Back to All Events

2024 Midwest Permaculture Convergence


  • Heart Valley Springs 45580 18th Avenue Bloomingdale, MI, 49026 United States (map)

Join us for our Midwest Permaculture Convergence to learn from leaders and connect with community members from across our region to build our Permaculture future! Details and Registration are below….

Speaker Line Up:

Amy Stross: Amy is the author of the award-winning book, The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People. She writes about growing food-producing home landscapes and permaculture gardens on her website, TenthAcreFarm.com.

  • Amy will be speaking about how to apply permaculture design to a home landscape so that it is eye-catching, low-maintenance, and productive while also working with nature to improve biodiversity. Specific plant recommendations will focus on USDA growing zones 4-7.

Dan Halsey: Daniel designs and consults for developing ecologically supported homestead systems, ecosystem restoration, and intentional communities. Bringing site-specific solutions based on local resources, site conditions, and improved cultural practices. The majority of his designs are farms, homesteads, watershed, and village systems supplying perennial harvests to support the community. Always raising the carrying capacity of the land. He is Co-Founder of United Designers International (https://www.uniteddesigners.org) and Co-Author of Integrated Forest Gardening & Natural Capital Plant Database (https://permacultureplantdata.com)

Dan will be heading up 3 talks listed below as well as hosting a physical demonstration about growing in Geodesic domes and sharing about his Tiny Home System. Read below to learn more

1. Explore Exciting Careers in Permaculture

Join us for an inspiring presentation on "Careers in Permaculture" at GRLPI’s Midwest Permaculture Convergence! Whether you're a seasoned practitioner, a curious enthusiast, or someone looking to make a career change, this session is for you.

During this presentation, you'll learn about the diverse opportunities available in the field of Permaculture, including employment, entrepreneurship, and social impact initiatives. Discover how you can turn your passion for sustainable living into a fulfilling career that makes a positive difference in the world.

2. Empowering Communities Through International Permaculture Projects

Join us for an enlightening presentation on "International Permaculture Projects". Discover how Permaculture principles are being applied around the globe to empower communities, nurture sustainability, and address environmental and social challenges.

During this session, you'll hear inspiring stories and case studies of successful international Permaculture initiatives. Learn about the principles of adaptability, collaboration, and sustainability that guide these projects, and explore opportunities for getting involved and making a difference.

Come be part of the global Permaculture movement and learn how you can contribute to positive change on a global scale.

3. Exploring Plant Systems and Databases for Sustainable Agriculture

Join us for an informative presentation on "Plant Systems and Databases" at GRLPI’s Midwest Permaculture Convergence! Dive into the world of plant ecology and discover how plant systems and databases can enhance your understanding of sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management.

During this session, you'll explore the principles of plant guilds, polycultures, and food forests, and learn how to leverage plant databases to inform design decisions and species selection. Gain practical insights and tips for integrating plant systems into your Permaculture projects and land management plans.

Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your knowledge of plant ecology and learn valuable tools for sustainable agriculture.

4. Geodesic Dome Greenhouses             (ongoing demo and casual discussion)

Built at the event & another fabricated. One will be for sale as well. Dan will be presenting on season extension, site specific solutions, climate adaptation, and dome strategies. The Dome is 24’ diameter, 14 feet tall.

5. Tiny Home System:  UD Roadhouse Systems Tour             (ongoing with tour times)

Since 2020 Dan has been traveling full time in his 30’ RV. It’s solar, off grid, with a compost toilet, adapted to full time living, deep cold protected systems, … A Remote working home on wheels. He will be sharing about how the systems work.

Doug Crouch: Treeyo Permaculture - Petersburg, KY - https://treeyopermaculture.com

  • He will speaking about Orchard Gardens: a Permaculture Alley Cropping System

Lisa Helm: Dayton Urban Grown - Dayton, OH - Facebook.com/DaytonUrbanGrown

Lisa Helm has been a volunteer grassroots organizer around Sustainability since 2008, founding Garden Station, where she organized a Sustainable Living Workshop series of over 60 free classes/year, and EarthFest that attracted as many as 5000 attendees.

In 2016 Lisa built Dayton Urban Grown incubator and training farm where she has used regenerative techniques to bring the Soil Organic Matter to over 13% and grows market produce year-round, generating as much as $20K/year worth of produce on just 1/10 of an acre. She has also been a speaker for organic farming conferences in multiple states and online. An avid student, Lisa has studied with numerous experts in regenerative farming, permaculture and natural building and is currently studying agroforestry with an interest in blending Regenerative Market Gardening and alley cropping with linear food forests.  

  • She will be speaking about basic soil microbiology, what it does for plants and our bodies, and talking about different methods of regenerating soil life and organic matter; including aerobic compost tea, keyline plow, diverse cover crops, and charged biochar.

Bryce Ruddock - Formerly of Midwest Permaculture, who was their plant guy and Co-Author of Integrated Forest Gardening with Dan Halsey and Wayne Weiseman. More details come soon!

Dale Hendricks - Dale, of Green Light Plants has been involved with permaculture plants for decades. He will be talking about John Hershey’s work with Perennial Edibles. More details to come

Braden Trauth: Co-Founder of the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute and Permaganic Authenticated, the World’s First Regenerative/Permaculture Farming Certification approved by the USPTO hosted by GRLPI- Braden will be talking about Regenerative Agriculture and Permaganic Authenticated and the process of having your farm certified by them. https://cincinnatipermacultureinstitute.org

Kelly Clark:

Kelly was formally educated in physics and had a career in classroom teaching before turning her attention to the practice and promulgation of permaculture. She founded Kelly’s Working Well Farm, in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in 2012. The farm has provided Kelly with a space where she and others can learn and experiment in a wide range of areas from growing food and fiber regeneratively to developing educational models for kids and adults. Other projects and initiatives that Kelly is involved with are Reeds and Roots Skillshare, and Northeast Ohio Earth Restoration. She is always up for new ideas and collaborations!

The Chagrin Valley Learning Collective(CVLC): An educational model based on Permaculture Principles

  • CVLC founder, Kelly Clark, will discuss this exciting educational model. The CVLC starts with the premise that all children come into the world with the desire and ability to learn everything necessary for them to become self-actualized members of society. By incorporating elements such as governance by consent (sociocracy), prosocial communication and conflict resolution, and unlimited free play, into the context of a permaculture farm, the CVLC allows participants to direct their own learning within a supportive community.

  • Bringing Bioregional Learning to the Great Rivers and Lakes

    Kelly and other representatives from the Bioregional Learning Journey of the Design School for Regenerating Earth will present the concept of Bioregional Learning Centers (BLC’s), an idea first proposed by systems thinker Donella Meadows. BLC’s have the potential to weave together the many existing initiatives around place-based and indigenous wisdom and practice, regenerating local ecosystems from the soil on up and relocalizing the economy including food systems. Attendees will learn about efforts currently underway to create BLC’s in our bioregion and how they can contribute to this movement.

  • Panel Discussions with leaders in the region. Details to come soon

Community Connection Sessions & Open Mic talks

Silent Auction

Accommodations:


Want to give a talk at our convergence?

If you would like to give a talk at our Convergence about your Permaculture experience in the Midwest then please fill out the form below with details about it and we’ll get back to you:

Previous
September 23

2022 Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence