EXTRA CRITERIA FOR THE DIPLOMA IN APPLIED PERMACULTURE DESIGN
I have tried to include these extra criteria within each design. I feel it is important for readers of this site to understand what is involved in this process. Go forth and start your own diploma people! I refer you to the Permaculture Association's DIploma guidance for more details on these extra criteria
SEE OTHER PORTFOLIOS https://permaculture.org.uk/diploma/example-diploma-portfolios
The following headings are extra criteria considered when portfolios are assessed. To pass apprentices need to show they have understood and put them into practice.
DESIGN SKILLS
See Design Methods page. Look for the Reflections on each design to see me thoughts about my design skills.
THEORY IN ACTION
Walking the talk, using the diploma pathway to redesign or observe one's life. This has been a fantastic process for me and I am pleased there is a focus on putting the theory into action. Permaculture has been this thing that I have always given respect to, enthused others about but was never sure exactly how to use it to frame my life. The designs have allowed me to look at the various aspects of my life and tweak where necessary. I consider permaculture ethics (esp. Fairshares) in most things I do and comfort myself with principles like small and slow solutions ( a permaculture principle) when life doesn't happen as quick as I want. See: Design 3 for how I used Permaculture to reconsider me and my life; Designs 7, 8 & 9 for a work direction in my life.
EVALUATION & COSTING The whole point of a design is to create a possibility. In order to make a reality from a possibility we need to be clear about costs and therefore to evaluate after the design if the process should continue. It gives a professionalism to permaculture designs and aids others to copy. I have sought to include the evaluation into the various parts of my life and decide if my time is well spent. Do I keep my allotment? I could only give up such an important part of my life with a structured evaluation process, at least if I was not to regret my decision. I am coming into contact with costing and funding issues in several parts of my life now and what previously put me off now is just another design consideration, but realising there is no point in continuing saves a lot of energy early on. See: Design 2 for costings; Design 8 & 9 for a way to quote and then charge for permaculture designing.
COMMUNITY BUILDING I am very lucky to live where I grew up, I see people all around that I recognise and various jobs have brought me into people's lives. I live with a group of people once famed for our parties and now (a little older) still a collective inspiration. I currently am working with 15 communities, actively take part in a food coop and other community groups like Transition Ipswich. I see the importance of the permaculture culture community which is why guilds seem invaluable. July 2012 I have just walked for a week with an intentional community with sharing circles and what better ways to create bonds. I am also exploring a new area as part of a new job with Eastfeast promoting local food growing in a new area, so am feeling like a connector between groups able to link them up with each other. Living and joining in the creative community of Sustainable Bungay I helped the Eastern Permaculture Gathering see Design 5 connect the region of East Anglia. I now live in Norwich and am networking linking greens, farmsharers, singers, therapists, community gardeners and students together. All this from being taken to a Permaculture Convergence in 2000 and feeling like I'd been inducted. Also thanks to Mark & Marina O'Connell to be part of their vision. Update: 2014 Been living in a 50 person community. Working for a project called 'Grow Your Community'. In 2018 I have moved to a little village and there is a transition initiative so I have landed on my feet.
DISSEMINATION
Spreading the word. Permaculture still has a twang of initiation about it and people often have stories about their first encountering of it. It is amazing to see the permaculture festival zones with the influence they have. I have evangelised where I have trod and have encourage introduction courses and workshops by myself and others. The biggest honour was hearing that a friend had gone on to become a teacher after I got her into permaculture, it was after a few years without contact with her that I found out. I am a networker and as well as the occasional article I hope that the hours fiddling with this website will help inspire other to start the diploma pathway and also to encourage herbal medicine's integration with permaculture. Maybe I'll get that design 10 book written soon too. The Eastern Permaculture gathering has been going steadily since we started and I ran a wellbeing area and first aid at the International Permaculture Gathering 15.
I remember giving a talk to a Women's Institute about permaculture and the activism of the WI.... Which was fun.
SYMMETRY How much you receive verses how much you give, (balance).
I feel that I have tried to be supportive of the Permaculture Association in the past. I have helped out crewing in past convergences and am helping to disseminate permaculture ideas in East Anglia. It is interested to see that over 10 years I have developed as a person and the intensive permaculture thinking associated with finally writing up these designs makes me feel more able to give back. I would see my role as doing all I can as a herbaculturalist and I really like the idea of collecting material for a 'herbabook'. First off I want to respect my parents who started many balls rolling. Lucy and People and Planet. A big thanks to Will who took me to my first permaculture convergence and those I met there including Bryn, Ben, Chris, Andy, East Meon ers etc. Mark and Marina took a naive boy and exposed him to a global view and initiated him to a world of anti-muggledom with the help of Findhorn at Otley College. The 14a crew and later the Spinney for their family and variety of community experiences. East Suffolk Permaculture and Waveney Greenpeace for being there initially with films and inspiration. Various partners, couldn't have got here without you too. The funky Brazilians at IPEC for my design course. The inspired staff and students at Napier on the herbal medicine course and the vibe of Edinburgh which is encapsulated by Orchestra Del Sol. John, Constantina, Daisy, Alex, Tom, Cefn, Mandy, Jon, Jon, blood relatives & Dika my sister. Many others for their love. Back in Ipswich the Randon Camels, the transitioners and cosmopolitans that make it possible to remain there. The Bungay & Waveney dwellers, the Norwich City folks and the amazing Eastern Permaculture gang. To those in fields that create peak (non transition sense of the word) experiences with herbal first aid Hera, Livi, Kit, Dedj, Robin, Lulu, Alison, Christopher, Geoff- I love you herbalisers. To the permaculturalists in fields and in classrooms like Hanna, Doug, Tom, PAB, Goldring family, Nadia & Nigel who offer inspirational examples and friendships. I shed tears of gratitude for you all and those I have missed out, you are in my heart as well. More recently thanks for the support when I have needed you. Plus modern pharmaceuticals and of course the wild herbs and plants that are the reason for it all and the source of everything.
My love to all that have touched me. May I have touched you too.
Talks, Walks, Women's Institutes, Gardening Clubs, workshops, Clients, permaculture magazines left in clinics, permaculture memberships bought for headmasters, school workshops, community gardens in Edinburgh, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Halesworth, Norwich, Eastern Permaculture Gatherings, Suffolk Coastal Communities, Transitioners, students and colleges & anyone that will listen.
TECHNICAL TUTORIALS
These are the books, courses, learnings, experiences and that we find ourselves seeking out.
July 2012: I am looking into sports massage, a PTTLS teaching qualification, more knowledge about designing and those skills with an aim to provide landscape design drawings. I now have a job with a local food theme so all food techniques. I wish to take videos and edit them and need some help with this, inspired by wildculture.com.
Feb 2014: I got my PTTLS qualification. I still want to improve Base Map surveying and drawing up designs.
2017: focussed on technical drawing as my next tutorial of choice. Booked into Writtle in Mid 2018.
I have tried to include these extra criteria within each design. I feel it is important for readers of this site to understand what is involved in this process. Go forth and start your own diploma people! I refer you to the Permaculture Association's DIploma guidance for more details on these extra criteria
SEE OTHER PORTFOLIOS https://permaculture.org.uk/diploma/example-diploma-portfolios
The following headings are extra criteria considered when portfolios are assessed. To pass apprentices need to show they have understood and put them into practice.
DESIGN SKILLS
See Design Methods page. Look for the Reflections on each design to see me thoughts about my design skills.
THEORY IN ACTION
Walking the talk, using the diploma pathway to redesign or observe one's life. This has been a fantastic process for me and I am pleased there is a focus on putting the theory into action. Permaculture has been this thing that I have always given respect to, enthused others about but was never sure exactly how to use it to frame my life. The designs have allowed me to look at the various aspects of my life and tweak where necessary. I consider permaculture ethics (esp. Fairshares) in most things I do and comfort myself with principles like small and slow solutions ( a permaculture principle) when life doesn't happen as quick as I want. See: Design 3 for how I used Permaculture to reconsider me and my life; Designs 7, 8 & 9 for a work direction in my life.
EVALUATION & COSTING The whole point of a design is to create a possibility. In order to make a reality from a possibility we need to be clear about costs and therefore to evaluate after the design if the process should continue. It gives a professionalism to permaculture designs and aids others to copy. I have sought to include the evaluation into the various parts of my life and decide if my time is well spent. Do I keep my allotment? I could only give up such an important part of my life with a structured evaluation process, at least if I was not to regret my decision. I am coming into contact with costing and funding issues in several parts of my life now and what previously put me off now is just another design consideration, but realising there is no point in continuing saves a lot of energy early on. See: Design 2 for costings; Design 8 & 9 for a way to quote and then charge for permaculture designing.
COMMUNITY BUILDING I am very lucky to live where I grew up, I see people all around that I recognise and various jobs have brought me into people's lives. I live with a group of people once famed for our parties and now (a little older) still a collective inspiration. I currently am working with 15 communities, actively take part in a food coop and other community groups like Transition Ipswich. I see the importance of the permaculture culture community which is why guilds seem invaluable. July 2012 I have just walked for a week with an intentional community with sharing circles and what better ways to create bonds. I am also exploring a new area as part of a new job with Eastfeast promoting local food growing in a new area, so am feeling like a connector between groups able to link them up with each other. Living and joining in the creative community of Sustainable Bungay I helped the Eastern Permaculture Gathering see Design 5 connect the region of East Anglia. I now live in Norwich and am networking linking greens, farmsharers, singers, therapists, community gardeners and students together. All this from being taken to a Permaculture Convergence in 2000 and feeling like I'd been inducted. Also thanks to Mark & Marina O'Connell to be part of their vision. Update: 2014 Been living in a 50 person community. Working for a project called 'Grow Your Community'. In 2018 I have moved to a little village and there is a transition initiative so I have landed on my feet.
DISSEMINATION
Spreading the word. Permaculture still has a twang of initiation about it and people often have stories about their first encountering of it. It is amazing to see the permaculture festival zones with the influence they have. I have evangelised where I have trod and have encourage introduction courses and workshops by myself and others. The biggest honour was hearing that a friend had gone on to become a teacher after I got her into permaculture, it was after a few years without contact with her that I found out. I am a networker and as well as the occasional article I hope that the hours fiddling with this website will help inspire other to start the diploma pathway and also to encourage herbal medicine's integration with permaculture. Maybe I'll get that design 10 book written soon too. The Eastern Permaculture gathering has been going steadily since we started and I ran a wellbeing area and first aid at the International Permaculture Gathering 15.
I remember giving a talk to a Women's Institute about permaculture and the activism of the WI.... Which was fun.
SYMMETRY How much you receive verses how much you give, (balance).
I feel that I have tried to be supportive of the Permaculture Association in the past. I have helped out crewing in past convergences and am helping to disseminate permaculture ideas in East Anglia. It is interested to see that over 10 years I have developed as a person and the intensive permaculture thinking associated with finally writing up these designs makes me feel more able to give back. I would see my role as doing all I can as a herbaculturalist and I really like the idea of collecting material for a 'herbabook'. First off I want to respect my parents who started many balls rolling. Lucy and People and Planet. A big thanks to Will who took me to my first permaculture convergence and those I met there including Bryn, Ben, Chris, Andy, East Meon ers etc. Mark and Marina took a naive boy and exposed him to a global view and initiated him to a world of anti-muggledom with the help of Findhorn at Otley College. The 14a crew and later the Spinney for their family and variety of community experiences. East Suffolk Permaculture and Waveney Greenpeace for being there initially with films and inspiration. Various partners, couldn't have got here without you too. The funky Brazilians at IPEC for my design course. The inspired staff and students at Napier on the herbal medicine course and the vibe of Edinburgh which is encapsulated by Orchestra Del Sol. John, Constantina, Daisy, Alex, Tom, Cefn, Mandy, Jon, Jon, blood relatives & Dika my sister. Many others for their love. Back in Ipswich the Randon Camels, the transitioners and cosmopolitans that make it possible to remain there. The Bungay & Waveney dwellers, the Norwich City folks and the amazing Eastern Permaculture gang. To those in fields that create peak (non transition sense of the word) experiences with herbal first aid Hera, Livi, Kit, Dedj, Robin, Lulu, Alison, Christopher, Geoff- I love you herbalisers. To the permaculturalists in fields and in classrooms like Hanna, Doug, Tom, PAB, Goldring family, Nadia & Nigel who offer inspirational examples and friendships. I shed tears of gratitude for you all and those I have missed out, you are in my heart as well. More recently thanks for the support when I have needed you. Plus modern pharmaceuticals and of course the wild herbs and plants that are the reason for it all and the source of everything.
My love to all that have touched me. May I have touched you too.
Talks, Walks, Women's Institutes, Gardening Clubs, workshops, Clients, permaculture magazines left in clinics, permaculture memberships bought for headmasters, school workshops, community gardens in Edinburgh, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Halesworth, Norwich, Eastern Permaculture Gatherings, Suffolk Coastal Communities, Transitioners, students and colleges & anyone that will listen.
TECHNICAL TUTORIALS
These are the books, courses, learnings, experiences and that we find ourselves seeking out.
July 2012: I am looking into sports massage, a PTTLS teaching qualification, more knowledge about designing and those skills with an aim to provide landscape design drawings. I now have a job with a local food theme so all food techniques. I wish to take videos and edit them and need some help with this, inspired by wildculture.com.
Feb 2014: I got my PTTLS qualification. I still want to improve Base Map surveying and drawing up designs.
2017: focussed on technical drawing as my next tutorial of choice. Booked into Writtle in Mid 2018.