P3 Permaculture Logo of a tree
P3 Permaculture
People for the Profit of the Planet

P3 Designs, Shares and Grows ecological solutions. It offers the internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course both on a part-time and full-time basis, as well as workshops, talks and special events. It also provides consultation services that are site and budget specific, guiding you from the initial brainstorming to the full implementation of the project.

We offer a variety of workshops facilitated by experts in their field. The best way to keep up to date with our workshops is to visit our courses page , visit our Facebook or contacting us to be sure you are on our mailing list.

Our Story

How Everything Started

Graham Calder has more than 13 years of experience teaching permaculture and ecological design. In 2009, he finished his BA in Environmental and Ecology Studies at Concordia University (Montreal, QC). Dissatisfied with the traditional environmentalist approach and its inability to meet the challenges of our time, Graham turned to Permaculture. The same year, he obtained his Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) from Jesse Lemieux and then became an apprentice to one of the great names of Permaculture, Geoff Lawton, at the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia (PRI).

At the same time, he founded P3 Permaculture in Montreal: a social enterprise teaching and consulting permaculture design with the goal of making permaculture accessible to all. To date, Graham has certified more than 400 students in Permaculture Design. He has offered consulting and design services in more than 9 countries around the world; from urban gardens in Montreal, to the desert lands of Gansu in China, the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica and Cameroon.


Our Vision

Practice holism

Putting into action permaculture principles, we aim to design solutions which offer an abundance of good food, information, access to healthy lifestyle choices, meaningful employment opportunities and fulfilling experiences.

Strengthening the collective social infrastructure

Accessibility is the core of P3’s vision. Solutions must be simple, practical, affordable and attractive. Our permaculture interventions are meant to establish and strengthen supportive networks between people and organizations. We promote dynamic and diverse knowledge and skill exchange, including traditional, indigenous, innovative, intergenerational, and intercultural practices.

Implementing appropriate & durable transformation

Taking into account human and environmental legacies, we strive to innovate and realize lasting and tailor-made solutions. We want our financial, social and creative economies to be an ecosystem of responsible enterprises that share resources and provide mutually beneficial opportunities for development, adaptation and growth.

Our Goals

Adopting appropriate technologies

While permaculture is certainly about observing Nature and imitating what she has always done best, it doesn’t mean that it rejects technology altogether. Permaculture is about finding the appropriate solution for each context, budget, place and community. There is no all-encompassing trick, but there are certainly ways to make permaculture more effective. P3 is currently working with some of the most interesting and innovative technology collectives in order to develop ways to improve permaculture processes, while respecting the environments and people that they benefit. To be continued!


Growing with you

P3 Permaculture and its community are like an ecosystem. We thrive on growing together and on finding more and better ways to collaborate and pool our creative, human and economic resources. We are always on the lookout for new mutually beneficial partnerships and projects. Just reach out to us with your idea, we’ll do the same.


Improve your well-being

P3 Permaculture works on the well-being of everyone in our living environments. Indeed, very often the offices are not made to be in optimal conditions for work. P3 then created products to bring greenery indoors, using recycled and natural materials. Currently, P3 offers Moss Art frames, terrariums, green walls and green plants.


More education options

P3 is currently working on an online course to offer the core content of the PDC to a larger network of prospective students. This will allow for even more hands-on techniques and participative training during the design portion of the certification.

We are working on delivering more content through how-to videos, articles and podcasts that will make the information accessible to our students in-between courses and to people new to the field. Also, to support our students who have obtained their PDC we will be hosting more advanced and in-depth courses to bring their knowledge to the next level; allowing them to further their own projects and careers.

Reconciliation In Action

For us at P3, we find that this is the case with many land acknowledgements that mention the land is stolen - end of discussion; without offering any contribution or actual actions to remedy the situation.
The simple fact that the term reconciliation and reparations are in the past tense is a continuation of harm; as Canadian paramilitary forces and police are actively taking by force new territories that have never been ceded by the Wet'suwet'en peoples of the Unist'ot'en territory in northern British Columbia to continue the building of the oil pipeline.
Whether you are of settler decent or not, if you are a new immigrant to Canada, supporting the Canadian system and paying Canadian taxes you are actively contributing to the colonization of First Nations territories and no one is talking about that in their land acknowledgement.

Our commitment to have reconciliation in action is the following
- 50% discount to all Online workshops for BIPOC students
- 25% discount on 4 spots in all In person Courses for BIPOC students
- Hosting more events and screenings: educating citizens about the reality of the situation.
- All donations from these events will also go towards this community.

14

years experience

5000+

Course Participants

3

Languages

100+

Design Clients

10

countries around the world

500+

Certified Students
FAQ

How is permaculture different than gandening or agriculture?

Permaculture is a design science as well as a philosophy that can be applied to all areas of life. Permaculture comes with a set of values, a holistic and solution-oriented vision of our communities, homes, relationships and food. Permaculture is not just a set of techniques for growing plants, it’s a worldview.

How is permaculture different from other branches of ecological design?

Permaculture comes with a set of ethics and values, unlike for example bio-mimicry, that models itself on the observation of nature just like permaculture, but has no ethical agenda about how to apply the findings and observations.

What are the ethical dimensions of permaculture?

Permaculture has three main ethical pillars:

1) Care for the Earth: it’s about allowing provisions and resources for all life systems to continue and multiply, and for ecological systems to be balanced

2) Care for Others: the human contribution can be highly beneficial, as we are an important part of the ecological system. We need to care for each other.

3) Fair Share: the surplus of resources generated by permaculture must be reintegrated into the system.

Is permaculture expensive?

No, it doesn’t have to be. At P3 Permaculture, accessibility is a key part of our vision. Permaculture projects do not have to make use of the newest and most expensive technology. The use of technology must be adapted to context, place, people and budget. And most of the time, permaculture will illuminate solutions that are very simple by observing carefully rather than applying boilerplate quick fixes.

What does it mean to have a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC)?

To obtain a PDC, a student must complete 72 hours of classes and learn not only techniques, but also design methodology, visions, and solutions applicable in various aspects of life. The PDC certification developed by Bill Mollison in Australia in the 1970s is recognized and respected worldwide, even though it has not been formally accredited.

How can PDC benefit your career?

People who have completed a PDC can use the word ‘permaculture’ in their work and become facilitators and teacher themselves. Many also chose to start their own business as permaculture designers, consultants and practitioners. Permaculture opens doors in all kinds of paths including social entrepreneurship, natural building, food forestry, passive-solar building design, natural agriculture, community organizing, research & development, and many more.

What sets P3 Permaculture apart?

The vision at P3 Permaculture is focused on accessible permaculture. We do design work for all kinds of clients, scales and budgets, and we have three different PDC funding options for low-income students: work trades, grants and a crowdfunding platform. We truly believe that permaculture is about appropriate, contextual and lasting solutions. Additionally, we are working towards positioning ourselves as a resource not only for permaculture, but also for social entrepreneurship by cultivating an ecosystem of responsible partner enterprises.


Press Kit

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Recommended by Geoff Lawton

World Renowned Permaculture Teacher and Designer (founder of the Permaculture Research Insttitute of Australia)


"Graham (founder of P3) is one of those exceptional students you remember because you know they are going to go a long way, and this has proven to be the case. I can confidently recommend his work as quite a remarkable permaculture teacher, designer, consultant and practitioner."

What you get from our Permaculture Design Certificate?

Learn ecological solutions for

​- Climate Change

​- Food security

​- affordable housing

​- Edible landscapes

​- Soil remediation

​- drought and flood mitigation

and so much more.

Join our Newsletter

If you want to be notified of all our coming courses, workshops, special events and discounts

Regenerative Design Consultation and Education for your Home, Farm, Garden or Business. We use Ecosystems analysis of your project and integrate regenerative design principles to bring you abundance while fighting Climate Change.

Connect with us

Contact us

438-228-5883

info@p3permaculture.ca

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