PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE
NEXT COURSE BEGINS: NOVEMBER 2, 2026
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Permaculture: A Designers' Manual (the Bible aka the PDM aka the Manual) by Bill Mollison
Introduction to Permaculture with Mqtthew Stephens in 2 Minutes!
"Matthew Stephens is tireless. With the relentlessness of a post-modern prophet, he uses his half-dozen Facebook pages to share an endless stream of information about permaculture in all sorts of environments—temperate, tropical; urban, rural; First World, Third World—and to prod, provoke, shame, and inspire his friends and followers to snap out of their complacency and take action on behalf of the Earth. His frequent pleas, “Where is the urgency?” are what prompted me to interview him."- Moon Magazine
"one of Chicago's foremost experts on permaculture and community organizing. - Hayes Valley Arts (2016)
Matthew Stephens' PDC was exactly what I wanted, solidly based on Bill Mollison's Permaculture Designer's Manual. It integrated foundations and classical principles of design with contemporary digital tools and resources like satellite imagery and open-source design software. I was able to study twice a week, online for 6 months and create a custom residential permaculture design that I was able to implement. The skills and resources within this class make me confident to teach introductory and full Permaculture Design Certificate courses, in-person or on-line.
Matthew's broad global experience and classic training in permaculture design, combined with his attention to local biomes, made a tremendous impact on my landscape. Matthew guided me through some of the difficult decisions and challenges I faced in transforming a suburban yard into a wildlife friendly, carbon sequestering, pollinator garden and food forest. He makes permaculture designs become reality.
PERMACULTURE PROJECTS & ASSOCIATIONS
Real images from the associated project and organization pages.
International Permaculture Association
Permaculture Institute of Chicago
Chicago Permaculture Association
Sacred Ecology Design
Permaculture with Matthew Stephens
Earth Reforestation Project
Sacred Ecology Design
Permaculture Norad
Earth Reforestation Project