Greater Edinburgh Permaculture Design Course Jan 2024

Please read all of this info before using this booking form

What’s on this page ?

*Introduction

*Venue, dates and times

*Course content

*Meet the team

*Fees and booking

*Contact info and links

Introduction: 


This full Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) is accredited by the Permaculture Association of Britain. The PDC develops an understanding of permaculture ethics, principles, design processes and implementation techniques. Completion of the full PDC provides recognition as a Permaculture designer, and enables you to go on to study for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design and the Permaculture Practitioner Training run by Nonstuff.

NonStuff has been running permaculture courses for 14 years. Former students have gone on to run their own smallholdings, food businesses, create gardens, build houses, and some have come back to help teach on the course. Our courses are interactive, experiential, friendly and inclusive, and students of all backgrounds and levels of experience are very welcome.

Venue, Dates, Times:

This year, we are running a face to face course over 6 weekends with classroom, practical sessions and site visits.  We are using a variety of venues including the West St Arts Centre, Penicuik run by (Penicuk Community Arts Association), Navaar House Hotel in Penicuik and demonstration site Willowburn Lea, Leadburn.  The site visits will include forest gardens, urban gardens and community projects.  Please note, we will coordinate travel to external sites (where possible by public transport), but the cost of travel is not covered in the course fees.

Module 1 : Jan 20th & 21st West St. Arts Centre, Penicuik
Module 2 : Feb 10th and 11th
West St. Arts Centre, Penicuik
Module 3 :  March 2nd and 3rd
West St. Arts Centre, Penicuik
Module 4 :  March 23rd and 24 th
West St. Arts Centre, Penicuik
Module 5 : April 20th and 21st Willowburn Lea, Leadburn EH46 7BE
Module 6 : May 11th and 12thWillowburn Lea, Leadburn EH46 7BE with invitation to camp over and have a fire.
  • Times:  9.45am – 5pm
  • Food: Please bring a packed lunch for yourself, or a dish to share with everyone else to create a varied and interesting pot luck meal. 
  • Travel : Penicuik is served by the lothian bus network so is easy to access from Edinburgh. Willowburn Lea is served by the X62 run by borders buses.

   
Course Content: 

The PDC runs over 6 weekends. Each weekend forms one of the 6 modules which cover the core curriculum of topics on the Permaculture Association certified PDC.

Module 1 topics include:

  • What is Permaculture? 
  • Ethics & Principles
  • Learning from Nature 
  • Design Process 
  • Zones and Sectors 
  • Input-Output Analysis

Module 2 topics include:

  • Observation tools 
  • Mapping 
  • Patterns in nature
  • Climate and micro-climates 
  • Trees

Module 3 topics include:

  • Soil 
  • Permaculture and organic gardening 
  • Forest gardening 
  • Practicals 

Module 4 topics include:

  • Design tools 
  • Design examples 
  • Social systems/contexts 
  • Built environment 
  • Resource choices 
  • Money 
  • Ecological footprint 

Module 5 topics include:

  • Visit established permaculture sites 
  • Water 
  • Practicals 

Module 6 topics include:

  • Final design project 
  • Design Presentation 
  • Next steps on your Permaculture journey
  • End of course party

Meet the Team:

The Edinburgh PDC 2019 is led by two main teachers, James and Nenya. There will also be feature sessions with guest teachers, practitioners, designers and specialists in their area. 

We aim for classes which are relaxed, fun and interactive, with a mix of information sessions, hands-on practical work, observation opportunities, creative project work and participatory ideas exchange.  



James Chapman completed his PDC in 2008, his Diploma in Applied Permaculture in 2010, and set up NonStuff Industries shortly after. James has many years’ experience living with and applying permaculture principles and ethics. He’s lived in a self-sufficient community, managed woodlands, built sustainable timber frame structures, and worked on a Community Compost project. James has also worked as a consultant, designing large and complex projects and community businesses.

In 2016 James and his family purchased a 7 acre mixed site at Leadburn, 10 miles south of Edinburgh, which is evolving into a permaculture demonstration site. He is a keen promoter of living and working towards a sustainable and regenerative future, and is one of Scotland’s busiest permaculture teachers.



Nenya Milne completed her PDC in 2012 and a Permaculture Educators’ course in 2014. She’s been practising permaculture since 2009 and started teaching in 2015. Nenya is currently working on her Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design and has been busy converting her small suburban garden into an edible paradise.

Nenya has a passion for unusual edibles, perennial vegetables and ‘edimentals’. She teaches Forest Gardening and leads plant walks and foraging excursions. At other times she works as a gardener and permaculture designer, propagates plants and grows fruit and vegetables.

Fees :

The course fees are on a sliding scale depending on your financial situation. The household incomes listed are intended as a guide; if you have savings or investments (Shares, land, ISA’s etc etc), please increase your fee accordingly. Also, if you are unwaged and your partner has a high wage, please use the average household wage

Our fees structure and business model relies on honesty from the participants. Each year we provide many subsides places but this is only possible if everyone pays their correct fee. 

If you are unsure about which fee to pay, please get in touch first.

Extended Training Scheme

We are also offering 2 places on our Extended Training Scheme. These places give you the opportunity to work alongside our teachers doing practical tasks for an extra 12 days, as well as attending the PDC.

This may suit you if you have a low income, some spare time and want to learn more practical skills.

There is a £30 charge if you would like to take up this offer, plus a £120 returnable deposit on completion of the training.

Fees

TeirFeeIncome 
Teir 1£865Good household income, grant funding or work based training. 
Teir 2£735Avererage UK household income (Circa £40K for a couple, £30K for individual) 
Teir 3 (subsidised rate, limited places)£525Lower income
Tier 4 Possible part bursary. Please contact us before booking. contact.nonstuff@gmail.comVery low 
Extended Training SchemeThese places are now fullN/A

Grant Funding or Training Budget:
Those paying using grant money or as part of work-based training will be asked to pay the full fee amount.  You can request an invoice for the full fees. Email us contact.nonstuff@gmail.com.

There is an option to pay for the course over 3 installments. This option incurs a 10% admin fee.

What’s Included?

  • Fees include all face to face tuition, practical demonstrations and instruction, specialist facilitator sessions, links to videos and additional online content for personal study.
  • Fees include Permaculture Association certification and 1 year membership.

What’s not Included?

  • Travel expenses are not included in the fees. When travelling to field trips we encourage public transport or car share, depending on location. In the past this has come to approx £15 for the whole course.

Booking:
To book your place…

  1. Fill in this booking form
  2. Read our cancellation policy before you make your payment
  3. Make the fee payment (your place is not confirmed until the fee has been paid). This can be done by bank transfer.

Bank transfer details:

Account Name:  James Chapman (personal account)

Sort Code: 832525

Account Number : 00167235

Bank: RBS

  1. We’ll email you to confirm your booking, and to give you more information.

  

Contacts and useful links:
You can contact us with all course enquiries at contact.nonstuff@gmail.com or ring James on 07790 265883

    Other links of interest:

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