For those wanting a comprehensive overview of Permaculture and to acquire the skills and knowledge to design and develop their own Permaculture home garden.

About PSI’s Introduction to Permaculture Course
Permaculture Sydney Institute (PSI) is committed to a top quality Permaculture course training and experience. That’s why we provide a full comprehensive introduction to Permaculture course – the longest and we believe the best anywhere to be found. Two-day introductions are not sufficient in our view. PSI aims to provide the participants with both the skills and the confidence to start “doing it” themselves. It is committed to quality education, quality outcomes and quality of life for each participant.

Course Description
This course shows you how to design, construct and manage a permaculture home garden that is productive, ‘eco-friendly’, organic, healthy and low maintenance. Learn about the basic concepts of permaculture as well as its design principles, systems, techniques and strategies and everything you need to know to create and enjoy your own permaculture home garden. It is appropriate for people with balcony or small space gardens, school or community gardens, suburban gardens or large acreage properties.

PSI is offering this comprehensive Introduction to Permaculture Course divided into ten 4-hour modules throughout the year.  The course modules are offered mid week evenings at Karonga School Epping and also weekends at our rural site; Bandusia Country Retreat in St Albans.

The module approach provides;

• The ten 4 hour modules each provide both theory and a practical experience.
• Flexible learning experiences for you, allowing you to learn at a time and place that meets your needs.
• Capacity to mix and match your modules – complete them in town or country, a weekend of multiple modules, single modules on a weeknight or a week day option. This allows you to control the pace and the process of your learning
• Do it as fast or slow as you like – Take 5 days or a whole year, it’s all up to you! Do them in sequence or fit modules in when you choose.

Please note; in the past when demand has been high we have run additional programs to meet student requests, so please register your interest so we can try and accommodate our students.

Course outcomes
On completion of the 10 modules participants will:

• Obtain a thorough understanding of what permaculture is, its principles and techniques, how it came about, why it is critical in obtaining a truly sustainable society.
• Learn how to design and create a permaculture system in town or country – applicable to balcony, small space, quarter acre block or broadacre scale.
• Have acquired the skills and confidence to proceed on their own garden design and construction (with some help of their Pc group and friends)
• Have developed a design for their own garden.

Course Program
The curriculum covers all major topics from the text for the course “Introduction to Permaculture” by Bill Mollison including:

• Permaculture principles
• Broadscale site design
• Pattern understanding
• Structures
• The home garden
• Orchards and food forests
• Animal forage systems & aquaculture
• Urban and community strategies

Copies will be available for reading and are available for purchase at discounted rates.

Assessment
Each course participant will be required to produce a design of a place of their choosing that will be presented in module 10 of the course. This gives every participant a chance to work through the design process on a meaningful project and think through the detail. It also provides an opportunity for participants to discuss issues with the trainers and get suggestions and feedback about their design. Each participant then will emerge from the course with a design they will be ready to implement.

A certificate from Permaculture Sydney Institute is issued to participants when they have completed all 10 modules of the Introduction to Permaculture course and presented their successful permaculture design.

Costs and inclusions

There are two options and fees for this course

1) Upfront payment for 4 sessions is discounted to $495.
2) Upfront payment for all 10 modules is discounted to just $695.

All of these options allow you to complete modules in any order convenient to you. The course fee includes an organic supper (on evening courses), morning and afternoon tea (daytime courses) as well as extensive class notes and materials.

About the trainer
Penny Pyett BA (UNSW), Cert. Welfare Work (St George TAFE), Dip Hort Science (Ryde TAFE), PDC (Permaculture Institute).

Penny Pyett is the director of the Permaculture Sydney Institute, an institute she is currently developing with others as a Permaculture Education and Demonstration Centre on 55 acres in St Albans on the outskirts of Sydney. Penny has extensive knowledge and experience in permaculture, horticulture, community development, management and business. Over the last ten years Penny has been teaching Permaculture and Horticulture courses for community organisations and at various colleges for TAFE NSW including Permaculture Introduction; Permaculture Design Certificate Courses; and Gardening for People with disabilities. Through TAFE outreach she also teaches permaculture design courses for school and community garden groups, facilitating groups with the design and development of their own school or community garden.

In 2002 Penny completed her PDC with Bill Mollison and since then has played a leading management role with Permaculture Sydney North (the leading group of permaculturalists in the Sydney bioregion) on the management committee and as President (2005-09). She was one of the key initiators and the national coordinator of National Permaculture Day and convener for the National Permaculture Convergence APC9 in 2010.

In 1999 Penny designed and developed her own urban permaculture garden at Ryde, which has won numerous awards and acknowledgment for best sustainable eco-garden and edible landscapes.

A community development worker for many years, for both local government and the community services sector, Penny has worked with many individuals and community groups in developing programs and services for their communities as well as neighborhood precinct committees. She has provided facilitative training for community groups, schools and organisations for over 20 years.

As the sometime owner of successful secondhand businesses, Penny likes to reduce waste and re-use second-hand materials in landscape design that is functional and aesthetic.

As well as quality permaculture and sustainability education, the Permaculture Sydney Institute (PSI) also offers Permaculture consultation, design and community development and group facilitation services.

Part LETS accepted. 10% discount for PSI members (students attending a workshop in the last year)