Permaculture and Sustainable Living
Embark on a journey of sustainability, ecology, resilience and ethical living with our exciting Permaculture and Sustainable Living courses!
Imagine gaining the skills to design harmonious systems that provide sustainable food, energy, and shelter for communities. Our hands-on Permaculture courses and certificates will do just that!
Byron Community College is renowned for our nationally accredited and FEE-FREE Certificate Courses. Not to mention a great collection of one day workshops and short courses to dive deep into the art of creating a more sustainable and integrated way of life. You won’t just learn theory; you’ll roll up your sleeves and work on real permaculture projects right here in the beautiful Byron Bay area.
Whether you’re passionate about design, management, or simply making a positive impact on the world, our range of permaculture and sustainability courses can match your interests and aspirations. Plus, they open doors to transforming local spaces, advancing your sustainability knowledge, and landing rewarding jobs and careers.
At the Byron Centre For Permaculture, we offer:
- Certificate III in Permaculture
- Certificate IV in Permaculture
- Permaculture Design Courses (PDC)
- Sustainability Living courses and much more…
Join us in creating a greener, more resilient and sustainable future.
AHC33822 - Certificate III in Permaculture
Embark on a transformative journey towards sustainable living with our Permaculture course at Byron Community College. Nestled in the green heart of the North Coast in Byron Shire, this highly practical program offers you the chance to acquire essential skills that go beyond the classroom, fostering connections with like-minded individuals who share your passion for sustainability.
Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of permaculture, where organic farming, animal systems, natural building, food preservation, systems thinking, and community development converge into a holistic philosophy. Gain inspiration from natural ecosystems as you progress through this work ready qualification, equipping you to operate independently and skilfully in developing permaculture systems.
Experience the best of both worlds with a blend of classroom learning and hands-on training at our purpose-designed 1-acre permaculture site, nestled within the Mullumbimby Community Gardens. This unique setup provides you with practical insights and confidence to lead the way towards a better future.
Join us, in collaboration with Mullumbimby Community Gardens and Permaculture Australia, to become a catalyst for positive change in sustainability. Enrol now and be part of the movement shaping lives, homes, and communities towards a more sustainable tomorrow.
Animals - Integrated Production Systems - PDC
3 May 2024, Friday9am to 5pm Mullum, $160 pp
Learn how to incorporate animals into the design of your garden or food production system to increase its overall abundance and optimise the health and productivity of your chickens, cows and other animals.
Backyard Chooks
9 March 2024, Saturday9am to 4pm, Mullum, $135pp
Keeping chickens in the backyard is fun and easy. They eat our kitchen scraps, will happily scratch up every weed, seed and grub as well as give us eggs and manure for our gardens.This workshop will cover every-day care, feeding, popular breeds, problem solving and housing. Keeping even a few chooks has many benefits for living a more sustainable lifestyle.
Beekeeping
10 March 2024, Sunday10am to 6pm, Mullum, $195pp
This workshop introduces potential bee keepers to the delight and fascination of this rewarding hobby. The session covers safety, myth busting, hands-on bee keeping (Steve will bring along a beehive), legal requirements and the most important thing - how to get started!
Bicycle Repair and Maintenance
23 March 2024, Saturday9am to 4pm, Mullum, $155
Designed for bike riders wishing to learn how to carry out basic maintenance and repairs to their bike, this workshop is led by a professional bike mechanic, who makes understanding bike mechanics easy. By the end of the workshop, we aim for you to be able to perform basic maintenance and repairs to your bike, saving you money and making your bike safer and more enjoyable to ride.
Community Design And Social Permaculture - PDC
31 May 2024, Friday9am to 5pm, Mullum, $160pp
Learn about social permaculture design, supporting humans to be effective and thrive together. Explore ideas around collaborative governance and decision-making, social enterprise, localised community living, integrated permaculture lifestyles.
Ecology - Weeds, Pests And Diseases In The Garden - PDC
29 June 2024, Saturday9am to 5pm, Mullum, $160pp
Learn to identify and control a range of common weeds, pests and diseases of food crops through holistic, ecologically sensitive management techniques. This course will build an appreciation of the importance of soil management to nurture crop health for natural pest and disease resistance.
Garden Maintanence for Employment
16 February - 12 April 2024, 8 x Fri9am to 3pm, Mullum, $350
Elevate Your Green Thumb with Our Garden Maintenance Course. Are you passionate about transforming outdoor spaces or dreaming of a career in garden maintenance? Unearth the secrets to thriving gardens and elevate your green thumb with our comprehensive Garden Maintenance Course.
Introduction To Permaculture Design - PDC
25 February 2024, Sunday9am to 5pm, Mullum, $160pp
The fundamentals of Permaculture design theory and practice. Explore how the elements of nature - earth, water, air and fire - define the unique conditions and opportunities of any site. Learn how to analyse and map these powerful forces to support you to work with, rather than against them to achieve your lifestyle and production goals.
Native Bee Keeping
10 February 2024, Saturday9.30am to 1pm, Mullum, $115pp
Social, semi-social and stingless bees all play a hugely important role in the Australian ecosystem, pollinating our unique wildflowers and more. Learn about bee morphology, nesting biology, foraging behaviour, the importance of bees in natural systems, and the effectiveness of stingless bees as a pollinator of farms and gardens.
Native Plant Identification and Wild Food Foraging
9 March 2024, Saturday10am to 4pm, Mullum, $165pp
Embark on a captivating wild foraging adventure with this short course, whilst unveiling the wonders of plant identification in our local rainforests. Discover the enchanting realm of our unique local wild foods, while having fun and exploring. You'll gain proficiency in basic botanic terminology, identify diverse rainforest species, and discover plant families, as we learn the secrets of edible fruits, shoots, and roots. Let the exploration of nature's bounty commence!
Natural Building Introduction
9 March 2024, Saturday9am to 3pm, Mullum, $255pp
Come along to learn about various earthen building materials such as Strawbales, Cob, Mudbricks & Lightearth, and learn how to use them in your project.
Perennial Greens
24 February 2024, Saturday9am to 3pm, Mullum, $160pp
Discover the joy of cultivating perennial vegetables that demand minimal care yet yield year-round tender, edible leaves. Say goodbye to frequent replanting and bolting issues and join Sharon as she shares the art of growing, harvesting, and savouring a diverse array of colourful, flavourful, and textured leafy greens for salads and cooked meals. Elevate your gardening experience effortlessly!
Permaculture Design Course (PDC)
23 February - 30 June 2024, 5 x Fri,Sat & SunLearn how to design, build and maintain abundantly productive food gardens and human settlements with a deep reverence for nature's patterns and cycles. This Modular Permaculture Design Course is run over 14 days and is designed for flexible learning. There is a strong focus upon practical activities including successional agroforestry, vegetable gardening, seed saving, plant propagation, animal care, composting and more...
Permaculture Ethics, Principles and Patterns
23 February 2024, Friday9am to 5pm Mullum, $160 pp
What is permaculture and why is it relevant to our world today? How can we integrate the ethics and principles of Permaculture in our daily lives? Explore the foundations of Permaculture as you learn about the underlying patterns in nature and how comprehending and working with them can support you to live a richer, more easeful life.
Plant Propagation And Seed Saving - PDC
24 February 2024, Saturday9am to 5pm, The Farm - Ewingsdale, $160pp
Explore a range of simple plant propagation techniques including cuttings, root division and seed raising to allow you to grow a range of plants for your garden in a simple and cost effective manner. Learn a range of seed saving and storage techniques that empower you to secure the great diversity of food varieties on our planet.
Settlements - Sustainable Housing And Appropriate Technology - PDC
4 May 2024, Saturday9am to 5pm, Mullum, $160pp
Explore some of the latest innovations in green building techniques and materials, site layout, biophilic design, home ecology, house and village design, including tiny houses. Learn how to apply design methods to preserve foods, generate energy and heat, provide domestic drinking water, treat grey and black water, composting toilets and more.
Soils - Organic Management - PDC
15 March 2024, Friday9am to 5pm, Mullum, $160pp
Get to know your own soil - what is it made of, what will grow well in it and how you can improve your soil to make the most of what it has to offer. Delve into the world of compost, soil nutrition and microbiology as we explore some of the myriad of ways you can build a healthy, fertile, robust soil through organic practices that will help you to grow food packed full of life force.
Trees and Perennial Crops - Creating Food Forests - PDC
16 March 2024, Saturday9am to 5pm, Byron Bay, $160pp
Learn how to design, establish and care for your own diverse, tree based food production system in a low maintenance fashion that works with nature's fundamental processes of land and soil repair. Discover a huge array of fruit and nut trees from around the world that thrive in our warm, subtropical climate including indigenous bush foods.
Urban Permaculture (Part 1)
2 - 23 February 2024, 4 x Fridays
9.00am to 3.00pm, Mullum, ACE Funded $0*
Learn how to transform your backyard into an edible landscape that is productive and beautiful. Using permaculture principles, we can create a garden that grows enough food for the household with maybe a little more to share or sell.This hands-on course will give you the skills and knowledge to apply this to your own urban patch.Sharon's home in the heart of Mullumbimby town is a demonstration in Urban Permaculture and sustainable living. Her garden is devoted to food production and supplies most of her family's food needs on a typical suburban block.
Urban Permaculture (Part 2 )
1 - 22 March 2024, 4 x Fridays9.00am to 3.00pm, Mullum, $350pp
Continue to Learn in Part 2 how to transform your backyard into an edible landscape that is productive and beautiful. Using permaculture principles, we can create a garden that grows enough food for the household with maybe a little more to share or sell.This hands-on course will give you the skills and knowledge to apply this to your own urban patch.Sharon's home in the heart of Mullumbimby town is a demonstration in Urban Permaculture and sustainable living. Her garden is devoted to food production and supplies most of her family's food needs on a typical suburban block.
Vegetables - Integrated Organic Production - PDC
17 March 2024, Sunday9am to 5pm, Byron Bay, $160pp
Explore a comprehensive range of Organic Gardening techniques including composting, crop rotation, companion planting and natural pest and disease management. Create a 'no-dig garden' from local, low cost materials and learn about seasonal planting in the humid Subtropics.
Water - Systems For The Home And Landscape - PDC
31 May 2024, Sunday9am to 5pm, Mullum, $160pp
Learn how to work with water in the landscape, exploring theoretical and practical examples of water harvesting, catching, storing and irrigation, changing our mindset from draining to 'sponging' water INTO the landscape. We will investigate and visit a range of local and global examples of swales, keylines, earthworks, wicking beds, dams, aquaponics and water biofiltration methods.
