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  • From: Toby Hemenway <toby@patternliteracy.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] "certified permaculture designers"
  • Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:40:44 -0700

Paul wrote:
I'm a certified permaculture designer and I'm pretty passionate about
permaculture principles.

Recently, I saw a terrible thing. Six rational, eco-friendly people,
including two that are certified permaculture designers,
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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