OSU PDC Student

I came to the course thanks to the recommendation of a friend just at the time we were able to finally buy the land we had always dreamed of. I thought the course would be useful in giving me a structure and framework to make a good plan for the site that fits with my values.

Now I simply cannot imagine how I could have done a proper site analysis and design without the course.
There is a huge wealth of input through the course materials (thankfully we can look at them afterwards as there is simply too much to take on board).

Even more valuable is the feedback, advice and encouragement provided by Javan specific to our situation. For example, thanks to Javan, the water analysis and water system design is a lot more thorough and incorporates elements we wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

Javan also supported me in thinking through the establishment phase of the food forest, and clarifying the important role animals can play to help prepare our site and build the soil where it is quite eroded.

One thing to bear in mind if you are thinking of doing the course in the 10-week timeframe: it is very intensive, you will feel as if you are eating, breathing and walking permaculture non-stop. If this is too much, you can switch to the more extended version. Finally, having the opportunity to follow the analysis and design process of some incredibly committed people with amazing visions and interesting sites throughout the world has been a true privilege and has added even more to the learning.

Many thanks again Javan. I’ve no doubt that all the instructors are amazing, but can’t help feeling very lucky we got you!

Thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback, the past ten weeks have been so informative and I am grateful for the experience.

Just want to echo the others: I am very grateful for having had this opportunity. I don’t know how we would have come up with a vision, strategy and plan for our site, let alone how I would have observed all the things I did thanks to the course. Of course there is a lot more to do, a lifelong time of learning and making the most of things.

Javan, thanks a million for your incredibly useful support, it is much appreciated. Your feedback has really helped me to crystallize some important elements in the design and look a lot deeper and further in many aspects (for example in the water design which has really evolved following your feedback).

What a privilege and inspiration to connect and learn from your wisdom and insights. Thanks for the really positive engagement.

Wishing you all the best of luck and lots of positive energy. The world is a much better place thanks to you :o)

OSU’s Permaculture program provides the essential tools for a micro/ macro paradigm shift that begins with yourself and ripples outward from there. Permaculture is self determination.

A BIG THANK YOU for your help and guidance throughout the course, it is very much more than what I’ve expected and I’ve enjoyed it a lot!
and Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to all the instructors, teachers, assistant and administrators, it’s been a joy and inspiration studying this course and I’ll definitely put these theories into action!

It’s so interesting how much we learn about our own sites as we work through the course, opens up so many possibilities I never would have considered regarding water use, layers and strategy. I can’t believe I farmed for so many years without having this knowledge/perspective.

Really ….  we’ve all just been winging it, assuming we had good ideas, not necessarily looking at the larger impacts each decision may make. Every farmer should take this course!

This was the perfect timing and opportunity for me to take the OSU PDC because it was online and I had to make a design for my new site. I have learned so much about everything! I though I knew it all, but I realized I didn’t. I observe differently and I see a lot of opportunities now that I never saw before; my brains just works different and I love it!

Your feedback helped me to get a better understanding and you start with a compliment which is really nice if you expect the worse. The reading, lecture and video’s were good and gave a lot of information. Thank you so much Javan. I realize that this was just the beginning; I already changed my plan every day and I’m already feel an urge to do the next permaculture-isch course.

The Oregon State University Permaculture Design Course is an expertly organized course of instruction that appropriately leverages an online learning environment, and along with dedicated and professional instructors, conveys an important body of knowledge in a relatively short period of time. The course materials (videos, text, and supplementary content) coupled with the weekly assignments allows students to quickly put concepts into practice. Doing peer reviews in large groups exposes you to your classmates, a variety of locations, and varying methods for implementing the course content. Peer reviews add an additional dimension to learning the course material while allowing you the space to make your personal journey. I took the OSU Permaculture Design Course to improve my family’s access to food which is frequently impacted by natural disasters. I left the course with the tools I need to be successful in designing my own site, but I also gained a deeper appreciation of nature as well as curiosity that will push me to seek additional knowledge. I emphatically recommend this course to anyone who is interested in Permaculture, desires to gain a better understanding of the natural world or is simply interested in being more involved with their food.