Last week’s Permaculture Association AGM was a huge success thanks to the 100 attendees at the Bricks and Bread sustainability centre in Aldershot. The picture above shows everybody in a ‘350’ formation ahead of International Day of Climate Action this Saturday (October 24th).

Contributions welcome

Please remember that we are always looking for contributions to this ebulletin and our quarterly newsletter.

Keep emailing your contributions to communicate@permaculture.org.uk. We love receiving your weblinks, news, events, articles and such like. The deadline for the Winter members newsletter is October 30th.

Not a member? Sign up to the Permaculture Association with standard annual membership being £24. You can join online here via our website: www.permaculture.org.uk

Work is underway to get the permaculture event of 2010 prepared. Dates are confirmed for the 4th-5th September. But the 'where' could be down to you - offers are being sought! Our first organising meeting is the 27th October 2009. If you want to be involved in organising the event - or have a venue to offer - contact Louise by emailing: network@permaculture.org.uk

The annual event proved a hit this year with a well-received capacity number of Permaculture Association members. Workshops included the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, Plants for a future, Flowforms & Chickens, Education, Research and the LAND project. Suzi High (International coordinator) became the latest Diploma holder and wowed the group with her very impressive portfolio and presentation.

The 2010 AGM will be integrated with the Convergence (see above story).

Work on widening the presence of the Permaculture Assocaition online is underway with the new Website soon to be launched - among other plans that we have in the pipeline.

However there is now an entry on leading online resource ‘Wikipedia’ and we invite you to help interact and build the ever-popular information base. You can find it here.

Both the Mid-Wales and the Shropshire permaculture networks have recently launched their online websites.

Both sites are designed to be an online meeting point for people in the relevant region to share information, ask questions, post events, and generally support each other.

For Mid-Wales, click here or for Shropshire click here.
 

Last month we brought you news of our plight in raising sponsorship for Aaron Kalala Karumba (above) to attend the International Permaculture Convergence in Malawi.

As a result of overwhelming responses of generosity, the funds were gathered and Aaron is busy organising his trip! He will be sending us reports of his experience – many thanks to everyone who contributed. See here or here for more information.

A further opportunity for permaculturists to show what they are getting up to has just been launched on the web. Shoot2change, found here, is designed as a “one stop site for people of the world to upload short films, videos and animation. The aim is to create positive social change through the powerful medium of film.”

Day-Glo punk band Rubella Ballet’s founder and drummer Sid Truelove has turned his hand to creating an inner city permaculture project after becoming “sick of paying astronomical prices for organic salads and vegetables”. Watch his inspirational video here.

NextGEN – the Next Generation of the Global Ecovillage Network charity have made their latest handbook available to download for free. ‘Creating a circle of Inspiration, Support & Action’ offers various tools for building community and includes financial and practical support. Download from here.

After a year of hard work by a dedicated core of volunteers, climatefriendlyfood.org.uk has launched. Set up to promote practices that reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of farms, Climate Friendly Food features a carbon calculator (later this month) and claims that together with practicing low carbon farming techniques, agriculture could absorb over 20% of the current total global CO2 emissions.

Bike Easy
Top tips and expert advice for the new cyclist
Peter Andrews
Published by: Eco-logic books
ISBN: 978 1899233175

This book is exactly what it says in the title! It is a great book for people who think perhaps they should cycle, but then think of 100 reasons why cycling would be inconvenient/cold/unsafe and other excuses, as well as good for people trying to encourage their children out on bikes.

Read a full review by Helen White in the November edition of Permaculture Works - the quarterly newsletter for Permaculture Association members.

• Diploma Induction Weekend Events:
7th-8th Novemebr 09: Oxfordshire. Tutor:
Hannah Thorogood
28th-29th November 09: Hornsey Rise Gardens, London.
Tutors: Hannah Thorogood & Graham Burnett.

These weekends are for anyone interested in gaining their Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design or who have recently registered to start. It is open to anyone with the permaculture design certificate. Come along, have the process clearly explained, find out the why’s, what’s & how’s of the permaculture diploma.

Get on with designing your diploma pathway and getting started along it. Meet peers and form learning support guilds, designing your own guild support - when, how, and what will work for you. Cost of the weekend will be approx. £120 (Concessions available). For bookings & enquiries please email: hannah_thorogood@hotmail.com

• Holistic Management: Decision Making, Grazing and Brittle Environments

Allan Savory, founder of Holistic Management will be talking in London on the 13th November. The Association is organising this seminar as part of the Low Carbon Farming Project. Venue and full details will be announced shortly. Limited spaces, to reserve one email permafarms@googlemail.com.

 • Introduction to Permaulture weekend of the year at Naturewise is on November 7/8th with places still available. For more info or to book, contact Marianne, on londoncourses@naturewise.org.uk

 • Introduction to Permaculture on 7th November in Frome, Somerset. 9.30 – 17.00 – contact Gladys Paulus 01373 467884. Email: gladys@spiral-garden.co.uk Plus a full design course running across 6 weekends from Jan-Jun in 2010