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October 2025 Permaculture Newsletter

This month, we invite you to take your permaculture journey from observation to action with one simple step. Maybe it’s planting a fruit tree in your backyard, starting a compost pile with your neighbors, or submitting your vision to the Permaculture Design Contest.

Whatever the act, big or small, it’s part of a larger movement—one where each choice we make regenerates soil, strengthens community, and builds resilience for the future.

At PINA, our role is to spark that action and support you along the way. We’re here with resources, stories, and opportunities to help you deepen your practice and amplify your impact.

This month’s newsletter is full of ways to engage. Let’s get started.

New Release: Biochar in Permaculture (Free eBook)

We’re excited to announce the release of our brand-new eBook, Biochar in Permaculture! This resource dives into the science, practice, and potential of biochar as a regenerative tool—showing how it can transform soils, sequester carbon, and strengthen community resilience.

And the timing couldn’t be better: the submission period for the 2025 Permaculture Design Contest is open for only TWO MORE WEEKS now through October 15th.

There are two tracks you can enter in this yearʻs design contest:

The Biochar Track 💰 Compete for the $7,500 Grand Prize by showcasing innovative ways biochar can be integrated into permaculture design.
The New Designer Track 🌱 Open to first-time permaculture designers, with a $2,500 Prize to encourage fresh perspectives and bold ideas. (Does not have to be biochar related).

Whether you’re curious about biochar’s role in climate solutions or ready to put your design skills to the test, this eBook is your springboard.

📖 Download the free eBook here → https://pina.kit.com/biochar
✍️ Submit your design by October 15th → https://pina.in/design_2025-pina-design-contest/

Let’s take permaculture from observation to action—together.

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Upcoming Intro to Permaculture Series October 13

Join host Greg Peterson for our next Intro to Permaculture session, featuring special guests Mary Marshall and Andrew Tuttle of EdgePerma.

Together, they bring decades of experience in regenerative design, education, and community resilience—helping people everywhere create thriving systems that care for the earth and each other.

The Intro to Permaculture Series is your gateway to the core principles of permaculture, guided by some of today’s leading practitioners.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen your practice, this series connects you with wisdom, stories, and practical tools for action.

Learn More and Catch Up on Past Presentations

A Chicken Coop That Redefines Suburban Living

Think you can’t have chickens in the suburbs? Think again.

PINA Diplomate and Pacific Rim College instructor Delvin Solkinson, together with his wife Grace, have built a stunning chicken coop right in their suburban neighborhood—proving that permaculture can thrive anywhere. This is more than just a chicken house; it’s a thoughtful design blending beauty, function, and resilience.

Their project shows how even small-scale, backyard builds can embody permaculture principles—supporting food security, creating habitat, and sparking joy in everyday life. It’s a reminder that action doesn’t always mean big land or big projects. Sometimes, it starts right at home with a simple (yet extraordinary) design.

Take a look at their suburban chicken paradise here →

BE FEATURED IN THE NEWSLETTER

Members, we want to highlight your work in our newsletter. Please email a project you’re proud of to communications@pina.in.

PINA invites you to share content for a future edition of our newsletter!

See an article or news item you think we should feature? Contact us to let us know.

Next PDC Teacher Wisdom Exchange is Coming Up

The other day, while scanning Google Trends, I noticed something troubling: searches for the word “Permaculture” have been steadily declining since 2010.

How can this be? With climate disasters intensifying, food systems under strain, and communities struggling with disconnection—you’d think permaculture would be more popular than ever. Yet the data tells a different story.

That’s why the next online PDC Teacher Wisdom Exchange is so important. Together, we’ll explore how to revitalize permaculture education, reach broader audiences, and ensure that the solutions we hold don’t just stay in our circles, but ripple out into the wider world.

📅 Oct 29 @ 7pm et

📍 Online Zoom Meeting

Be part of the conversation on making permaculture more visible, more accessible, and more impactful than ever before.

If Youʻre not on the list, SAVE YOUR PLACE NOW

If you are on the list, donʻt worry about a thing. Youʻll get an email reminder.

Cultivating Community at the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence

This September, the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence brought together people from across the Northwoods and beyond for a weekend of camping, workshops, and community connection in Rhinelander. Hosted at Holiday Acres on Lake Thompson, the gathering was filled with hands-on learning—from food preservation and rope making to survival skills and even how to make use of a swamp on your property.

Organizer Drew Carlson summed it up best: “We are working with nature versus trying to fight it, in order to provide our needs for food, shelter, and also looking for ways that we can exist socially with each other.”

But beyond the sessions, the real magic was in the conversations—over meals, during breaks, and around the campfire. Attendees shared stories, swapped skills, and discovered new ways to live in deeper harmony with the land and with one another.

As local host Mike Haasl reflected, “It’s neat to see all the people that are interested in these sorts of topics… just a lot of excitement and sharing between people and good discussions.”

The Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence is a reminder that when people gather to learn and celebrate, permaculture becomes more than practice—it becomes community.

New Allied Organization Alert!

PINA is thrilled to welcome Buena Fortuna Gardens to our Allied Network!

Located in La Ribera, Baja California Sur, this 11-acre botanical reserve is home to over 2,500 edible, medicinal, and useful plants from around the world, thriving alongside native species.

From immersive garden tours and brunches, to permaculture workshops, edible landscape design, and biodiversity preservation, Buena Fortuna is a living classroom dedicated to regeneration. 🌍✨

Learn More