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

A sacred men’s council to co-create deeper connection and embodiment through vulnerability, accountability, courage, and listening.
Men will be given the opportunity to share, to be challenged, and to support one another in finding a deeper groove in authentic connection and witnessing/acknowledging the impact of our choices to the Life around us.
Technologies that will be woven into the council will include breathwork, authentic relating, shadow work, and conflict resolution.

Presented By: Jason McKenzie

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

We will be covering the basic approach to forrest stewardship. we will review the foundation for approach, redefining hazards as valuable resources for a wholistic Permaculture system. After catagorizing forrest hazards we will review methodologies for maximum benefit to the watershed and on site permacultural systems including an introduction to timber harvest and processing. The remaining time will be used to fractal out into the overlays of possibility in this field of action.

Presented By: blair Phillips

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

This men’s circle is a safe space to honor and express the complex web of grief and other emotions that come up as we do the work of building regenerative systems. The ecological crisis calls us to listen to our hearts and hold space for our emotions as we witness Mother Earth’s pain and work towards solutions. Together we can hold space, witness, empower, and inspire one another.

Presented By: Ojan Mobedshahi

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

What is blockchain? Is it a key driver for rapid, scaled change? Why? What can we learn from luminaries in the space about how to better structure and engage regenerative community, culture, economy and governance? Where is it going?

Presented By: Samantha Sweetwater

Despachos are an ancient ceremonial tool that are practiced by many South American cultures to release prayers, express gratitude, ask for assistance and promote healing. This particular Despacho Ceremony will utilize the process taught in the Pachakuti Mesa Shamanic Tradition.
After ritualistically “opening” the five directions, participants will use natural and man-made objects to create a beautiful prayer-filled nature mandala. The Despacho is then bundled, used for ritualistic cleaning of the participants and “released” through burning, burying or placed in flowing water.

Presented By: Alaina Hernandez

It is important to know who’s in the room and what amazing projects they are working on. This workshop will give us a chance to do just that, perhaps leading to connections that will stregthen your project and make friends to last a lifetime.

Presented By: Hannah Apricot Eckberg

·      A local indigenous perspective on these fires

·      Creating a coalition to galvanize community voice and place equity at the center of recovery

·      Launching a decentralized and community-powered emergency response system

·      Creating a grassroots justice and resilience fund to raise and distribute funds

·      Mobilizing across government, business and community for watershed protection

·      Addressing the mental health challenges that come with crisis

·      Re-landscaping the rebuild with a permaculture lens and community-powered approach

Speakers include:

·      Ana Lugo, co-founder of Soco Rises and Director of Communications for Community Action Partnership

·      Alegria De La Cruz – Chief Deputy Counsel for Sonoma County

·      Edward Willie – Pomo tribe, permaculturist and fire ecologist

·      Chris Grabill – Board of Directors at Sonoma County Conservation Action and Santa Rosa Board of Public Utilities

·      Kerry Fugett – Manager of Leadership Institute and Resilient Hubs Program at Daily Acts and member of the Sonoma county Climate Action Advisory Committee

·      Trathen Heckman – Executive Director at Daily Acts and Board member of Transition U.S. and California Water Efficiency Partnership

Join us for an interactive discussion and demonstration of multiple regenerative technologies. We will see how alcohol distilled from waste or low cost local sources, can burn clean and provide locally produced and consumed affordable clean fuels. We will learn about how to harvest, store and efficiently transform thermal energy into electricity and locomotive power through new high efficiency turbines, motors and generators. The team will share their experience taking Eco-resorts 100% off-grid as well as what can be done to improve your community, country or corporation’s energy, water, waste food and shelter systems.

Presented By: Rolland Gregg

Regenerative and collaborative Leadership as a means to support full purpose realization for all participants of a system.
What the world needs is people who have come alive ~Howard Thurman.
Unpacking concepts from Systems Theory (Bowens emotional nuclear systems, Social Dominance Orientation, Systemic oppression), trauma recovery and spiritual technologies, consent and council, methods of facilitation and modes of creative thinking (divergent, convergent, and emergent), as well as learning styles and needs assessments.

Presented By: Sahar Muhsin

You’ve heard that these times are dire and urgent, right? So isn’t it time we had some fun? Back due to popular demand, this hands- hearts- and bodies-on workshop returns for the second year to explore play and sacred clowning as tools for social permaculture. Endless urgency and intellectual seriousness are symptoms of a mechanistic, burn-out activist culture. Social sustainability requires different skills than those practiced within the Western capitalist paradigm. Forget those creepy clowns from childhood nightmares – come learn how to use the craft of clowning and play to bring life and joy into our movements. Play facilitates honest cultural critique and creates space for creative alternatives. And, it’s very fun. Notes: No experience necessary. Come especially if you have no experience.

Presented By: Annie-Rose London

This panel assumes that water rights equate to the most basic human right to life. We will be looking at concepts that have lead to a global water crisis, where 1 in 4 people lack access to safe drinking water to be able to live.

“Right to Life” is defined not just for humans but for all life, including plants, animals, ecosystems, and microorganisms. Viewing policy reform not as a political entity but as an essential component to creating change.

A social, ecological and human rights perspective exploring themes such as environmental racism, social and environmental justice, landscape resiliency, and environmental, ecological, social, political, and structural repair of the water cycle in the modern day.

This panel intends to explore the frontlines of environmental consciousness: cultivating mindfulness in our relationship to water and discuss action steps that could lead toward a revolution where all beings have an absolute right to clean water.

Presented By: Water Now

2018 Convergence Panelists: Cheryl Angel, Cleve Steward, & Karuna Warren

Staple crops can be an important, fun, and easy part of a regenerative system. This is a hands-on workshop where you will learn about growing and processing different grain crops by hand. There will be a discussion on planting and harvesting, then practice threshing, winnowing, and grinding different grains. There will be wheat, amaranth, and grinding corn to practice on, and you can take seeds home if you want!

Presented By: Shane Brown

Fiber systems are an often-forgotten, but essential part of wholistic systems of living. This is a hands-on workshop about growing and processing plant and animal fibers, from seed or animal to finished cloth. There will be wool, nettle, and flax that you will have the opportunity to practice processing, spinning, and weaving on simple looms. Bring a spindle if you have one!

Presented By: Shane Brown

Our wombs are a powerful and sacred space. Using our wombs as our cauldrons, we will journey into the highest timeline of the Earth, share our deep visions for what we see in the New Earth that we are birthing together. It is time to come together consciously to focus our attention to what we all want- happiness, peace, and a world living closer to ourselves and all that is.

Presented By: Stephanie Chin