The UPI Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) training is based on the internationally "standardized" 72-hour format explicated by Bill Mollison in the 1980's. The 72-hour training, based on the Permaculture: A Designer's Manual (Mollison), though commonly acknowledged by permaculture teachers around the world as a base from which to work has no rigorous content standardization (there is consistency in content categories/chapters and semantics) and as such one finds slight (sometimes not so slight) differences from teacher to teacher. UPI has, firstly, partially re-organized the 72 hour training by combinging certain segments (e.g., looking at designing human settlement in the Tropics, Temperate and Drylands climate zones comparatively instead of in their respective climate zones separately) and, secondly, augmented the 72 hours by 14 hours to focus on urban/central city core application of permacutlure principles as well as specific techniques and strategies appropraite for San Francisco. For clarity, these augmentations are in addition to the globally acknowledged curriculum. It is also the case that in any PDC the examples, techniques and strategies demonstrated typically reflect the climate zone and region of the site of the training. Therefore one can expect to see and emphasis demonstrations and hands-on training applicable to temperate, nearly sub-tropical and semi-arid, coastal climates and, urban, scale applications in particular.
Urban PDC Summary Syllabus
The Permaculture Ethics DM 1.2
Land use ethics (DM 1.3)
Concepts and Themes in Design (DM 2)
Permaculture Principles Summary (DM 2.3-2.10)
Permaculture in urban environments (Permaculture One 10.1, 10.2)
Permaculture as Accounting (DM 1.2)
Design Process Model
Design Methods
Design Tools
Drawing Tools
Mapping tools and techniques
Additional assessment techniques
Patterns (DM 4)
General observable pattern forms
Problem Solving
Climate (DM 5)
Classification of climatic zones
Continental, maritime, landscape effects
Global weather systems -flow patterns driven by the sun
Climate as limiting factor in vegetation
Precipitation
Role of trees/vegetation in climate modification
Wind
Microclimates and how to influence them
Trees and their energy transactions (DM 6)
Wind effects
Light/Temperature
Precipitation
Forests
Perennial Agriculture
Patterns of Permanent Agriculture
Food Production Techniques and Strategies from the 3 Climate Zones
Designing Guilds and Polycultures
Perennials, Cultivars and Planting Plans
Water
Hydrologic cycle
State of global water cycle
Watersheds
Design for Water Supply
Water Storages
Infiltration Earthworks
Cisterns
Designing for Water Conservation
Conserving water in the garden
Current home use and conservation
The Ecosystemic effects of water solutions
LID
Soils
Introduction to Soil (DM 8.1)
Soil and health (DM 8.2)
Soil structure and texture (DM 8.3, 8.4, 8.5)
Plant nutrients
Remineralization
pH
Soil Composition
Soil food web
Plant indicators of soil
Soil rehabilitation and difficult soils
Building soil
Maintenance of soils
Soil Toxicity
Myco-Permaculture
Compost teas
Compost Strategies
Housing and Structures
Green building
Natural building
Low Energy Building Design Principles
Material Selection
House design
Passive Solar
Earthworks
Cost and ethics of earthworks
Stacking Functions with Earthworks
Planning Earthworks
Planting After Earthworks
Slopes
Types of Earthworks
Moving the Earth
Human Settlement Design
Natural Building
Energy
Energy Basics and Definitions
Supply and Demand Analysis
Supply Renewable and Diverse
Demand Side Conservation and Efficiency
Appropriate technology
Aquaculture
Permaculture Life Design
Alternative Global Nation
A New United Nations
Bioregional organization
Trusts and Non-Profit Structures
Economics and Currency Strategies (DM 14)
Worker owned cooperatives
Design Presentations
Feedback
Review
Where do we go from here
