UK Permaculture Convergence 2014: Get ready for a life- changing event!

by Anna Schmidt

Strategic Communications Coordinator at the Permaculture Association

The Permaculture Association warmly invites you to spend an unforgettable weekend (12th – 14th September) at this year's UK Permaculture Convergence. The event takes place at Gilwell Park in London, an amazing forest location with great views!

Book your tickets online here.

The weekend will be packed with a huge diversity of workshops. Whether you are new to permaculture or want to deepen your knowledge, be sure you'll leave this event with plenty of new ideas, knowledge and practical skills. Three month before the convergence, we already have over 10 confirmed workshop leaders and speakers, which include Looby Macnamara, who is going to present her new book “7 Ways to Think Differently”; Chris Evans, who will talk about permaculture in the Himalaya; and Maddy Harland, who will introduce us to the world of unusual trees and forest gardens.

Permaculture in Norway: Coming up with creative Solutions!

by Benjamin Vidmar

Entrepreneur and Permaculture Ambassador

Longyearbyen, Norway (Svalbard) is the "northern most" town in the world
(78.2200° N, 15.6500° E) and has been my home since 2008. It is a very unique place and a bit of a no man's land  - even though Norway has sovereignty over the island. Longyearbyen is the largest city on the island of Spitsbergen, has 2000 inhabitants. Moreover, there are over 3000 polar bears living on the islands!

Spitsbergen is over 65% protected parks, and there are special regulations in place to preserve the nature here. As a result of being an island, everything is either shipped or flown up, and all waste must also be shipped or flown out. This is a process that uses a lot of fossil fuels and is very vunerable to price increases as the price of fuel goes up. Furthermore, after the waste is shipped down to mainland Norway, it is put on trucks and then shipped over land to Sweden where the waste is sold in order to make energy.

Lost Theory Festival in Croatia: Living our Dream

by  Stéphanie De Caluwé

This year is the fourth edition of Lost Theory Festival up in the mountains of Croatia. It's am adventure brought us experiences and lessons we never imagined before. The Lost Theory team grew towards being a family and fell in love with the area.

We would like to spend our future here and buy a piece of land in an area we already have in mind. It would be a perfect place to live sustainably with all its beautiful elements in a mountain climate. One of the main goals of this festival is to create a place of sharing experience, connecting with positive people and creating communities that set realistic and achievable goals for sustaining happiness, healthy living, thinking, feeling, breathing and dancing. The first steps growing towards this future eco-village demonstrates itself in our permaculture design course during the build-up of the festival and the eco-management during the event, which will transform Lost Theory into an activation zone.

Permaculture in South Africa

by Jason Hanslo

grade 4 teacher and Permaculture Ambassador

The Sunrays in flowers project was defined not too long ago on a popular South African television show as being a vehicle of change for an impoverished community of Delft South, just outside Cape Town. The project, born was born out of my concern for the learners of Sunray Primary school's nutritional well- being. Amidst the community's socio-economic ills, I managed to create an oasis; a permaculture garden.

Impoverished areas usually showcase the best examples of reusing of recyclables. Children use spent tyres instead of a ball to play catch.