Thanks for the comments Zach. It is a lot of time and money and I have been trying to determine, in the end, what certification ends up meaning. I guess I am trying to figure out if there is a true benefit. Do you know what to expect once you receive your certification?
I am also trying to understand if there really is a specific set of topics that must be covered or a formal defined format. I know that you said you have not taken the "normal"
permaculture route and have only trained under Sepp. The "normal"
permaculture has very defined topics that must be covered and, like Sepp, a project that must be completed and approved at the end. So far, it seems like the workshops are more freestyle than what I expected if they are counting them toward certification.
I am still undecided if I will eventually go for the certification or not. I am half way there. I think learning under Sepp is exciting, frustrating, a true learning
experience (since his answers are often presented in a way that makes you think through and come up with your own solution), etc. I always find myself jotting down those golden nuggets of information that seem to pop up in his answers when he opens the floor to various questions.
The one thing that I valued most from the recent workshops was his feedback on my property. I was hesitant to present since it is an urban lot and since he seems geared toward larger projects. At the last minute, I decided to present at Montana because there were quite a number of urbanites in the group and I thought that we all might be able to benefit from his insight. I was excited and relieved that the presentation was well received by him and many of the suggestions that he offered were already things I am trying or have been in the plan to implement in the future. It is the darn
pond thing that gets me everytime with him, though. Haha. "Listen to nature and it will tell you where they need to be." (Got the same response in Cali when I asked a question about one.) Well, nature has told me I have an option that will come to fruition in time.
What would you say is the greatest thing that you have taken away from training under Sepp? Is there anything that you would change or do different?
