In this episode of The Permaculture Vine Podcast, hosted by Cormac Harkin, we focused on permaculture events. The conversation brought together guests from Permaculture Canada, Creasol Permaculture, and Candlelit Tales to discuss their direct experiences with attending, hosting, and creating events connected to permaculture, education, and collaboration.
The discussion covered personal experiences of events, challenges in organising them, the role of storytelling within event spaces, and a detailed outline of a forthcoming permaculture design course and gathering in Guatemala.
Who’s at the Table
Lindsay Brandon Lindsay joined the conversation from San Pancho, Mexico. She described her role working with Permaculture Canada and her current context of travelling, speaking at conferences, and participating in meetings with regenerative consultants focused on off-grid living and recycling initiatives.
Hu Man Hu Man appeared alongside Lindsay as part of Permaculture Canada, also speaking from San Pancho, Mexico. Their participation was framed within the same on-site context of visiting a recycling centre and engaging with regenerative consultants.
Neal Hegarty Neal joined from Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. He spoke about his background learning and teaching permaculture through events, his work in project management and design, and his current involvement in hosting and organising a permaculture design course and event series based in Guatemala.
Aron Hegarty Aron joined remotely and described himself as a storyteller and actor with a background in creating and hosting storytelling events through Candle of Tales. He explained his connection to permaculture through attending courses run by his brother Neal and his role in bringing storytelling and performance into collaborative events.
Experiences of Permaculture Events
The conversation began with participants sharing their personal experiences of permaculture events. Cormac noted limited experience with in-person events, describing attending Permaculture Ireland and finding the format challenging for his preferences. Others described a mix of in-person and online events, including conferences, design courses, farmer-to-farmer trainings, festivals, and retreats.
Lindsay described being involved in a wide range of events, often as a speaker within broader conferences not exclusively focused on permaculture. Neal outlined how events were central to his early teaching work, particularly in rural and agricultural contexts, before stepping back due to the stress of organising them. Aron discussed his long-term experience producing live storytelling events and festivals, including the logistical and emotional demands of event creation.
Learning and Collaboration at Events
Several speakers described events as spaces where learning happens through direct interaction. Neal discussed peer-to-peer learning as a key feature of in-person gatherings, contrasting it with online formats. He described how group settings allowed participants to share ideas, collaborate, and complete practical work together.
Lindsay and Hu Man shared examples of informal and spontaneous events, including gatherings created while travelling, where meeting local people led to the exchange of practical information. Aron described his own event format combining shared meals, discussion circles, and performance, noting how participants connected skills and resources directly through those gatherings.
Storytelling in Event Spaces
Storytelling was discussed throughout the episode as part of how events are structured and experienced. Aron described storytelling as central to his work and explained how it is incorporated into events through performance, improvisation, and shared narratives. Neal connected storytelling to how people frame projects and personal goals within permaculture contexts.
Lindsay spoke about listening carefully to individuals to understand their motivations and goals, both in human interactions and in site observation. She described reading “the story of the land” through observation during site visits, noting similarities between working with people and working with landscapes.
Challenges of Hosting and Attending Events
The group discussed practical challenges associated with events. These included travel distances, infrastructure capacity, food provision, water access, sanitation, and managing participant energy. Several speakers highlighted food as a critical factor in maintaining morale and effectiveness during longer gatherings.
They also discussed the organisational effort required to host events, including the stress of planning and promotion, and the need to develop additional skills beyond teaching or facilitation.
Speaking and Teaching at Events
When asked how people become speakers at events, Lindsay explained that she actively applies to events and also receives invitations through professional networks and online visibility. Neal described being invited to speak locally in Guatemala, while also noting the difference between being invited and organising one’s own event. Aron added that creating one’s own events was often the most direct way to begin teaching or performing publicly.
The Guatemala Permaculture Design Course and Event
A significant portion of the episode focused on a forthcoming two-week permaculture design course starting on January 4th in Guatemala. Neal described it as a fully certified permaculture design course hosted between his farm and Love Probiotics, in collaboration with Permaculture Canada and Candle of Tales.
The course structure includes participants bringing their own projects, which may be land-based, lifestyle-focused, or business-related. Practical activities discussed included planting a food forest, building a composting chicken system, working with fermentation, gardening, mushroom cultivation, and natural building. The course also includes storytelling, improvisation, music, and evening gatherings around shared meals and fires.
Neal explained that the event is being offered using a gift-economy approach, with participants covering accommodation and food while contributing skills or support to the event itself.
Closing
This episode of The Permaculture Vine Podcast explored personal experiences with permaculture events, the realities of hosting and attending them, and the ways learning, collaboration, and storytelling are incorporated into event settings. The conversation also detailed the structure and intentions behind an upcoming permaculture design course and gathering in Guatemala, as described directly by those organising and participating in it.
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