Participants will learn collaborative design through modeling and voicing crucial elements and principles involved in creating an intensive garden in minimal space.

Participatory learning around a basic common denominator of permaculture (the intensive front-door garden) with the power of collaborative design in real space

Presented By: Rick Valley

Learn all about cooking, preservation, fermentation, delicious nutritious traditional recipes, and more with a permaculture chef, Seth Peterson.

A home garden providing the benefits of eating locally and seasonally is a most revolutionary and transformative act. Using the intersection of agriculture and cooking to frame our physical world and daily lives, local chef and permaculturalist, Seth Peterson, discusses growing and eating our own food. Making the connection between garden and kitchen, this conversation offers practical tips and information on growing, harvesting, preserving and cooking your own food. It addresses everything from growing a simple herb garden to big picture considerations like redesigning our local food shed to support our farmers and environment, taking back our food system, and focusing on our individual and collective health.

People will learn what they can to eat better, buy local, and regenerate our communities and lands through regenerative agriculture on any scale.

Friday, Oct 6| 11am| Zocalo

Presented by Seth Peterson

TBA

Presented by Troy Horton and Sasha Shankar

Replace top-down power and hierarchy within your organization with deeply democratic collaborative processes and structures that nurture whole beings.

This workshop is about building community. It is about how we organize ourselves to do what needs to get done. It is about how navigating the issues of power, personality, emotions, and identity that arise when we meet each other as peers and attempt to build a world that works for all of us. Its about how to remain mindful of he complexity of the world, the work, and each other and still make sure that we create and follow a budget and get the taxes done.

Conference participants will gain from understanding how values that they already hold, operate on, and attempt to build into their physical designs can be formalized into resilient organizational structures.

The workshop will use group activities, facilitated discussion, and storytelling to leave participants with:
(1) An appreciation of the value of worker self-direction;
(2) An understanding of the operations and management of worker self-directed organizations;
(3) A specific set of practices that can implemented in their organizations immediately;
(4) A vision for how they might embed more democracy in their organization regardless of barriers to change
(5) Resources to engage leaders in conversations about change

TBA

Presented by Gayanee KyGa deSilva

The 10th Element of Hip Hop is Health & Wellness and our Proclamation reclaims the original intent and purpose of Hip Hop culture by reinvigorating its transformative narrative, using the power and influence of Hip Hop to create a healthier community that will sustain and support future generations. Come build with founder of Hip Hop is Green, Keith Tucker, Ashel Seasunz, Hip Hop is Green’s strategist, and the 7 year old Chef DJ, St.Louis’ Hip Hop is Green Chapter rising star.

TBA

Presented by Keith Tucker

How resilient is your community? How ready are you for the natural and man-made disasters and disruptions that inevitably accompany climate change? Did you know that our work in permaculture, homesteading, and building resilient community is also disaster preparedness work? Join this vibrant discussion about these overlapping fields, and explore ways of leveraging ‘crisis consciousness’ to enhance your efforts to build truly resilient community. Learn how to assemble your own “go bag,” receive great practical resilience and emergency-prep tips that could save lives, and share your wisdom and experience in this interactive workshop.

Presented by Nils Palsson and Lesley Moore

Friday Oct. 6 / 3pm / Visionary Art Zone 

Presented by the 2017 Visionary Artists of the Convergence, John Hutton and Michael Lott 

http://abundantland.com/

Join Bloom and Anahata, co-founders of Blooming Biodiversity, in the Solar Living Institute’s Spiral Garden to build a beautiful Herb Spiral! 

 

We will teach and sing many plant songs as we build. As Starhawk says: “Communities who sing together, stay together!” Join us in the garden to build community, build an Herb Spiral, and plant up the Regenerative Paradigm!

 

Learn more about our Permaculture work and journey at www.BloomingBiodiversity.org

And taste our music at www.BloomSounds.org 

 

Saturday, 10:30am – 12pm

Presented by Bloom and Anahata

Delphi Southern Nevada is assembling over 5000 acres for the purpose of establishing regenerative communities using emergent technologies and new paradigm business principles such as multi-stakeholder cooperatives as the foundation.

TBA

Presented by Leah Grant and Michael Sean Brown

International Permaculture Convergence’s Unite the Global Permaculture Community – what are they, how are they organized, how you can participate.

This hour-long workshop is about balancing masculine and feminine energies in context of the microcosm (human being) and the macrocosm (the universe). The workshop explores these dual energies as they appear in foods, astrology, yoga, ancient Indian texts of Shiva and Shakti, and modern society. It includes in group share-outs, brief personal writing time, relevant yoga poses, a check in, and a check out.

Balance feminine and masculine energies through yoga, foods, and more.

Saturday Oct 7| 11am| Mediterranean Garden

Presented by Jada Imani

Shared excerpts from Soul Flower Farms Intro to natural beekeeping classes. Challenging the commercial beekeeping practices, which breeds disease, that many backyard and permaculture beekeepers have adapted and offers solutions for more sustainable beekeeping.

60-70% of all food which feed Resilient Communities come from the pollination which Bees perform. This Workshop is geared to raise the consciousness of better Beekeeping methods so the permaculture community can assist in reducing the decline of the Bee populations worldwide.

Friday Oct 6| 11am| Hops Tipi 

Presented by Yasir Cross

An introductory class on the ethics, principles, and techniques of permaculture. We will go over the history of permaculture and how to integrate it into cities, landscapes, businesses, and homes.This class will give people a better understanding of the basics of Permaculture and how to apply it to all areas of their life.
Permaculture has become a catch phrase but many people may not be aware of the origins, the ethics, or the principles. Most people I talk to think that permaculture is just a better alternative to agriculture when the reality is permaculture can be applied to organizational structures, economies, and even whole towns (transition movement). This class will give people a better understanding of the basics of Permaculture and how to apply it to all areas of their life.

Friday Oct 6| 5pm| Yurt

Presented by Chloe Buzzotta

Permaculture ethics and principles are powerful guidelines applicable to any type of design work. A forest garden mimics the architecture, relationships and diversity of an established forest. A charrette supports a group in the co creation of a design.

This exploration of the basics of permaculture theory coupled with an experiential group design process brings people to a multi-faceted understanding of how each of our individual steps can add up to significant movement towards food security and more as it applies to our urban environments.

This topic is at the heart of building resilient communities and permaculture. We address food forestry in the context of human and plant diversity, social permaculture, food security and health of individuals and communities, specifically in urban communities.

Our teaching style includes a little lecture, lots of discussion, guided meditation and movement, an opportunity for students to practice observation, come back together and create a 3D model of a food forest using fiber, flowers and live plants.

Sunday Oct 8| 9:30am | Hops Tipi

Presented by Delia Carroll and Jessica Bates

Thurs, Oct 5| 10:00am – 4:30pm| Yurt

– Instructed by Max Meyers

• Pre-Registration Required: $75 – $195 suggested donation (Discounts for FULL Convergence Tickets)
• Includes delicious vegetarian lunch

Ready to Green Your Grow?

Are you interested in learning how to grow clean and green Cannabis? Would you like to improve the quality of the cannabis you grow by moving beyond organic? Want to learn how to produce it using more sustainable, even regenerative practices? Well then, join us for this one of a kind class and learn how to Green Your Grow! This introductory class will help you improve your cannabis growing methods so that they are not only better for you and your pocket book, but for the consumers and the environment as well.

Workshop Description

Many problems facing this fast growing industry relate to the wasteful amount of non-renewable resources being used everyday in the production of the cannabis plant. From the common practices of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides, to the destruction of forest systems and waterways, California’s booming new industry in recreational Cannabis must also become more sustainable, clean and certified Organic. The successful changes we are helping to spread will help the state to become a leader in clean green cannabis, which is not only better for the consumers, but better for the environment. In this 1-day Intro workshop Master Grower Max Meyers will teach you the basic concepts of growing Cannabis using ecological design.

Some Key Benefits to Greening your Grow!

• Learn How Nature Can Provide the Solutions to Most of the Challenges Facing Cannabis Growers on the Farm or in the Garden
• Use Up to 75% Less Water Than Other Growing Methods
• Reduce Nutrient Needs and Eliminate Need for Buying Extra Bottles
• Go Beyond the Traditional Understanding of Healthy Soil Systems
• Saves Money, Time and Resources
• Model Plant Communities After the Most Successful Examples in Nature
• Learn How to Go 100% Organic and Beyond!
• Increase Marketability of Your Crop
• Join the Largest and Fastest Growing Segment of Cannabis Production
• Learn from Sustainable Cannabis Experts
• How Using Observation and Good Permaculture Design Can be a Huge Benefit to Growers
• Self-sufficiency = Good for the Planet & Good for Your Wallet
• Localized, Site Specific Advantages that Can’t be Bought in a Store or Nursery
• Design to Maximize Production Area While Minimizing Wasted Space
• Your Chance to Apply what you Learn From this Unique Sustainable Cannabis Growing Class!

Whether you have been growing for years or just getting started, this class will help you grow more sustainable cannabis, using less money, resources and can even help you produce more with less time and labor!

Learn from a well-known expert in Cannabis and Ecological Design the successful tips and tricks you need to reduce electrical usage if growing indoors and how to dramatically reduce your ecological footprint!

This class is perfect for garden managers, growers, owners and operators.

Max Meyers

 Max Meyers is an experienced Ecological Designer, Permaculture Teacher, Consultant, Registered Aquaculturist, Aquaponic System Designer/Installer, Rainwater and Greywater System specialist, Farmer, and the Executive Director of the Mendocino Ecological Learning Center a nonprofit educational organization and ecological reserve offering green job training and sustainable living skills to the public. Through his work as an instructor of Permaculture and Ecological Design he has successfully trained over a thousand students from more than 40 countries world wide. In addition to the work at MELC, Mr. Meyers provides Ecological design services to the public, organizations, and schools through Osiris Designs and Nor Cal Aquaponics. He is passionate about all things related to a more just and sustainable world. Most recently Mr. Meyers helped write the guidelines for the newly formed  California Fish and Wildlife Aquaponics subcommittee. He has been studying, practicing and teaching Permaculture and Ecological Design for 18 years.

Thurs, Oct 5| 10:00am – 4:30pm| Yurt

• Pre-Registration Required: $75 – $195 suggested donation (Discounts for FULL Convergence Tickets)
• Includes delicious vegetarian lunch

Thurs, Oct 5| 10:00am – 4:30pm| Hops Tipi

– Facilitated by Starhawk & Malik Coburn

• Pre-Registration Required: $45 – $95 suggested donation (Discounts for FULL Convergence Tickets)
• Includes delicious vegetarian lunch

Workshop Description

Social permaculture looks at the people-care aspects of permaculture. Vegetables are the easy part—people are the challenge! All groups struggle with issues of power, conflicts, and the need to make decisions. Collaborative groups may be healing, nurturing, and inspirational—or they may founder on the rocks of conflict and poor communication.

In this one-day intensive, we’ll look at regenerative patterns for human interaction. How do we come together across barriers and create spaces where we are welcome in the full complexity of who we are? We’ll explore how to structure our groups for maximum group health, how to share power fairly, improve our communication skills, mediate conflicts and facilitate group processes.

The foundation for this workshop is based on tools and practices from Starhawk’s book, The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups.

Starhawk is a committed global justice activist, organizer, speaker, teacher, and the author or coauthor of ten books. Starhawk is founder of Earth Activist Training, and travels internationally teaching magic, the tools of ritual, and the skills of activism for diverse groups, communities and audiences. Starhawk is perhaps best known as an articulate voice in the revival of earth-based spirituality and Goddess religion. Besides her inspiring, much-read books, she is a cofounder of Reclaiming, an activist branch of modern Pagan religion, and continues to work closely with the Reclaiming community. Her works include The Spiral Dance, long considered the essential text for the Neo-Pagan movement, and the now-classic ecotopian novel, The Fifth Sacred Thing. A personal favorite is award-winning Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising. Starhawk’s latest book is The Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature. Starhawk’s books have been translated into many languages, while her essays are reprinted across the world, and have been included in numerous anthologies. Her writing is influential and has been quoted by many hundreds of other authors, from magazines to trade and academic press. Her books are often used in college curriculums.

Starhawk is a veteran of progressive movements, from anti-war to anti-nukes, and is deeply committed to bringing the techniques and creative power of spirituality to political activism. Her work in progressive movements spans over 30 years. She has organized, trained protesters, and been on the front lines of antinuclear actions at Diablo Canyon, Livermore Weapons Lab, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and the Nevada Test Site, among others. She traveled to Nicaragua with Witness for Peace in 1984 and made two trips to El Salvador to give ongoing support for sustainability programs. She continues to be a witness for peace on the front lines of the Palestine/Israel war, working with Palestinian and Israeli peace activists.

A main focus for the last several years has been the global justice movement; Starhawk has taken part in many of the major actions, including those in Seattle, Washington DC, Quebec City, Genoa, New York City, Cancun, Mexico, and Miami. She co-founded RANT: Root Activists’ Network of Trainers, and teaches non-violent direct action trainings for groups throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Palestine, and South America. She is active in the revived American peace movement, and works with Code Pink. Starhawk also works on countless environmental and land use issues, and is a founder and active member of the Cazadero Hills Land Use Council in western Sonoma County.

Starhawk consulted on and contributed to a trio of popular films, the Women’s Spirituality series (directed by Donna Read). Starhawk and Donna Read formed their own film company, Belili Productions. Their first release is “Signs Out of Time” (2004), a documentary on the life of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, the scholar whose discoveries sparked the Goddess movement.  Watch Starhawk’s short videos on Permaculture –  Tabor Tilth: Permaculture in the City, and Permaculture Principles at Work. Starhawk and Donna are at work on her next film, an Introduction to Permaculture. Starhak is currently working on a screen play and film for the film for her visionary best selling book – The Fifth Sacred Thing. http://fifthsacredthing.com/

Starhawk lives part-time San Francisco, in a collective house with her partner and friends, and part-time in a little hut in the woods in Cazadero, California, where she practices permaculture in her extensive gardens, and writes.

Thurs, Oct 5| 10:00am – 4:30pm| Hops Tipi

• Pre-Registration Required: $45 – $95 suggested donation (Discounts for FULL Convergence Tickets)
• Includes delicious vegetarian lunch

Oct 5th, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm

– With Maria Owl

• Pre-Registration Required
• $45 – $95 suggested donation (Included with FULL Convergence Tickets)

Workshop Description

Have you ever felt like you are here to participate in something big? Like you are a piece of a larger, intelligent whole that is on the verge of waking up? Do you ever wonder what your role is in the “Great Turning”? Many of us are sensing an inner-calling to rise up and be a leader in our communities, in a whole new way than has ever existed on the planet before. We long to be impeccable, aligned to our Soul Mission, and in service to others in a way that truly makes a difference. If we’re going to birth a just, sacred and sustainable new culture on Earth, we must face our fears, come into emotional balance and know that we have the power to transform our self-doubt, fear, and confusion.

Maria Owl invites courageous bridge-people, earth-healers and leaders to join her in exploring and activating your inner-Light-Leader. Maria believes that now more than ever, our sovereignty as individuals and as a planet can now be embodied. During this 4-hour deep dive, she will guide you through a reclamation process to meet your empowered multi-dimensional Self; the Awake, Timeless You who knows how to thrive, “reality-create”, heal, transform and love unconditionally.

Pulling from Universal Law, Quantum Physics, Energy Medicine and Indigenous Wisdom, Maria offers an experience one doesn’t easily forget.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

• Embrace and consciously choose the power of transformation, rather than fear it
• Release old patterns of self-sabotage and self-abandonment
• Step into your most empowered, authentic voice and calling as a leader
• Shift your “resonant field” through intention, sound, meditation and connection to nature.
• Anchor in new neural pathways of new self-chosen empowering beliefs
• Collectively envision a liberated human future and thriving Earth, and through the power of group intention – make it so!

This workshop will culminate in an hour-long Activation Ritual, where we will anchor in our new “resonant fields” and the new resonant field of our future/now Mother Earth.

Guided by Maria Christina Owl Gutierrez

Maria Christina Owl is an international speaker, spiritual mentor and ceremonial leader. She has offered workshops and rituals in Israel, New Zealand, Canada and the US. She is a clairvoyant medium and author of the forthcoming book “The Great Mother Transmissions: Midwifing the New Earth”. Maria founded Sacred Future School in 2012 as a safe and grounded training ground for healers and leaders ready to align with their innate gifts and calling. Maria holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and is a Master of Intuitive Medicine and scholar of Indigenous Science and Healing. www.sacredfuture.org

Thurs, Oct 5| 12:30 pm – 4:30pm| Bio-Regional Hub

• Pre-Registration Required
• $45 – $95 suggested donation (Included with FULL Convergence Tickets)

Resistance to the federal administration has been fast and furious. How can Resilience and Resistance work more effective together to build the thriving world we all want to live in? A panel of speakers from the Resistance Movement will share some of the campaigns they are working on, and then we will bring up representatives from our Community Resilience Movement to strategize about ways to unify the two movements.

Saturday Oct 7| 3:30pm| Main Stage

Presented by Susan Silbar