Curro Martino
PDC course in Canary Islands - Spain
To see the diary of the course click on the next links ;)
Gabriel Armiano
PDC course in Canary Islands
2013 Spain
To see testimonial click HERE
Vesna Primavera
PDC Coja Portugal
To see testimonial click HERE
...and about the compost we made on the course click HERE
Marc Dekens
PDC Luzio Sintra Portugal
Just saw four people do the presentation of their Permaculture Design Course today.
Instead of focusing on Earthcare, they settled for Peoplecare and Fair share (the three ethics of Permaculture). The result was a hope-giving combination of ideas on how to transform a small farm (in this case Quinta Do Luzio Janas) into a center of community, where food production is coupled with building networks of people, sharing the same principles for dealing with some of the major problems of current society.
It was inspiring to see that a bottom-up approach of solving problems on a local scale can provide meaningful work, that empowers people and regenerates the planet. I am very curious to see the results of these kinds of cooperation in the near future.
The next step could very well be the organization of an urban farm connecting the consumptive power of the city with the production power of the rural "city backyard". Just a matter of connecting the dots. Giving city-dwellers insight in how their food is produced, is a very important option in getting them to decide with their wallet where and how their food has to come.
The message for the moment remains however, as Helder Valente, the PDC trainer, put it: Let's grow!
Serge
PDC Casalinho Portugal
Helder Valente’s New School Permaculture certified 10 eager new permaculturists on June 12th after a 9 day intensive Permaculture Design Course (PDC). During that time Helder and his wonderful assistant Karen cultivated a relaxed and healthy learning environment among the students whilst planting the seeds of knowledge passed down directly from Bill Mollinson himself. Apart from the time we spent absorbing information in the classroom (both inside the training room and outside beneath the pear tree), we participated in several practical activities including an 18 day compost pile and (my personal favourite) swale-digging.
The main focus of the course was the social aspect, which certainly paid off and proved an effective method since the group functioned and communicated flawlessly. All our knowledge and experience from the course was combined into a complete 5-year design and plan for Casalinho. The entire Group participated, covering every single aspect, and the final design was presented to the hosts on the last day of the course. The plan, including scale maps and even product designs, was praised for its down-to-earthness and accessibility. As a group I think we were very proud of it!
Tato
Course in Canary Islands - Spain
After the course we organise in La Gomera (Canary Island) finally I found the word that join all the different aspects i was trying to gather for my life and family, Permaculture.
It was like a breath of fresh air meeting all these “new” people, sharing technics for self suficiency and putting in common ideas and future projects.
The course inspire and push me to actually start my own project and move towards efficiency with my life, time and family.
As it all depends, let´s start observing and taking care of the nature and worrying about our neighbour.
I believe this is the way in what we can start thinking as an animals and our relation with mother earth using all “green” technologies available today.
More courses, more info, more sharing, more Permaculture!
Keep connected, we have great articals and news all the time, perma hug and we are all one.
Philip Cantos

What have you done to me? I can only think Permaculture, I only want to eat Permaculture... I even created a dry toilet in my parents flat... I want to share it with everyone and I can't stop thinking about it all the time. Now seriously, thanks for your teachings! I use some games we played with my family and try to reconnect with them! Works really well. It was a life changing experience!! Now stopping with all the compliments... You know I want to come back as a Volunteer and start dedicating my life to Permaculture (already trying here). I'm actually already starting with the part of taking care of the people. I'm on my way to Greece to help with the Refugee Camp in Thessaloniki. That is my problem I don't think I will be finished until the 8th of february. I'm doing this because of the horrible things that are happening in Aleppo... And before I get that better quality of life I think it is a nice reminder of how lucky I am to be in this position to even have the chance to take that decision.
Dear Helder,
I arrived late last night in zone 7, light years away from the bubble. It took me many hours to fall asleep surrounded by all this cement, noise, light and pollution.
I miss the peaceful atmosphere of the Finca, the singing birds, the dark starry nights, the beautiful people.
Thank you for being the pioneer soul of this project and for sharing it through your amazing teaching, for gathering other incredible souls to contribute on the project and for being such an insightful and open being.
You inspire me, and have inspired me and I hope this is the beginning of a long lasting friendship.
I still have soooo much to learn, and feel like a child that is once again discovering the world.
I am completely and utterly mesmerised.
On this note, it is my wish to return to the farm.
I would love to participate in the teacher training sessions of July, once you have fixed dates please let me know so that I can sign up!
If you feel it would be good for me to redo the PDC, I am also open to that of course.
Anabela Da Quinta Machado
Um ser humano sensível e um professor dos melhores que conheço! Sai do seu PDC há uns anos atrás, com uma visão muito mais responsável do meu papel como ser humano habitando neste maravilhoso planeta azul! Não percam a oportunidade de conhecer esta pessoa e seu jeito de ensinar permacultura 😊
Gente
querida quem estiver interessado nestas artes de cuidar dentro dos
princípios da permacultura, aqui têm um Mestre . Ainda com o privilégio
desta paisagem ! Pra mim este mergulho foi um marco, uma nova visão de
mim e de tudo que me cerca e portanto sou extremamente grata !
Imperdível mesmo!
It
was a sweet sunset, sweet as you are. Where ever you are, I'd like to
say that You are part of me, each one of you give me something special,
something that I've never heard before, something that I've never seen
before, something that just changed my life in a better way, that change
my thoughts and my soul, something that it's unique, Your're always
walking with me and I'm always walking with you.
A peaceful Bless my Sweet Souls !
Hope to see you soon
Love you
PDC
Douro - Portugal 2018
Ohh dear fellow Permies!
What a wonderfull time we had on the PDC course in Portugal. After
two weeks of the most amazing group dynamics, working with the most
amazing people, sucking knowledge in and constantly designing and
questioning, we were released into the "normal" reality again.
Helder Valente, showed us a new, kind of
"unschooling" way of playfull learning and we LOVED it! Overstanding
stacking by roleplaying a foodforest or compassionate listening
exercises kept the course & our brains fresh. Helder is a brilliant
teacher and I am looking forward to more courses with him :)
Because it was a heavenly time and for good measures sake we, the
Camino Roots Team, will organize the next course in Austria with Helder
Valente in summer 2018!
So looking forward to that and tanked with motivation we will design
our Yurt land & give from now on monthly courses on Permaculture!
Love you all guys,
Max
Rui Vasques
PDC
Braga - Portugal 2013
Coja - Portugal 2014
Ten days of inspiration, dynamics, group
activities, deep communication and informal learning about Permaculture
Design. Methods, principles, techniques, and the patterns of Nature, the
sectors, the organic materials and processes, the cycles and world
climates. The Social Design and the Community Development. Final project
in groups about a big farm in the north of Portugal with lots of water,
fruits and an old tradidional textil industry.
Teorical
and practical learning of ten days, with the social and land
development of the people and farm involved in the course. The
philosophy, principles, methods, techniques and group dynamics for
communication, awakening and decision processes.Presentation of the
project.I did facilitation and cob works to
create an aromatic garden.
You can see our next events