You’ve earned your Permaculture Design Certificate—congratulations!
COMMUNITY
Welcome to a growing global community that has been around for more than 40 years—if we’re talking about the “label” (the term “permaculture” has been in use as a concept since 1978).
So what now?
Perhaps there are other people around you who feel united under that hashtag, and you can reach out to them. Both to continue offering and receiving inspiration, motivation, mutual support, and more—and to keep moving forward with redesigning your life! If you’ve already identified them, great! Together, you might be able to come up with a plan for your “group” to meet or get together to organize activities in your community.
If your reality is different, and your environment seems to be more in line with the extractivist capitalist socioeconomic model (whether due to a mindset of cutthroat competition or severe constraints such as debt and other obligations), you may be able to find your lifelong learning community online in the list we’ve shared below. We aim to help you with an initial selection of contacts for permaculture organizations and groups, categorized by bioregion, to facilitate potential in-person meetings.
At the national level (Spain):
La Comunidad Integral, our Telegram channel, is for people who live very close to Can Cel, our home in Vallalta, Alt Maresme, in the Province of Barcelona.
Permaculture Maresme: a multicultural group (Castilian-Catalan-English) that we began to get off the ground when Aline moved to La Vallalta in 2020, but which has since been put on the back burner due to several other “COVID-19” initiatives we’ve co-created. If anyone is in this area and wants to or is able to put some energy into this, go for it!
Our respective associations:
Catalonia and Aragon: Association of the Northeast Bioregion of Iberian Permaculture (hereinafter, La BiorNE)
Balearic Islands: PermaMed – Permaculture in the Mediterranean Climate (Mallorca) — and on the neighboring island of Ibiza, there is the Pitiusas Islands Permaculture Association | Facebook
Permaculture in Barcelona, a Meetup group for like-minded people in the city, with the added benefit of exchanging language skills (Spanish and English): Barcelona Permaculture and Foraging Club (Barcelona, Spain) | Meetup
Southeastern Iberian Peninsula: Spain’s longest-running permaculture organization: REPESEI | Iberian Southeast Permaculture Network (permaculturasureste.org)
Central Region of the Iberian Peninsula: Central Region Network
Eastern Region of the Iberian Peninsula: Re-Levante —in addition to the websites mentioned in the link, they have Telegram groups, one for each petal of the Permaculture Flower, such as the “ECOSÍNUESTRA petal.”
Northern Iberian Peninsula: We’ll likely have news about this area soon, since there are several very influential people there working on some great projects in collaboration with local governments and in public spaces, so… more info coming soon!
For now, they have a Facebook group, and a chat group linked to it:
In the Canary Islands, Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias, and other Spanish-speaking regions of Spain and the world that we haven’t mentioned, there’s surely a network we’ve overlooked, although we’re aware of several existing projects in those areas. If there are also collaborative networks, forums, or groups of people who use the permaculture design process to build resilience in their daily lives and speak Spanish, we are not aware of them. Can you help us complete the list?
And if there isn’t already a network, online platform, or community of like-minded people… why not design one and set it up?! It’s the perfect way to put what you’ve learned in the course into practice!
If you happen to have some extra energy to also support the Iberian Permaculture Network—the network that organized the National Permaculture Convergences (CEP) from 2015 to 2020, which are currently on hiatus—please don’t hesitate to contact us; we could really use some fresh energy!
At the European level:
The European Permaculture Community —since 2021, the European Convergence (the last in-person event was held in Ireland in 2018, where the Aline diploma was awarded) has been held online, and the coordinating group (open to new members!) plans to organize an event every year. Maybe you’d like to join the coordinating group, or perhaps you’d like to connect with other permaculturists in Europe? Sign up for the newsletter!
Globally:
The Permaculture CoLab: https://perma.earth, where Aline contributes as a translator and researcher in cross-border collaboration. There are many forums in various languages, moderated by different people. Maybe you could share one that you’ve found and like?
Since permaculture is about designing connections (integrating rather than segregating!), it’s also highly recommended to seek out and engage with like-minded groups, such as local food-sharing groups, food-production cooperatives, Ecologists in Action, Extinction Rebellion, Attac, Friends of the Earth, Slow Food, the Transition Network, and many other organizations—we covered several of them in the “Living in Community” section of Module 8, “R for Personal and Social Resilience.” They likely have a local chapter in your area. Supporting existing organizations will always be the best way to apply the aforementioned principle—in addition to capturing and storing energy!
CONTINUE LEARNING
Perhaps a specific letter in our acronym #SABERES has captured your imagination; perhaps you’re drawn to the practice of design; perhaps you’re already a professional in a specific field and want to integrate permaculture into your profession; perhaps you want to redesign your livelihood and make it equitable through regenerative design; or perhaps you haven’t even had time to look at all the resources we’ve offered you in this #SABERES CDP for a possible future…
We’ll start there; you’ll have access to the content until the Great Shutdown or until we completely redesign the website—whichever of those two scenarios comes first. We can only give you advance notice in the latter case, so don’t worry—you still have plenty of time to go back to what you wanted to look at more closely but didn’t have time for.
If you’d like to learn more about a particular letter later on, we recommend checking out these options (online options—there are many more in-person options available; ask us for more information based on your location if you’re not sure where to start your search):
Courses and Training Programs
S: Organic Gardening Course: Fertility, Companion Planting, and Crop Rotation – Module 1 – YouTube (4 modules from Mas Les Vinyes) & our mini-course (but more comprehensive than the CDP module!): Food Sovereignty – La Casa Integral & Regrarians’ REX farm planning platform: Regrarians (English)
A: Keyline with Raquel Gomez — Introduction to Keyline Online — Máshumus & our mini-course (but more than just the CDP module!): Domestic Wastewater — The Holistic Home
B: Online Course on Straw Bale Construction—For Professionals | Karuna Straw House Workshop & IEB Introductory Course on Green Building – IEB – Spanish Institute of Baubiologie & our mini-course (but more than just the CDP module!): UNDER CONSTRUCTION
E: HOME | Bioconstrucción Futura (bioconstruccionfutura.com) (Energy and Appropriate Technologies, too!) & Master’s in New Economy · NESI Forum & our mini-course (but more than just the CDP module!): UNDER CONSTRUCTION
A: 8th edition of the Online Transition Course – Transition Network (reddetransicion.org), a course by Objetivo de Luz (Candela and Aitor) on Raw Food to improve our health while also improving the health of the soil microbiome, and our own mini-course on the “R” for Personal Resilience: Designing Your Inner Landscape
E: CiP Practitioners Course – Children in Permaculture (English) & our mini-course (but more than just the CDP module!): UNDER CONSTRUCTION
S: Gaia Education Design for Sustainability and Regeneration (GEDS) — through 12/31/2022 with a 50% discount! & our mini-course (but more than just the CDP module!): COMING SOON
Books
Or read—read a lot… to learn about other experiences and realities, to accelerate the progression of practices to a higher level more quickly, to take a break from physical work, or to share a book with a group…
Recommendations:
S: Holistic Management (ecohabitar.org) & Forests and Food Gardens | The Fertility of the Earth
A: Harvesting Water and Earth – Eugenio Gras & Agua Viva (ecohabitar.org) & The Book of Water | The Fertility of the Earth
B: Straw Houses (ecohabitar.org) & The Permaculture City | Kaicron
E: Petrocalipsis – Alfabeto Publishing & Small Is Beautiful (ecohabitar.org) & Practical Renewable Energy (pamiesvitae.com)
A: Creating a Life Together (ecohabitar.org) & People and Permaculture | Kaicron & The path is made by walking.
E: Outdoor Classes | Kaicron & Planeta School: How to Create a Living Permaculture Lab in Your Own Backyard. & Sharing Nature (ecohabitar.org)
S: Practical Permaculture (ecohabitar.org) & Designing Regenerative Cultures (ecohabitar.org)
Movies
Documentaries and movies help us share a perspective with our loved ones. Perhaps you’ve already enjoyed some interesting and enriching conversations after watching one of these videos. If not, we recommend (re)visiting these inspiring or moving resources—both for yourself when you need them and perhaps to organize a movie night followed by a discussion with your friends and/or family!
Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet (2021) (Netflix, original version with subtitles or in Spanish), to learn about the current state of our Gaia ecosystem.
Kiss the Ground (Besa el Suelo – 2020) (documentary on Netflix in the original language with subtitles); many videos on the YouTube channel, some in Spanish; for the others, you can turn on subtitles with an automatic translation)
Inhabit (2015) (Rent or buy on Vimeo, with subtitles)
Demain (Tomorrow – 2015): Tomorrow – Filmin (original audio and Spanish)
Living the Change: Inspiring Stories for a Sustainable Future (2018) – YouTube (English with Spanish subtitles)
The Voice of the Wind – Seeds of Transition onVimeo (2012)
Alter-Nativas (launching in February 2023): ALTER NATIVAS: Toward a Sustainable Future, Documentary Project (alternativasdocumental.info)
And there are many short videos about permaculture and/or regenerative agriculture projects, new economic models, and holistic design—like the video about the life of an Australian family that we shared at the beginning of your CDP. Do you remember? We’ve already shared some of these with you as resources during the “#SABERES for a Possible Future” training. Will you share your recommendations with us on our social media?
PROFESSIONALIZE
If you feel that this is the path for you, if you believe that permaculture will enrich your life and that you might even want to share it with others—whether as students or clients—you might be interested in signing up for one of the following programs, including those that don’t require you to travel in person.
The Certificate Program in Applied Permaculture Design, a self-directed (though guided) program lasting at least 2 years, during which you will submit 10 designs—not all of which need to be implemented: Ibera Permaculture Academy – Designing Regenerative Cultures (academiapermaculturaibera.org)
Once you earn your diploma, you may feel better equipped to teach permaculture design, although that’s not the only path.
There are quite a few in-person training programs for permaculture educators, such as the one led by Rosemary Morrow, which is offered in Spanish by Alfred Decker and Candela Vargas (upon request and in Spain; it’s usually in English!).
The manual for this training is available online (in English):
There are options available to improve your online facilitation skills; you’ve already seen some
You may prefer to “get down to business” and have a very clear idea of what should be the core of your future livelihood or what your niche in the market is—your purpose. If that’s not the case, we invite you to revisit the “R” module—Personal Resilience— and find your niche through a design process exclusively dedicated to that goal, observing and analyzing all stakeholders—starting with your own needs, passions, and visions—while taking into account “what’s out there” (the market, other people’s needs, legal or other limitations, etc.).
If that’s the case—if you’re already clear on this and can identify experts in the field—why not reach out to them and ask if they offer an Action Learning program? You might be doing them a favor at just the right time—and gain access to personalized training!
Apart from that, it may well be that there is an opportunity to start a business with support—by joining a worker cooperative—and thus become part of a new economy, a new paradigm. It is possible to live in accordance with these ethics every moment, every day. Permaculture can permeate all areas of society; it is not something we do in “our free time,” but rather, something we live.
From the food we choose to eat every day to the toilet paper we use (or don’t use!). From the way we interact with our natural environment to how we relate to ourselves. From how we move through our day-to-day lives to how and with whom we live. And yes… in our entrepreneurship, business, work, livelihood… call it what you will—that, too!
LIFE AT THE CENTER
Whatever your choice may be after completing the CDP #SABERES program for a possible future with La Casa Integral, we hope this training has helped you live a fuller life—a life that is more… alive—with Life always at the center. Because, as we’ve seen throughout our shared journey across the 12 modules: everything is connected, and if you create the conditions for Life in one area, you’re also increasing opportunities in another!
And if our online #SABERES CDP has sparked your curiosity and made you want to get your hands dirty just as much as the participants did, why not sign up for another CDP—an in-person one—in your area?
We recommend trying to attend a two-week CDP at
Or maybe you’d like to come and learn more about our home, Can Cel, on the Maresme coast, one hour north of Barcelona? From July 1–6, we’re offering workshops on what you need to #KNOW to better adapt to new climate scenarios (and perhaps mitigate many of them at the same time!). For more info, visit info@lacasaintegral.org!
If you want to take a full CDP course in a hybrid format—part online, part in-person— this summer, #SABERES is heading to the #SABERES CDP in Gran Canaria for the 2023 summer session—with some online modules and an in-person retreat in Gran Canaria from July 29 to August 5, 2023…
Let’s bring more permaculture into our lives! Thank you for spending time with “La Casa Integral”! Good luck with designing your own! And thank you so much for trusting us on this adventure!