Past Courses and Educational Programs

In the Winter and Spring of 2003 and 2004, Common Vision had the opportunity to run an Ecological Design course through Pomona College.   Students from Pomona, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges came aboard the Common Vision bus for a Permaculture Design Certification Course.  For the remainder of the college semester, the students worked with a San Antonio Continuation High School class 5 days a week to develop a gard en and garden-based learning experience.  The high school students made compost, built and prepared garden beds, brewed biodiesel, constructed a cob bench, and grew vegetables and fruit trees.

Both college and high school students received credit towards graduation.  Many of the college students took the inspiration and experience from this course and have become ecological designers, educators, and practitioners.       

In January 2004, Common Vision ran the world’s first veggie-oil-powered mobile permaculture design course PDC.  Eight students from Pomona College, a media team, and two permaculture design teachers lived aboard The Lioness.  For 11 days, students learned the 72-hour Permaculture Design Curriculum at exemplary sites across Southern California.  The course included sites and teachers that could best facilitate projects and demonstrations to illustrate different aspects of the PDC curriculum.

In the Winter and Spring of 2002-03 , Common Vision ran its first permaculture design course. Twelve students from three colleges around Claremont, CA joined Common Vision for 7 weekend intensives.  Students experienced numerous sites and teachers across Southern CA and Mexico that highlight different aspects of sustainable design.