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Antioch College welcomes the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute (CPI) to lead and award the CPI’s internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) training to be held over three weekends in July. Permaculture is Ecological Design: a system of ethics, principles, tools and skills that integrates the patterns and systems of nature as guides for creating resilient and holistic landscapes, homes, communities, and habitats. This accelerated training is structured as follows:

Dates: Full 72-hour training on campus over three weekends in July.
Fridays: 4 hr online lecture/discussion sessions (4:00PM – 8:00PM) – July, 11, 18, and 25.
Saturdays & Sundays: 8 hr on-site lecture/discussions/interactivity on farm work/learn (9:00AM – 6:00PM) July, 12-13, 19-20, and 26-27.
Plus 12 hours of supplemental reading and videos.

The training covers the following and much more:

History, Ethics, Principles of Permaculture
Methods of Permaculture Design and Implementation
Working as a team on a design project on site at Antioch Farm
Pattern Understanding: Interpretation and Application
Climate and Microclimate
Water: Harvesting, Conservation, and Earthworks
Trees and their Energy Transactions
Soils: Classification, Food Web, Composting Techniques, and Restoration
Plant selection, Integrated pest mgmt, annual/perennial food gardens
Integrating animals
Integrating bees
Renewable Energy. Using Biological Resources. Natural Building. Appropriate Technology
Food Preservation, Fermentation, Nutrition, Food as Medicine
Invisible Structures: Personal, Social, Governance and Economic Permaculture. Intentional communities, Local Resiliency

The training will be led by Susan VonderHaar, Director of the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute. Susan has taught Permaculture and Life Sciences since 2011 for CPI and Cincinnati area colleges. Her Masters of Science degree and work experience of 25 years as a Project Scientist at the US EPA, combined with permaculture education and experience, will be greatly enhanced with contributions and practical experiences from Antioch College Organic Farmer Bruce Linebaugh, other faculty, and guest speakers from CPI.We welcome members of the public as well as enrolled Antioch students. This training is accessible to beginners as well as experienced home gardeners, farmers, homesteaders, artisans, nature enthusiasts, and more. Learn about the role humans play in the ecosystems we inhabit and how to make choices to affect those ecosystems for the better – protecting, preserving, and healing the earth even as we harvest from it.Registration Fees:

$900 Early bird discount
Payment plans are available
$795 Antioch Alumni
Contact us for discounts on groups of three or more
$950 Regular Registration after April 30, 2025

For more information contact Eric Miller at emiller@antiochcollege.edu.