This year, the Sixth Annual Northeast Permaculture Convergence will be held July 2nd-4th; the convergence will feature tours of farms and homesteads on Friday, July 2nd, and workshops, live music, camping and family events over the weekend.

“There is a growing interest in organic, local, fair-trade, climate-neutral and zero-waste everything – people want alternatives and permaculture offers solutions,” says Jim Merkel, Co-director of the Newforest Institute of Brooks Maine. “The same oil that spills into the Gulf of Mexico, spills into our homes in the products we buy, our mobility and our food. For those who dream of cutting the umbilical cord of polluting fuels while getting their hands in the soil, this event will jump-start your process.

Heavy hitters in the field of permaculture including David Jacke, Eric Toensmeier, Charles & Julia Yelton, Mark Krawczyk and Keith Morris will offer workshops with titles such as: “Our Cosmological Connections,” “How to Design a Perennial Polyculture,” “Nursuries, Coppicing in the 21st Century,” and “”Harvesting Fertility w/European Scythe.”

Abby Sadauckas, Event Logistics Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator for MOFGA commented on the quality of this year’s convergence:

“MOFGA is pleased to be co-sponsoring the convergence,” Sadauckas said. “An increasing number of our constituents are interested in incorporating permaculture techniques into their organic gardens and we are excited to offer an event of this caliber.”
The theme of the Convergence is: Envisioning Resilience, Inspired by Nature. “We could use more resilience,” said Lisa Fernandes, a member of the Convergence Organizing Team. “People are looking at everything from the economy, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, global warming – you name it. We need to be actively creating viable alternatives to how we have been doing things. That’s why people are drawn to permaculture right now.”

Organized events throughout the long weekend include “field trips” to nearby permaculture sites–one of which, is the Newforest Institute–over forty workshops including “new-to-permaculture” sessions, advanced permaculture strategy sessions, daily yoga, and meals prepared by Local Sprouts Cooperative, using local, organic ingredients. Also incorporated into the weekend will be “YouthZone” activities for young people and for children under ten. And a circuit of wellness practitioners, a marketplace, and spontaneous art and music dispersed throughout the fairgrounds. Camping on the grounds is available and all attendees are encouraged to speak, present, or volunteer in any way that feels comfortable.

Full Convergence details and registration information are available online at
http://northeastconvergence.wordpress.com/. Cost for the weekend is on a sliding scale: $75- $125 and includes all sessions, meals and activities (except optional Friday field trips). Camping in several woodland or field campsites are included in the ticket price as well. Day passes and volunteer discounts are available.