderful to meet and engage with. I've heard good things about Verge and my experience definitely reinforces this reputation.
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Tricycles Acres
Taking this course with Rob has been perfectly timed for my new transition from urban to rural life! Rob is a wealth of information and has a genuine passion for the subject matter. I am thrilled at the volume of information I have digested over these 72 hours. 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.
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It is important to learn all these new ways we can help make a better more sustainable future. Plan to use this knowledge for personal use, family, friends, as well as potential business ideas for the community. Very comprehensive learning material, fast paced but effective delivery. Course was well worth it. I would recommend it to others...
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I like Rob's teaching style, lots of technical background mixed with real experiences and memorable stories.
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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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For the fee of the course, it was absolutely yielded within the first weekend of the course time. I intend on becoming an instructor within the permaculture community. The passion from Rob and Michelle truly inspired me to take the next step. Permaculture is by far the most educationally stimulating course I have ever taken! Thank you!
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This course allowed me to tie loose ends together and exuded a great deal of reassurance and credibility toward my grassroots initiatives. This course was worth every penny and moment I spent and I hope the momentum for others to participate keeps up!
Grassroots initiator for responsible living
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The PDC provides an important perspective for any who are disturbed by the present state of our culture and are seeking viable avenues for co-creating new ways forward.
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I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in sustainability, care of the Earth and it's inhabitants, and for unlearning all the stuff most of us were taught about gardening. Rob and Michelle have invested heavily into learning about permaculture and implementing it in their lives and they have an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge to impart to students.
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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…
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.
