Trend of the Day: Permablitz

Permablitz

= “The basic idea is that by converting their lawns into organic food-producing gardens, people will be able to back away from a dependence on industrial agriculture”. [1]

 

Description

” Permablitz: An informal gathering involving a day on which a group of at least two people come together to achieve the following:

  • create or add to edible gardens where someone lives
  • share skills related to permaculture and sustainable living
  • build community networks
  • have fun

Each permablitz is part of a longer process including a pre-blitz design visit or visits, prior organisation of materials needed for the blitz, and after the blitz follow up visits to see how people are going with their new gardens. This means that permablitzes stay true to permaculture design, which is always an extended process in which all action is informed by prior observation and reflection.

The permablitz network is currently entirely volunteer, and based on the principle of reciprocity. Most people come to blitzes because they are fun and you learn something. However, once you’ve been to a few blitzes, we can help you organise one where you live.This site is based in Melbourne, Australia. It is set up to facilitate others to get permablitzes happening and to document permablitzes to date as a resource for others. There are permablitz networks starting elsewhere, so if you live outside Melbourne contact us and we’ll try to put you in contact, or we can help you be the one to get them off the ground where you live.” (http://www.permablitz.net/content/view/1/27/)

Status

  • More than one hundred Permablitzes have been held in Melbourne, Australia, so far. [2]

Discussion

By De Chantal Hillis:

“As a concept, a Permablitz is very similar to the barn raisings of 18th and 19th century rural America. Barn raisings were big events for country folk because, back then, a barn was an essential piece of infrastructure for a farming family. Barns were used to keep animals sheltered and safe from predators, and to store vital farm equipment and stock fodder. A barn was also far too big — and far too expensive — for an individual family to build by themselves.

These days, many urbanites choose to grow food, keep bees or chickens, and harvest rainwater. They seek a degree of self-sufficiency which will allow them to reduce their eco footprint while connecting with the pleasures of the land. Unfortunately, a whole lot of lonely, back-breaking work is usually required in order to make that dream a reality. Because most people need a ‘real’ job to keep the cash rolling in, weekend and holiday time are often sacrificed in order to get large-scale projects finished. It’s not unusual for small-scale urban growers to spend weeks, months, and even years setting up composting systems, building poultry runs, and connecting water tanks.

That’s why Permablitzing makes sense. During a Permablitz, an army of volunteers, friends, and neighbors descend on a home and transform the yard (back, front, or both) into a food-growing wonderland. Permablitzing is a way of turning lawn into micro-farm and suburban house into urban homestead. The term ‘Permablitz’ is, in fact, a portmanteau of the words ‘Permaculture’ and ‘Backyard Blitz.’ Permaculture is a design system for sustainable agriculture. Backyard Blitz was an extra-cheesy Australian reality TV show wherein a team of pro gardeners and landscapers would descend upon a backyard and give it a one-day makeover.

Reflecting on the Permablitz concept, Asha Bee wrote:

– “Basically, a Permablitz is a permaculture-inspired backyard makeover where people come together to share knowledge and skills about organic food production in urban gardens while building community and having fun. The basic idea is that by converting their lawns into organic food-producing gardens, people will be able to back away from a dependence on industrial agriculture and the shipping of food back and forth across the world. At the same time, it makes organic eating accessible to more than just the upper-middle class. The whole Permablitz thing started with a group called Codemo (Community Development and Multicultural Organisation) a local community group composed primarily of South American immigrants and a permaculture geek named Dan Palmer. Dan started hanging out with the Codemo crew — some of whom expressed an interest in growing food in their backyards. The first permaculture backyard makeover was held at the home of Vilma from El Salvador. And Permablitzes have been spreading all around Melbourne since. Permablitzes involve a combination of learning, practicing, and socialising. I’d say the social community-building aspect is just as important, or even more so, than the garden makeover itself. In our socially atomised suburbs, with our tall fences separating our yards from our neighbours’, its rare to get to know those living closest to us.”

And while Permablitzes do involve hard work, they are also an incredibly fun, deeply emotionally fulfilling way to spend a Saturday or Sunday. Gardening in the sunshine is a wonderful activity. Conversations are free-flowing and pleasant; it is easy to get to know new people as you work together building poultry runs, shoveling dirt, or hammering together together a henhouse. I have seen children have an absolute ball rolling around in piles of straw. When a watering system sprung a leak at the last Permablitz I attended, all the kids jumped under it for a bit of midsummer water play. In an era where both children and adults spend the majority of their lives indoors, Permablitzing gives people the opportunity to form a connection to the natural world.

Permablitzing is also a great way to learn new skills. Volunteers get to see chicken coops built, water tanks connected, and raised garden beds wicked. If you have never used a power tool before, a Permablitz is the ideal place to practice wielding a cordless drill with the assistance of a friendly mentor. If you have wielded a cordless drill before, chances are, there will be someone at the Blitz with the kind of skill and knowledge that helps you move to the next level. Turning oneself into an apprentice for a day is a great way to swap sweat work for knowledge.

Planning a Blitz is, I admit, a huge undertaking. It is more than exhausting, it takes weeks of preparation, and it requires massive amounts of cooking. Blitz hosting is not for the faint-hearted. But, for me, hosting a Blitz was an amazing experience. It was Christmas and New Years’ rolled into one. It was a party and a working bee rolled into one. Like a wedding, it was a commitment to the future. It’s a great thing to see your child collecting snails with someone else’s child. It’s fun to get covered in mud, to work up a sweat, to exhaust yourself planting trees and to watch the sun go down with a beer in your hand.” (http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-permablitz-transforming-urban-homesteads-in-a-single-day?)

More Information

  1. More information at http://www.permablitz.net/content/view/17/