Here are some updates from our broader Permaculture Community!

Northern Climate Permaculture Design Course - Summer 2013

Join us for this 10 day immersion course in a permaculture inspired land-based community.  You will learn from a functioning permaculture site as well as several regional practicing permaculturists.  The lectures and discussions will be bolstered by daily hands-on activities.  Three local organic meals daily, on site camping, and materials will be included.  This design course is intended for hands on practitioners and is priced to be affordable; certificates available from Clare Hintz for those whose management goals include certification.

When: Friday July 12 - Sunday July 21

Where: Bayfield Peninsula, Wisconsin

Price: $450 - $900

Contact: Nathaniel Larson (715) 770 - 0155

Find more info at www.thedraw.org or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Seed Savers Exchange - Dinner and Lecture with David Buchannon
June 22nd, 6 pm. Decorah, Iowa

Join SSE and David Buchanan at Heritage Farm for a night of fresh food and learning. Arrive at 6:00 p.m. and explore the gardens, mingle with other guests, and enjoy appetizers. BYOB. Dinner begins at 7:00 p.m., followed by David's talk, Who Cares for the Misfits? at 8:00 p.m, with time for questions after.

As gardeners and seed savers, we know even the humblest plants can hold something of value, but we make decisions every day that involve tradeoffs. We search for flavor, high yields, and disease resistance, preferably rolled into one convenient package. Who among us, then, will be responsible for the ongoing care of under-appreciated plants, and preservation of their hidden strengths? What are the respective roles of home gardeners, gene banks, and commercial growers? In this talk David will share his perspectives and talk about his vision for the future

Read more here and RSVP today!

Upcoming Events at Bluebird Hill Homestead

Tending Our Inner Fire: Fire-making in the Modern World - Sunday, June 23rd, 4-7 pm

How do we keep our inner fire stoked? What fuel is best for our soul's purpose? And how do we know when to add the breath of inspiration? All this through real-life fire skills...building, tending cooking and more. $40.

Roots and Blooms: Gardening to Feed our Belly and Soul - 2 Sundays, July 14th and 21st, 4-7 pm

A beautiful fusion of nature connection and garden design. How do we tune in and support the earth's systems already at work in our gardens? And how do we create a space that regenerates the land AND ourselves? We'll get our hands in the earth to cultivate this connection and harvest these answers. $80.

A Summer Solstice and Full Moon Celebration! - Saturday, June 22nd, 5-9 pm

This month is a double celebration of the Full Moon as well as the Summer Solstice. Let’s give thanks for the bounty in our lives, share our stories, and voice our visions for the coming months.  We’ll have some fun activities for the kids, and a guided tour of the land. We will be sharing a potluck dinner, so please bring a healthy dish to share. FREE.

For more events and more info, go to http://bluebirdhillhomestead.com/.

Upcoming Events at the Women's Environmental Institute (WEI)

1) MOTHER EARTH BANQUET - WEI's Annual Awards and Fundraising Event

When: Friday, June 21st, 5:30 - 8:30 PM (Summer Solstice evening)


Where: Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN 55118


Emcee:  State Representative Karen Joy Clark

This year we will honor: WEI's 2013 "Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement" Sandra Steingraber, acclaimed ecologist and author of 'Living Downstream' and 'Raising Elijah.' Ms. Steingraber will speak on "Toxic Trespass:  From Pesticides to Fracking." The even will also honor WEI's 2013 "Minnesota Environmental Justice Leader" Sharon Day, Executive Director of the Indigenous People's Task Force, singer, author, and founder of the 2013 Mississippi River Women's Water Walk.

For more info, go to: www.w-e-i.org/mother-earth-banquet-friday-june-21

2) ORGANIC FARM SCHOOL

Where: Midtown Global Market Greenway Conference Room, 920 E. Lake St, Minneapolis


When:  Monday evenings from 6-8pm, starting June 10, 2013 - August 12th. 


What else:  Meet and network.  Learn more at on-site workshops, field days, and urban farming projects. Join the new farm-for-food synergy. 


Cost:  $120 for all ten weeks, or $20 per class

To get more info and see the class schedule, go to - http://www.w-e-i.org/wei039s-2013-organic-farm-school-you-can-pay-individual-classes-or-register-whole-lecture-series

3) WOMEN’S ENIVRONMENTAL INSTITUTE PRESENTS A BOOKSIGNING

Where:Birchwood Café, 3311 E 25th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406

When: Thurs, June 20th, 6-8 PM

MEET THE AUTHOR SANDRA STEINGRABER, ECOLOGIST, ACTIVIST, AND AUTHOR of LIVING DOWNSTREAM and RAISING ELIJAH
Sandra Steingraber explores the links between human rights and the environment, with a focus on chemical contamination. Buy your signed copy at Birchwood on Thursday!

Upcoming Events at the Center for Deep Ecology

    •    Permaculture Workshops at Project Earth
The Center for Deep Ecology will be giving garden tours and sharing permaculture skills at Project Earth, June 21-23. Project Earth is a 3 day co-created community celebration. We will be offering workshops all weekend, so as to spread the news about permaculture.

    •    Permaculture Design Certification Course – August 26 - September 2
If you don't know already, The Center for Deep Ecology is hosting an 8 day Permaculture Design Course. This practical, down-to-earth training will give you the tools you need to grow food, manage resources, better utilize energy and build community.  The course instructor, Wayne Weiseman, has taught over 100 PDC courses, and was trained by Bill Mollison, one of the founders of Permaculture.  If you register for the class before July 1, you get to take $100 off of the tuition rate. Bring a friend and you'll save another $50 a piece.  If you've already signed up, you will be receiving the course text, Rosemary Morrow's "Earth User's Guide to Permaculture.” Books will be mailed out after the July 1, early-bird registration deadline, so you can come to the course with a little bit of a head start. If you just can't wait to start studying, we suggest reading Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway. It has an urban focus and is a great beginner's Permaculture book.

For more information on the Center for Deep Ecology, visit their website: http://www.churchofdeepecology.org/

Personal Permaculture Discussion Group

Transition Longfellow will be hosting a year-long conversation on Personal Permaculture. We typically hear about permaculture in terms of landscape or garden design, but the concepts of permaculture — for example, produce no waste, use and value diversity, slow and small solutions, creatively respond to change  — can be applied to all areas of life. Each month we will discuss one permaculture principle and how it can be applied in life, beginning the year with the first principle — observe and interact. 

Location: Riverview Wine Bar on 42nd Avenue and 38th Street, Mpls (food and drink can be purchased at the coffeeshop next door and then brought into the wine bar)

Dates: July 6, August 3, Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2, December 7. 

Time: 10:30 to noon

Questions? Email Leslie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Advanced Permaculture Course: Animals in a Permaculture System
Hosted by Crazy Rooster Farm and Amish Telephone Booth
Sunday, August 4, 2013 at 9:00 AM - Sunday, August 11, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Mondovi, WI

In this advanced course you’l learn concepts and skills related to designing and implementing permaculture systems with animals. You’ll gain hands-on experience with chickens, sheep, cattle and bees as well as learn how wildlife and humanlife create functional relationships that lead to healthy habitats.

Instructors include Wayne Weiseman, director of the Permaculture Project, Victor Suarez of Crazy Rooster Farm, and Jake Hartnett, who is a grazing consultant for Thousand Hills Cattle and manages a large grass-fed herd in northern WI, who will share his extensive knowledge of fencing and mob grazing. Other guest instructors TBD.

The cost of the course is $1200 including food and camping on the farm. Two work-study scholarships are also available. Interested? Click here for more info and to sign up today!

Have a regional permaculture event you want us to showcase? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.