With keynotes speakers, workshops, skills shares, & panel discussions from leading resilience thinkers and doers; a model resilient community; live music; camping; child and youth programming; and plenty of opportunities for co-inspiration and cross-pollination… the Building Resilient Communities Permaculture Convergence will bring together leaders, permaculture designers, transition organizers, activists, young people, homesteaders, designers, social entrepreneurs, and others who are passionate  about shifting the paradigm and joining together to cross-pollinate, skill-up, synergize and celebrate!

Check out our workshops themes and topics below, followed by a list of workshop titles and descriptions.

“Natural” Beekeeping a Holistic Approach

Yasir will share excerpts from Soul Flower Farms Intro to Natural Beekeeping class. Challenging the commercial beekeeping practices, which breeds disease, that many backyard and permaculture beekeepers have adapted and Yasir will offers solutions for more sustainable beekeeping. 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 …
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10th Element of Hip Hop Health & Wellness

Did you know that Hip Hop culture has 10 elements? The newest element, the 10th Element, is called Health & Wellness. Why did we add it to Hip Hop culture? What are the implications of this new element? How can we each play a part in developing this new phase of Hip Hop? How can it effect your life? Your community? And the World? The 10th Element of Hip Hop is Health & Wellness and our Proclamation reclaims the original …
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A Zone 1 Garden Design Hands-On

Rick will develop the scene with active participation by the group, which will design a Zone 1 human powered kitchen garden, life-size and in real time, a physical brain-storm of combined expertise. 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 …
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Abundant Land: Soil, Seeds, and Sovereignty

Abundant Land follows a group of Hawaiian residents on the island of Moloka’i as they oppose the biotech industry’s use of their land to test genetically engineered seeds and work to restore an integrated food system based on ancient Hawaiian farming practices and permaculture. http://abundantland.com/ Saturday Oct 7| 9pm| Yurt …
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Aligning with Your Moon Cycle for Inner Resilience & Empowerment

Each Womb-Moon cycle (menstruation cycle) our beings go through an incredible orchestra of hormonal, emotional, physical and spiritual changes. Through this natural cycle we are intricately connected to the cycles of the earth, planets, and stars. When we live in alignment with these changing seasons within our bodies, we live closer to the earth’s natural flow, and create more ease, strength, adaptability, and empowerment through become more attuning to the changing, cycling needs of our bodies and of the world …
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Allyship as Humane Symbiosis

An experiential workshop using meditation, Theater of the Oppressed, Nonviolent Communication, and Qi Gong to understand allyship as deepening our organic interconnectedness with the conscious intention to heal. This workshop is an exploration of the ways that allyship can be understood as deepening our organic interconnectedness with the conscious intention to heal. Jihan will facilitate meditation, somatic exercises, and interpersonal practices to build skill in deconditioning ourselves from manifesting oppressive patterns in our interpersonal relationships and interrupting oppressive patterns with …
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Anti-Racism 101: Removing Blind Spots, Building Bridges

In this 3-hour workshop, we will lay the foundation to: *Develop clear definitions of race, oppression and privilege. *Interrupt the pervasive and unseen operations of privilege. *Increase capacity to create interactions that build bridges of trust. *Develop a framework to understand cultural appropriation. *See how a “color-blind” approach while well-intentioned both reads as a time-bomb of hurtful, unexamined entitlement and continues to yield unequal results. * Cultivating a culture that is safe, inclusive, and supportive for diversity to thrive * …
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Applied Permaculture – Forest Garden Design Charrette

What is a charrette? What is a Forest Garden? What is Permaculture? 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 …
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Beyond Diversity to Liberation: Intentional Communities as platforms for social justice

In this workshop, we will explore the historical roots of black intentional communities movement highlighted by Jessica Gordon Nembhard in her book Collective Courage, and The Arc of Justice, which chronicles the remarkable journey of black farmers and the first land trust that grew out of the Civil Rights movement. We will also highlight visionary present-day community & co-housing projects that are grasping at the root causes of racialized displacement, environmental racism, and wealth inequality by building cooperative and participatory …
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Bioregional Breakout Session

Get to know your neighbors! This session will break out participants into groups according to where you live. You will do some networking activities, delve into the issues and exciting projects in your bioregion, and look at ideas for organizing your bioregion after the Convergence Friday Oct 6| 9am| Bioregional Hub Presented by Susan Silber …
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Bioregional Workshop

Are you passionate about organizing permaculture and community resilience projects in your local region? Come to this workshop, to take a deeper dive into the conversations that were started during the bioregional networking session. From monthly work parties to online community platforms, participants will come away with some tools to mobilize and organize to strengthen our projects and build our movement. Friday Oct 6| 11am| Bioregional Hub Presented by Susan Silber …
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Building a “Palletable” Cobin

Have you wanted to learn Natural Building? Learn hands-on with Miguel “Sir Cobalot” Elliott during two workshops: 1) Miguel will be sharing the process of building a small hut built out of pallets, insulated with straw, covered in an earthen cob plaster, called a “Palletable Cobin”. This structure is very easy to build, affordable, super well insulated, non-toxic, and is a great solution for low cost housing. 2) For anyone who wants to learn cob and adobe building hands-on, Miguel …
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Building Healthy Soil Communities with Bioactive Compost

Join the BEAM TEAM supports the research of NMSU microbiologist David C. Johnson, a microbiologist at NMSU and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Research, who began seven years ago to investigate compost, seeking to understand its most essential attributes. His discovery that microbial diversity and density are the primary factors in healthy soil and effective carbon sequestration, led David and his wife, Hui Chen, to developed a no-turn composting bio-reactor that makes fungi-rich compost that can be used …
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Closed Loop Designs with Green & Solar Tech for Greenhouses

Solar and Energy Tech for Sustainable Greenhouses. Chaz Peling of SolSolutions will share some examples of how new appropriate technology and design can be used in greenhouse systems for year around food and herb gardening. Using the principles for closed loop system designs applied to greenhouse environmental systems, there are many new ways to use solar energy and super efficient applications for season extension of growing plants needing, cooling, air flow, lighting, heating and water, that can be created with …
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Co-Creative Community Art Circle

Join us for a co-creative art circle in the Visionary Art Zone, with experiential art games, the creation of a collaborative community painting, and an art discussion with the artists! We will be exploring art and creativity and it’s role within the larger scope of permaculture, community, and personal development. Friday Oct. 6 / 3pm / Visionary Art Zone  Presented by the 2017 Visionary Artists of the Convergence, John Hutton and Michael Lott  …
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Collaboration: Laying a foundation for Change with NVC

Join us for a highly interactive introduction to NVC and explore more efficient collaboration strategies. We are creating a world where everyone’s needs matter and people have the skills to make peace. Awaken greater self-compassion, create opportunities for choice, and experience more satisfying relationships with Nonviolent Communication. Join us for an introduction to NVC and explore more efficient collaboration strategies. Specifically, we plan to explore: -Use conflict as an opportunity for generative outcomes -Identify shared purpose and values -Emphasize connection, …
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Community Choice Energy: A Pathway to Resilient, Energy-Secure Communities

As the threat of climate disruption increases, Community Choice energy can be a powerful vehicle for democratizing energy, spurring local sustainable economic development, and building more resilient communities. As the social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change become more pronounced, Community Choice energy can be a powerful vehicle for democratizing energy, spurring local sustainable economic development, and building more resilient communities. This workshop will consist of a 20 minute slide presentation followed by group discussion on the relationship between …
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Community Resilience = Emergency Preparedness

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 …
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Compost Strategies for Different Circumstances and Materials

Joe will discuss different organic waste processing techniques (hot vs cold compost, vermiculture, bokashi, biochar, anaerobic digestion, hugelkultur, mushroom cultivation). He will address the pros and cons for each method, the ideal circumstances, and the specific techniques for each style. There will also be a small-scale Biochar oven and live Bokashi inoculant. A skills-oriented talk about different composting methods, and which methods to use for specific results. At the heart of Permaculture is a goal to foster both social and …
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Compost toilets, Parasites and Social Change

The urgency of leaving water in our rivers means we need to rethink our flush toilets.Many of us are experimenting with homemade composting toilets. Let’s compare notes about best practices in processing “the material” and get clear about what precautions are in order. Come prepared to share about your own “research”–what has and hasn’t worked. Let’s share best practices and precautions in the processing of homemade compost toilet “material”. Water is a critical resource in CA and there’s not enough …
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Contact Improvisation: Rising into Freedom by Deepening Trust in our Dance

In this Contact Improvisation class, we create a safe space to explore our edges, offering tools, techniques, and exercises to deepen our trust in our solo, partner, and group dances. How can we build trust in ourselves, our partners, our dance, that we may open new spaces of freedom in our movement? In this Contact Improvisation class, we create a safe space to explore our edges, offering tools, techniques, and exercises to deepen our trust in our solo, partner, and …
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Cooking with Acorns: From Foraging to Feasting

Acorns are an ancient, pre-agricultural staple food common to indigenous cultures throughout the Northern hemisphere. Join us for a hands-on workshop where participants will engage in the process of preparing food from acorn from start to finish. While we pound and leach acorn we will also discuss land stewardship techniques for managing oaks for acorn production, how to gather and sort acorns, various methods for leaching, a cooking demo, as well as easy and delicious recipes to take home. Learning …
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Creating an Herbal Apothecary

As we get ready for the coming change of seasons, now is the time to focus on some preventative health measures to ensure that we are fortified and ready to face the oncoming autumn and winter months. In this workshop we will prepare handcrafted formulas to stock our medicine chests. Come learn about plants that support the respiratory system, boost immunity and act as tonics to the system including adaptogens. We’ll cover the basics of making tinctures, salves, medicinal tea …
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Cultivating Physical Freedom

We will apply permaculture principles through somatic movement and awareness practices to cultivate physical freedom and flow individually and in community. Wherever we find ourselves on earth, our bodies are always home to our selves–we are all indigenous to our bodies. There are countless ways that we all take care of our selves, and yet, ironically, these processes may not always help us feel at home. Applying permaculture principles to the somatic practice of moving with awareness we can cultivate …
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Decolonizing Our Resiliency Movements

The effects of settler colonialism on these lands (Turtle Island) have created the dominant systems that now threaten our very survival, and have conditioned us to sever our ties to Mother Nature and to each other.  We will look at colonial systems of oppression, and then talk about how these show up in movements working towards climate & ecological resiliency such as Transition, Permaculture and Re-Skilling.  We will touch upon the unconscious cultural appropriation that sometimes happens in these fields.  …
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Delphi Village

Delphi Village is an emergent technology showcase built as the infrastructure for a permanent festival grounds and music festival theme park. Cal-Nev-Ari is a 520-acre town in Southern Nevada that we are acquiring to transition into a regenerative community. We have a plan for over 5000 acres of land in the Southern Nevada area to create as a conscious business and regenerative showcase. This is an extensive plan incorporating regenerative technologies for water and power, time banks, next-level composting, community …
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Design Thinking for Equitable Communities

Let’s talk about Design and Social Justice. We know that design has the power to elevate everything it touches—from products, to systems, to spaces. But when it comes to our greatest challenges around economic equity, access, and inclusion, what roles does design play in advancing equitable communities? Can design catalyze positive change and lasting impact when it comes to solving real problems and human needs? Join us for a discussion focused on how design can support social progress and a …
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Designing for Water – Tools and Techniques

How much rain can you catch? In this hands on workshop we will work on-site to learn the tools and techniques of rain-water harvesting. We will find water storage potential of structures, discover the contours of the landscape, and identify “key-points” of catchment, storage, and sequestration. This will be a hands on workshop using tools of the trade, bunyips, laser level for finding contours, and measuring tape to find roof catchment potentials. Presented By: Karmendra Rossy …
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Diversity of Participants, Ideas, and Solutions from Around the Globe: Come Learn About the International Permaculture Convergences

The International Permaculture Convergences (IPCs) are the lifeblood of the global permaculture movement. Started in the early 1980’s when permaculture was still relatively unknown, IPCs are now a bi-annual event hosted by a different permaculture organization in a different country and region each time. We learn in the deepest way what our fellow global citizens and permaculturists are experiencing in their regions as societies around the world enter in an era of interconnected challenges. Participants from many parts of the …
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Ecocentro Ipec and the Ecozoic Biofilter Toilets

The Biofilter toilets used at the last Global Eclipse Gathering in Oregon, organised by Simbiosys Events, with 30,000+ attendees was the crowning of an experiment in mobile ecological sanitation that started in 1999, in Brazil. Ecocentro Ipec is a multi award winning institution displaying more than 30,000 sq feet of natural buildings and 60 acres of gardens, food forests and sustainable technologies in the heart of South America. Ecocentro Ipec first started to develop composting technologies in 1999, and some of …
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