The Association has been supporting people to learn about permaculture since 1983, and was itself started as a result of one of the first UK permaculture courses held in 1982. There are now lots of ways to learn about permaculture - courses, visits, volunteering, reading and getting stuck in to your own project at home - and we are developing ways of supporting you in all these areas.

Education is our organisation’s main purpose and our first charitable objective is:

'To advance the education of the public in the theory and practice of permaculture, the conservation of the environment, and related subjects.'

We then do that by:

  • Researching, collecting, coordinating and disseminating information about permaculture;
  • Producing, publishing and developing, books, web information, films and broadcasts;
  • Promoting, managing and arranging courses, hands-on training, lectures, seminars, conferences, demonstrations, exhibitions, and through other means and resources.

 

We have a co-publishing agreement with Permanent Publications and seek funds and support to help publish the research of members. The last such book was The Woodland Year by Ben Law. (If you want to help finance books, do get in touch to find out about current projects.)

We also support a range of broadcasters to find contacts and projects to feature in films and documentaries. We have even been on Korean TV!

Our new LAND project has a dedicated Learning Coordinator, and this will help us to further develop materials and extend the teaching and presenting skills of practitioners.

The Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design is another key aspect of our education work and is currently a major focus with systems and procedures being updated in preparation for a major increase in students.

We have established an education working group to develop education strategy in the UK. We have produced publications such as the Permaculture Teachers Guide with WWF-UK. We are currently seeking funding to extend work to support teachers significantly.

We let people know about Introduction to Permaculture and Full Permaculture Design courses through the website and the members' newsletter Permaculture Works, and provide certificates for graduates of PDC courses to teachers.

We haven’t been able to focus any significant efforts on the mainstream education system as yet, but are very keen to hear about the efforts of members and school in this area.