[permaculture] Certification Consensus

Keith Morris earthsurfing at yahoo.com
Tue May 6 11:24:07 EDT 2008


Hello Friends and Colleagues, 

I am so glad to see the topic finally on this list-serve, thanks to those who brought it up!  And thanks to everyone who's chimed in.  (I only wish it weren't happening during a time of year when I try to (need to) have as little to do with the computer as possible!)

When a Texan began advertising 9 day certification courses in New Hampshire and Massachusetts on the Northeastern Permaculture webpage- I drafted a letter wondering how he could be doing full certification in only 9 days.  After doing the math, I realized that, technically, 9 eight-hour days is "72 hours", so I didn't send the letter...  but still I wonder about the integrity of this course.  My understanding was a 12 day minimum, and even really isn't enough time...

If the organizers of this course are on this list- please share your perspective!  I certainly don't intend to make assumptions- but am now wondering aloud what I had been wondering privately- the topic is certainly worthy of discussion...

But at the heart of this, as Tom pointed out, is a great deal of confusion about what "Certification" really means.  I think we need to reach some consensus, but don't think that this can (or necessarily should) be codified or enforced.  Allow me to explain...

When I graduate students, its explained that the "Certificate" means they've completed the 'Internationally Recognized Course', not that they are "Certified Permaculture Designers".  (Dave Jacke's certificates actually state 'Design Trainee'.)  Its asked that any student document at least 2 years of work designing, implementing, studying with a mentor, etc. before they use the word Permaculture in a business (farm, designer, whatever).  Its further specified that after the two years, a Teacher Training and/ or Teaching Apprenticeship is needed before one can offer the course, and even then ideally as part of a more experienced team.

The required building of a portfolio for two years is one of the greatest assets of this system.  In my experience, this is how people's own homes, youth groups, churches, boy and girls clubs, homeless shelters, and other organizations that could use permaculture but aren't looking to hire someone, get designs done and planted for their sites.  Its also how designers can work in their home communities and helps breaks the cycle of permaculture as strictly 'landscaping for the rich'.  It also how a number of good designers have built their reputations.

That being said, it all needs to be balanced by two facts: 

1.  Permaculture solutions need to begin to be implemented wherever, whenever, and as soon as possible.  

2.  Every person is different!

These both may be obvious, but they are specifically why 'codifying' or 'enforcing' may be antithetical to permaculture.  I teach at colleges, where the classes are filled mostly with young people trying to figure out what they will do with their lives.  In this context, the extended study/ design course as spring-board to lifetime of learning and doing is particularly important to stress (as well as how to live permaculture even if you don't 'own' land). 

But, I also teach at a Design Build School where most participants are already professionals established in their fields: architects, farmers, educators, whatever.  Here, the same 'expectations' are stated, but I certainly hope that an architect with her own firm begins to integrate permaculture solutions into her work the very day she leaves the course!  I also hope the same would be true of the grade school teacher, and don't really care whether he calls the educational forest garden he has students designing and planting 'permaculture' or not.

I think there are two quotes from the founders of permaculture particularly relevant here:

When we had David Holmgren here for a NEPC networking event, he stressed: "Permaculture is not a profession."  I'll paraphrase the rest... we need permaculture to inform all professions: attorneys, accountants, school teachers, etc.  

I think we need to escape the mindset of permaculture only espousing 'designers' and 'teachers' and let people live it in the millions of ways we've yet to see it expressed.  There may not be 'demand' for legions of more designers and teachers, but there certainly is demand for everyone to start living this!
Permaculture design and teaching aren't specialized fields, this is a CULTURE.  These ideas should be in every grade school: growing plants, supplementing classrooms and cafeterias; in the design of every home, town, farm, business, city, whatever...

In 1996, Bill Mollison wrote: "...Today, with hundreds of itinerant teachers turning up anywhere, the system is beyond restraint.  Safe at last, and in a geometric growth stage.  We won.  Permaculture is permanently ungovernable."

This is not to say that it isn't our role to have conversations just like these to maintain integrity, and continue to build consensus.  I am glad to know there are more than one 'Permaculture Institute', shouldn't there be?  Why would we want to recognize political boundaries that are held contrary to ecological communities and culture groups?

Adam, thank you for your offer of a wiki- there has been a loosely organized discussion focused on these issues on the Northeastern Permaculture Network Wiki since 2005.  I'd invite anyone to contribute, and there are a number of resources valuable to folks from any region.

I also like Steve's idea of publishing people's designs on the web, something else we have been playing with the northeastern wiki.  Wiki's are one potential model for this collaboration in providing feedback.

Thanks everyone for your ideas, and thanks for letting me babble on the topic!  

In Solidarity,
Keith



Keith Morris
  Prospect Rock Permaculture
  earthsurfing at yahoo.com
  (802) 734.1129
  PO Box 426 
  Jeffersonville, VT 05464
   
  "If we do not do the impossible, we shall be faced with the unthinkable."
  -Murray Bookchin (1921-2006)

       
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