Instructors: Douglas Bullock, Chris Shanks, Jenny Pell, Lonnie Gamble, plus local guest instructors

"I attended the PDC at Surya Nagar in Hawaii, Dec 2004. The course opened my eyes to the power of humans to create systems that work in harmony with nature. In additon all I learned from the course instructers, I was quite inspired by many of the other course participants. The wide scope of topics covered in the course were synthesized in order to give students many of the tools necessary to create a wholistic design for a given site. In contrast to the narrow and specialized focus of most educational systems in our culture today, the PDC showed me that having a toolbox of diverse knowledge and the ability to weave these tools into application is a valuable skill that is necessary to foment change for a sustainable future.

I began the course with minimal farming experience. Since the PDC, I have taken a leadership role in the South Kona agricultural and educational community. For six months I managed a large garden and its volunteers at the Kona Biodynamic Farm, where I began a Community Supported Agriculture program to distribute our surplus of organic biodynamic produce to the community. During my time at KBF I also worked with elementary school children in the garden and started a local organic farmers market. The market has evolved into to strong weekly community gathering where people come together to exchange food, music, art, ideas, and love. The permaculture design course was the entry into this amazing network of people, and I recommend anyone, of any age, get this training - it will change the way you see the world, and the way you see yourself as a part of this living planet."