[permaculture] "certified permaculture designers"
Robert Waldrop
bwaldrop at cox.net
Wed Jul 25 23:29:17 EDT 2007
The protocol for the Barking Frogs online
Permaculture Design Course, which is included in
the preregistration packet linked on this page
http://www.barkingfrogspermaculture.org/onlinepdc.htm ,
and is taught by Dan Hemenway (very distant
relation of Toby I think), says that if you take
the course for "certification", at the end you are
certified as an "entry-level permaculturist".
After 2 years of study and work, I am about to
submit the permaculture design report for my urban
property here in Oklahoma City (which is my design
practicum), and if as a result I am certified, I
am really clear in my own mind that I am an
"apprentice" with much more to learn.
Bob Waldrop, tadpole in training
Oklahoma City
----- Original Message -----
From: "Toby Hemenway" <toby at patternliteracy.com>
> A note about the use of terms. Taking a 72-hour
> design course does not
> make you a "certified permaculture designer."
> The original certificates
> from Mollison say, in some cases, that the
> holder "has successfully
> completed a permaculture design course" and
> other certificates from him
> say "is a permaculture design trainee." Somehow
> in later iterations by
> other teachers, usually a few generations
> removed from Bill, people got
> the idea that a PDC made you a professional,
> certified designer.
> Seventy-two hours is the equivalent of two
> college classes but with no
> homework, which is not enough to make anyone a
> designer. Bill has been
> very firm about this, and most of the old-school
> teachers feel the same
> way. I believe it's generally thought that
> getting a diploma from the
> Permaculture Institute after two years of study
> under a mentor is what
> is required to call yourself a certified
> designer (right, Scott or Robyn
> or any of you long-time Pc teachers?). It's
> unfortunate that this
> "resume bloat" has led to so many people
> thinking the PDC makes them a
> certified designer, instead of a design trainee.
>
> I'd be happy to hear anyone's thoughts, pro or
> con, about this.
>
> Toby
> http://patternliteracy.com
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