Permaculture Design Certification Course (PDC)September 22nd to October 06th, 2024
Join our diverse team of permaculture instructors led by Valle Escondido & Porvenir Design in this two-week experience.
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Recognizing the need to create more accessible permaculture educational opportunities in Costa Rica, this course is aimed at Costa Ricans and people from Latin America. That's why it will be taught in Spanish.
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We seek to increase the diversity of enrolled students, by making the permaculture course more economically accessible. Accommodation is included. Instructor fees are subsidized in part by their own work and AVER, Valle Escondido's nonprofit sister organization & Porvenir Design.
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This course is only offered by submitting an application
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Information
If you wish to receive more information about this course or the courses that we will give in the future, do not hesitate to send us your information.
THE COURSE
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The course covers the curriculum of studies in Permaculture Design and emphasizes the creation of diverse multifunctional human landscapes based on ecological patterns. Using Valle Escondido: Hidden Valley Farm as a living classroom, the class will combine theory talks and practical work, exploring design solutions to the challenges facing our communities today.
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The final project of the course is to create your own permaculture site design by creating work teams among students. This course is suitable for anyone who speaks Spanish that is interested in designing a resilient and regenerative future, as well as professionals in the fields of architecture, planning, ecology, education, agriculture, and community development. The whole systems design thinking described in the course will provide participants with the tools to redesign and improve their environment; from gardens, farms, and homes, to livelihoods, relationships, and communities.
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The cost of the course is $400, with food, lodging and onsite daycare included, scholarships are available. Please request and application to apply for this course.
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Course with Porvenir Design Team & Valle Escondido
INSTRUCTORS
SCOTT GALANT
Scott Gallant is an agroforester and food system designer with nearly a decade of experience working in Central America. He is co-founder of Porvenir Design, a landscape design firm specializing in productive landscapes. He graduated from Wabash College in 2008 with a BA in Economics. He was farm manager at Rancho Mastatal for nine years and has worked with various projects such as VersaLand, Open Source Ecology, Project Bonafide, Finca Luna Nueva; and many more as he has developed his skills in permaculture design.
Passionate about regenerative agriculture, holistic thinking, ethnobotany, community development, and retraining, he still finds time to hike and bike, read extensively, and work on his basketball and Frisbee throw. He has traveled extensively throughout Latin America, which has led him to love the culture, the food, and the language he tries to speak. Scott writes for the Permaculture Research Institute and has been featured on the Permaculture Voices, Abundant Edge, and Making Permaculture Stronger podcasts.
HUGO SOTO
Hugo started the path of permaculture in 2012; Hugo's study of organic agriculture led him to continue deepening his ways of relating to people and the place. Originally from San José, Costa Rica, Hugo began by promoting urban permaculture through projects like community gardens and creating edible spaces with native plants. While developing community gardening projects, Hugo also focuses on leading workshops and courses within communities to shift to better soil management and production strategies.
Hugo complements his passion for design by tying community design for good living into his approach to planning; he has been trained in working with various forms of designing invisible social structures. Hugo is a member of Red Remanezca, which seeks to creatively promote permaculture in Costa Rica with the ultimate goal of inspiring profound social change. Hugo's goals include promoting permaculture through education and his site visits. He takes time to swim and hike in the mountains while living in a collaborative eco-community.
VERONICA FLORES
Vero discovered permaculture through her passion for the connection between human health and the health of the Earth. After earning her degree in Environmental Health from the University of Costa Rica in 2009, she worked in sustainable tourism in the Osa Peninsula, enhancing sustainability practices in hotels and agritourism farms.
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In 2018, Vero developed a regenerative project where she cultivated the land and shared knowledge in permaculture, healthy eating, fermented beverages, and yoga. Later, as the Manager of "Farm to Table" at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge, she honed her skills in fermentation, herbalism, and natural medicine.
Currently, she is part of Comunidad Hierba Buena, a social permaculture experience with over six years of existence. Here, six families co-design their communal life and share their sustainable lifestyle.
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Passionate about ancestral wisdom and social permaculture, Vero has deepened her studies with CASA Latina and Gaia University in Sociocracy, Nonviolent Communication, and Social Design. Teaching permaculture is a passion for her; she does it from the heart, sharing her knowledge and experience through Permaculture Design Courses (PDC).
JONAH CHAFFEE
Jonah is an ecological educator, nurse and landscaper. He has worked for years in community health education, as a Waldorf kindergarten teacher, and in alternative medicine. He currently manages Valle Escondido in Monteverde Costa Rica. Introduced to the permaculture design method 12 years ago, he studied with the Permaculture Institute and participated in different courses in Central and North America. Jonah guides Valle Escondido, as a tourist destination, to promote the conservation of natural environments and sustainable practices to support a local and global regenerative future.
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Valle Escondido offers classes and provides examples to help visitors better understand regenerative land use, organic agriculture, and permaculture. When Jonah isn't playing in the garden with his two daughters or talking to visitors, he can be found surfing or exploring other places in Costa Rica.
COST, APPLICATION AND PAYMENT PROCESS
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The course is limited to 25 students.
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Accepted applicants must deposit 50% of the course fee to reserve space. No later than September 9th, two weeks before the start of the course, the remaining 50% must be paid. Cancellations will be fully refunded if made before September 9th. After September 9th, refunds will depend on course occupancy.
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The cost of the course is $400, with food, lodging and onsite daycare included, scholarships are available. Please request and application to apply for this course.
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