Our History

Permaculture Research Institute - Cold Climate began as the Permaculture Collaborative in 2003.

Through the next five years, we built our capacity and knowledge. In 2008 we began the transition from a community organization to a nonprofit in order to develop stronger partnerships in the community and launch new programs. As of May 2009, we are a certified 501(c)3 nonprofit with a Board of Directors, a core of 25-30 volunteers, membership over 100, and an email community over 2000.

We are a community of “learners” and “doers.”

Our members are:

We have organized educational and social events including:

We have nine certified permaculture designers.

Several of our instructors also teach at the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis School of Art and Design. We have taught permaculture classes and workshops throughout the Upper Midwest, in:

• Grand Marais, MN
• Northfield, MN
• Bayfield, WI
• Montevideo, MN
• Iowa City, IA
• Minneapolis/St. Paul area

We have hosted international permaculture speakers:

• Penny Livingston-Stark, Regenerative Design Institute, www.regenerativedesign.org
• Geoff Lawton, Permaculture Research Institute Australia, www.permaculture.org/au
• Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, www.patternliteracy.com
• David Jacke, author of Edible Forest Gardens, www.edibleforestgardens.com

Our members have built demonstration sites in:

• Minnesota
• Wisconsin
• Illinois
• Iowa
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Canada