permaculture

[Jim <ashevillecurrencyproject@gmail.com>]

Hi Toby-
You imply below that there is such an animal as
"two years of study under a mentor ".

Is there a list of mentors?
Is there even one person in the US who has done such a program?
Or mentors who have offered it?
If so, where are the ads in the back of the Permaculture Activist
(the logical place for students and mentors to meet each other)?

Having gotten a PDC two years ago, I have wondered what one does "officially" 
to follow up.
(I'm keeping myself productively busy, but have wondered about the above.)

Thanks,
-- Jim

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Message: 10
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 17:40:44 -0700
From: Toby Hemenway <toby@patternliteracy.com>
Subject: [permaculture]   "certified permaculture designers"
To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>


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, [who did something 
> Paul did not like]
>   
Toby writes:
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