testimonial

I chose to do the PDC course through Oregon State University because of the level of professionalism, expertise, and guidance that was offered. It’s an established program that has an abundance of resources to cover everything you need and more. I gained so much knowledge going through it because of how the course was set up; with the online material, office hours, and applicable design project. Having Javan as my course instructor was the best part of this course. The energy he brings to office hours, constructive feedback, and any engagement with students is one of a kind. His use of technology and depth of experience and knowledge really elevates the course and I couldn’t imagine anyone better to learn from. This course was a great mix of being welcoming and challenging you to further your growth in this field. The projects were exactly what you need to learn and well thought out to use moving forward for any other designs. I’m so grateful, thank you Javan and OSU PDC! I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in Permaculture — we need you. Know that what you put into it will be fruitfully returned!

Thanks to Javan for guiding through the course. It was excellent learning experience, reviewing portfolios of other student it gave me an opportunity to learn other world ecosystems, climate, plants and other public policies. 

Concept map designing was a piece of cake! It’s all because of kind of research the course made me to do in earlier assignments. Doing that, everything fell in its place without any hassles. Enjoyed the course as well as felt very challenging with most of assignments asking for ecological data, indigenous people in my country it’s not document properly and had to rely on primary data. Overall it turned out to be good. With this it does not stop i have further many other question which i need to dig into and learning is a never ending process. Finally i am doing this to serve for mother earth and children who are the future. Hopefully one day i will also have  farm.

Wow! I can’t believe that it’s over! I’m extremely grateful that I decided to take the leap toward this course because it taught me so many different things, as well as re-framed my thoughts when it came to landscape design. It has been refreshing to learn about permaculture and really challenge myself in terms of design. This is something that I will constantly learn about and grow with and evolve from, so I am very excited to start working on other projects and actually implement this design on our own property.

Thank you for the well thought out coursework and assistance throughout the last twenty weeks! It’s been amazing to hear your perspective and learn from you and I’ve extremely grateful for that.

The gratitude I feel now is bigger than any word! I am happy that I took this course (even though English really troubled me)! I love all the insights I have had and knowledge I have gain during this year I have spent with this course. I am happy that I had a second chance to complete this with full focus!

I am pretty satisfied with my first design. I know that it is a first attempt and with this little knowledge and experience, I probably already would do things differently. You gave a good tip in last office hour: ask for help! This is a learning journey and by doing, observing nature, talking with the trees and people and asking help we get better.

Thank you Javan for your patience. kindness, helpful feedback and your wisdom! Thank you! I have loved this Journey so much and it has taught me in so many areas of life!

I’m an agriculture consultant with a passion for sustainable and organic farming, I’ve had the privilege of learning from various platforms and experts. However, taking the Permaculture Pro course at Oregon State University under the guidance of Javan Bernakevitch was nothing short of a transformative experience.

Javan’s teaching style is both comprehensive and engaging, bridging theory and practice seamlessly. He doesn’t just teach permaculture; he lives it, and that authenticity shines through every lesson. His depth of understanding is unparalleled, and he has an innate ability to make even complex topics accessible. Whether it was soil health, water systems, or designing a regenerative landscape, Javan offered practical insights I could immediately implement in my consultancy work and toward my goal of making Nepal an organic nation.

The course material is meticulously curated, keeping in mind not just the ecological but also the economic aspects of farming—something that resonates well with real-world applications. I came into the course with a solid background and high expectations, and I can confidently say that this course exceeded them all. The lessons I’ve learned and the skills I’ve acquired are directly contributing to my efforts to develop a model farm and are indispensable in my consultancy.

If you’re serious about permaculture, sustainable agriculture, or even if you’re a beginner eager to learn, this course is worth every minute and every penny.

Thank you, Javan and Oregon State University, for an unparalleled learning journey. I am excited to apply these permaculture principles in my pursuit of a more sustainable future for all.

The last six months were the most enjoyable experience and productive time in my life!

This course was the best experience of all online courses I’ve had. I will definitely follow the next courses available and hopefully sign up for them.

It was amazing to observe how the various topics learned throughout the course came together in the last assignment and formed the concept plan for my garden. Each design element is the outcome of new knowledge gained throughout the course and has a function which is well understood and accepted by us owners.

I am really proud of the outcome and grateful for the opportunity to attend this course, and I will miss this time a lot.

Javan provided such insightful and thoughtful feedback on every assignment through the OSU PDC Pro course. I really enjoyed learning how best to present our designs and delving deeper into topics of land management and regeneration: how to maximize plant polycultures, being careful to manage all water coming into and leaving the system, and how best to leverage materials and social capital available to us. You really get a handle of the Permaculture Principles in what is essentially a deep detailed design course. I can’t wait to break ground on our 2.4 acre lot!

I was drawn to permaculture initially because of two problems:

• First, I owned a piece of land that had been almost decimated by the Mountain Pine Beetle & was needing some kind of eco-friendly redesign.
• Second, I had some problems with my septic system & I hoped to find out what creative options there might be for dealing with wastewater (and water in general].

After investigating a number of course options, I came across some of Geoff Lawton’s videos & was intrigued by the possibilities I observed in permaculture. Geoff Lawton is from Australia & he wasn’t hosting any courses at the time so I looked at what was available in North America.

The OSU course came highly recommended. It offered me solutions to the two problems I stated above. It was project based allowing me to learn essential permaculture principles while redesigning my property. It also offered me creative alternatives to the conventional ways of dealing with wastewater that actually became an integral part of the design site.

Javan Bernakevitch was an excellent mentor & essential guide in the design process. His practical experience & creative approach to solving problems was a hand in glove fit for the OSU permaculture course.

The OSU PDC PRO course was a great learning experience that I highly recommend for anyone interested in making a meaningful difference in the way they interact with their lived space.

This course taught me that permaculture is really a connected view of things that matter, food, energy and structures (physical but also social, economical etc).

Javan Bernakevitch as instructor of our group was tremendously helpful in getting the knowledge into an assignment of over 130 pages where not one page is superfluous. Indeed, the assignment leaves no stone untouched (literally as it requires digging holes). The required designs cover the many connected aspects of permaculture in a practical way.

The designs are no less practical than planting crops because the edible result relies as much on a good design as it does on working with the earth.

I fully recommend the course, the inspirational videos of Andrew and Javan, and the excellent feedback Javan provides. A big thank you!

First of all, thank you for your thorough guidance throughout the course.

I had tough times managing my time for sight visits, various surveys and assignment works, however it was such a rewarding experience knowing the ecology around my site and exploring permaculture design for the first time.

The flexibility and the level of details were superb and I am happy that I applied to this course.

Thank you again Javan.