A central aspect of permaculture is designing so that needs can be met in healthy, regenerative ways. Human needs and wants, and our ways of trying to get them met, are extremely complex and powerful ecologies, and affect almost all of our permaculture design work. Developing awareness and skill in emotional literacy, and being able to read human needs and patterns in the ‘Zone 00’ of others and ourselves, supports us in being more response-able permaculturalists. This interactive workshop will give powerful insight into human ecologies and help us lift up emotional intelligence, which is much-needed as we transition into the next age of consciousness and we grow a more wholistic understanding of permaculture landscapes & practices.

Presented By: Jillian Hovey

Attendees of this workshop will be getting their hands dirty! This will be an introduction to the process of sourcing Wild clay from the Earth, and converting it into a material usable for topical medicine, ceramics, or building material. The class will begin with a discussion of where one might find wild clay, and what tests one can perform to determine various qualities. Following the discussion, participants will use simple tools to crush, sift, and hydrate clay. We will end with muddy skin, and a follow up discussion. Upon request, participants can delve deeper to experiment with making simple vessels, and perform test firings in a pit or wood-fired oven, and, with some luck, take home a wildcrafted vessel.

Presented By: Cyrus Bacon

Bloom and Anahata have travelled globally with their organization, the Blooming Biodiversity Permaculture network, living at and visiting a rich diversity of Eco-villages, intentional communities, indigenous farms, and Permaculture projects. Through their slideshow presentation, you will have the opportunity to dive into their journey and experience vibrant photos and videos of the Permaculture gems they have been to. They will share best practices, innovative inventions, inspiring models, and paradigm shifting lessons they have learned from the multitudes of positive impact centers, followed by an open solutionary discussion counsel and action plans.

Presented By: Robin Liepman & Anna Simone Combi

Have you ever wondered what happened to deep blue skies, fluffy full bodied clouds and reliable rainy seasons? Have you ever questioned the corporate/government narratives? Do you feel that climate change is absolutely real, but seems to be due to more than just carbon emissions? With all the floods, droughts, unusual fires, hurricanes, typhoons, record heat and cold, dying forest, volcanic eruptions and other extreme changes to our planet’s climate, it hard not to ask why? Please join us as we explore these powerful subjects.

Presented By: Max Meyers

Community and personal resilience begins with you. Be prepared for when the lights go out and the grid goes down. Practical, educational and attitude skills to survive and actually help your family or neighbor in the event of major disasters, when the usual industrial infrastructure is off-line, for shorter or longer times. Basic tactics and tools for owning your own light and electric, no matter what the circumstance. Applicable for individuals and small community groups, no matter the disaster situation or social breakdown.

Presented By: Chaz Peling

Intro to permaculture course taught by Bay Area urban gardener and urban ecologist, seedsman and seed librarian, community gardener and community organizer Christopher Shein. He brings 17 years of teaching a PDC at Merritt College, many more years of teaching in community gardens and public schools, and knows he doesn’t know everything about permaculture or teaching or …
Christopher brings the most diverse students together (race, class, gender, etc…) to build the most plant and species diverse public gardens in the commons in urban SF East Bay. www.wildheartgardens.com, www.merrittlandhort.com

Presented By: Christopher Shein

“How I became a contractor to save the world, the lessons I learned from all my mistakes, and how we are still growing and not giving up.”

Marco Barrantes of La Loma Development Company will share stories from the trenches, instructions on ways to start a design-build company as a successful Permaculture contractor, and photos of La Loma’s diverse projects in Los Angeles. Topics will also include his experiences with urbanite, natural pools, public works, and school campus greening.

Learn how to become a contractor (or work with a contractor) to implement Permaculture design, and influence the trillion dollar landscape construction industry.

Presented By: Marco Barrantes

Join us for a panel discussion on the future of the intentional communities movement. Where have we been, what is happening now, and how do we imagine the role of intentional communities into the future? Learn from community founders and network leaders. Bring your questions to this exploratory conversation.

Presented By: Cynthia Tina

The Internet has radically transformed our world. We are now more connected and exposed to more information than we’ve ever been before. This reality has rendered many of the world’s traditional institutions of power ripe for disruption. The Internet itself, however, is built upon and accessed through centralized infrastructure susceptible to government and institutional oversight and manipulation. In order to maximally leverage the disruptive and regenerative potential that technology affords us, decentralized technologies and infrastructure must be built and properly implemented.

Presented By: Rye N Flint

2017 was a record year for weather and climate disasters in the United States and we must now ask if this is a “new normal”, and what can be done to avert or prepare for the disasters to come. We must also look at how communities themselves can create networks of mutual aid and resilience away from relying on and complying with government, military and mega NGO dominance during disasters.

This strategy session will begin with 3 case studies from hurricane Sandy in NYC, the Tubbs Fire in Northern CA, and hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico along with guest speakers who have done on-the-ground work during these disasters. We will then move into a structured group discussion where participants will be asked to share their own stories and knowledge of community response and preparation to these kinds of crises.

Additionally, we will look at the notion of disaster capitalism, and using moments of crisis as opportunities to disrupt the dominant economic and institutional systems in a way that empowers frontline communities, as opposed to corporations looking to profit off of clean-up and rebuilding efforts.

City Repair has over 20 years of experience with grassroots, community-initiated placemaking in Portland, Oregon. Our model for building place-based empowerment is inspiring communities across the nation and even globally from countries like Canada, the UK and even Australia. Here in Oregon, however, our biggest learning edge is integrating a social justice lens to ensure that the people and the places that we are working with provide benefit to some of the most vulnerable groups in our community. For us it has meant working with People of Color in one of the most ethnically Caucasian cities and also with folks experiencing houselessness. We will share stories of placemaking with these communities and how they contribute to what we are calling Place Justice.

Presented By: Ridhi DCruz

Trained 1:1 by world renowned soil expert Dr. Elaine Ingham to convey complex ideas to a K-12 audience, Matt Powers is an educator that can make soil understandable. Dive deep with Matt and learn about the world beneath your feet in and out of the garden sourcing Dr. Elaine’s work, Radical Mycologist Peter McCoy’s work, and dozens of experts from around the world as well as his own experience growing in 140F soils in Central Valley California. Join Matt for a fun, inspiring, and informative workshop on how to build soils, how to remediate soils, how to feed soil life, and how it all works micro to macro, and then learn how to apply the information to your own site!

Presented By: Matt Powers

This experiential and interactive workshop will have you learn about, experience, and embody the “New Masculine.” We will cover powerful perspectives and frames that will give you access to new ways of seeing and experiencing yourself, being in relationship to your growth, and expanding your potential for leadership and influence in your family, communities, the world. You will leave the workshop with tools, processes, and structures that will directly impact your confidence, embodiment, influence, purpose, direction, and level of communication, that will radically alter the way you live and express yourself.

Presented By: John Taylor

Introduction and exploration of sustainability practices that both repair broken parts of the water cycle, and increase water resilience in communities and villages to be prepared, conscious, and motivated to change the current pattern amidst an unknown future. Systems/Themes to be explored include: Setting up rainwater catchment systems on a micro level and also efforts made in whole villages, the importance of grey water systems, and water filtration systems to eliminate plastic water bottles practices to reduce water consumption. Discussion on the importance of soil health as it pertains to groundwater.

Presented By: Karuna Warren

What we learned in school about hydrological cycles was in many cases oversimplified and its importance, understated. We were never taught how human habitat, infrastructure, design, and habits affect the watershed, micro and macro water cycles, and the global climate. Learn to connect each drop of water you use –and how you use it– at home, to the bigger picture. Topics include greywater, rainwater, stormwater, groundwater recharge, waste management and regenerative water management design.

Presented By: Benoit Clement

Anyone can grow mushrooms for food or for a local market. Learn to grow mushrooms as a food to enhance health, recycle organic materials on site and as a cash crop. This workshop will present several choices of mushrooms that are suited to these uses, including Hen of the Woods, King Stropharia, Oyster Mushroom, Turkey Tail Mushroom and Shitake Mushroom. We will discuss several methods for growing these using local organic waste products.

Presented By: Theresa Halula

How can we bring permaculture into homes and neighborhoods? What are some effective strategies for neighborhood organizing using our permaculture know-how? How can local governmental agencies support permaculture and community resilience?

Learn about the Resilient Hubs Initiative, a collaboration between the NorCal Resilience Network and Daily Acts, is an exciting new model that uses permaculture principles to create create a network of homes, schools and neighborhood centers that are “ready for anything” – better prepared for natural disasters, climate change and other stresses in our community.

The first hour will describe the project and the organizations behind it, supported by a panel of representatives from community farms and homesteads who are part of the pilot project. The second hour will look at specific sites and how this model can be used to transform the site into a model Resilient Hub. The third hour will look at how this project can go viral, from looking at government agencies and other funding sources to getting media attention.

Presented By: Susan Silber

Presented By: Jillian Hovey

Rusty Roy and Bucky Fuller are the two inventing fathers of Bioceramic Geodesic Architecture. Geoship is fusing Rusty’s sciences of “Whole Person Healing” and “Chemically Bonded Bioceramics” with Bucky’s “Synergetic Math”. Resulting in a new paradigm of affordable sustainable homes that optimize the light, water, and magnetic environment. Thereby optimizing human potential through the restoration of centripetal charge forces (metaphysical gravity).

Presented By: Morgan Bierschenk