Introduction to permaculture – online and outdoors

2-30 October 2025, Thursday evenings and an optional Saturday visit 

If you prefer an in-person course find out about our Introduction to permaculture weekend courses

This course introduces the basics of permaculture design. It aims to inspire and empower you to use permaculture design in your everyday life.

This Introduction to permaculture course consists of five virtual classes. The online sessions will be from 18:00-20:00 over five consecutive Thursday evenings, with self-directed study and activities between sessions.  There is an additional optional in-person guided tour and demonstration session, to be held between 13:00-16:00 on a Saturday afternoon at Stanmer Park, Brighton.

Course dates

Course structure, learning methods and outcomes

The course will mostly be taught in virtual classes using a variety of methods including presentations, discussion, work in small groups and design activities.

Prior to the course and between sessions, we will provide self-directed learning materials and guidance. These will include activities and video presentations. If possible, we recommend having access to a green space for some activities, but it is not essential. Expect one to two hours of preparatory activities before each session.

We will offer an optional site visit to our permaculture plots and orchards at Stanmer Park in Brighton for one day of the course. This will include short tours and a gardening demonstration. For those unable to attend in person, an alternative online session is provided.

By the end of the course, you will have a basic knowledge of the permaculture ethics and key principles, and how to apply them.

Please note: There is some essential preparation work to do before Session 1.  You will need to read and view some resources on the learning platform. This will take around 1 – 2 hours of your time, so please ensure you will have time to do this before signing up.

What will the Introduction to permaculture course cover?

This course will cover:

• the history and various definitions of permaculture
• design process, ethics, principles
• other design tools
• case studies from a range of applications

You will use this theory to co-create a design as part of the course.

Who is the Introduction to permaculture course for?

This course is for people who want to look at the current challenges we face and be part of creating solutions. It is open to anyone aged 16 or over. No prior knowledge of permaculture is needed.

What does the Introduction to permaculture course lead on to?

This course is an ideal starter for anyone interested in a full permaculture design course. It is necessary to have completed an Introduction to permaculture design course in order to take Brighton Permaculture Trust’s Permaculture design course (Building sustainable communities). You can also go on to explore other specialist courses.

Course tutors

Hannah Wilde has a permaculture diploma and is a permaculture teacher and organic grower with a particular interest in the therapeutic benefits of nature and soil health.

Stephan Gehrels received his Permaculture Diploma in 2009 and has run school environmental projects in Brighton.

Outside venue

There will be an option for one day of the course to visit our sites at: Stanmer Park (near University of Sussex) Brighton Sussex South East England Get directions to our meeting point in Stanmer Park.

Technical information

The teaching sessions are delivered via Zoom, which works best when used on a desktop or laptop computer. We use some features that do not work well on a tablet and cannot be used on a mobile phone, so would advise that these are not an ideal way to access the course. Zoom is free to use. If you haven’t used it before we recommend you try it out before booking: Zoom.us

Using Zoom: If you are unfamiliar with using Zoom please look at these guides before the first session. In order to access the course resources you will need to log onto the course learning platform. We will email you a week before the course with details of how to access the learning platform and Zoom sessions.

Recommended introductory material

It is not necessary to read / watch any of these resources before attending the course.

Short introductory reads:

Permaculture – a beginner’s guide, Graham Burnett

Permaculture In A Nutshell, Patrick Whitefield

Handy reference books:

The Permaculture Way, Graham Bell

Introduction to Permaculture, Bill Mollison (out of print but available electronically)

Videos: Series of short films introducing application of permaculture design: Living with the Land

Introduction to permaculture by David Holmgren, co-founder of permaculture, free download: Essence of permaculture

Using Zoom: If you are unfamiliar with using Zoom please look at these guides before the first session.

Fees

Fees include all tuition and online resources.

£247.50 – Sponsored/organisation rate

£247.50 – Individual income more than 25k/yr

£200 – Individual income 18-25k/yr

£152.50 – Individual income less than 18k/yr

£84 – Individual, concessionary rate (check eligibility)*

* Concessionary places are limited. If places are not available check back two weeks before the course/event as more may be available then. We endeavour to make our courses and events affordable to all. Unfortunately, we do not receive any external funding for most of these and rely on large amounts of voluntary input. See the cancellations and refunds policy.

Booking the Introduction to permaculture course

Booking is essential. Most of our courses/events are fully booked weeks in advance. You can book up until midday the day before the course if places are still available.

Your place is not secured until we have received the requested payment.

If you have completed the booking process but you haven’t received a confirmation email from us please contact us to check your booking has gone through.

If you are booking within two weeks of the event, or the event is nearly full, you will not have the option to pay by BACS. Instead, you will need to pay immediately using a credit/debit card or PayPal.

BOOK ONLINE FOR OCTOBER 2025 COURSE