Should Wheaton Labs host an Advanced PDC with Alan Booker in 2025?

Hey Everyone-

I have had a dream and hope to be able to take a PDC from Alan Booker for a while now.  Timing for me has been difficult in the past though.  My availability has been significantly improved in the last year, but there hasn't been a PDC offered with Alan teaching.  I was talking with Paul at the 2024 PTJ about the possibility of when another PDC would be taught by Alan Booker.  It is my recollection that Paul said that Alan probably wouldn't teach another PDC unless it was a "full" course, with many students.  (Paul, please correct me if my memory is failing me.)  Beau mentioned (see https://permies.com/wiki/80/259997#2507509) that he would be willing to talk to Alan if we could get enough students.

With all that in mind, I am starting this thread to try to assess how many people are willing, able, and wanting to take a PDC from Alan.  So please like this post if you are in that set of people (in general you want to take a PDC from Alan Booker if the stars align and all conditions are favorable).  My hope that the number of likes for this post will be in the millions.  Subsequent posts will try to narrow down that interest (time, availability, cost, etc.) at little.

Thanks for your help!

--matt

Please like this post if you are able to take a PDC from Alan Booker in 2025.

Please like this post if you are able to take a PDC from Alan Booker in 2026.

Please like this post if you are willing and able to pay at least $500 for taking said Alan Booker PDC.

Please like this post if you are willing and able to pay at least $1000 for said Alan Booker PDC.

Please like this post if you are willing and able to pay at least $10,000 (a number mentioned in my conversation with Paul) for said Alan Booker PDC.

Please like this post if you would be willing to chip in some money (at least $1) to allow one or more other people (other than you) who would be able and willing but unable financially to go to said Alan Booker PDC.

Staff, please feel free to add any additional choices for people to like as you all see fit.

--matt

I have to say, I'm not familiar with Alan Booker's work.

Do you have a recommendation towards a good jumping off point to learn more about him?

Oops, after "liking" Matt's posts for paying $500 and $1,000 for an Alan Booker-taught Permaculture Design Course (PDC), I enthusiastically or impatiently hit the "like" button on the $10,000 post. Admittedly, the refresh rate on the "like" button has always been a bit slow for me.

Online PDC course by Oregon State University for professional applications is billed at $1,350. Geoff Lawton's Online PDC course is billed at $1,950. I believe a quality hands-on in-person course is worth up to $2,000 per person. I am committing to pay up to $4,000 tuition for Jessie and me to attend an Alan Booker-taught PDC, plus housing and food.

For more on Alan Booker and PDC at Wheaton Labs, see "2023 Permaculture Design Course for Scientists and Engineers, June 17 - July 1, 2023" at permies. This curriculum and instructors were arranged, but cancelled

If you like listening to podcasts, Paul has had Alan on a few times. They’re some of my favorite

https://permies.com/wiki/206402/Podcast-Catchup-Alan-Booker-Part

Timothy Norton wrote:I have to say, I'm not familiar with Alan Booker's work.

Do you have a recommendation towards a good jumping off point to learn more about him?

Alan has taught PDCs at Wheaton Labs for many years - offering a PDC that is geared towards scientists, engineers, and other design professionals (architects, etc.).  He also was one of the instructors at the 2022 PTJ where he taught the portion about the Sepp Holtzer Spring Terrace.  He has recorded many podcasts with Paul including an ongoing series talking about the Big Black Book (see Paul's podcast for those) as well as having given zoom talks that are for sale on Permies.  He has done many many many more things outside of Wheaton Labs though.

Below is a bio from this permies post (https://permies.com/w/regenerative-scales-of-permanence).

This page (https://permacultureglobal.org/users/4794-alan-booker) also has a bio and some of the certifications that Alan has received in the Permaculture world.

I hope that helps, Timothy!

--matt

Alan Booker is the founder and executive director of the Institute of Integrated Regenerative Design, which trains professional design practitioners to create systems that are ecosystemic, biocompatible, and regenerative. With a degree in electrical engineering, he has over 30 years experience in systems engineering and 20 years in sustainable and regenerative design.

With deep hands-on experience designing large-scale sustainable systems, Alan is a LEED AP™ BD+C (LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction), WELL AP, Accredited Green Roof Professional (GRP), holds Living Futures Accreditation (LFA) for working with Living Building Challenge and Living Community Challenge projects, and is the creator of the Integrated Regenerative Design (IRD) framework and the Biocompatible Design standards. In addition to teaching Permaculture and Integrated Regenerative Design, he also provides consulting and workshops on earthworks, watershed management, soil remediation, composting, forest gardening, holistic management of pastureland, keyline design, aquaculture and aquaponics, Net Zero buildings and off-grid energy systems, and natural building systems.

I think the crux here is, if 30 people comment saying they will definitely buy a ticket for the 2025 PDC, I can make a strong case when I talk to both Paul and Alan about going to the effort and expense of making it happen.  

Alan's PDC is the best, most advanced PDC in the world.

He's got a lot of coals in the fire right now, and we need a packed house to make it worth his while.

So far, I see Holly + Jesse, Matt Goto, and myself committed to a 2025 PDC if we can pull it off.  That makes 4 of us.  Who else?

If you would definitely buy an advanced ticket to the 2025 PDC at a discounted rate, please comment and let us know.

When (if) we get to 30 committed people, I will talk to Paul and Alan.

I would definitely buy an advanced ticket to the 2025 PDC at a discounted rate!

I’m not sure what that rate is, exactly, but with a little heads up I could make it work!

For anyone wondering about taking Alan's PDC, I took it last year, and it was everything I could wish for and more.
It was the reason I finally bit the bullet and came all the way out to Wheaton Labs, though I stayed for all three courses (PDC, PTJ and SKIP).

One thing to remember for any and all attending is, it's an advanced PDC. This is THE course to take if you want to understand the design process at a much deeper level, and I honestly can't imagine a better one out there.
However, that means be sure to know your basics before you get to it, as the pace is very very high, and the days are long. On top of that, someone referred to particular days as "death by powerpoint", so know that this course is almost exclusively classroom lectures, with excellent material and endless opportunities for discussing questions in depth, as Alan is incredibly knowledgeable on a broad range of topics.

If anyone has the chance to take this course, I'd say do it, 100 times over. I took a PDC with Geoff Lawton back in 2015, and it was excellent preparation for this course. I'm not saying everyone needs several PDCs, but I will teach them in the future, and wanted this accelerated option to answer a bunch of questions that have piled up over the last several years of designing. I feel like I totally lucked out getting the PDC, PTJ and SKIP in the same summer, and the people were what made the experience exceptional. So many great instructors, and attendees, just like this year ;)

For anyone questioning if this is a course for you, and you've already got a good grasp on PDC basics, as well as the attention span to spend days indoors with fantastical knowledge being hurled at you at breakneck speed, sign up now. I still go over my notes from this course regularly, it was that good.

So if you're on or anywhere near the fence and have the chance for an Alan-PDC, take it now, immediately. That's my two cents worth.

Beau, Matt   I would be willing to chip in to help someone attend.  Be more willing if there was a cost per ticket posted.

Peace

OK guys, just to bring this subject back around.  I will buy a ticket for  Alan's PDC, for another to attend.

Look, no strings, nothing in return, ONE ticket, who wants to attend???

Jeez Louise, sure hope the ticket price isn't like a zillion dollars!!!


Peace

Deane Adams wrote:OK guys, just to bring this subject back around.  I will buy a ticket for  Alan's PDC, for another to attend.

Look, no strings, nothing in return, ONE ticket, who wants to attend???

Jeez Louise, sure hope the ticket price isn't like a zillion dollars!!!


Peace

Wow! Deane, that is soooo generous! Thank you for helping someone else attend!

Yes, Aurora would be interested in attending the 2025 PDC. Just need a time, amount, and details.  

Backstage during one of Paul’s recent YouTube live calls with Alan, it sounds like his 2025 schedule is already pretty well planned out.

He did mention it as a possibility in 2026 though!!

Alan reiterated his need for a good sized audience filled with people who are engaged, prepared for his level of teaching and scientific rigor, and would benefit professionally from an advanced PDC.

That describes me!
I’m still in!

My goal, although it won’t be easy, is to find at least 3 more people who are willing and able to join.
If the 5 of us who committed could do that, maybe another 10+ would join along the way.

Find an engineer friend who’s looking at LEED certification and invite them. Find a chemist who would rather grow without synthetic chemicals rather than develop them. Or a Botanist who wants to round out their skill set.

While it’s 18 months away, I think we must keep the ball rolling if we want it to happen.

Clay, I've given my word to help by sending some coin for someone to attend.   I still intend to do this, "but" in full disclosure I was sent home by the oncology folks and told to prepare to die.  That was two years ago, daaang so if I'm to help, maybe a fund could be set up??  Talk to Beau about it.

I'm in no way saying the medicos were right, my ex once said I was too mean to die, I sure hope she wasn't right!

Peace

Deane Adams wrote:Clay, I've given my word to help by sending some coin for someone to attend.   I still intend to do this, "but" in full disclosure I was sent home by the oncology folks and told to prepare to die.  That was two years ago, daaang so if I'm to help, maybe a fund could be set up??  Talk to Beau about it.

I'm in no way saying the medicos were right, my ex once said I was too mean to die, I sure hope she wasn't right!

Peace

Deane,

I am so sorry to hear about your troubles, and wowed that what you're thinking about is giving forward. I hope the medicos are wrong, and that the rest of your life is good and long!



As for the advanced PDC with Alan, as I've written before, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
However, it is indeed advanced, and it requires some previous knowledge and an ability to absorb massive quantities of information in lecture format.

There is no time for practical portions, so it is like being in college, but with the most interesting and fun lectures handpicked for you.

For anyone out there who's got a PDC already, this is an excellent next step, and if you haven't taken one before, just come prepared to learn - a lot. It is expensive, and a time sacrifice, but I honestly can't think of any other PDC course I'd rather take. Or take again. It's that good!

So, if you're in the throws of indecision, this is an easy one.
Do it.